Property Act and that there would be an enlarged window of opportunity to apply for a transfer for educational use. The measure became Public Law 103-123; October 28, 1993.

k. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994; H.R. 2401.-This measure as passed by the House and Senate (as S. 1298) contained a number of provisions within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Government Operations and on October 19, 1993, members of the committee were appointed as conferees on such provisions.

In addition, two amendments based on committee investigations were adopted as part of the fiscal 1994 authorization-a comprehensive annual report on DOD reimbursement of contractor environmental cleanup costs (Public Law 103-160, section 1001(c), see discussion in section II.A.) and restrictions on further payments to the C-17 Airlifter contractor (Public Law 103-160, section 134, see discussion in part two, II.B.).

Many provisions in the bills concerned the control, utilization, and disposition of Federal property to which the provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 are or would be made applicable. They included several provisions relating to transfers of property for community assistance at bases closed under base closure and realignment statutes. In accordance with long-established House precedent, that act is within the legislative jurisdiction of the committee.

Mounting interest in speeding up economic recovery of communities where military bases are to close again focused on facilitating early reuse of the base closure property for such a purpose. In addition to growing congressional interest, the President announced his own program on July 2, 1993, for revitalizing base closure communities through transfer of base assets to the local communities. Existing law governing disposal of base closure property was the Federal Property Act, which authorized no cost transfers to local public organizations for certain public purposes like education, public health, and recreation. Transfers for the purpose of economic development, however, required the recipient to pay estimated fair market value. Various provisions appeared in the House and Senate defense authorization bills to make acquisition of base closure property for economic redevelopment more affordable to the communities. Chairman Conyers proposed as a basis for discussion an amendment to the Federal Property Act so that surplus property could be transferred at up to 50 percent of market value to a public body whose area had been adversely impacted by a base closure, provided that the property would be used for economic development purposes. The Legislation and National Security Subcommittee held a hearing on July 14, 1993, on the proposal.

The proposal was not included among en bloc amendments approved by the Committee on Rules. The House approved instead an amendment to establish a pilot program for testing no-cost transfers in connection with developing economic revitalization criteria within adversely affected communities (section 2822). Five installations were specifically designated for the program. A major amendment offered by Chairman Conyers and approved by the House and Senate amended section 203 of the Federal Property Act to authorize the no-cost transfer of suitable surplus real property at base

closure installations for the development or operation of a waterport facility, thereby putting such a purpose on the same publicbenefit footing as that which Congress in 1947 provided in connection with a public airport purpose. This amendment became section 2927 of Public Law 103–160.

Unlike the House bill, the Senate-passed bill incorporated a series of provisions establishing a broadly different regime for the utilization and disposal of real property, as well as related personal property, made releasable by base closures. They were tied together by the thread of facilitating local acquisition of property at reduced cost or no cost. This had the effect of providing an alternative regime supplementary to the existing regime based on the Federal Property Act. The breadth and generality of the Senate provisions became the focus of the Government Operations Committee's attention during the conference process. Results of the committee's ef forts as shown in the conference agreement and subsequent enactment include provisions that:

(1) assure that personal property related to the real property may be withheld from preferred transfer to a redevelopment authority for local reuse when other Federal agencies have known program requirements for such property;

(2) require that property transferred at less than fair market value must be transferred to a specific local redevelopment authority recognized by the Secretary of Defense as the one responsible for producing the redevelopment plan;

(3) require the Secretary to determine the estimated fair market value of property to be transferred;

(4) require the Secretary to provide an explanation of why, when the transfer is not for estimated fair market value, the property cannot be transferred under the concurrent procedure that is based on the Federal Property Act;

(5) require the Secretary to prescribe by regulation guidelines for determining the consideration required of the redevelopment authority for transfer of the property;

(6) require that, in the circumstance of a rural area whose community suffers a substantial adverse economic impact (as determined by the Secretary) from a closure, a no-cost transfer of property to the local redevelopment authority must be based on specific Secretarial regulations regarding determination of the community's eligibility for such special-status determination:

(7) with respect to availability of base closure real property for homeless assistance purposes under section 501 of the Steward B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C 11411 et seq.), assure a one-time, all-inclusive reporting of available property to the Secretary of Housing and Human Development for publication, so that homeless representatives would have a single 60-day period for filing an expression of interest to file an application, which would be followed by a 1year period during which the local community would have opportunity to identify properties suitable for redevelopment and

reuse.

