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Congressional Record: July 21, 1999 (Senate)
Page S8922-S8924

INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000--Continued
(H.R. 1555)

                 Amendments Nos. 1264 And 1265, En Bloc

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I have two amendments that I believe the 
distinguished chairman is prepared to accept en bloc, as is the ranking 
member, as I understand.
  They are, first of all, a sense of the Senate, which says:

       It is the sense of Congress that the systematic 
     declassification of records of permanent historic value is in 
     the public interest and that the management of classification 
     and declassification by the Executive Branch agencies 
     requires comprehensive reform and additional resources.

  The second measure, in regard to that last phrase, the Information 
Security Oversight Office, which is charged with administering this 
Nation's intelligence classification and declassification, would 
receive an additional $1.5 million to hire more staff so it can more 
efficiently manage the program. They are in the National Archives. The 
Archives asked for $5 million. They did not get it. This is a small 
agency. It does indispensable work. It gives you a continuous series of 
the amount of classification we do and the degree of classification and 
the agencies that do it.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, have the amendments been sent down?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Will the Senator send the amendments to the 
desk.
  Mr. MOYNIHAN. I am sorry. Forgive me.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendments.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from New York [Mr. Moynihan] proposes 
     amendments numbered 1264 and 1265, en bloc.

  The amendments (Nos. 1264 and 1265) are as follows:

                           amendment no. 1264

       On page 5 strike lines 7-12, and insert the following:

     SEC. 104. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT ACCOUNT.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated for the Intelligence Community Management 
     Account of the Director of Central Intelligence for fiscal 
     year 2000 the sum of $193,572,000. The Information Security 
     Oversight Office, charged with administering this nation's 
     intelligence classification and declassification programs 
     shall receive $1.5 million of these funds to allow it to hire 
     more staff so that it can more efficiently manage these 
     programs.
                                  ____


                           amendment no. 1265

       After section 308 insert the following new section:

     SEC. 309. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS ON CLASSIFICATION AND 
                   DECLASSIFICATION

       It is the sense of Congress that the systematic 
     declassification of records of permanent historic value is in 
     the public interest and that the management of classification 
     and declassification by Executive Branch agencies requires 
     comprehensive reform and additional resources.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I commend the distinguished senior Senator 
from New York for offering these amendments. They make sense to me. We 
have reviewed them. I think Senator Kerrey has reviewed them.

[[Page S8924]]

  I also commend the senior Senator from New York for his past work, 
not only in the Senate but specifically on the Intelligence Committee, 
where he spent a lot of time--a lot of hours, and a lot of years--and 
understands what we are going through--and what we need to do. 
Hopefully, this is one of those little steps.
  Mr. KERREY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, like Chairman Shelby, I fully support 
these two amendments and am enthusiastic as well for the efforts the 
senior Senator, Mr. Moynihan, has made in the area of secrecy over the 
years.
  I made a point earlier, when we were talking about secrecy, that 
sometimes secrecy does equal security. We have to have secrecy in order 
to maintain security. But there are times when secrecy actually makes 
it harder for us to achieve security. It can make us less secure.
  I retold the story in the Senator's book on the Venona project when 
Omar Bradley made the decision not to inform the President of the 
United States about Klaus Fuchs and others. As a consequence of 
believing the President didn't have a need to know, he kept the secret. 
I think, as a consequence, there was less security for the Nation.
  I appreciate and fully agree with the chairman. These amendments are 
good amendments and should be adopted. I appreciate and applaud and am 
grateful for the leadership of the Senator from New York on this issue 
of secrecy.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I urge adoption of the amendments.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendments are agreed 
to.
  The amendments (Nos. 1264 and 1265) were agreed to.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. KERREY. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may be able 
to proceed as in morning business for up to 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

  



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