HCON 68 EAS1S
of medical doctors and research scientists to private
research organizations; and
(5) the National Institutes of Health conducts re-
search protocols without proprietary interests, thereby
ensuring that the best health care is researched and
made available to the Nation.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution and legislation enacted
pursuant to this resolution assume that there shall be a con-
tinuation of the pattern of budgetary increases for bio-
medical research.
SEC. 309. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FUNDING FOR KYOTO
PROTOCOL IMPLEMENTATION PRIOR TO SEN-
ATE RATIFICATION.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) The agreement signed by the Administration
on November 12, 1998, regarding legally binding
commitments on greenhouse gas reductions is incon-
sistent with the provisions of S. Res. 98, the Byrd-
Hagel Resolution, which passed the Senate unani-
mously.
(2) The Administration has agreed to allowing
at least 2 additional years for negotiations on the
Buenos Aires Action Plan to determine the provisions
of several vital aspects of the Treaty for the United
HCON 68 EAS1S
States, including emissions trading schemes, carbon
sinks, a clean development mechanism, and devel-
oping Nation participation.
(3) The Administration has not submitted the
Kyoto Protocol to the Senate for ratification and has
indicated it has no intention to do so in the foresee-
able future.
(4) The Administration has pledged to Congress
that it would not implement any portion of the Kyoto
Protocol prior to its ratification in the Senate.
(5) Congress agrees that Federal expenditures are
required and appropriate for activities which both
improve the environment and reduce carbon dioxide
emissions. Those activities include programs to pro-
mote energy efficient technologies, encourage tech-
nology development that reduces or sequesters green-
house gases, encourage the development and use of al-
ternative and renewable fuel technologies, and other
programs justifiable independent of the goals of the
Kyoto Protocol.
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress
that the levels in this resolution assume that funds should
not be provided to put into effect the Kyoto Protocol prior
to its Senate ratification in compliance with the require-
HCON 68 EAS1S
ments of the Byrd-Hagel Resolution and consistent with
previous Administration assurances to Congress.
SEC. 310. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON FEDERAL RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) A dozen internationally, prestigious economic
studies have shown that technological progress has
historically been the single most important factor in
economic growth, having more than twice the impact
of labor or capital.
(2) The link between economic growth and tech-
nology is evident: our dominant high technology in-
dustries are currently responsible for 80 percent of the
value of today’s stock market, 1⁄3 of our economic out-
put, and half of our economic growth. Furthermore,
the link between Federal funding of research and de-
velopment (R&D) and market products is conclusive:
70 percent of all patent applications cite nonprofit or
federally-funded research as a core component to the
innovation being patented.
(3) The revolutionary high technology applica-
tions of today were spawned from scientific advances
that occurred in the 1960’s, when the Government in-
tensively funded R&D. In the 3 decades since then,
our investment in R&D as a fraction of Gross Domes-
HCON 68 EAS1S
tic Product (GDP) has dropped to half its former
value. As a fraction of the Federal budget, the invest-
ment in civilian R&D has dropped to only 1⁄3 its
value in 1965.
(4) Compared to other foreign nation’s invest-
ment in science and technology, American competi-
tiveness is slipping: an Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development report notes that 14
countries now invest more in basic and fundamental
research as a fraction of GDP than the United States.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution assume that the Federal
investment in R&D should be preserved and increased in
order to ensure long-term United States economic strength.
Funding for Federal agencies performing basic scientific,
medical, and precompetitive engineering research pursuant
to the Balanced Budget Agreement Act of 1997 should be
a priority for the Senate Budget and Appropriations Com-
mittees this year, within the Budget as established by this
Committee, in order to achieve a goal of doubling the Fed-
eral investment in R&D over an 11 year period.
SEC. 311. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON COUNTER-NARCOTICS
FUNDING.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
HCON 68 EAS1S
(1) the drug crisis facing the United States is a
top national security threat;
(2) the spread of illicit drugs through United
States borders cannot be halted without an effective
drug interdiction strategy;
(3) effective drug interdiction efforts have been
shown to limit the availability of illicit narcotics,
drive up the street price, support demand reduction
efforts, and decrease overall drug trafficking and use;
and
(4) the percentage change in drug use since 1992,
among graduating high school students who used
drugs in the past 12 months, has substantially in-
creased—marijuana use is up 80 percent, cocaine use
is up 80 percent, and heroin use is up 100 percent.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the assumptions underlying the functional totals
included in this resolution assume the following:
(1) All counter-narcotics agencies will be given a
high priority for fully funding their counter-narcotics
mission.
(2) Front line drug fighting agencies are dedi-
cating more resources for intentional efforts to con-
tinue restoring a balanced drug control strategy. Con-
gress should carefully examine the reauthorization of
HCON 68 EAS1S
the United States Customs service and ensure they
have adequate resources and authority not only to fa-
cilitate the movement of internationally traded goods
but to ensure they can aggressively pursue their law
enforcement activities.
(3) By pursuing a balanced effort which requires
investment in 3 key areas: demand reduction (such as
education and treatment); domestic law enforcement;
and international supply reduction, Congress believes
we can reduce the number of children who are exposed
to and addicted to illegal drugs.
SEC. 312. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING TRIBAL COL-
LEGES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) more than 26,500 students from 250 tribes
nationwide attend tribal colleges. The colleges serve
students of all ages, many of whom are moving from
welfare to work. The vast majority of tribal college
students are first-generation college students;
(2) while annual appropriations for tribal col-
leges have increased modestly in recent years, core op-
eration funding levels are still about 1⁄2 of the $6,000
per Indian student level authorized by the Tribally
Controlled College or University Act;
HCON 68 EAS1S
(3) although tribal colleges received a $1,400,000
increase in funding in fiscal year 1999, because of
rising student populations, these institutions faced an
actual per-student decrease in funding over fiscal
year 1998; and
(4) per student funding for tribal colleges is only
about 63 percent of the amount given to mainstream
community colleges ($2,964 per student at tribal col-
leges versus $4,743 per student at mainstream com-
munity colleges).
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that—
(1) this resolution recognizes the funding dif-
ficulties faced by tribal colleges and assumes that pri-
ority consideration will be provided to them through
funding for the Tribally Controlled College and Uni-
versity Act, the 1994 Land Grant Institutions, and
title III of the Higher Education Act; and
(2) the levels in this resolution assume that such
priority consideration reflects Congress’ intent to con-
tinue work toward current statutory Federal funding
goals for the tribal colleges.