In addition to the above statutory items, the committee's efforts resulted in a recommendation in the statement of managers (H.

Rept. 103-357, p. 806) that, when evaluating the economic impact of closure and the redevelopment plan, the Secretary should consult with the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration, which has certain related functions under sections 4103 and 4302 of the Defense Conversion, Reinvestment, and Transition Assistance Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-484, 10 Ú.S.C. 2391 note). The President signed H.R. 2401 on November 30, 1993, and it became Public Law 103-160.

1. National and Community Service Act; H.R. 2010.—The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2010 on July 28, 1993, by a vote of 275-152. The Senate passed a different version of the bill on August 3, 1993, by a vote of 58-41. On August 4 members of the Committee on Government Operations were appointed as conferees on the portions of the bill dealing with the inspector general. The House of Representatives approved the conference report on August 6 by a vote of 275-152, and the Senate approved the conference report on September 8 by a vote of 57-40. The President signed the bill on September 21, 1993, and it became Public Law 103-82.

m. Local Flexibility Act of 1993; H.R. 2856.-Over 350 separate Federal programs provide grants and other financial assistance to the Nation's local governments. While each of these Federal programs may make sense when judged on its own merits, at the local level the combined requirements of myriad Federal programs cause confusion, waste, and inefficiency. On August 4, 1993, Chairman Conyers and Ranking Minority Member Člinger introduced H.R. 2856, which was referred solely to the Committee on Government Operations.

H.R. 2856 creates a Federal Interagency Review Council that will be authorized for 5 years to grant to local governments and not-forprofit organizations temporary waivers from Federal regulations (other than antidiscrimination requirements) of grant programs in six areas education, employment training, health, housing, nutrition, or other social services-if the Council approves a plan designed by a local government to improve services for its low income residents.

The Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations held a hearing on the bill on October 13, 1993.

n. North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act; H.R. 3450.-Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 ("Title III") authorizes the President to waive any procurement law or regulation that would result in discriminatory requirements with respect to those Federal Government purchases from foreign suppliers that are covered by the 1979 Government Procurement Code of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Mexico is not a party to that Code. Title III was amended in 1985 and 1988 to implement the government procurement provisions of the United States-Israel Free Trade Agreement and the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement.

In chapter 10 of the North American Free Trade Agreement ["NAFTA"], which was signed in 1992, the Governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada each agreed to treat suppliers of goods and services of the other two countries no less favorably than it treats its own suppliers when making government purchases.

The rules governing consideration of the legislation implementing the NAFTA precluded any amendment to the legislation once it was introduced. Accordingly, prior to the introduction of the NAFTA implementing legislation, the Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security held an oversight hearing on July 27, 1993, on "The Impact of NAFTA on the Public Sector," and on October 7-11, 1993, the committee conducted a factfinding mission in Mexico-including a meeting with Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari-to assess the impact of the NAFTA on both Mexico and the United States. During the fall of 1993 Chairman Conyers also consulted with the administration on the statutory language necessary to amend title III in order to implement chapter 10 of the NAFTA.

On November 3, 1993, President Clinton transmitted the NAFTA implementing legislation to Congress. H.R. 3450 was introduced on November 4, 1993, and was referred jointly to the Committee on Government Operations.

Section 381 of H.R. 3450 extends to Mexican suppliers the President's authority in title III to waive some Federal procurement laws. Section 381 further provides that the President's waiver authority does not apply to any Federal procurement law that grants a preference either to small businesses or to small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or women, historically black colleges and universities, and colleges and universities having a student body with a substantial enrollment of Hispanic Americans or Native Americans.

