From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: SANE/FREEZE LEGISLATIVE REPORT September 29, 1992
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 23:58:14 GMT

/** sf.lobby: 109.0 **/
** Topic: S/F Leg. Report 9-29-92 **
** Written  1:48 pm  Sep 29, 1992 by sfnatldc in cdp:sf.lobby **
SANE/FREEZE:CGS WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
For The Week Of September 29, 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.
 
UPDATE: SENATE, HOUSE APPROVE N-TESTING MORATORIUM
 
     The House of Representatives voted, 241-151, last week to
adopt the Senate's version of the nuclear testing moratorium to
the Energy and Water Appropriations conference bill, clearing the
last Congressional hurdle before the measure is sent to the
President to sign it into law.
 
     President Bush is said to be hesitant to veto the
appropriations bill because it includes funding for the
superconducting super collider, a massive science project which
is expected to produce hundreds of jobs in vote-rich Texas.
 
     The House vote for a nine-month moratorium with an end to
all tests by September 30, 1996, followed a Senate vote last week
which approved, 55-40, amending the Defense Authorization bill to
include the moratorium language. (The Senate had already included
it on its Energy and Water Appropriations bill.)
 
     The votes represented a huge victory for peace activists who
had been lobbying for an end to nuclear weapons testing for some
40 years. The bills which inspired the amendments, H.R. 3636 and
S. 2064, were considered two of the most important legislative
vehicles this year for SANE/FREEZE chapters and most peace and
disarmament organizations around the country.
 
     The following House members voted for the SANE/FREEZE
position and in favor of the Les Aspin amendment to the Energy
and Water Appropriations bill:
 
     AL: Bevill, Browder, Cramer. AZ: Pastor. AR: Alexander,
Thornton. CA: Anderson, Beilsenson, Berman, Condit, Dellums,
Dixon, Dooley, Edwards, Fazio, Lantos, Lehman, Levine, Martinez,
Matsui, Miller, Mineta, Panetta, Pelosi, Riggs, Roybal, Stark,
Torres. CO: Schroeder, Skaggs. CT: DeLauro, Gejdenson, Johnson,
Kennelly, Shays. DE: Carper. FL: Bacchus, Gibbons, Johnston,
Peterson, Smith. GA: Darden, Jenkins, Lewis, Rowland, Thomas. HI:
Abercrombie, Mink. ID: LaRocco, Stallings. IL: Bruce, Costello,
Cox, Durbin, Evans, Fawell, Hayes, Porter, Poshard, Rostenkowski,
Russo. IN: Hamilton, Jacobs, Jontz, Long, McCloskyRoemer, Sharp,
Visclosky. IA: grandy, Leach, Nagle, Nussle, Smith. KS: Glickman,
Slattery. KY: Mazzoli, Natcher, Perkins. LA: Jefferson. ME:
Andrews. MD: Cardin, Gilcrest, Hoyer, McMillen, Mfume, Morella.
MA: Atkins, Early, Kennedy, Markey, Mavroules, Moakley, Neal,
Olver, Studds. MI: Bonier, Carr, Collins, Conyers, Dingell, Ford,
Henry, Hertel, Kildee, Levin, Pursell, Traxler, Upton, Wolpe. MN:
Oberstar, Penny, Peterson, Sabo, Sikorski, Vento. MS: Espy,
Parker, Whitten. MO: Gephardt, Horn, Volkmer, Wheat. MT:
Williams. NE: Hoagland. NJ: Dwyer, Guarini, Hughes, Pallone,
Payne, Rinaldo, Roe, Smith, Torricelli. NM: Richardson. NY:
Boehlert, Engel, Fish, flake, Gilman, Green, Hochbrueckner,
LaFalce, Lowey, McHugh, McNulty, Mrazek, Nowak, Owens, Rangel,
Scheuer, Slaughter, Solarz, Towns, Walsh. NC: Hefner, Neal,
Price, Rose. ND: Dorgan. OH: Applegate, Eckart, Feighan, Hall,
Hobson, Kaptur, Luken, Oakar, Pease, Regula, Sawyer, Stokes,
Traficant. OK: English, Synar. OR: AuCoin, DeFazio, Kopetski,
Wyden. PA: Blackwell, Borski, Coyne, Gaydos, Goodling, Kanjorski,
Kolter, Kostmayer, Murphy, Ridge, Yatron. RI: Reed. SC: Derrick,
Spratt. SD: Johnson. TN: Clement, Ford, Gordon, Tanner. TX:
Brooks, Chapman, Coleman, de la Garza, Edwards, Frost, Gonzalez,
Pickle. UT: Owens. VT: Sanders. VA: Boucher, Moran, Payne. WA:
McDermott, Morrison, Swift, Unsoeld. WV: Rahall, Staggers, Wise.
WI: Aspin, Gunderson, Kleczka, Klug, Moody, Obey, Petri, Roth.
 