SEC. 313. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE SOCIAL SECURITY
SURPLUS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
HCON 68 EAS1S
(1) according to the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) January 1999 ‘‘Economic and Budget Out-
look,’’ the Social Security Trust Fund is projected to
incur annual surpluses of $126,000,000,000 in fiscal
year 1999, $137,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2000,
$144,000,000,000 
in 
fiscal 
year 
2001,
$153,000,000,000 
in 
fiscal 
year 
2002,
$161,000,000,000 
in 
fiscal 
year 
2003, 
and
$171,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2004;
(2) the fiscal year 2000 budget resolution crafted
by Chairman Domenici assumes that Trust Fund sur-
pluses will be used to reduce publicly-held debt and
for no other purposes, and calls for the enactment of
statutory legislation that would enforce this assump-
tion;
(3) the President’s fiscal year 2000 budget pro-
posal not only fails to call for legislation that will en-
sure annual Social Security surpluses are used strict-
ly to reduce publicly-held debt, but actually spends a
portion of these surpluses on non-Social Security pro-
grams;
(4) using CBO’s re-estimate of his budget pro-
posal, the President would spend approximately
$40,000,000,000 of the Social Security surplus in fis-
cal year 2000 on non-Social Security programs;
HCON 68 EAS1S
$41,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2001; $24,000,000,000
in fiscal year 2002; $34,000,000,000 in fiscal year
2003; and $20,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2004; and
(5) spending any portion of an annual Social
Security surplus on non-Social Security programs is
wholly-inconsistent with efforts to preserve and pro-
tect Social Security for future generations.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution and legislation enacted
pursuant to this resolution assume that Congress shall reject
any budget that would spend any portion of the Social Se-
curity surpluses generated in any fiscal year for any Fed-
eral program other than Social Security.
SEC. 314. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON NEED-BASED STUDENT
FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) public investment in higher education yields
a return of several dollars for each dollar invested;
(2) higher education promotes economic oppor-
tunity for individuals, as recipients of bachelor’s de-
grees earn an average of 75 percent per year more
than those with high school diplomas and experience
half as much unemployment as high school graduates;
(3) higher education promotes social oppor-
tunity, as increased education is correlated with re-
HCON 68 EAS1S
duced criminal activity, lessened reliance on public
assistance, and increased civic participation;
(4) a more educated workforce will be essential
for continued economic competitiveness in an age
where the amount of information available to society
will double in a matter of days rather than months
or years;
(5) access to a college education has become a
hallmark of American society, and is vital to uphold-
ing our belief in equality of opportunity;
(6) for a generation, the Federal Pell Grant has
served as an established and effective means of pro-
viding access to higher education for students with fi-
nancial need;
(7) over the past decade, Pell Grant awards have
failed to keep pace with inflation, eroding their value
and threatening access to higher education for the Na-
tion’s neediest students;
(8) grant aid as a portion of all students finan-
cial aid has fallen significantly over the past 5 years;
(9) the Nation’s neediest students are now bor-
rowing approximately as much as its wealthiest stu-
dents to finance higher education; and
HCON 68 EAS1S
(10) the percentage of freshmen attending public
and private 4-year institutions from families below
national median income has fallen since 1981.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that within the discretionary allocation provided to the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate for function
500—
(1) the maximum amount of Federal Pell Grants
should be increased by $400;
(2) funding for the Federal Supplemental Edu-
cational Opportunity Grants Program should be in-
creased by $65,000,000;
(3) funding for the Federal capital contributions
under the Federal Perkins Loan Program should be
increased by $35,000,000;
(4) funding for the Leveraging Educational As-
sistance Partnership Program should be increased by
$50,000,000;
(5) funding for the Federal Work-Study Program
should be increased by $64,000,000;
(6) funding for the Federal TRIO Programs
should be increased by $100,000,000.
SEC. 315. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE PROTEC-
TION OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUSES.
(a) The Congress finds that—
HCON 68 EAS1S
(1) Congress and the President should balance
the budget excluding the surpluses generated by the
Social Security Trust Funds;
(2) reducing the Federal debt held by the public
is a top national priority, strongly supported on a bi-
partisan basis, as evidenced by Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan’s comment that debt re-
duction ‘‘is a very important element in sustaining
economic growth’’, as well as President Clinton’s com-
ments that it ‘‘is very, very important that we get the
Government debt down’’ when referencing his own
plans to use the budget surplus to reduce Federal debt
held by the public;
(3) according to the Congressional Budget Office,
balancing the budget excluding the surpluses gen-
erated by the Social Security Trust Funds will reduce
debt 
held 
by 
the 
public 
by 
a 
total 
of
$1,723,000,000,000 by the end of fiscal year 2009,
$417,000,000,000, or 32 percent, more than it would
be reduced under the President’s fiscal year 2000
budget submission;
(4) further, according to the Congressional Budg-
et Office, that the President’s budget would actually
spend $40,000,000,000 of the Social Security sur-
pluses in fiscal year 2000 on new spending programs,
HCON 68 EAS1S
and spend $158,000,000,000 of the Social Security
surpluses on new spending programs from fiscal year
2000 through 2004; and
(5) Social Security surpluses should be used for
Social Security reform or to reduce the debt held by
the public and should not be used for other purposes.
(b) It is the sense of Congress that the functional totals
in this concurrent resolution on the budget assume that
Congress shall pass legislation which—
(1) reaffirms the provisions of section 13301 of
the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 that
provides that the receipts and disbursements of the
Social Security Trust Funds shall not be counted for
the purposes of the budget submitted by the President,
the congressional budget, or the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, and provides
for a point of order within the Senate against any
concurrent resolution on the budget, an amendment
thereto, or a conference report thereon that violates
that section;
(2) mandates that the Social Security surpluses
are used only for the payment of Social Security ben-
efits, Social Security reform or to reduce the Federal
debt held by the public, and not spent on non-Social
Security programs or used to offset tax cuts;
HCON 68 EAS1S
(3) provides for a Senate super-majority point of
order against any bill, resolution, amendment, motion
or conference report that would use Social Security
surpluses on anything other than the payment of So-
cial Security benefits, Social Security reform or the
reduction of the Federal debt held by the public;
(4) ensures that all Social Security benefits are
paid on time; and
(5) accommodates Social Security reform legisla-
tion.
