sfnatldc@labrea.stanford.edu (10/18/89)
SANE/FREEZE WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT--Week of October 16, 1989
The Weekly Legislative Report is updated on the second business day
of each week by the SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security
Legislative Department. This report is based on the political
objectives adopted by the SANE/FREEZE National Congress. Please
help us by reporting your local lobbying activities to Mark W.
Harrison at (202) 546-7100 or send us a message via "mail" on
PeaceNet to sfnatldc.
UPDATE
**Current status and messages for ongoing lobbying**
DEADLOCK CONTINUES
The deadlock of the Conference Committee on the FY 90 Defense
Authorization bill continues. It is not known when a "compromise"
will be struck on the big issues: Star Wars, MX/Midgetman and B-2.
Below is a reminder of the House and Senate differences:
B-2 (Stealth) Bomber
House: Approved $3.76 billion. Restricted production funding.
Senate: Approved $4.43 billion.
Star Wars (SDI)
House: Cut to $3.1 billion.
Senate: Approved $4.5 billion.
MX Rail Garrison
House: Approved $600 million for research and development only; cut
$502 million production. Placed cap of 50 MX missiles.
Senate: Approved $1.1 billion. No provision on cap of 50 MX
missiles.
Midgetman Missile
House: Cut all funding.
Senate: Approved $100 million.
Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASAT)
House: Prohibited testing of MIRACL laser ASAT.
Senate: No provision.
Chemical Weapons
House: Cut all $47 million for nerve gas artillery shell production.
Senate: No action.
Nuclear Weapons Facilities
House: Encouraged negotiations to ban plutonium production. Added
$335 million for cleanup. Prohibited site preparations of
Special Isotope Separation plutonium production facility.
Senate: No provision on ban of plutonium production. Added $418
million cleanup. Rejected provision of site preparation of
SIS.
Message: See Legislative Report for the week of Sept. 25, 1989.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Reps. Dante Fascell (D-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, and Jim Moody (D-WI) spoke out on the House floor last
week against the decision of the Bush administration to continue
manufacturing binary chemical weapons even after a chemical weapons
treaty is signed. Rep. Fascell said Mr. Bush's decision had the
effect of "unwittingly legitimizing the very thing that President
Bush and Congress want to halt--chemical weapons proliferation."
Rep. Moody stated, "President Bush has to speak out clearly and
decisively on this issue or he may quickly discover that he has
undercut the vary treaty he has claimed to want." In a Oct. 16
letter to President Bush, Reps. Miller (D-CA) and Downey (D-NY)
called on the President "to provide ...a timely clarification of
this apparent shift in U.S. policy."
On Monday, October 16, Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME)
spoke out on the Senate floor. He stated, "The President's decision
is deeply disturbing and represents a step backwards in the effort
to control the proliferation of chemical weapons." In a follow-up
statement on Tuesday, Oct. 17, Sen. Mitchell called on the President
Bush to "explain how this decision can contribute to the overall
goal of eliminating these weapons completely."
Message: See last week's Legislative Report.
DOE HEALTH ISSUES
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has rescheduled
its second hearing on the Department of Energy's health research
program for Oct. 31 as oppose to Oct. 19.
Message: If your Senator is listed, please urge him to attend the
Oct. 31 hearing: Kohl, Bradley, Metzenbaum, Conrad, Bumpers and
Hatfield. Also urge him to co-sponsor S. 972, the Radiation
Research Reorganization Act, a bill sponsored by Sen. Wirth (D-CO)
which would transfer DOE's health studies program to the Department
of Health and Human Services.
CTB HEARING SET FOR OCTOBER 31
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on
nuclear weapons testing on October 31. The hearing will cover the
Partial Test Ban Treaty Amendment Conference and the Non-
Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. It is important that we
mobilize public support for this hearing.
Message: If your Senator is a Member of the Foreign Relations
Committee, strongly urge him/her to attend the October 31 hearing on
nuclear testing.
Members of the Committee and their Washington telephone number:
Pell (Rhode Island SANE/FREEZE members should write and thank him
for holding this hearing)
Biden (D-DE) (202) 224-5042
Sarbanes (D-MD) (202) 224-4524
Cranston (D-VA) (202) 224-3553
Dodd (D-CT) (202) 224-2823
Kerry (D-MA) (202) 224-2742
Simon (D-IL) (202) 224-2152
Sanford (D-NC) (202) 224-3154
Moynihan (D-NY) (202) 224-4451
Robb (D-VA) (202) 224-4024
Lugar (R-IN) (202) 224-4814
Kassebaum (R-KS) (202) 224-4774
Murkowski (R-AK) (202) 224-6665
Sen. Pell, Chairman of the Committee, will introduce a resolution on
nuclear testing sometime after the hearing.
NICARAGUAN ELECTIONS
The Senate is expected to consider this week the Administration
request for an additional $9 million for the February 25, 1990
elections in Nicaragua. The U.S. has already spent $3.5 million
this year in order to influence the elections.
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