     The following Senators voted last week with the SANE/FREEZE
position and in favor of the Hatfield-Exon-Mitchell testing
amendment to the Defense Authorization bill:
 
     AL: Murkowski. AR: DeConcini. AR: Bumpers, Pryor. CA:
Cranston. CT: Dodd, Lieberman. DE: Biden. FL: Graham. GA: Fowler.
HI: Akaka, Inouye. IL: Simon. IA: Grassley, Harkin. KS:
Kassebaum. KY: Ford. ME: Mitchell. MD: Mikulski, Sarbanes. MA:
Kennedy, Kerry. MI: Levin, Riegle. MN: Wellstone. MO: Bond,
Danforth. MT: Baucus. NE: Exon, Kerrey. NJ: Bradley, Lautenberg.
NY: D'Amato, Moynihan. NC: Sanford. ND: Burdick, Conrad. OH:
Glenn, Metzenbaum. OR: Hatfield, Packwood. PA: Specter, Wofford.
RI: Chafee, Pell. SD: Daschle, Pressler. TN: Sasser. VT:
Jeffords, Leahy. WA: Adams. WV: Byrd, Rockefeller. WI: Kasten,
Kohl.
 
     ACTION: If your representatives are listed above, write or
call to thank them for this historic vote. If they are not
listed, call to complain. (Important note: Some of them may
simply not have voted, such as Sen. Gore, who was campaigning.)
 
UPDATE: SDI AND OTHER SENATE DEFENSE BILL ISSUES
 
     In a deal hammered out over the August recess, the Senate
approved $3.8 billion for the "Star Wars" Strategic Defense
Initiative as part of its consideration of the Defense
Authorization bill. The total was short of the Senate Armed
Services Commitee request for $4.3 billion, but it still
represented a setback for SDI opponents who had championed a $3.3
billion spending level, a proposal which was only stopped by a
Republican filibuster.
 
     Just before the recess, the Senate rejected, 49-43, a motion
to table an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill to cut $1
billion from a committee request of $4.3 billion for the "Star
Wars" Strategic Defense Initiative. The vote appeared to clear
the way for approval of the amendment, offered by Sens. Jim
Sasser (D-TN) and Dale Bumpers (D-AR). But Senators such as
Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) and Jim Warner (R-VA), blocked a vote on
the amendment by refusing a request for "unanimous consent" which
permits the Senate to bring items up for debate and votes.
 
     The logjam forced Senators - many of whom wanted to return
to their states for campaigning - to accept the higher SDI
funding level.
 
     The Senate also rejected, 45-53, an amendment offered by
Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) to cut $2.69 billion from the Defense
Authorization bill for four additional B-2 "stealth" strategic
bombers. In two victories for peace activists, the Senate
approved by voice vote to increase by $250 million, to $650
million, the amount of money the Pentagon could spend to help
dismantle the former Soviet nuclear arsenal; and to cap the
number of U.S. military personnel in Europe at 100,000 by 1996.
 
UPDATE: NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION
 
     A compromise nuclear non-proliferation bill, cobbled
together from a House bill offered by Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA) and
Howard Wolpe (D-MI) and a Senate bill offered by Sen. John Glenn
(D-OH), is expected to be offered as an amendment to the Export
Administration Act later this week.
 