SEC. 316. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON PROVIDING ADEQUATE
FUNDING 
FOR 
UNITED 
STATES 
INTER-
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) United States international leadership is es-
sential to maintaining security and peace for all
Americans;
(2) such leadership depends on effective diplo-
macy as well as a strong military;
(3) effective diplomacy requires adequate re-
sources both for embassy security and for inter-
national programs;
(4) in addition to building peace, prosperity and
democracy around the world, programs in the Inter-
national Affairs (150) account serve United States in-
HCON 68 EAS1S
terests by ensuring better jobs and a higher standard
of living, promoting the health of our citizens and
preserving our natural environment, and protecting
the rights and safety of those who travel or do busi-
ness overseas;
(5) real spending for International Affairs has
declined more than 50 percent since the mid-1980s, at
the same time that major new challenges and oppor-
tunities have arisen from the disintegration of the So-
viet Union and the worldwide trends toward democ-
racy and free markets;
(6) current ceilings on discretionary spending
will impose severe additional cuts in funding for
International Affairs; and
(7) improved security for United States diplo-
matic missions and personnel will place further
strain on the International Affairs budget absent sig-
nificant additional resources.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution assume that additional
budgetary resources should be identified for function 150
to enable successful United States international leadership.
HCON 68 EAS1S
SEC. 317. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE FEDERAL GOV-
ERNMENT SHOULD NOT INVEST THE SOCIAL
SECURITY TRUST FUNDS IN PRIVATE FINAN-
CIAL MARKETS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the assumptions un-
derlying the functional totals in this resolution assume that
the Federal Government should not directly invest contribu-
tions made to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust
Fund established under section 201 of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 401) in private financial markets.
SEC. 318. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING ON-BUDGET
SURPLUS.
(a) It is the sense of the Senate that the provisions
in this resolution assume that if the Congressional Budget
Office determines there is an on-budget surplus for fiscal
year 2000, $2,000,000,000 of that surplus will be restored
to the programs cut in function 920.
(b) It is the sense of the Senate that the assumptions
underlying this budget resolution assume that none of these
offsets will come from defense or veterans, and to the extent
possible should come from administrative functions.
SEC. 319. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON TEA-21 FUNDING AND
THE STATES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
HCON 68 EAS1S
(1) on May 22, 1998, the Senate overwhelmingly
approved the conference committee report on H.R.
2400, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Cen-
tury, in a 88–5 roll call vote;
(2) also on May 22, 1998, the House of Rep-
resentatives approved the conference committee report
on this bill in a 297–86 recorded vote;
(3) on June 9, 1998, President Clinton signed
this bill into law, thereby making it Public Law 105–
178;
(4) the TEA–21 legislation was a comprehensive
reauthorization of Federal highway and mass transit
programs, 
which 
authorized 
approximately
$216,000,000,000 in Federal transportation spending
over the next 6 fiscal years;
(5) section 1105 of this legislation called for any
excess Federal gasoline tax revenues to be provided to
the States under the formulas established by the final
version of TEA–21; and
(6) the President’s fiscal year 2000 budget re-
quest contained a proposal to distribute approxi-
mately $1,000,000,000 in excess Federal gasoline tax
revenues that was not consistent with the provisions
of section 1105 of TEA–21 and would deprive States
of needed revenues.
HCON 68 EAS1S
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution and any legislation en-
acted pursuant to this resolution assume that the Presi-
dent’s fiscal year 2000 budget proposal to change the man-
ner in which any excess Federal gasoline tax revenues are
distributed to the States will not be implemented, but rather
any of these funds will be distributed to the States pursuant
to section 1105 of TEA–21.
SEC. 320. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT AGRICULTURAL
RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS SHOULD BEN-
EFIT LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) extremes in weather-related and natural con-
ditions have a profound impact on the economic via-
bility of producers;
(2) these extremes, such as drought, excessive
rain and snow, flood, wind, insect infestation are cer-
tainly beyond the control of livestock producers;
(3) these extremes do not impact livestock pro-
ducers within a State, region or the Nation in the
same manner or during the same time frame or for
the same duration of time;
(4) the livestock producers have few effective risk
management tools at their disposal to adequately
HCON 68 EAS1S
manage the short and long term impacts of weather-
related or natural disaster situations; and
(5) ad hoc natural disaster assistance programs,
while providing some relief, are not sufficient to meet
livestock producers’ needs for rational risk manage-
ment planning.
(b) SENSE OF SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate
that any consideration of reform of Federal crop insurance
and risk management programs should include the needs
of livestock producers.
SEC. 321. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE MOD-
ERNIZATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE
MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) The health insurance coverage provided
under the medicare program under title XVIII of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) is an in-
tegral part of the financial security for retired and
disabled individuals, as such coverage protects those
individuals against the financially ruinous costs of a
major illness.
(2) Expenditures under the medicare program
for hospital, physician, and other essential health care
services that are provided to nearly 39,000,000 retired
HCON 68 EAS1S
and disabled individuals will be $232,000,000,000 in
fiscal year 2000.
(3) During the nearly 35 years since the medi-
care program was established, the Nation’s health care
delivery and financing system has undergone major
transformations. However, the medicare program has
not kept pace with such transformations.
(4) Former Congressional Budget Office Director
Robert Reischauer has described the medicare pro-
gram as it exists today as failing on the following 4
key dimensions (known as the ‘‘Four I’s’’):
(A) The program is inefficient.
(B) The program is inequitable.
(C) The program is inadequate.
(D) The program is insolvent.
(5) The President’s budget framework does not
devote 15 percent of the budget surpluses to the medi-
care program. The Federal budget process does not
provide a mechanism for setting aside current sur-
pluses for future obligations. As a result, the notion
of saving 15 percent of the surplus for the medicare
program cannot practically be carried out.
(6) The President’s budget framework would
transfer to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust
Fund more than $900,000,000,000 over 15 years in
HCON 68 EAS1S
new IOUs that must be redeemed later by raising
taxes on American workers, cutting benefits, or bor-
rowing more from the public, and these new IOUs
would increase the gross debt of the Federal Govern-
ment by the amounts transferred.
(7) The Congressional Budget Office has stated
that the transfers described in paragraph (6), which
are strictly intragovernmental, have no effect on the
unified budget surpluses or the on-budget surpluses
and therefore have no effect on the debt held by the
public.
