May 25, 1999 (1:30 p.m.)

Amendments Submitted to H.R. 1905 - Legislative Branch Appropriations for FY 2000

(in alphabetical order)

Camp #4 - Provides that amounts remaining after payments are made from the account for Members' Representational Allowances shall be used for annual deficit or debt reduction; requires that at the end of each session of Congress amounts returned by individual Members, and the House as a whole, shall be published in the Congressional Record.

Castle/Shays #7 - Bans mass mailings by Members of the House of Representatives 180 days before a general election unless the Member has made a public announcement that the Member will not be a candidate for reelection during that year or for election to any other Federal office. (Current law prohibits mass mailings 90 days before a primary and 90 days before a general election).

Conyers, Jackson-Lee, Meehan, Wexler, Rothman, Weiner #6 - Incorporates the text of the bipartisan juvenile justice bill which authorizes the DoJ to make up to $500 million of grants to states and units of local government over three years to strengthen their juvenile justice systems by increasing their ability to hold juvenile offenders accountable for their actions and to address their needs through the provision of additional resources. To be eligible for funds, a state must provide assurances that the state, and any local unit of government that the state funds, has in effect, or will have within one year, a system of graduated sanctions. A state or local government may be eligible to receive a grant under this part even if its system of graduated sanctions is discretionary so long as it demonstrates that it has promoted the use of a system of graduate sanctions by taking steps to encourage implementation of such a system by it juvenile courts.

DeLauro #2 - Requires federally licensed firearms dealers to provide a gun locking device when a firearm is sold or transferred.

Hoyer #3 - Extends the Brady Background checks to gun shows which requires gun show promoters to provide notification to and recordkeeping of who participated in the gun show and requires the promoter to inform each participant of the laws and regulations governing the show; requires non-licensed participants at gun shows to conduct required background checks for firearms transactions through partnership with licensed firearms dealers and requires licensed dealers to conform to existing regulations relating to notification and recordkeeping if conducting transactions on behalf of non-licensed participants; requires that any transaction from the inventory of a licensed or non-licensed dealer must be reported within 10 days; provides the ATF the authority to inspect records and inventory at gun shows identical to the same inspections at gun shops; and increases the penalties for violation of the Brady Act.

Lowey #5 - Makes it illegal for any person to sell or in any way transfer a handgun to anyone under 21 years of age and raises the minimum age for possession of a handgun from 18 to 21 years old (unless the juvenile qualifies under certain exceptions as listed in 18 USC 922(x)).

Roemer/Upton #1 - Requires unexpended Congressional office funds contained in the Members' Representational Allowance account to be returned to the U.S. Treasury at the end of the year and redesignated for paying down the national debt. In the event of a budget deficit, any remaining funds would be applied to deficit reduction.

* Summaries derived from information submitted by the amendment sponsors.