From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: SANE/FREEZE REPORT April 7, 1992
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 22:47:57 GMT

/** sf.lobby: 85.0 **/
** Topic: S/F Legislative Report 4-7-92 **
** Written  6:09 pm  Apr  7, 1992 by sfnatldc in cdp:sf.lobby **
SANE/FREEZE:CGS WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
For The Week Of April 7, 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.
 
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY: MILITARY PRODUCTION NETWORK DC WEEK!
 
     Attention grassroots nuclear weapons activists! 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 - endorsed by the national SANE/FREEZE
office - is scheduled for April 26-29 in Washington, DC. On the
schedule: Issue and policy briefings by Capitol Hill staff and
lobbyists; Special Congressional hearings; Skills training;
Meetings with key members of Congress on weapons plant issues; and
a Capitol Hill reception for members of Congress and DC Week
participants.
 
     For registration information, call Sean Meyer or Dick Mark at
(202) 296-9685.
 
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. Now is a good time to renew
our push for support.
 
     The House bill (H.R.3636) now has 211 co-sponsors, just 9 shy
of a majority number. (Two of the co-sponsors are non-voting.) Here
is a list of current co-sponsors, as of April 7:
 
     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: 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; 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, 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; 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: Nancy Johnson (CT).
 
     The Senate bill (S.2064) now has 30 co-sponsors: Adams, Akaka,
Biden, Bradley, Bumpers, Conrad, Cranston, Daschle, DeConcini,
Dodd, Harkin, Hatfield, Inouye, Jeffords, Kennedy, Kerry (MA),
Kohl, Leahy, Levin, Mikulski, Mitchell, Moynihan, Pell, Riegle,
Sanford, Sarbanes, Simon, Wellstone, Wirth, Wofford.
 
     (Several reports placed Lieberman and Metzenbaum as new co-
sponsors, but this was not confirmed by calls to Sen. Hatfield's
office, which is tallying official co-sponsors.)
 
     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.  
 
     Look for a vote in the House this month, especially if the co-
sponsor total tops 218. More Senate sponsors are needed before the
leadership will permit a vote on Hatfield-Mitchell.
 
     The Skinny: Word has it that Russia is drilling a new shaft
for a fall nuclear test, probably scheduled for October of this
year. Russian preparations for a test after Gorbachev's unilateral
12-month moratorium (announced last October) may be a useful
impetus for action on the House and Senate bills.
 
     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: BREAKING THE BUDGET-DEAL WALLS
     
     The House of Representatives defeated last week a bill
introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) to permit money to be moved
out of defense accounts and into domestic programs for fiscal 1993.
The vote was 187-238 with 10 not voting.
 
     With the failure of the Conyers bill, the $10 billion in
budget authority to be cut from military accounts in the House
Budget Resolution will go solely to reduce the federal deficit.
Transfers between discretionary accounts are not permitted under
the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act until fiscal 1994.
 
     SANE/FREEZE:CGS, joined in a broad coalition of disarmament
groups, unions and social service organizations, had made the
Conyers bill a high priority for the past several months.
SANE/FREEZE:CGS supported the bill as an important step toward
creating new national spending priorities.
 
     ACTION: Call your local Representative's office at (202) 225-
3121 - or call Burt Glass at the national office at (202) 862-9740
- to find out how your member voted. If your Representative voted
for the Conyers bill, thank her/him in a letter. If not, this is
the time to strongly voice your displeasure with a letter or call.
 
     The week before, Senate Democrats failed to collect the 60
votes needed to end debate and force a vote on a bill introduced by
Sen. Jim Sasser (D-TN) to permit money to be moved between
discretionary spending accounts in fiscal 1993.
 
     The Sasser bill enjoyed the support of Majority Leader George
Mitchell (D-ME) and Appropriations Committee chair Robert Byrd (D-
WV), but some Democrats anxious over the federal deficit or the
loss of defense jobs ignored the pleas of party leaders.
 
