From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: SANE/FREEZE LEGISLATIVE REPORT October 6, 1992
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 23:02:14 GMT

/** sf.lobby: 111.0 **/
** Topic: S/F Lobby Rpt: 10-06-92 **
** Written 10:41 am  Oct  6, 1992 by sfnatldc in cdp:sf.lobby **
SANE/FREEZE:CGS WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
For The Week Of October 6, 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: PRESIDENT SIGNS BILL WITH N-TESTING MORATORIUM PROVISION
 
     President Bush signed into law Friday the Energy and Water
Appropriations bill for next fiscal year, which included
provisions for a nine-month moratorium on U.S. (and United
Kingdom) nuclear weapons testing with an end-date for all testing
set for September 30, 1996.
 
     The House of Representatives voted, 241-151, the week before
to adopt the Senate's version of the nuclear testing moratorium
to the appropriations conference bill. The House vote followed a
Senate vote, 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 President's signature and Congressional votes represent
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.
 
     (For a list of House and Senate members who voted for the
amendment, see last week's report.)
 
     Because the moratorium was not part of an international
treaty (yet), Congress may reverse itself next year with a simple
majority vote. Peace activists will be called upon next year to
maintain the moratorium and keep (or bring closer) the 1996 end-
date.
 
UPDATE: STAR WARS AND THE FINAL DEFENSE BILL
 
     Armed Services Committee conferees completed last week a
compromise agreement over the FY 1993 Defense Authorization bill,
providing $274.3 billion for DoD and military-related DoE
programs. That is $200 million less than the Senate level but
$3.2 billion more than the House level. However, the total is
$7.2 billion less than the level requested by President Bush. A
few items of interest to peace activists:
 
     * SDI: Conferees approved $4.05 billion (House: $4.3
billion, Senate $3.8 billion), including $300 million for the
space-based Brilliant Pebbles system (House: $0, Senate: $350
million).
 
     * B-2 Bomber: Conferees approved $2.7 billion for
procurement and $1.3 billion for research and development - the
same levels requested by both the Senate and the House. That is
enough money (maybe) to squeeze out four more bombers, but $1.8
billion of the procurement money can only be released after
another vote next year.
 
     * Troops in Europe: Conferees placed a 100,000 troop cap on
the number of U.S. soldiers in Europe, to be reached by October
1, 1995. The President wanted to stop reductions at 150,000.
 
     * Economic Conversion: Conferees approved $1.5 billion for
various conversion, adjustment and job re-training programs for
defense workers, an increase over both the Senate ($1.2 billion)
and House ($1 billion) levels.
 
UPDATE: NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION
 
     Title III, the nuclear non-proliferation provision
championed by Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Howard Wolpe (D-MI), was
dropped from a larger amendment to the Export Administration Act
(EAA). However, the amendment did include the non-proliferation
language taken from a bill previously approved by the Senate and
introduced by Sen. John Glenn (D-OH) and was eventually attached
to the EAA.
 
     The Markey-Wolpe provisions, which were endorsed by
SANE/FREEZE, aimed to strengthen export controls on trade in
nuclear and dual-use materials with countries with unsafeguarded
nuclear facilities. Sen. Glenn's provisions, now included, would
do three things:
 
     - Prohibit companies and individuals that help spread weapon
technology from obtaining U.S. government contracts for at least
one year;
 
     - Bar foreign governments found to be promoting
proliferation from receiving assistance or purchasing weapons
from the United States;
 
     - Stop financial institutions that contribute to nuclear
proliferation from operating in the United States.
 
UPDATE: START TREATY RATIFIED
 
     The U.S. Senate approved on October 1 the Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (START), which will lead to reductions of up to
one-third of the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals.
 
     While the treaty is historic in many respects, the swift end
to the Cold War has propelled negotiations beyond the treaty.
Presidents Bush and Yeltsin, for example, have already agreed to
further reduce strategic arsenals to 3,000 for Russia and 3,500
for the United States over the next decade or so.
 
LEGISLATIVE REPORT SCHEDULE:
 
     This SANE/FREEZE Legislative Report is the last one for 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.

** End of text from cdp:sf.lobby **
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive