From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: SANE/FREEZE WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT April 14, 1992
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:11:54 GMT

/** sf.lobby: 86.0 **/
** Topic: S/F Legislative Report 4-14-92 **
** Written 11:18 am  Apr 14, 1992 by sfnatldc in cdp:sf.lobby **
SANE/FREEZE:CGS WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
For The Week Of April 14, 1992
 
     The Weekly Legislative Report is updated on the second
business day of each week by the SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global
Security legislative office (while Congress is session). This
report is based on the political objectives adopted by the 1991
SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security National Congress.
 
     A short version of this report is available each week on the
SANE/FREEZE Legislative Hotline. The number: (202) 862-9760.
 
     Please help us by reporting your lobbying activities to Burt
Glass at (202) 862-9740, by fax at (202) 862-9762, by PeaceNet mail
message to "sfnatldc," or by written report (form available from
our legislative office) to SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global
Security, attn.: Burt Glass, 1819 H Street, NW, Suite 640,
Washington, D.C., 20006-3603.
 
TOP PRIORITY: NUCLEAR TESTING MORATORIUM
 
     The Senate and House bills to stop nuclear testing for one
year if republics of the former Soviet Union do not test continue
to gather co-sponsors at a steady pace. With Congress in recess for
the next two weeks, now is an excellent time to schedule a meeting
with your Senators or Representative office to talk with them about
these bills.
 
     A vote on the House bill (H.R. 3636) now is expected next
month in the form of an amendment to the annual defense
authorization bill. House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO)
and Rep. Mike Kopetski (D-OR) are expected to offer the amendment.
 
     H.R. 3636 now has 216 co-sponsors, just 4 shy of a majority
number. (Two of the co-sponsors are non-voting.) Here is a list of
current co-sponsors, as of April 14:
 
     American Samoa: Faleomavaega; AZ: Pastor; AR: Alexander,
Anthony, Thornton; CA: Anderson, Beilenson, Berman, Boxer, Brown,
Dellums, Dixon, Dooley, Dymally, Edwards, Fazio, Lantos, Lehman,
Levine, Martinez, Matsui, Miller, Mineta, Panetta, Pelosi, Roybal,
Stark, Torres, Waters, Waxman; CO: Schroeder, Skaggs; CT: Delauro,
Gejdenson, N. Johnson, Kennelly, Shays; DE: Carper; DC: Norton; FL:
Bacchus, Fascell, Gibbons, Johnston, Lehman, (Pete) Peterson,
Smith; GA: Jones, Lewis; HI: Abercrombie, Mink; ID: LaRocco,
Stallings; IL: Annunzio, Bruce, Collins, Cox, Durbin, Evans, Hayes,
Poshard, Russo, Sangmeister, Savage, Yates; IN: Hamilton, Jacobs,
Jontz, Long, McCloskey, Roemer, Sharp, Visclosky; IA: Leach, Nagle,
Smith; KS: Glickman, Slattery; KY: Mazzoli, Natcher, Perkins; LA:
Jefferson; ME: Andrews; MD: Cardin, Hoyer, McMillen, Mfume,
Morella; MA: Atkins, Donnelly, Early, Frank, Kennedy, Markey,
Mavroules, Moakley, Neal, Olver, Studds; MI: Bonior, Carr, Collins,
Conyers, Ford, Henry, Hertel, Kildee, Levin, Traxler, Wolpe; MN:
Oberstar, Penny, Peterson, Sabo, Sikorski, Vento; MI: Espy, Parker;
MO: Clay, Gephardt, Horn, Volkmer, Wheat; MT: Williams; NH: Swett;
NJ: Dwyer, Guarini, Hughes, Pallone, Payne, Roe, Torricelli; NY:
Ackerman, Boehlert, Downey, Engel, Fish, Flake, Green,
Hochbrueckner, LaFalce, Lowey, Manton, McHugh, McNulty, Mrazek,
Nowak, Owens, Rangel, Scheuer, Schumer, Serrano, Slaughter, Solarz,
Towns, Weiss; NC: Jones, Neal, Price, Rose, Valentine; ND: Dorgan;
OH: Eckart, Feighan, Hall, Kaptur, Luken, Oakar, Pease, Sawyer,
Stokes, Traficant; OK: McCurdy, Synar; OR: AuCoin, DeFazio,
Kopetski, Wyden; PA: Blackwell, Borski, Coyne, Foglietta,
Kanjorski, Kolter, Kostmayer, Murphy, Yatron; RI: Reed; SC:
Derrick; SD: Johnson; TN: Clement, Ford, Gordon; TX: Bryant,
Bustamante, Coleman, Frost, Gonzalez, Ortiz, Pickle, Washington;
UT: Owens; VT: Sanders; VA: Boucher, Moran, Olin, Payne; WA:
McDermott, Swift, Unsoeld; WV: Rahall, Staggers, Wise; WI: Kleczka,
Moody, Obey.
 