(8) The President’s budget framework does not
provide access to, or financing for, prescription drugs.
(9) The Comptroller General of the United States
has stated that the President’s medicare proposal does
not constitute reform of the program and ‘‘is likely to
create a public misperception that something mean-
ingful is being done to reform the medicare program’’.
(10) The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 enacted
changes to the medicare program which strengthen
and extend the solvency of that program.
(11) The Congressional Budget Office has stated
that without the changes made to the medicare pro-
gram by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the deple-
HCON 68 EAS1S
tion of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund
would now be imminent.
(12) The President’s budget proposes to cut medi-
care program spending by $19,400,000,000 over 10
years, primarily through reductions in payments to
providers under that program.
(13) The recommendations by Senator John
Breaux and Representative William Thomas received
the bipartisan support of a majority of members on
the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of
Medicare.
(14) The Breaux-Thomas recommendations pro-
vide for new prescription drug coverage for the need-
iest beneficiaries within a plan that substantially im-
proves the solvency of the medicare program without
transferring new IOUs to the Federal Hospital Insur-
ance Trust Fund that must be redeemed later by rais-
ing taxes, cutting benefits, or borrowing more from
the public.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the provisions contained in this budget resolution
assume the following:
(1) This resolution does not adopt the President’s
proposals to reduce medicare program spending by
$19,400,000,000 over 10 years, nor does this resolu-
HCON 68 EAS1S
tion adopt the President’s proposal to spend
$10,000,000,000 of medicare program funds on unre-
lated programs.
(2) Congress will not transfer to the Federal
Hospital Insurance Trust Fund new IOUs that must
be redeemed later by raising taxes on American work-
ers, cutting benefits, or borrowing more from the pub-
lic.
(3) Congress should work in a bipartisan fashion
to extend the solvency of the medicare program and
to ensure that benefits under that program will be
available to beneficiaries in the future.
(4) The American public will be well and fairly
served in this undertaking if the medicare program
reform proposals are considered within a framework
that is based on the following 5 key principles offered
in testimony to the Senate Committee on Finance by
the Comptroller General of the United States:
(A) Affordability.
(B) Equity.
(C) Adequacy.
(D) Feasibility.
(E) Public acceptance.
(5) The recommendations by Senator Breaux
and Congressman Thomas provide for new prescrip-
HCON 68 EAS1S
tion drug coverage for the neediest beneficiaries with-
in a plan that substantially improves the solvency of
the medicare program without transferring to the
Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund new IOUs
that must be redeemed later by raising taxes, cutting
benefits, or borrowing more from the public.
(6) Congress should move expeditiously to con-
sider the bipartisan recommendations of the Chair-
men of the National Bipartisan Commission on the
Future of Medicare.
(7) Congress should continue to work with the
President as he develops and presents his plan to fix
the problems of the medicare program.
SEC. 322. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON PROVIDING TAX RE-
LIEF TO ALL AMERICANS BY RETURNING
NON-SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS TO TAX-
PAYERS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) Every cent of Social Security surplus should
be reserved to pay Social Security benefits, for Social
Security reform, or to pay down the debt held by the
public and not be used for other purposes.
(2) Medicare should be fully funded.
(3) Even after safeguarding Social Security and
medicare, a recent Congressional Research Service
HCON 68 EAS1S
study found that an average American family will
pay $5,307 more in taxes over the next 10 years than
the Government needs to operate.
(4) The Administration’s budget returns none of
the excess surplus back to the taxpayers and instead
increases net taxes and fees by $96,000,000,000 over
10 years.
(5) The burden of the Administration’s tax in-
creases falls disproportionately on low- and middle-
income taxpayers. A recent Tax Foundation study
found that individuals with incomes of less than
$25,000 would bear 38.5 percent of the increased tax
burden, while taxpayers with incomes between
$25,000 and $50,000 would pay 22.4 percent of the
new taxes.
(6) The budget resolution returns most of the
non-Social Security surplus to those who worked so
hard to produce it by providing $142,000,000,000 in
real 
tax 
relief 
over 
years 
and 
almost
$800,000,000,000 in tax relief over 10 years.
(7) The budget resolution builds on the following
tax relief since 1995:
(A) In 1996, Congress provided, and the
President signed, tax relief for small business
and health care-related tax relief.
HCON 68 EAS1S
(B) In 1997, Congress once again pushed
for tax relief in the context of a balanced budget,
and President Clinton signed into law a $500
per child tax credit, expanded individual retire-
ment accounts and the new Roth IRA, a cut in
the capital gains tax rate, education tax relief,
and estate tax relief.
(C) In 1998, Congress pushed for reform of
the Internal Revenue Service, and provided tax
relief for America’s farmers.
(8) Americans deserve further tax relief because
they are still overpaying. They deserve a refund. Fed-
eral taxes currently consume nearly 21 percent of na-
tional income, the highest percentage since World War
II. Families are paying more in Federal, State, and
local taxes than for food, clothing, and shelter com-
bined.
(b) SENSE OF SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate
that—
(1) the levels in this resolution assume that the
Senate not only puts a priority on protecting Social
Security and medicare and reducing the Federal debt,
but also on middle-class tax relief by returning some
of the non-Social Security surplus to those from
whom it was taken; and
HCON 68 EAS1S
(2) such middle-class tax relief could include
broad-based tax relief, marriage penalty relief, retire-
ment savings incentives, estate tax relief, savings and
investment incentives, health care-related tax relief,
education-related tax relief, and tax simplification
proposals.
SEC. 323. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING TAX INCEN-
TIVES FOR EDUCATION SAVINGS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) families in the United States have accrued
more college debt in the 1990s than during the pre-
vious 3 decades combined; and
(2) families should have every resource available
to them to meet the rising cost of higher education.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution and legislation enacted
pursuant to this resolution assume that additional tax in-
centives should be provided for education savings,
including—
(1) excluding from gross income distributions
from qualified State tuition plans; and
(2) providing a tax deferral for private prepaid
tuition plans in years 2000 through 2003 and exclud-
ing from gross income distributions from such plans
in years 2004 and after.