The Committee on Government Operations was discharged from further consideration of the bill on November 15, and the House of Representatives approved the bill on November 17 by a vote of 234-200. The Senate approved the bill on November 20 by a vote of 61-38. The President signed the bill on December 8, 1993, and it became Public Law 103–182.

o. To provide for the conveyance of certain land in the District of Columbia to the Columbia Hospital for Women to provide a site for the construction of a facility to house the National Women's Health Resource Center; H.R. 490.-H.R. 490 was jointly referred to the Committees on Government Operations, Public Works and Transportation, and the District of Columbia. Similar legislation was before the Government Operations Committee during the 100th, 101st, and 102d Congresses.

The legislation provides for a center which is a unique public health institution focusing on women's and infants' health needs through programs for education, research, clinical investigations, special clinical referrals, and models for health care. During the 101st Congress, the Committee's Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee, then under Chairwoman Cardiss Collins, held extensive hearings and worked out the elements of consideration to the Government used in the bill as enacted in the 103d Congress. This consideration includes the hospital's payment to the Government of $12.8 million for the land (controlled by GSA's Public Buildings Service) and its operation, in medically underserved communities of the District of Columbia, of three satellite health centers for women and teenagers. After the bill was reported by the Committee on Public Works and Transportation (H. Rept. 103-23,

pt. I.), the Government Operations Committee joined in requesting the measure be considered under suspension of the rules. The measure was passed March 9. Subsequently passed by the Senate, the bill was approved August 11, 1993, as Public Law 103-67.

p. The Thrift Depositors Protection Act of 1993; S. 714.-The Senate passed S. 714 on May 13, 1993, by a vote of 61-35. The House of Representatives passed a different version of the bill on September 14 by a voice vote. Members of the Committee on Government Operations were appointed on September 14 as conferees on the portions of the bill dealing with the inspector general. The Senate approved the conference report on September 20 by a vote of 5445, and the House of Representatives approved the conference report on November 23, 1993, by a vote of 235-191. The President signed the bill on December 17, 1993, and it became Public Law 103-204.

q. Minor Boundary Adjustments and Miscellaneous Park Amendments Act of 1993; H.R. 1305.-Part of H.R. 1305, as reported by the Committee on Natural Resources, deals with the authority of the Secretary of the Interior relating to the management of museum objects and museum collections. These provisions have the effect of amending the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, which is within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Government Operations. Following consultations between the two committees, the Committee on Government Operations agreed to not request a sequential referral of the bill when it was reported on July 15, 1993; during consideration of the bill by the House of Representatives, the Committee on Natural Resources offered an amendment to the bill that addressed the concerns of the Committee on Government Operations. The bill, as amended, was approved by the House of Representatives by voice vote, under suspension of the rules, on July 19, 1993. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on July 20, 1993.

r. Health Security Act; H.R. 3600.-On November 20, 1993, President Clinton introduced the Health Security Act (H.R. 3600) with over 100 cosponsors. The Committee on Government Operations received an initial referral over subtitle B of title V and section 5401 of the act. Subtitle B covers the establishment of a health information system, privacy of medical records, and measures to improve administrative simplification of the health care system. Section 5401 establishes an all-payer health care fraud and abuse program coordinated by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General.

In addition, numerous provisions in the bill appear to establish new entitlement authority. Should congressional revisions to the bill make that authority more explicit, the committee will seek a sequential referral of the measure under its authority over budget process reform outlined in House Rules (j)(1) and (j)(6-7). The committee will begin work on the President's proposal in the second session.

s. The Iraq Claims Act of 1993; H.R. 3221.-On November 19, 1993, the Committee on Foreign Affairs filed with the House its report on H.R. 3221, the Iraq Claims Act of 1993, incorporating an amendment in the nature of a substitute that exempted certain Federal records from the Freedom of Information Act. Following a