7. Supplemental Military Assistance to Portugal for Fiscal Year 1977-S. 489 (H.R. 3976) (by Mr. Zablocki, by request) On February 17, 1977, the Department of State forwarded to the Speaker of the House, Executive Communication 778, which transmitted draft legislation authorizing a fiscal year 1977 allocation of $30 million in grant military assistance for Portugal. This communication was forwarded to the Committee on International Relations and on February 23, 1977, Chairman Zablocki introduced the draft legislation as H.R. 3976. The bill was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and subsequently to the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East. On March 1, 1977, the subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 3976 and at the conclusion of the hearing ordered the bill favorably reported by a recorded vote of 5 to 0 to the full committee. The full committee considered H.R. 3976 on March 15, 1977, and ordered the bill favorably reported, without amendment, by voice vote. H.R. 3976 amended section 504 (a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, by authorizing the allocation to Portugal of up to $30 million of the total funds available for the military assistance program in fiscal year 1977. The bill was necessary to modify existing statutory limitations on the allocation of military assistance funds. [Section 504 (a) (1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 identified eight countries, not including Portugal, to which funds available for military assistance could be allocated in fiscal year 1977 and specifies the amount which could be allocated to each of them. Section 504 (a) (1) of the act also prohibited the use of more than $3.7 million in fiscal year 1977 for military assistance to countries not identified in section 504 (a) (1). An allocation of $830,000 had been made to Portugal under this ceiling. Together, these two provisions prevented the furnishing of additional military assistance to Portugal in fiscal year 1977.] H.R. 3976 modified these limitations, by adding Portugal to the list of countries in section 504 (a) (1) and by specifying that $30 million could be allocated to that country. The request would be used to help equip and train a newly established air-transportable Portugese brigade which would be assigned to NATO, and would be the first step of a 3 to 4 year program to support Portugal's contribution to NATO. Specifically, the $30 million authorized to be allocated provided for one C-130 air transport aircraft with spares and support, and priority ground force equipment, including 66 M-113A1 armored personnel carriers to the airborne brigade. A similar bill, S. 489, was reported favorably, with a committee amendment, by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on March 8, 1977. S. 489 made Portugal eligible for military assistance of not more than $34.5 million in fiscal year 1977, and increased the amount authorized to be appropriated for grant military assistance for fiscal year 1977 from $177.3 million to $181.8 million to provide for the allocation for Portugal. S. 489 passed the Senate on March 15, 1977. On March 22, 1977 the House considered and passed by voice vote H.R. 3976. Immediately thereafter, S. 489 was considered and amended to contain the language of H.R. 3976 as passed. The House bill was subsequently tabled, and S. 489, as amended by the House, passed in lieu thereof. On April 6, 1977 S. 489, with House amendment, was again considered by the Senate. The Senate agreed to the House amendment, but further amended the bill to authorize a compromise allocation figure of $32.25 million in grant military assistance for Portugal. (This fiscal year 1977 supplemental appropriation provided $17.25 million in new budget authority for the purpose of carrying out the above allocation.) Ön April 19, 1977, the House passed H. Res. 491 which provided for the agreement to the Senate amendment to S. 489. The bill was then cleared for Presidential action, and subsequently became law-Public Law 95-23-on April 30, 1977. Legislative history Feb. 21, 1977-Executive Communication 778: A letter from the Acting Feb. 24, 1977-H.R. 3976 referred to Subcommittee on Europe and the Mar. 1, 1977-H.R. 3976 considered in open markup session by subcom- Apr. 6, 1977-S. 489: Senate agreed to House amendment, and further Apr. 19, 1977-House agreed to Senate amendment to House amendment. 