The House : Nevada National Park

An amendment to remove a proposed national park from legislation to protect much of Nevada’s wilderness against commercial encroachment was rejected by the House on a vote of 151 for and 247 against.

This would be the state’s first national park. The bill (HR 302) later was passed and sent to the Senate. One of a series of federal bills to safeguard pristine expanses within individual states, the Nevada Wilderness Protection Act designates 592,000 unspoiled acres for preservation and sets aside an additional 175,000 acres for the Great Basin National Park.

Grazing is to be permitted throughout Great Basin, and hunting will be legal on a 45,000-acre preserve within the park.

Barbara F. Vucanovich (R-Nev.), who sponsored the amendment, said she favored the concept of a national park for Nevada, but of much smaller dimensions and as part of separate legislation. She said, with this bill, “the will of my constituents has been ignored.”

Opponent John F. Seiberling (D-Ohio) said: “Nevada is the only Western state which has no national park. They want one. It is time they had one.”

Members voting no wanted to create the 175,000-acre Great Basin National Park.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Beilenson (D) x Rep. Berman (D) x Rep. Fiedler (R) x Rep. Moorhead (R) x Rep. Waxman (D) x

Program for Disadvantaged

An amendment to kill the Follow Through program for disadvantaged elementary school children, which would have saved $7.5 million in fiscal 1987, was rejected by the House on a vote of 161 for and 245 against.

This occurred during debate on a bill (HR 4421) to re-authorize nutrition programs, Head Start, the Community Services Block Grant and several other anti-poverty programs. The bill, carrying a 1987 price tag of $390 million, was sent to the Senate.

Follow Through, targeted for extinction by the Administration, was launched 20 years ago as a demonstration venture to pick up where the successful Head Start nutrition and instructional program for preschoolers leaves off. It has never moved beyond the pilot stage and directly serves only 58 school districts.

Amendment supporter James M. Jeffords (R-Vt.) said: “This was an excellent demonstration project, but at some point it has got to end.”

Opponent Pat Williams (D-Mont.) said funding should not be cut but enlarged because “we want to ‘Follow Through’ on that good ‘Head Start’ that this country has decided to give the poorest of its children.”

Members voting yes wanted to terminate the Follow Through anti-poverty program.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Beilenson (D) x Rep. Berman (D) x Rep. Fiedler (R) x Rep. Moorhead (R) x Rep. Waxman (D) x

Panama Canal

A bill (HR 4409) authorizing $438 million in fiscal 1987 for Panama Canal operating costs, capital improvements and other outlays was passed by the House and sent to the Senate on a vote of 327 for and 59 against.

This was the amount requested by President Reagan, and virtually all of it will be offset by revenues generated by the 50-mile-long link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The U. S. is to relinquish ownership of the canal on Dec. 31, 1999.

Although the bill was supported by the Administration and generally viewed as fiscally sound, it drew opposition mostly from members who still object to the 1977 Panama Canal Treaty under which Panama will gain control of the strategic waterway.

Members voting yes supported the bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Beilenson (D) x Rep. Berman (D) x Rep. Fiedler (R) x Rep. Moorhead (R) x Rep. Waxman (D) x