congressional_record: CREC-1998-11-12-pt1-PgE2316
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CREC-1998-11-12-pt1-PgE2316 | 1998-11-12 | 105 | 2 | 144 | CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4328, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999 | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2316 | E2317 | [{"name": "Lane Evans", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "105", "type": "S", "number": "2358"}, {"congress": "105", "type": "HR", "number": "3279"}, {"congress": "105", "type": "HR", "number": "4110"}, {"congress": "105", "type": "HR", "number": "4328"}, {"congress": "105", "type": "HR", "number": "4328"}] | 144 Cong. Rec. E2316 | Congressional Record, Volume 144 Issue 152 (Thursday, November 12, 1998) [Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 152 (Thursday, November 12, 1998)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E2316-E2317] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4328, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999 ______ HON. LANE EVANS of illinois in the house of representatives Thursday, November 12, 1998 Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 4328, The Omnibus and Emergency Appropriations Bill of 1998. Many of the provisions contained in this measure are deserving of support--these include aid to farmers, support for education and other worthy programs. However, I do have some serious reservations about one provision--Division D--Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998. This measure incorporates text from S. 2358, including compensation legislation for Gulf War veterans that would attempt to override a compromise developed by both bodies' authorizing committees. This provision was inserted over objections in both Chambers in an effort to conciliate one member of the other body. I am unaware of any prior conference process that has been blatantly overridden to account for the desires of one Member. I am also extremely disappointed with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee of the House and Senate for acceding to the demands of one individual who clearly did not express the authorizers' views. By putting this authorization into ``must pass'' legislation with a number of worthy funding initiatives, I feel that my colleagues have exploited the position in which I and others find ourselves today. The Veterans Affairs Committee in the House and the other body, the committees of jurisdiction, agreed to comprehensive veterans' legislation which is now [[Page E2317]] awaiting passage by the other body. This measure, H.R. 4110, the Veterans' Programs Enhancements Act of 1998, was approved on October 10, 1998 by the House by a unanimous vote of 423 to 0. As agreed to by the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees and approved by the House, H.R. 4110 resulted from a consensus building process. This process created a bill that all concerned believed was cumulatively better than the sum of its parts. The compromise included parts of S. 2358, and of my bill, H.R. 3279, that allows the use of epidemiological models to determine what conditions ought to be compensated with regard to Persian Gulf War veterans. I considered this step to be a major gain for veterans. I sincerely believe that, in overriding the compromise, we will do a great disservice to our Gulf War veterans. H.R. 4110 allows the prevalence of illnesses veterans experience to serve as a basis for compensation determinations. This model--one supported by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses--is thought by many scientists to provide an approach that gives veterans the benefit of the doubt. Even if veterans are unable to prove that their illnesses resulted from any of a host of possible causes, as the language in S. 2358 and now, would require them to do, conditions that they experienced more frequently than their peers could serve as a basis for compensation. By including the text of S. 2358 in the Omnibus and Emergency Appropriations Bill of 1998, those who have wrought the Omnibus and Emergency Appropriations Bill of 1998 have violated not only the spirit, but the letter, of the agreement of the authorizing committees. This is nothing less than a travesty of the legislative process. This is nothing less than using strong arm tactics to achieve the will of one. This is wrong, plain and simple. ____________________ |