8. Supplemental State Department Authorization for Fiscal Year 1977-H.R. 5040 (by Mr. Fascell, for himself, and Representatives Zablocki, Buchanan, Diggs, Ryan, Meyner, Fraser, Bonker, Studds, Pease, Danielson, Bedell, Cavanaugh, Whalen, and Winn) The Speaker of the House referred to the Committee on International Relations Executive Communication 821 on February 24, 1977. The communication contained draft legislation to authorize supplemental appropriations for the Department of State for fiscal year 1977. On February 25, 1977, the measure was referred to the Subcommittee on International Operations which had already begun to conduct hearings on the subject. The draft bill was considered in open session by the subcommittee on March 8 and was unanimously reported, with amendments, to the full committee. On the same day the chairman of the subcommittee. Representative Fascell, introduced the draft bill as H.R. 4619. The bill was considered by the full committee on March 15, and was further amended. Chairman Fascell introduced a clean bill H.R. 5040 on the same day, and the legislation was referred to the full committee. The committee, by voice vote, ordered the bill reported favorably. The principal purpose of H.R. 5040 was to authorize $89,650,000 in supplemental appropriations for the Department of State for fiscal year 1977 in order to carry out selected operations in the area of foreign affairs during fiscal year 1977. Specifically, the bill provided for the authorization of appropriations in four areas: (1) Payment of calendar years 1975-76 UNESCO arrearages and part of the calendar year 1977 assessment. (2) Supplemental requests for Soviet refugee assistance and for Indochinese refugees in Asia. (3) Emergency assistance for American citizens imprisoned abroad. (4) Funds under the special foreign currency program for the purchase of land and construction of three 36-unit staff apartment buildings in Cairo, Egypt. On March 24, 1977, H.R. 5040 was passed, amended, on the House floor by a recorded vote of 292 to 114. On May 11, 1977 the bill passed the Senate by voice vote. In the Senate the bill was amended to contain a number of amendments that had been agreed to when the bill was considered by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including a new authorization figure of $89,500,000. On May 26, the House agreed to the Senate amendments to H.R. 5040, but amended the bill further. The Senate agreed to the additional House amendment on the same day, which cleared the measure for Presidential action. H.R. 5040 became Public Law 95-45 on June 15, 1977. Legislative history Feb. 17, 1977-Hearing held by Subcommittee on International Opera- Feb. 25, 1977-Executive Communications 820 and 821 referred to Sub- Feb. 28, 1977-Executive Communications 820 and 821 considered in open session by subcommittee. Mar. 8, 1977-Executive Communications 820 and 821 considered in open markup session by subcommittee, amended, and a clean bill to be introduced reported to full committee. Mar. 8, 1977-H.R. 4619 reported to full committee from subcommittee. Mar. 15, 1977-H.R. 4619 considered in open markup session by full committee and ordered favorably reported by voice vote. Mar. 15, 1977-H.R. 5040 considered in open markup session by full committee and ordered favorably reported by voice vote. Mar. 16, 1977-Reported. House Report 95-84. Mar. 16, 1977-Rule requested. Mar. 21, 1977-Hearing on request for rule. Rule granted. H. Res. 424. Mar. 24, 1977-Passed House, amended, by vote of 292 yeas to 114 nays. May 11, 1977-Passed Senate, amended, by voice vote. May 26, 1977-House concurred in Senate amendments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, and to amendment 7 with an amendment, and returned the measure to the Senate. May 26, 1977-Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate amendments. June 15, 1977-Approved. Public Law 95-45. 9. To Amend the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 To Halt the Importation of Rhodesian Chrome-H.R. 1746 (by Mr. Young of Georgia, for himself, and Representatives Fraser, Buchanan, and Diggs) In 1966, the United Nations Security Council voted to impose mandatory economic sanctions against Southern Rhodesia. This action, prompted by the establishment of a white minority government, was taken under chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter, which provides for imposition of sanctions when the Security Council has determined that there is a threat to international peace and security. The United States strongly supported the sanctions as a means by which the international community could bring about a peaceful political change toward majority rule in Southern Rhodesia. În 1968, the Security Council voted to make the Rhodesian sanctions comprehensive, prohibiting all trade with Rhodesia. However, in 1971 the Congress amended the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act to allow the importation of any commodity determined to be strategic and critical, and whose importation from a Communist country was not prohibited. The effect of this amendment, known as the Byrd amendment after its