H. Con. Res. 84—45
the extension of the Budget Enforcement Act, ISTEA reauthoriza-
tion, appropriations Acts, and in any revenue bills, consider dedicat-
ing all revenues from Federal gasoline excise taxes, including
amounts dedicated to general revenues in 1993, to the Highway
Trust Fund so that such taxes may be used for the purpose to
which they have historically been dedicated, promoting transpor-
tation infrastructure and building roads.
SEC. 333. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) Scientific research on the development of the brain
has confirmed that the early childhood years, particularly from
birth to the age of 3, are critical to children’s development.
(2) Studies repeatedly have shown that good quality child
care helps children develop well, enter school ready to succeed,
improve their skills, cognitive abilities and socioemotional
development, improve classroom learning behavior, and stay
safe while their parents work. Further, quality early childhood
programs can positively affect children’s long-term success in
school achievement, higher earnings as adults, decrease reli-
ance on public assistance and decrease involvement with the
criminal justice system.
(3) The first of the National Education Goals, endorsed
by the Nation’s governors, passed by Congress and signed into
law by President Bush, stated that by the year 2000, every
child should enter school ready to learn and that access to
a high quality early childhood education program was integral
to meeting this goal.
(4) According to data compiled by the RAND Corporation,
while 90 percent of human brain growth occurs by the age
of 3, public spending on children in that age range equals
only 8 percent of spending on all children. A vast majority
of public spending on children occurs after the brain has gone
through its most dramatic changes, often to correct problems
that should have been addressed during early childhood devel-
opment.
(5) According to the Department of Education, of
$29,400,000,000 in current estimated education expenditures,
only $1,500,000,000, or 5 percent, is spent on children from
birth to age 5. The vast majority is spent on children over
age 5.
(6) A new commitment to quality child care and early
childhood education is a necessary response to the fact that
children from birth to the age of 3 are spending more time
in care away from their homes. Almost 60 percent of women
in the workforce have children under the age of 3 requiring
care.
(7) Many States and communities are currently experiment-
ing with innovative programs directed at early childhood care
and education in a variety of care settings, including the home.
States and local communities are best able to deliver efficient,
cost-effective services, but while such programs are long on
demand, they are short on resources. Additional Federal
resources should not create new bureaucracy, but build on
successful locally driven efforts.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate that
the budget totals and levels in this resolution assume that funds
H. Con. Res. 84—46
ought to be directed toward increasing the supply of quality child
care, early childhood education, and teacher and parent training
for children from birth through age 3.
SEC. 334. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING HIGHWAY TRUST FUND.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) there is no direct linkage between the fuel taxes depos-
ited in the Highway Trust Fund and the transportation spend-
ing from the Highway Trust Fund;
(2) the Federal budget process has severed this linkage
by dividing revenues and spending into separate budget cat-
egories with—
(A) fuel taxes deposited in the Highway Trust Fund
as revenues; and
(B) most spending from the Highway Trust Fund in
the discretionary category;
(3) each budget category referred to in paragraph (2) has
its own rules and procedures; and
(4) under budget rules in effect prior to the date of adoption
of this resolution, an increase in fuel taxes permits increased
spending to be included in the budget, but not for increased
Highway Trust Fund spending.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate that—
(1) in this session of Congress, Congress should, within
a unified budget, consider changing the Federal budget process
to establish a linkage between the fuel taxes deposited in
the Highway Trust Fund, including any fuel tax increases
that may be enacted into law after the date of adoption of
this resolution, and the spending from the Highway Trust
Fund; and
(2) changes to the budgetary treatment of the Highway
Trust Fund should not result in total program levels for high-
ways or mass transit that is inconsistent with those assumed
under the resolution.
SEC. 335. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING TAX INCENTIVES FOR
THE COST OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION.
It is the sense of the Senate that the provisions of this resolu-
tion assume that any revenue reconciliation bill should include
tax incentives for the cost of post-secondary education, including
expenses of workforce education and training at vocational schools
and community colleges.
SEC. 336. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON ADDITIONAL TAX CUTS.
It is the sense of the Senate that nothing in this resolution
shall be construed as prohibiting Congress in future years from
providing additional tax relief if the cost of such tax relief is
offset by reductions in spending or increases in revenue from alter-
native sources.