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SEC. 324. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE ONE HUNDRED
SIXTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION SHOULD
REAUTHORIZE FUNDS FOR THE FARMLAND
PROTECTION PROGRAM.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate makes the following
findings—
(1) nineteen States and dozens of localities have
spent nearly $1,000,000,000 to protect over 600,000
acres of important farmland;
(2) the Farmland Protection Program has pro-
vided cost-sharing for 19 States and dozens of local-
ities to protect over 123,000 acres on 432 farms since
1996;
(3) the Farmland Protection Program has gen-
erated new interest in saving farmland in commu-
nities around the country;
(4) the Farmland Protection Program represents
an innovative and voluntary partnership, rewards
local ingenuity, and supports local priorities;
(5) the Farmland Protection Program is a
matching grant program that is completely voluntary
in which the Federal Government does not acquire the
land or easement;
(6) funds authorized for the Farmland Protection
Program were expended at the end of fiscal year
HCON 68 EAS1S
1998, and no funds were appropriated in fiscal year
1999;
(7) the United States is losing two acres of our
best farmland to development every minute of every
day;
(8) these lands produce three quarters of the
fruits and vegetables and over one half of the dairy
in the United States.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the functional totals contained in this resolution
assume that the One Hundred Sixth Congress, First Session
will reauthorize funds for the Farmland Protection Pro-
gram.
SEC. 325. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON TAX CUTS FOR LOWER
AND MIDDLE INCOME TAXPAYERS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the levels in this reso-
lution assume that Congress will not approve an across-
the-board cut in income tax rates, or any other tax legisla-
tion, that would provide substantially more benefits to the
top 10 percent of taxpayers than to the remaining 90 per-
cent.
SEC. 326. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING REFORM OF
THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
HCON 68 EAS1S
(1) the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (referred
to in this section as the ‘‘tax code’’) is unnecessarily
complex and burdensome, consisting of 2,000 pages of
tax code, and resulting in 12,000 pages of regulations
and 200,000 pages of court proceedings;
(2) the complexity of the tax code results in tax-
payers spending approximately 5,400,000,000 hours
and $200,000,000,000 on tax compliance each year;
(3) the impact of the complexity of the tax code
is inherently inequitable, rewarding taxpayers which
hire professional tax preparers and penalizing tax-
payers which seek to comply with the tax code with-
out professional assistance;
(4) the percentage of the income of an average
family of four that is paid for taxes has grown sig-
nificantly, comprising nearly 40 percent of the fam-
ily’s earnings, a percentage which represents more
than a family spends in the aggregate on food, cloth-
ing, and housing;
(5) the total amount of Federal, State, and local
tax collections in 1998 increased approximately 5.7
percent over such collections in 1997;
(6) the tax code penalizes saving and investment
by imposing tax on these important activities twice
HCON 68 EAS1S
while promoting consumption by only taxing income
used for consumption once;
(7) the tax code stifles economic growth by dis-
couraging work and capital formation through high
tax rates;
(8) Congress and the President have found it
necessary on several occasions to enact laws to protect
taxpayers from abusive actions and procedures of the
Internal Revenue Service in enforcement of the tax
code; and
(9) the complexity of the tax code is largely re-
sponsible for the growth in size of the Internal Rev-
enue Service.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution assume that —
(1) the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 needs
comprehensive reform; and
(2) Congress should move expeditiously to con-
sider comprehensive proposals to reform the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986.
SEC. 327. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING DAVIS-
BACON.
It is the sense of the Senate that in carrying out the
assumptions in this budget resolution, the Senate will con-
HCON 68 EAS1S
sider reform of the Davis-Bacon Act as an alternative to
repeal.
SEC. 328. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING ACCESS TO
ITEMS AND SERVICES UNDER MEDICARE PRO-
GRAM.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) Total hospital operating margins with re-
spect to items and services provided to medicare bene-
ficiaries are expected to decline from 4.3 percent in
fiscal year 1997 to 0.1 percent in fiscal year 1999.
(2) Total operating margins for small rural hos-
pitals are expected to decline from 4.2 percent in fis-
cal year 1998 to negative 5.6 percent in fiscal year
2002, a 233 percent decline.
(3) The Congressional Budget Office recently has
estimated that the amount of savings to the medicare
program in fiscal years 1998 through 2002 by reason
of the amendments to that program contained in the
Balanced Budget Act of 1997 is $88,500,000 more
than the amount of savings to the program by reason
of those amendments that the Congressional Budget
Office estimated for those fiscal years immediately
prior to the enactment of that Act.
HCON 68 EAS1S
(b) SENSE OF SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate
that the provisions contained in this budget resolution as-
sume that the Senate should—
(1) consider whether the amendments to the
medicare program contained in the Balanced Budget
Act of 1997 have had an adverse impact on access to
items and services under that program; and
(2) if it is determined that additional resources
are available, additional budget authority and out-
lays shall be allocated to address the unintended con-
sequences of change in medicare program policy made
by the Balanced Budget Act, including inpatient and
outpatient hospital services, to ensure fair and equi-
table access to all items and services under the pro-
gram.
SEC. 329. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING AUTISM.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Infantile autism and autism spectrum dis-
orders are biologically-based neurodevelopmental dis-
eases that cause severe impairments in language and
communication and generally manifest in young chil-
dren sometime during the first two years of life.
(2) Best estimates indicate that 1 in 500 chil-
dren born today will be diagnosed with an autism
HCON 68 EAS1S
spectrum disorder and that 400,000 Americans have
autism or an autism spectrum disorder.
(3) There is little information on the prevalence
of autism and other pervasive developmental disabil-
ities in the United States. There have never been any
national prevalence studies in the United States, and
the two studies that were conducted in the 1980s ex-
amined only selected areas of the country. Recent
studies in Canada, Europe, and Japan suggest that
the prevalence of classic autism alone may be 300
percent to 400 percent higher than previously esti-
mated.
(4) Three quarters of those with infantile autism
spend their adult lives in institutions or group homes,
and usually enter institutions by the age of 13.
(5) The cost of caring for individuals with au-
tism and autism spectrum disorder is great, and is
estimated to be $13,300,000,000 per year solely for di-
rect costs.
(6) The rapid advancements in biomedical
science suggest that effective treatments and a cure for
autism are attainable if—
(A) there is appropriate coordination of the
efforts of the various agencies of the Federal Gov-
HCON 68 EAS1S
ernment involved in biomedical research on au-
tism and autism spectrum disorders;
(B) there is an increased understanding of
autism and autism spectrum disorders by the
scientific and medical communities involved in
autism research and treatment; and
(C) sufficient funds are allocated to re-
search.
