Senate Votes to Terminate OTA; Action Shifts to Conference Committee

By a vote of 54 to 45 last night, the Senate refused to back a plan which would have retained the functions of the Office of Technology Assessment. Coming during consideration of H.R. 1854, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill for FY 1996, this action now sets the stage for a critical conference committee meeting.

The original House version of this bill would have terminated this congressional support agency. Following a near revolt by House Democrats last month over floor procedures, the House agreed by a vote of 220-204 to amend H.R. 1854 by shifting OTA functions to the Library of Congress (see FYI #88.)

On Tuesday of this week, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked-up its version of H.R. 1854 which, among many other provisions, required OTA’s termination. This $2.2 billion spending bill is $200 million less than current year spending.

During Senate floor consideration yesterday, Senator Hollings (D-SC), Hatch (R-UT), Stevens (R-AK), Robb (D-VA), Lieberman (D-CT), and Kennedy (D-MA) proposed an amendment preserving OTA functions. It provided a $15 million appropriation for OTA, with the proviso that the Librarian of Congress develop a plan to consolidate OTA, the General Accounting Office, and the Government Printing Office into an Office of Congressional Services. This office would have been within the Library of Congress, and was to have been established by 2002.

After considerable debate, the Senate voted against the Hollings amendment by a vote of 54 to 45. Senators belonging to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee voting against the Hollings amendment were: Chairman Mack (Florida) and Bennett (R-Utah). Committee members voting for the Hollings amendment were Jeffords (R-Vermont), Mikulski (D-Maryland), and Murray (Washington.) Senate Majority Leader Dole (R-Kansas) voted against the amendment.

The next step for this bill is a conference committee which will be appointed to resolve differences in the two versions of H.R. 1854. This conference committee will include most, if not all, of the members of both the House and Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittees. How OTA will fare in this conference committee is anyone’s guess as this point. On the one hand, the House is on record as providing $15 million for OTA, although the 220-204 vote was not overwhelming. On the other hand, the 54 to 45 Senate vote in favor of termination was by a somewhat wider percentage margin. All by one of the Republican conferees participating in this conference seem opposed to the retention of OTA (assuming that all Members participate, based on their floor votes.)

Whatever the outcome of this conference, their compromise report language is likely to become law. When the final version of H.R. 1854 returns to the House and Senate, it will be strictly an up-or-down vote. While theoretically the conference report could be defeated, it would be unlikely to occur over OTA. And President Clinton, who will be facing the prospect of many tough vetoes of appropriations bills, will probably not confront Congress about how it conducts its own business. The challenge for proponents of the Office of Technology Assessment is to ensure that constituents inform Members of Congress of their support for OTA and its functions. Without significant public support for OTA raising its visibility, this $15 million line item in the $2.2 billion bill could fall by the wayside.