SEC. 337. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING TRUTH IN BUDGETING
AND SPECTRUM AUCTIONS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) the electromagnetic spectrum is the property of the
American people and is managed on their behalf by the Federal
Government;
(2) the spectrum is a highly valuable and limited natural
resource;
H. Con. Res. 84—47
(3) the auctioning of spectrum has raised billions of dollars
for the Treasury;
(4) the estimates made regarding the value of spectrum
in the past have proven unreliable, having previously under-
stated and now overstating its worth; and
(5) because estimates of spectrum value depend on a
number of technological, economic, market forces, and other
variables that cannot be predicted or completely controlled,
it is not possible to reliably estimate the value of a given
segment of spectrum.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate that
as auctions occur as assumed by this resolution, the Congress
shall take such steps as necessary to reconcile the difference
between actual revenues raised and estimates made and shall
reduce spending and make other appropriate adjustments accord-
ingly if such auctions raise less revenue than projected.
SEC. 338. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON HIGHWAY DEMONSTRATION
PROJECTS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) 10 demonstration projects totaling $362,000,000 were
listed for special line-item funding in the Surface Transpor-
tation Assistance Act of 1982;
(2) 152 demonstration projects totaling $1,400,000,000 were
named in the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation
Assistance Act of 1987;
(3) 64 percent of the funding for the 152 projects had
not been obligated after 5 years and State transportation offi-
cials determined the projects added little, if any, to meeting
their transportation infrastructure priorities;
(4) 538 location specific projects totaling $6,230,000,000
were included in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Effi-
ciency Act of 1991;
(5) more than $3,300,000,000 of the funds authorized for
the 538 location-specific projects remained unobligated as of
January 31, 1997;
(6) the General Accounting Office determined that 31 States
plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico would have
received more funding if the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act location-specific project funds were redistributed
as Federal-aid highway program apportionments;
(7) this type of project funding diverts Highway Trust
Fund money away from State transportation priorities estab-
lished under the formula allocation process and under the
Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act of 1991;
(8) on June 20, 1995, by a vote of 75 yeas to 21 nays,
the Senate voted to prohibit the use of Federal Highway Trust
Fund money for future demonstration projects;
(9) the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency
Act of 1991 expires at the end of fiscal year 1997; and
(10) hundreds of funding requests for specific transpor-
tation projects in Congressional Districts have been submitted
in the House of Representatives.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate that—
(1) notwithstanding different views on existing Highway
Trust Fund distribution formulas, funding for demonstration
projects or other similarly titled projects diverts Highway Trust
H. Con. Res. 84—48
Fund money away from State priorities and deprives States
of the ability to adequately address their transportation needs;
(2) States are best able to determine the priorities for
allocating Federal-Aid-To-Highway monies within their jurisdic-
tion;
(3) Congress should not divert limited Highway Trust Fund
resources away from State transportation priorities by authoriz-
ing new highway projects; and
(4) Congress should not authorize any new demonstration
projects or other similarly-titled projects.
SEC. 339. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE USE OF BUDGET
SAVINGS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) Poverty rates among the elderly are at the lowest level
since our Nation began to keep poverty statistics, due in large
part to the Social Security system and the Medicare Program.
(2) Twenty-two percent of every dollar spent by the Federal
Government goes to the Social Security system.
(3) Eleven percent of every dollar spent by the Federal
Government goes to the Medicare Program.
(4) Currently, spending on the elderly accounts for 1⁄3 of
the Federal budget and more than 1⁄2 of all domestic spending
other than interest on the national debt.
(5) Future generations of Americans must be guaranteed
the same value from the Social Security system as past covered
recipients.
(6) According to the 1997 report of the Managing Trustee
for the Social Security Trust Funds, the accumulated balance
in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund
is estimated to fall to zero by 2029, and the estimated payroll
tax at that time will be sufficient to cover only 75 percent
of the benefits owed to retirees at that time.
(7) The accumulated balance in the Federal Hospital Insur-
ance Trust Fund is estimated to fall to zero by 2001.
(8) While the Federal budget deficit has shrunk for the
fourth straight year to $67,000,000,000 in 1997, measures need
to be taken to ensure that trend continues.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate that
the provisions of this resolution assume that budget savings in
the mandatory spending area should be used—
(1) to protect and enhance the retirement security of the
American people by ensuring the long-term future of the Social
Security system;
(2) to protect and enhance the health care security of
senior citizens by ensuring the long-term future of the Medicare
Program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395 et seq.); and
(3) to restore and maintain Federal budget discipline to
ensure that the level of private investment necessary for long-
term economic growth and prosperity is available.
SEC. 340. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE VALUE OF THE
SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM FOR FUTURE RETIREES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) The Social Security system has allowed a generation
of Americans to retire with dignity. Today, 13 percent of the