(7) The discovery of effective treatments and a
cure for autism will be greatly enhanced when sci-
entists and epidemiologists have an accurate under-
standing of the prevalence and incidence of autism.
(8) Recent research suggests that environmental
factors may contribute to autism. As a result, contrib-
uting causes of autism, if identified, may be prevent-
able.
(9) Finding the answers to the causes of autism
and related developmental disabilities may help re-
searchers to understand other disorders, ranging from
learning problems, to hyperactivity, to communica-
tions deficits that affect millions of Americans.
(10) Specifically, more knowledge is needed
concerning—
(A) the underlying causes of autism and au-
tism spectrum disorders, how to treat the under-
HCON 68 EAS1S
lying abnormality or abnormalities causing the
severe symptoms of autism, and how to prevent
these abnormalities from occurring in the future;
(B) the epidemiology of, and the identifica-
tion of risk factors for, infantile autism and au-
tism spectrum disorders;
(C) the development of methods for early
medical diagnosis and functional assessment of
individuals with autism and autism spectrum
disorders, including identification and assess-
ment of the subtypes within the autism spectrum
disorders, for the purpose of monitoring the
course of the disease and developing medically
sound strategies for improving the outcomes of
such individuals;
(D) existing biomedical and diagnostic data
that are relevant to autism and autism spectrum
disorders for dissemination to medical personnel,
particularly pediatricians, to aid in the early
diagnosis and treatment of this disease; and
(E) the costs incurred in educating and car-
ing for individuals with autism and autism
spectrum disorders.
(11) In 1998, the National Institutes of Health
announced a program of research on autism and au-
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HCON 68 EAS1S
tism spectrum disorders. A sufficient level of funding
should be made available for carrying out the pro-
gram.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the assumptions underlying this resolution assume
that additional resources will be targeted towards autism
research through the National Institutes of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SEC. 330. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON WOMEN’S ACCESS TO
OBSTETRIC AND GYNECOLOGICAL SERVICES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that:
(1) In the One Hundred Fifth Congress, the
House of Representatives acted favorably on The Pa-
tient Protection Act (H.R. 4250), which included pro-
visions which required health plans to allow women
direct access to a participating physician who spe-
cializes in obstetrics and gynecological services.
(2) Women’s health historically has received little
attention.
(3) Access to an obstetrician-gynecologist im-
proves the health care of a woman by providing rou-
tine and preventive health care throughout the wom-
en’s lifetime, encompassing care of the whole patient,
while also focusing on the female reproductive system.
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(4) 60 percent of all office visits to obstetrician-
gynecologists are for preventive care.
(5) Obstetrician-gynecologists are uniquely quali-
fied on the basis of education and experience to pro-
vide basic women’s health care services.
(6) While more than 36 States have acted to pro-
mote residents’ access to obstetrician-gynecologists,
patients in other States or in federally-governed
health plans are not protected from access restrictions
or limitations.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the provisions in this concurrent resolution on the
budget assume that the Congress shall enact legislation that
requires health plans to provide women with direct access
to a participating provider who specializes in obstetrics and
gynecological services.
SEC. 331. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON LIHEAP.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) home energy assistance for working and low-
income families with children, the elderly on fixed in-
comes, the disabled, and others who need such aid is
a critical part of the social safety net in cold-weather
areas during the winter, and a source of necessary
cooling aid during the summer;
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(2) the Low Income Home Energy Assistance
Program (LIHEAP) is a highly targeted, cost-effective
way to help millions of low-income Americans pay
their home energy bills. More than two-thirds of
LIHEAP-eligible households have annual incomes of
less than $8,000, approximately one-half have annual
incomes below $6,000; and
(3) LIHEAP funding has been substantially re-
duced in recent years, and cannot sustain further
spending cuts if the program is to remain a viable
means of meeting the home heating and other energy-
related needs of low-income families, especially those
in cold-weather States.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—The assumptions under-
lying this budget resolution assume that it is the sense of
the Senate that the funds made available for LIHEAP for
fiscal year 2000 will not be less than the current services
for LIHEAP in fiscal year 1999.
SEC. 332. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON TRANSPORTATION
FIREWALLS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) domestic firewalls greatly limit funding flexi-
bility as Congress manages budget priorities in a fis-
cally constrained budget;
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(2) domestic firewalls inhibit congressional over-
sight of programs and organizations under such pro-
tections;
(3) domestic firewalls mask mandatory spending
under the guise of discretionary spending, thereby
presenting a distorted picture of overall discretionary
spending;
(4) domestic firewalls impede the ability of Con-
gress to react to changing circumstances or to fund
other equally important programs;
(5) the Congress implemented ‘‘domestic discre-
tionary budget firewalls’’ for approximately 70 per-
cent of function 400 spending in the One Hundred
Fifth Congress;
(6) if the aviation firewall proposal circulating
in the House of Representatives were to be enacted,
firewalled spending would exceed 100 percent of total
function 400 spending called for under this resolu-
tion; and
(7) if the aviation firewall proposal circulating
in the House of Representatives were to be enacted,
drug interdiction activities by the Coast Guard, Na-
tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration activi-
ties, rail safety inspections, Federal support for Am-
trak, all National Transportation Safety Board ac-
104
HCON 68 EAS1S
tivities, Pipeline and Hazardous materials safety pro-
grams, and Coast Guard search and rescue activities
would be drastically cut or eliminated.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution assume that no addi-
tional firewalls should be enacted for function 400 transpor-
tation activities.
SEC. 333. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON FUNDING EXISTING,
EFFECTIVE PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS BE-
FORE CREATING NEW PROGRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) the establishment of new categorical funding
programs has led to proposed cuts in the Preventive
Health and Health Services Block Grant to States for
broad, public health missions;
(2) Preventive Health and Health Services Block
Grant dollars fill gaps in the otherwise-categorical
funding States and localities receive, funding such
major public health threats as cardiovascular disease,
injuries, emergency medical services and poor diet, for
which there is often no other source of funding;
(3) in 1981, Congress consolidated a number of
programs, including certain public health programs,
into block grants for the purpose of best advancing the
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HCON 68 EAS1S
health, economics and well-being of communities
across the country;
(4) the Preventive Health and Health Services
Block Grant can be used for programs for screening,
outreach, health education and laboratory services;
(5) the Preventive Health and Health Services
Block Grant gives States the flexibility to determine
how funding available for this purpose can be used to
meet each State’s preventive health priorities;
(6) the establishment of new public health pro-
grams that compete for funding with the Preventive
Health and Health Services Block Grant could result
in the elimination of effective, localized public health
programs in every State.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution and legislation enacted
pursuant to this resolution assume that there shall be a con-
tinuation of the level of funding support for existing public
health programs, specifically the Prevention Block Grant,
prior to the funding of new public health programs.