     The motion to "invoke cloture" (and thus limiting debate) on
the motion to proceed to the Sasser bill was rejected, 50-48. A
three-fifths majority vote was required. The following Senators
voted for the motion (and for the SANE/FREEZE position):
 
     DEMOCRATS: Adams, Akaka, Baucus, Bentsen, Biden, Bingaman,
Boren, Bradley, Breaux, Bryan, Bumpers, Burdick, Byrd, Conrad,
Cranston, Dascle, DeConcini, Ford, Fowler, Glenn, Gore, Graham,
Inouye, Johnston, Kennedy, Kerrey, Kerry, Kohl, Lautenberg, Leahy,
Levin, Metzenbaum, Mikulski, Mitchell, Moynihan, Pell. Pryor, Reid,
Riegle, Rockefeller, Sanford, Sarbanes, Sasser, Simon, Wellstone,
Wirth, Wofford. REPUBLICANS: Hatfield, Packwood, Spector. Not
voting: Dixon, Harkin.
 
     ACTION: If your Senator voted to invoke cloture on the Sasser
bill, write a quick note to thank her/him. If not, write or call
today, criticizing the vote.
 
UPDATE: MILITARY SPENDING
 
     The Senate will consider this week the Budget Resolution for
fiscal 1993, which will set the Senate's preferred level of
military spending. The Senate Budget Committee approved $280.4
billion for the military in budget authority, significantly above
the House number of $274.4 billion and about even President Bush's
$281.0 billion plan.
 
     Budget Committee members beat back three amendments in
committee to cut military spending further, including an amendment
offered by moderate Sen. James Exon (D-NE) to cut the President's
military budget authority number by $8.8 billion. The Exon
amendment, which was defeated 10-11, was supported by SANE/FREEZE
and the following committee members: Conrad (D-ND), Exon (D-NE),
Fowler (D-GA), Johnston (D-LA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Riegle (D-MI),
Sanford (D-NC), Sasser (D-TN), Simon (D-IL), Wirth (D-CO).
 
     The following Budget Committee members opposed the Exon
amendment to cut the military beyond the President's figure: Dodd
(D-CT), Hollings (D-SC), Bond (R-MO), Brown (R-CO), Domenici (R-
NM), Gramm (R-TX), Grassley (R-IA), Kasten (R-WI), Lott (R-MS),
Nickels (R-OK), Symms (ID).
 
     A number of amendments to the Budget Resolution are expected
on the floor this week as the Senate tries to pass the resolution
before breaking for its two-week spring recess at the end of the
week. The following Senators are thought to be "key" in passing any
amendments to the resolution to cut military spending: Boren (D-
OK), Breaux (D-LA), Bryan (D-NV), Dixon (D-IL), Ford (KY), Gore (D-
TN), Heflin (D-AL), Inouye (D-HI), Lieberman (D-CT), Reid (D-NV),
Robb (D-VA), Shelby (D-AL).
 
     ACTION: If your Senator supported the Exon amendment, thank
him. If not, call today and tell him you believe that additional
military savings can be found beyond the "cuts" outlined by the
President. If your Senator is among the "key" Senators listed
above, call Wednesday or Thursday (April 8-9) and urge him/her to
support amendments to the Budget Resolution to cut military
spending.
 
UPDATE: ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT & CONVERSION
 
     Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has just 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.
 
     The main provisions of the DeLauro bill include:
 
     * Companies at least 35 percent dependent on defense contracts
could set up tax-free accounts for investment in new non-defense
plants and equipment, or they could receive a 20 percent tax credit
on money investd in non-defense related plan and equipment or job
retraining;
 
     * A new office within the Small Business Administration would
be established to assist small defense-related businesses in
conversion, mainly in the form of matching guaranteed loans or
grants for developing non-defense related business;
 
     * Communities seriously affected by military cutbacks would be
eligible for Community Planning Grants under the Economic
Development Administration;
 
     * The Commerce Department, in consultation with the Defense
Department and other agencies, would be directed to complete a
study of diversification;
 
     * A new "Council on Economic Diversification and Adjustment"
would be established in the White House to help carry out the act.
 
     The Skinny: Unfortunately, the Lieberman bill has only one co-
sponsor (Sen. Chris Dodd, D-CT), and the DeLauro (just introduced)
has none. At this time it is difficult to tell whether these bills
will, as hoped, take off and be the primary legislative vehicles on
this issue for this session.
 
     ACTION: Write your Representative and Senators and urge them
to co-sponsor, respectively, the DeLauro and Lieberman bills.
 
4-7-92
** End of text from cdp:sf.lobby **
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