By letter from the Director of the USIA, the Committee was advised that the request for this item was being deferred in view of the overall budgetary situation.

The Committee recommends an appropriation of $12,759,000 for the appropriation that funds the Voice of America Radio Marti Program. This recommendation is the same as the amount appropriated for fiscal year 1987, and is $107,000 more than the 1988 request and the House allowance.

The Voice of America Radio Marti Program, which was established by the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (Public Law 98-111), began broadcasting on May 20, 1985, at the planned level of 141⁄2 hours per day. Radio Marti provides broadcasts in Spanish to the Cuban people of news, commentary, and other information about events in Cuba and elsewhere. Its objective is to reach Cuban audiences with programs which are objective, accurate, balanced and which present a variety of views. To fulfill this purpose, the Radio Marti Program is administered by the Voice of America as a separate entity and uses the VOA medium wave transmitter at Marathon, FL.

The amount recommended provides for all of the adjustments to base and built-in changes requested including the full-year cost of the January 1987 Federal pay raise, the full-year cost of the new Federal Employees Retirement System, and within-grade salary adjustments.

CENTER FOR CULTURAL AND TECHNICAL INTERCHANGE BETWEEN
EAST AND WEST

The Committee recommends an appropriation of $20,000,000, which is the same as the 1987 appropriations to date, the budget request, and the House allowance.

Within the total amount recommended, the Center will accommodate mandatory increases totaling $469,000 which includes within-grade salary adjustments, the increased costs of students and inflationary increases for supplies, materials, and other services. It is anticipated that these increases will be offset by additional revenues generated from outside sources.

The Committee recommends an appropriation of $17,500,000 for the National Endowment for Democracy for fiscal year 1988. This amount represents a reduction of $7,500,000 from the budget request, an increase of $2,500,000 above the appropriation for fiscal year 1987, and is $1,500,000 above the House allowance.

The National Endowment for Democracy [NED] is a private, nonprofit corporation established in the District of Columbia to encourage and strengthen the development of democratic institutions and processes internationally, including activities which promote individual rights and freedom through private-sector initiatives, exchanges, training and other activities.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION-UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

The Committee has included a provision in the bill which requires USIA and the Voice of America to pursue all relevant information relating to availability of transmitters and related equipment to determine whether such items can be procured at reasonable prices and in a timely manner. The provision also requires USIA and VOA to purchase American-manufactured equipment and materials to the fullest extent reasonably possible under the law in carrying out the facilities modernization program.

TITLE VI-GENERAL PROVISIONS

As reported to the House, this title contained a number of general provisions which have been applicable in the past to the departments and agencies funded by this appropriation.

The Committee is recommending the deletion of House language that applies a reduction of 2.4 percent to each appropriations account except the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The House bill included as section 608 a provision prohibiting the expenditure of funds by the Department of Transportation or Maritime Administration for certain activities in connection with repayment of construction differential subsidy. An identical provision was included in the Supplemental Appropriations Act, Public Law 100-71. Therefore, since this provision is now law it would be duplicative to reenact it and the Committee has deleted the provision from the bill.

In section 608, the Committee is recommending the inclusion of bill language dealing with the reprogramming of funds within appropriations accounts. Nearly identical language was carried in the fiscal year 1986 appropriations act. The Committee has also included a reprogramming requirement for the privitization of Government services.

In section 609 the Committee has included a provision which prohibits the sale of direct loans and loan guarantees made by the Small Business Administration under the authority of the Small Business Investment Act. The restriction applies only to sales to third parties of disaster assistance direct loans, and SBA-guaranteed debentures issued by certified development companies and small business investment companies which were held by the Federal Financing Bank on September 30, 1987. The restriction has no application to any plan concerning prepayment of loans by borrowers, nor does it affect sales of loan guarantees made under section 7(a) of the Small Business Act, or sales of debenture guarantees which were not held by the Federal Financing Bank on September 30, 1987.

In section 610 the Committee has included a provision prohibiting the Small Business Administration from implementing new user fees. The Small Business Administration, by letter to the chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, has expressed its intention to implement a broad range of new user fees for virtually all SBA programs and services, in some cases without any regulatory process. At the request of the authorizing committee, the Committee has inserted this provision

prohibiting the Small Business Administration from implementing any new or additional user fees, guaranty fees, or examination fees beyond those which were in effect on September 1, 1987, so that that Committee may examine the impact of these proposals on programs and services early next year in the authorization process.

TITLE VII-CUBAN POLITICAL PRISONERS AND

IMMIGRANTS

This title incorporates S. 1075 with slight modifications and will eliminate barriers to Cuban entry into the United States that have arisen as a result of the breakdown of the Mariel migration agreement. It directs the Immigration and Naturalization Service to process current and former Cuban political prisoners as refugees for entry into this country when they have served any amount of time in Castro's jails, except as may be necessary to increase the orderly processing of available applicants. Under our current policy, they must have served for more than 10 years to be eligible for processing.

On December 14, 1984, the United States and Cuba signed the Mariel migration agreement. Under that agreement, Cuba promised to take back 2,746 Cuban who came to the United States in 1980 and were found to be excludable due to their mental illness or past serious criminal offenses. The United States promised to process up to 3,000 former political prisoners and their families in fiscal year 1985, with the presumption that the program would continue at that level. It also promised to restore normal migration from Cuba to the United States for various preference category immigrant visas. On May 20, 1985, Cuba suspended the Mariel agreement in reaction to the start of Radio Marti broadcasts.

There are now between 10,000 and 30,000 ex-political prisoners and their families who want to come to this country from Cuba, and there may be some in third countries as well. Until Castro agrees to fulfill his part of the Mariel agreement, U.S. policy is to process only those political prisoners (and their families) who are or were in prison for 10 years

or more.

The Committee believes it is unfair and counterproductive to punish Castro's own victims for Castro's behavior toward the United States, especially those who have been imprisoned for their belief in freedom and their opposition to Castro's regime. Conditions are extremely difficult even for those political prisoners who have been released from jail. The 2,000 or so ex-political prisoners who have been released experience such severe discrimination that it is difficult for them to survive.

Title VII also addresses the suspension of normal immigration from Cuba and third countries to the United States as a result of the breakdown of the Mariel agreement. Cubans who are not former or current political prisoners can come to this country only if they are granted an immigrant visa. Because of the breakdown of the Mariel agreement,