     The new House co-sponsor from last week: Annunzio (D-IL),
Perkins (D-KY), Roe (D-NJ) and Yatron (D-PA).
 
     The Senate bill (S.2064) now has 31 co-sponsors: Adams, Akaka,
Biden, Bradley, Bumpers, Conrad, Cranston, Daschle, DeConcini,
Dodd, Harkin, Hatfield, Inouye, Jeffords, Kennedy, Kerry (MA),
Kohl, Leahy, Levin, Metzenbaum, Mikulski, Mitchell, Moynihan, Pell,
Riegle, Sanford, Sarbanes, Simon, Wellstone, Wirth, Wofford.
     
     The following Senators voted in 1988 for an end to nuclear
testing, but have not yet co-sponsored S.2064: Baucus, Brown,
Burdick, Chafee, Fowler, Gore, Lautenberg, Rockefller, Sasser. The
following did not support a testing halt then, but are good targets
this year: Glenn, Graham, Kassebaum, Kerrey (NE), Lieberman,
Packwood, Pryor, Robb.
 
     The Message: If they are not currently co-sponsors of the
Nuclear Testing Moratorium bills, write your Senators and/or
Representative today and urge them to co-sponsor S.2064 and
H.R.3636, respectively.
 
UPDATE: MILITARY SPENDING
 
     The Senate rejected last week a number of amendments to the
annual Budget Resolution to cut the overall level of military
spending for fiscal 1993, including an amendment by centrist Sen.
Jim Exon (D-NE) that would have doubled Bush's military cuts.
 
     The Exon amendment, which failed 45-50, would have reduced
funds for "smaller weapons projects" by $8.8 billion in budget
authority (and $4.2 billion in outlays) below the $280.4 billion
level in budget authority approved by the Senate Budget Committee.
This amendment was widely viewed as the primary vehicle to cut the
Budget Resolution's military spending level.
 
     Another amendent offered by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) to reduce
by $6 billion military FY 1993 budget authority was tabled (killed)
by a vote of 53-40. The Harkin amendment also called for the money
to be transferred to programs for children, infrastructure, urban
and rural economic development and deficit reduction - if the
"budget walls" are later eliminated. Under the Budget Enforcement
Act of 1990, accounting "walls" were created so that money may not
be transferred between the three major discretionary spending
accounts: defense, domestic and international.
 
     It is unlikely the Senate will submit a military budget much
lower that the $280.4 billion level after the authorization and
appropriation process is completed. Thus, we can expect a final,
fiscal 1993 military budget to fall somewhere between the Senate
level and the lower, $274.4 billion level approved by the House
earlier this year. 
 
     The following Senators supported the Exon amendment to cut
military spending: Adams, Akaka, Baucus, Bentsen, Biden, Bingaman,
Bradley, Breaux, Bryon, Bumpers, Burdick, Byrd, Conrad, Cranston,
Daschle, DeConcini, Exon, Ford, Fowler, Gore, Grassley, Harkin,
Hatfield, Jeffords, Johnston, Kennedy, Kerrey, Kerry, Kohl,
Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Mikulski, Mitchell, Moynihan, Packwood,
Pryor, Reid, Riegle, Rockefeller, Sarbanes, Sasser, Simon,
Wellstone, Wofford.
 
     Senators underlined above also voted against the motion to
table the Harkin amendment and with the SANE/FREEZE position. Also,
the following Senators voted against tabling: Boren, Metzenbaum,
Sanford.
 
     ACTION: If your Senators supported the Exon or Harkin
amendment to cut military spending, write them a thank you letter.
If they did not, call or write to voice your displeasure, urging
them to look for additional ways to reduce the Pentagon budget
through the year.
 
UPDATE: ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT & CONVERSION
 
     The Senate failed to include language in its Budget Resolution
for an economic conversion package similar to the $1 billion fund
included in the House Budget Resolution. However, influential Sen.
Sam Nunn (D-GA) said during the floor debate that he intended to
include some amount of money for economic conversion and/or
adjustment planning in the Senate Armed Services Committee defense
authorization bill this spring.
 