SEC. 334. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FUNDING
FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In the Individuals with Disabilities Edu-
cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) (referred to in this
106
HCON 68 EAS1S
resolution as the ‘‘Act’’), Congress found that improv-
ing educational results for children with disabilities
is an essential element of our national policy of en-
suring equality of opportunity, full participation,
independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for
individuals with disabilities.
(2) In the Act, the Secretary of Education is in-
structed to make grants to States to assist them in
providing special education and related services to
children with disabilities.
(3) The Act represents a commitment by the Fed-
eral Government to fund 40 percent of the average
per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and sec-
ondary schools in the United States.
(4) The budget submitted by the President for
fiscal year 2000 ignores the commitment by the Fed-
eral Government under the Act to fund special edu-
cation and instead proposes the creation of new pro-
grams that limit the manner in which States may
spend the limited Federal education dollars received.
(5) The budget submitted by the President for
fiscal year 2000 fails to increase funding for special
education, and leaves States and localities with an
enormous unfunded mandate to pay for growing spe-
cial education costs.
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the budgetary levels in this resolution assume that
part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (20 U.S.C.
1400 et seq.) should be fully funded at the originally prom-
ised level before any funds are appropriated for new edu-
cation programs.
SEC. 335. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF
SOCIAL SECURITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO BE-
COME DISABLED.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) in addition to providing retirement income,
Social Security also protects individuals from the loss
of income due to disability;
(2) according to the most recent report from the
Social Security Board of Trustees nearly 1 in 7 So-
cial Security beneficiaries, 6,000,000 individuals in
total, were receiving benefits as a result of disability;
(3) more than 60 percent of workers have no
long-term disability insurance protection other than
that provided by Social Security;
(4) according to statistics from the Society of Ac-
tuaries, the odds of a long-term disability versus
death are 2.7 to 1 at age 27, 3.5 to 1 at age 42, and
2.2 to 1 at age 52; and
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(5) in 1998, the average monthly benefit for a
disabled worker was $722.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that levels in the resolution assume that—
(1) Social Security plays a vital role in pro-
viding adequate income for individuals who become
disabled;
(2) individuals who become disabled face cir-
cumstances much different than those who rely on So-
cial Security for retirement income;
(3) Social Security reform proposals that focus
too heavily on retirement income may adversely affect
the income protection provided to individuals with
disabilities; and
(4) Congress and the President should take these
factors into account when considering proposals to re-
form the Social Security program.
SEC. 336. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING FUNDING
FOR 
INTENSIVE 
FIREARMS 
PROSECUTION
PROGRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) gun violence in America, while declining
somewhat in recent years, is still unacceptably high;
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(2) keeping firearms out of the hands of crimi-
nals can dramatically reduce gun violence in Amer-
ica;
(3) States and localities often do not have the in-
vestigative or prosecutorial resources to locate and
convict individuals who violate their firearms laws.
Even when they do win convictions, States and local-
ities often lack the jail space to hold such convicts for
their full prison terms;
(4) there are a number of Federal laws on the
books which are designed to keep firearms out of the
hands of criminals. These laws impose mandatory
minimum sentences upon individuals who use fire-
arms to commit crimes of violence and convicted fel-
ons caught in possession of a firearm;
(5) the Federal Government does have the re-
sources to investigate and prosecute violations of these
Federal firearms laws. The Federal Government also
has enough jail space to hold individuals for the
length of their mandatory minimum sentences;
(6) an effort to aggressively and consistently
apply these Federal firearms laws in Richmond, Vir-
ginia, has cut violent crime in that city. This pro-
gram, called Project Exile, has produced 288 indict-
ments during its first two years of operation and has
110
HCON 68 EAS1S
been credited with contributing to a 15 percent de-
crease in violent crimes in Richmond during the same
period. In the first three-quarters of 1998, homicides
with a firearm in Richmond were down 55 percent
compared to 1997;
(7) the fiscal year 1999 Commerce-State-Justice
Appropriations Act provided $1,500,000 to hire addi-
tional Federal prosecutors and investigators to enforce
Federal firearms laws in Philadelphia. The Philadel-
phia project—called Operation Cease Fire—started
on January 1, 1999. Since it began, the project has
resulted in 31 indictments of 52 defendants on fire-
arms violations. The project has benefited from help
from the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bu-
reau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms which was not
paid for out of the $1,500,000 grant;
(8) in 1993, the office of the United States Attor-
ney for the Western District of New York teamed up
with the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office,
the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, the Roch-
ester Police Department, and others to form a Violent
Crimes Task Force. In 1997, the Task Force created
an Illegal Firearms Suppression Unit, whose mission
is to use prosecutorial discretion to bring firearms
cases in the judicial forum where penalties for gun
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HCON 68 EAS1S
violations would be the strictest. The Suppression
Unit has been involved in three major prosecutions of
interstate gun-purchasing activities and currently has
30 to 40 open single-defendant felony gun cases;
(9) Senator Hatch has introduced legislation to
authorize Project CUFF, a Federal firearms prosecu-
tion program;
(10) 
the 
Administration 
has 
requested
$5,000,000 to conduct intensive firearms prosecution
projects on a national level;
(11) given that at least $1,500,000 is needed to
run an effective program in one American city—
Philadelphia—$5,000,000 is far from enough funding
to conduct such programs nationally.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that function 750 in the budget resolution assumes that
$50,000,000 will be provided in fiscal year 2000 to conduct
intensive firearms prosecution projects to combat violence
in the 25 American cities with the highest crime rates.
SEC. 337. HONEST REPORTING OF THE DEFICIT.
It is the sense of the Senate that the levels in this reso-
lution assume the following:
(1) IN GENERAL.—Effective for fiscal year 2001,
the President’s budget and the budget report of CBO
required under section 202(e) of the Congressional
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HCON 68 EAS1S
Budget Act of 1974 and the concurrent resolution on
the budget should include—
(A) the receipts and disbursements totals of
the on-budget trust funds, including the projected
levels for at least the next 5 fiscal years; and
(B) the deficit or surplus excluding the on-
budget trust funds, including the projected levels
for at least the next 5 fiscal years.
