EARTHQUAKE: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY : Congress OKs Record $8.6-Billion Relief Bill

Climaxing a day of intense negotiations, Congress approved a record $8.6-billion earthquake relief package for Southern California on Friday and sent it to President Clinton for his signature.

“With a little luck, I’ll be able to sign this legislation tomorrow,” Clinton told the California Newspaper Publishers’ Assn. convention in a broadcast from the White House. “While short-term relief is absolutely necessary, I want to assure that we’ll be there over the long run as well.”

The House passed the final version of the emergency aid bill Friday evening in a 245-65 vote; 124 members missed the roll call on the eve of Congress’ midwinter break. The Senate had agreed in advance to accept the compromise measure worked out earlier in the day by Senate-House negotiators in a three-hour conference.

The final bill retains a Senate-proposed ban on anything more than temporary humanitarian aid for illegal immigrants. In a bow to those concerned about allowing illegal immigrants to benefit from the aid, the provision will permit them to receive only emergency food, medical and shelter assistance for up to 90 days.

At the urging of the House, which expressed concern about mistreatment of minorities, the bill also contains a provision that reaffirms laws forbidding discrimination against residents on the basis of race, ethnic background or citizenship.

Of the Senate provision that he sponsored, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said: “There are scarce resources available for disaster victims and providing long-term housing to someone here illegally is neither fair nor fiscally responsible.”

Under Reid’s proposal, federal agencies would be required to take reasonable steps to determine whether applicants for assistance were lawfully in the United States before granting them long-term benefits.

Senate and House negotiators worked rapidly Friday to reconcile more than 125 differences in two versions of the bill, finishing early in the afternoon despite a winter storm that was severe enough to shut down most of the federal government.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) was the only member of the California delegation to vote against the bill. Afterward, his staff said that he was unavailable for comment. Eight House members from California did not vote.

Fast action on the bill was necessary to keep federal disaster funds flowing to victims of the Jan. 17 earthquake, which killed at least 57 people and left damage estimated as high as $20 billion.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will receive another $4.7 billion under the legislation, had been expected to run out of funds next week, when Congress is in recess.

The bill allocates $1.265 billion to the Department of Transportation for highway and bridge repairs; $500 million for community development block grants, $225 million for housing assistance and $80 million for grants to college students whose income and assets were reduced by the quake.

The bill also would permit the federal government to subsidize Small Business Administration loans totaling $1.1 billion.

In addition, the measure would give the President a $550-million contingency fund for unanticipated disaster relief needs.

Besides earthquake aid, the emergency measure provides $1.2 billion for Pentagon peacekeeping expenses in Bosnia, Somalia and elsewhere; $685,000 earmarked for last year’s Midwest floods and $315 million to repair a San Francisco freeway damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta quake in Northern California.

The final version of the bill contained spending cuts of $3.25 billion. The House had approved cuts of $2.5 billion and the Senate had approved $3.4 billion. Despite the overwhelming vote in favor of the measure, critics charged that it contained unjustified spending. Rep. Donald A. Manzullo (R-Ill.) objected to the $10 million for renovation of New York City’s Penn Station that was tucked away in the measure, along with $1.4 million to fight potato blight fungus.

Legislators also earmarked $300 million in previously approved funds for low-income home heating assistance to be spent in parts of the country hardest hit by cold weather this winter.