     Although the measure represents months of negotiation
between non-proliferation advocates and the Bush Administration,
its fate is uncertain because Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-CT), chair of
the International Economic Policy and Trade subcommittee of the
Foreign Affairs committee, is still wavering in his support. Key
Senators on this issue, such as Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Jake
Garn (R-UT), are said to have informally signed off on the
measure.
 
     The provision, known now as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Prevention Act of 1992, includes both export controls on
sensitive and dual-use technologies and stiff sanctions for
governments, companies or individuals who contribute to nuclear
proliferation.
 
     ACTION: If you live in Connecticut, call Rep. Gejdenson's
office today at 202-225-2076 and urge him to support the Markey-
Wolpe-Glenn non-proliferation provisions. 
 
UPDATE: ADVANCED FIGHTER SALE TO SAUDI ARABIA
 
     Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) is expected to offer a "resolution
of disapproval" (H.J. Res 548) to prevent the sale of F-15
fighters to Saudi Arabia, but most obervers believe there is
little hope in blocking the $9 billion sale, which proponents say
will keep thousands of people working in Missouri and other
states.
 
     No Senator has yet come forth to offer a similar resolution
in the Senate. A two-thirds majority support for disapproval
resolutions in both houses in required to block a sale.
 
     Congressional opposition to the F-15 sale has been slow to
develop, in part because Democratic Presidential candidate Bill
Clinton supports both sales and the perception that the country
badly needs the jobs created by the sales. SANE/FREEZE and a
national coalition of organizations oppose the sale because it is
seen as part of the dangerous and ultimately destabilizing trade
in international advanced weaponry.
 
     ACTION: Write or call your Senators and Representatives and
urge them to oppose both sales, mentioning your concern over the
U.S. role as the No. 1 arms trader.
 
UPDATE: VICTORIES IN THE SENATE ON ARMS TRADE
 
     As part of its deliberations over the Defense Authorization
bill, the Senate approved by voice vote an amendment by Sen. Pat
Leahy (D-VT) to ban for one year the sale or export of anti-
personnel land mines and calling for the President to negotiate
an international ban on the transfer of such weapons.
 
     The Senate also approved by voice vote an amendment offered
by Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) that would force U.S companies to lease
from the Department of Defense at fair market value any Pentagon
equipment for display at overseas arms bazaars. (Unfortunately,
the requirement could be waived by the secretary of the Army,
Navy or Air Force.)
 
     Finally, the Senate rejected, 73-12, an amendment offered by
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) authorizing the President to guarantee
export loans up to a total of $1 billion for arms sales to allied
countries. SANE/FREEZE opposed the amendment.
 
UPDATE: FEDERAL FACILITIES COMPLIANCE ACT
 
     The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly last week,
403-3, to approve the a conference report of a measure to strip
the immunity federal facilties - such as nuclear weapons
production plants - have enjoyed from state and federal
environmental laws. The Senate quickly followed suit, approving
the measure by voice vote. The President is expected to sign the
bill into law.
 
     The measure was a result of a conference report from two
bills: one offered by Rep. Dennis Eckart (D-OH) and the other by
Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME). SANE/FREEZE and dozens of other
environmental and peace organizations had lobbied for its passage
for two years.
 
     If signed into law, this measure would permit, for example,
state EPA offices to fine Department of Energy plants such as the
Fernald plant in Ohio or the Hanford plant in Washington state
for polluting the surrounding environment with radioactive and
toxic wastes.
 
     ACTION: Write a brief thank-you note to Sen. Mitchell and
Rep. Eckart for their work on behalf of the Federal Facilities
Compliance Act. (The Honorable George Mitchell, S-R 176,
Washington, DC 20510-1902; The Honorable Dennis Eckart, 1111
Longworth House Office Building, Washigton, DC 20515-3511.)
 
LEGISLATIVE REPORT SCHEDULE:
 
     This SANE/FREEZE Legislative Report will be updated next
Tuesday for the last time this year. Reports will resume in
January when Congress returns to session. Look for SANE/FREEZE
news releases and media "how-to" tips this fall and winter on our
"sf.media" conference.

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