(2) ITEMIZATION.—Effective for fiscal year 2001,
the President’s budget and the budget report of CBO
required under section 202(e) of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 should include an itemization of
the on-budget trust funds for the budget year, includ-
ing receipts, outlays, and balances.
SEC. 338. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FOSTERING
THE EMPLOYMENT AND INDEPENDENCE OF
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate makes the following find-
ings:
(1) Health care is important to all Americans.
(2) Health care is particularly important to in-
dividuals with disabilities and special health care
needs who often cannot afford the insurance available
to them through the private market, are uninsurable
by the plans available in the private sector, or are at
113
HCON 68 EAS1S
great risk of incurring very high and economically
devastating health care costs.
(3) Americans with significant disabilities often
are unable to obtain health care insurance that pro-
vides coverage of the services and supports that enable
them to live independently and enter or rejoin the
workforce. Coverage for personal assistance services,
prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, and
basic health care are powerful and proven tools for
individuals with significant disabilities to obtain and
retain employment.
(4) For individuals with disabilities, the fear of
losing health care and related services is one of the
greatest barriers keeping the individuals from maxi-
mizing their employment, earning potential, and
independence.
(5) Individuals with disabilities who are bene-
ficiaries under title II or XVI of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq., 1381 et seq.) risk losing
medicare or medicaid coverage that is linked to their
cash benefits, a risk that is an equal, or greater, work
disincentive than the loss of cash benefits associated
with working.
(6) Currently, less than 1⁄2 of 1 percent of Social
Security disability insurance (SSDI) and supple-
114
HCON 68 EAS1S
mental security income (SSI) beneficiaries cease to
receive benefits as a result of employment.
(7) Beneficiaries have cited the lack of adequate
employment training and placement services as an
additional barrier to employment.
(8) If an additional 1⁄2 of 1 percent of the cur-
rent Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) and
supplemental security income (SSI) recipients were to
cease receiving benefits as a result of employment, the
savings to the Social Security Trust Funds in cash
assistance would total $3,500,000,000 over the
worklife of the individuals.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the provisions of this resolution assume that the
Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (S. 331, 106th
Congress) will be passed by the Senate and enacted early
this year, and thereby provide individuals with disabilities
with the health care and employment preparation and
placement services that will enable those individuals to re-
duce their dependency on cash benefit programs.
SEC. 339. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING ASSET-BUILD-
ING FOR THE WORKING POOR.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(1) 33 percent of all American households and 60
percent of African American households have no or
negative financial assets.
(2) 46.9 percent of all children in America live
in households with no financial assets, including 40
percent of Caucasian children and 75 percent of Afri-
can American children.
(3) In order to provide low-income families with
more tools for empowerment, incentives which encour-
age asset-building should be established.
(4) Across the Nation, numerous small public,
private, and public-private asset-building incentives,
including individual development accounts, are dem-
onstrating success at empowering low-income workers.
(5) Middle and upper income Americans cur-
rently benefit from tax incentives for building assets.
(6) The Federal Government should utilize the
Federal tax code to provide low-income Americans
with incentives to work and build assets in order to
escape poverty permanently.
(b) SENSE OF SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate
that the provisions of this resolution assume that Congress
should modify the Federal tax law to include provisions
which encourage low-income workers and their families to
save for buying a first home, starting a business, obtaining
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HCON 68 EAS1S
an education, or taking other measures to prepare for the
future.
SEC. 340. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF
THIS RESOLUTION ASSUME THAT IT IS THE
POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES TO PROVIDE
AS SOON AS IS TECHNOLOGICALLY POSSIBLE
AN EDUCATION FOR EVERY AMERICAN CHILD
THAT WILL ENABLE EACH CHILD TO EFFEC-
TIVELY MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) 
Pell 
Grants 
require 
an 
increase 
of
$5,000,000,000 per year to fund the maximum award
established in the Higher Education Act Amendments
of 1998;
(2) the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act needs at least $13,000,000,000 more per year to
fund the Federal commitment to fund 40 percent of
the excess costs for special education services;
(3) title I needs at least $4,000,000,000 more per
year to serve all eligible children;
(4) over $11,000,000,000 over the next six years
will be required to hire 100,000 teachers to reduce
class size to an average of 18 in grades 1–3;
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(5) according to the General Accounting Office,
it will cost $112,000,000,000 just to bring existing
school buildings up to good overall condition. Accord-
ing to GAO, one-third of schools serving 14,000,000
children require extensive repair or replacement of
one or more of their buildings. GAO also found that
almost half of all schools lack even the basic electrical
wiring needed to support full-scale use of computers;
(6) the Federal share of education spending has
declined from 11.9 percent in 1980 to 7.6 percent in
1998;
(7) Federal spending for education has declined
from 2.5 percent of all Federal spending in fiscal year
1980 to 2.0 percent in fiscal year 1999.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the provisions of this resolution assume that it is
the policy of the United States to provide as soon as is tech-
nologically possible an education for every American child
that will enable each child to effectively meet the challenges
of the twenty-first century.
SEC. 341. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING EXEMPTION
OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES AND PROD-
UCTS, MEDICINES, AND MEDICAL PRODUCTS
FROM UNILATERAL ECONOMIC SANCTIONS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
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HCON 68 EAS1S
(1) prohibiting or otherwise restricting the dona-
tion or sale of agricultural commodities or products,
medicines, or medical products in order to unilater-
ally sanction a foreign government for actions or
policies that the United States finds objectionable un-
necessarily harms innocent populations in the tar-
geted country and rarely causes the sanctioned gov-
ernment to alter its actions or policies;
(2) for the United States as a matter of policy
to deny access to agricultural commodities or prod-
ucts, medicines, or medical products by innocent men,
women, and children in other countries weakens the
international leadership and moral authority of the
United States; and
(3) unilateral sanctions on the sale or donation
of agricultural commodities or products, medicines, or
medical products needlessly harm agricultural pro-
ducers and workers employed in the agricultural or
medical sectors in the United States by foreclosing
markets for the commodities, products, or medicines.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution and legislation enacted
pursuant to this resolution assume that the President
should—