     While money for conversion and economic adjustment for the
defense industry is undoubtedly needed, some observers worry that
money allocated in defense authorization bills would be controlled
by the Department of Defense, and not the traditional departments
of Labor or Commerce, or the Small Business Administration. For
example, it took over a year for DoD to transfer economic
adjustment money allocated for fiscal 1992 to the Department of
Labor. Because DoD has little incentive to promote conversion, it
is the wrong department to oversee the national conversion effort.
 
     In addition, the Bush Administration is dragging it feet in
spending money already appropriated for conversion programs. To
date, less than half of the "conversion" money for fiscal year 1992
has been spent by the Executive Branch.
 
     ACTION: Write the following Senators who serve on an informal
Task Force on Defense/Economic Conversion, and tell them to reject
the Department of Defense as the director of this country's
conversion program. Task Force members: Adams, Bingaman, Breaux,
Cranston, Dodd, Graham, Hollings, Kennedy, Levin, Mitchell, Nunn,
Pell, Pryor, Riegle, Robb, Sarbanes, Sasser, Wirth, Wofford.
 
     On the legislative front, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has
introduced an economic adjustment bill (the "Defense Industrial
Diversification Act") which includes aspects found in Sen. Joe
Lieberman's (D-CT) "Industrial Diversification and Economic
Adjustment Act" (S.2075). The DeLauro bill calls for special
investment tax credits for eligible defense contractors to induce
them to diversify into non-military fields.
 
     Neither bill has attracted many co-sponsors, but they remain
the most positive legislative vehicles for action at this time.
Also, Rep. Tom Downey (D-NY) is poised to introduce his own
conversion/adjustment bill this week.
 
     ACTION: Write your Representative and urge her/him to co-
sponsor the DeLauro economic adjustment bill. Then write your
Senator and urge him/her to co-sponsor the Lieberman bill.
 
UPDATE: NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION:
 
     The nuclear weapons non-proliferation language of Title III
soon will be debated in a conference committee working to reconcile
differences between the Senate and House versions of the Export
Administration Act.
 
     Title III, championed by Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Howard
Wolpe (D-MI), exists only in the House version of the Export 
 
Administration Act. It is designed to close loopholes in existing
nuclear non-proliferation controls by tightening U.S. nuclear
export restrictions, phase out U.S. exports of highly enriched
uranium, and impose sanctions against individuals, companies and
countries that assist would-be nuclear proliferators.
 
     ACTION: If your Senator or Representative is a conferee, call
immediately and urge him to include Title III in the final version
of the Export Administration Act. Key Senate conferees: Cranston,
Riegle, Sarbanes; Key House conferees (unofficial): Berman,
Beruter, Broomfield, Fascell, Gedjenson, Miller (WA), Ross (WI).
 
UPDATE: ENDING NUCLEAR SECRECY
 
     Momentum is building behind a bill introduced by Rep. Lane
Evans (D-IL) to require an unclassified report concerning the
country's stockpile of nuclear weapons and fissile materials to be
included by the President in the budget summitted to Congress.
 
     If made into law, the "Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Information
Act" (H.R. 3961) would help open the debate on the nature and need
of the U.S. strategic arsenal - which during the Cold War had
largely been shrouded in secrecy. It would also help convince the
republics of the former Soviet Union to make public the number of
warheads in their arsenals - an important step in stopping the
feared spread of nuclear weapons out of the republics.
 
     The bill has 12 sponsors as of March 31: Abercrombie, Conyers,
Dellums, Edwards (CA), Evans, Hall (OH), Kopetski, Rangel, Sanders,
Schroeder, Stark, Weiss.
 
     The Skinny: While the number of current co-sponsors is small,
the bill is said to enjoy the support of powerful members in the
House on defense matters, and may "take off" next month.
 
     ACTION: Urge in a letter your Representative to co-sponsor
H.R. 3961, the "Nuclear Weapons Stockpiles Information Act."
 
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY: MILITARY PRODUCTION NETWORK DC WEEK!
 
     The Military Production Network is once again sponsoring its
annual DC Week series of activities designed to educate Washington-
types about the problems related to the country's nuclear weapons
production complex.
 
     This year's event is scheduled for April 26-29 in Washington,
DC. On the schedule: Issue briefings by Capitol Hill staff and
lobbyists; Congressional hearings; Skills training; Meetings with
members of Congress on weapons plant issues. For registration
information, call Sean Meyer or Dick Mark at (202) 296-9685.
 
4-14-92
** End of text from cdp:sf.lobby **
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