sponsor Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia, was to allow the importation from Rhodesia of chrome ore, ferrochrome and nickel in violation of the U.N. sanctions. Legislative attempts to reimpose the total embargo on Rhodesian goods, as mandated by the U.N. sanctions, were made in the 93d and 94th Congresses, but without success. On January 11, 1977, Hon. Andrew Young, together with Congressmen Donald Fraser, John Buchanan, and Charles C. Diggs, introduced H.R. 1746, a bill to amend the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 to halt the importation of Rhodesian chrome. The primary purpose of H.R. 1746, was to allow reimposition of the embargo on imports of chrome ore, ferrochrome, and nickel from Rhodesia, and thus return the United States to full compliance with U.N. economic sanctions in accordance with the international treaty obligations of the United States. The bill also sought to prevent the indirect importation of Rhodesian chrome in the form of foreign-made specialty steels, by requiring that imports of chromium-bearing specialty steel mill products, but not fabricated products, must be accompanied by a certificate of origin. This certificate would specify that the chromium contained within the steel product had not originated in Rhodesia. The legislation was referred to the Committee on International Relations, which subsequently referred it jointly to the Subcommittees on International Organizations and Africa. On February 24, 1977, the subcommittees held a joint hearing on the bill, and on the same date, in separate markup sessions, ordered the bill reported favorably to the full committee. On March 2, 1977, the Committee on International Relations met to consider the legislation. The committee adopted an amendment which gave the President the authority to exempt from the bill any shipment of chromium, regardless of form, which would be in transit to the United States on the date of enactment. H.R. 1746 was ordered favorably reported, as amended, by a vote of 27 to 5. [The passage of H.R. 1746 by the committee did not authorize the appropriation of any funds. However, the committee agreed with the Congressional Budget Office estimate of $100,000 per year for the next 5 years as the cost of administering the implementation of this act.] On March 14, 1977, the House considered and passed H.R. 1746 by a recorded vote of 250 to 146. The committee amendment was agreed to, along with an amendment that would permit the President to suspend enforcement of the bill's provisions upon determination that the action would be in the interest of peaceful negotiations. On March 15, 1977, the Senate passed H.R. 1746, as amended by the House, in lieu of a Senate companion bill, S. 174, by a recorded vote of 66 to 26. The President signed the Rhodesian chrome bill into law-Public Law 95-12 on March 18, 1977. Legislative history Feb. 2, 1977-H.R. 1746 referred jointly to Subcommittees on International Organizations and on Africa. Feb. 24, 1977-Considered in open markup session by subcommittees and ordered favorably reported to full committee by voice vote. Mar. 2, 1977-Considered in open markup session by full committee, amended, and ordered favorably reported by a vote of 27 yeas to 5 nays. Mar. 2, 1977-Rule requested. Mar. 7, 1977-Reported with amendment. House Report 95-59. Mar. 10, 1977-Hearing on request for rule. Rule granted. H. Res. 397. Mar. 14, 1977-Passed House, amended, by a vote of 250 yeas to 146 Mar. 15, 1977-Passed Senate by a vote of 66 yeas to 26 nays. Mar. 18, 1977-Approved. Public Law 95-12. 10. Trading With the Enemy Act Reform Legislation-H.R. 7738 (by Mr. Bingham, for himself, and Representatives Whalen, Ireland, and Cavanaugh) On March 29, 30, April 19, 26, and May 5, 1977, the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade held hearings on H.R. 1560, a bill to repeal section 5 (b) of the Trading With the Enemy Act, and H.R. 2382, the Economic War Powers Act. Both bills had been introduced by Hon. Jonathan B. Bingham; referred to the Committee on International Relations; and subsequently on February 2 referred to the subcommittee, of which Mr. Bingham is chairman. On June 2, 8, 9, and 13, the subcommittee considered draft legislation reforming section 5(b) of the Trading With the Enemy Act, and on June 13, by voice vote, ordered the draft legislation reported favorably to the full committee. The draft legislation was introduced as a clean bill, H.R. 7738, on June 13 and referred to the Committee on International Relations. The committee held a hearing on the legislation on June 16, and met in open markup session on June 17 to consider amendments to the bill. On June 20, the committee met, and by voice vote ordered H.R. 7738 favorably reported with two committee amendments. 38-411-79- 4 |