John B. Breaux: “I will be brief, Mr. President. We attempted, as our colleagues know, to offer an amendment that would require that…”

“I will be brief, Mr. President. We attempted, as our colleagues know, to offer an amendment that would require that States to maintain an effort of 90 percent of what they were doing in 1994 in order to assure that the States and the Federal Government had a true partnership in this effort. That amendment lost by only one vote. I think this effort of the Senator from Rhode Island, Senator Chafee, is a good effort. It is a big improvement over the current bill that is before the Senate. It is not 90 percent, but it does at least maintain an 80-percent effort on behalf of the States. That is better than the current underlying bill. The concern I have--and I ask the Senator to comment on this--is that the other body has no maintenance of effort at all in their bill and ultimately we will have to go to conference with the other body. I am concerned about the ability that the Senate will have to come out with a figure that is reasonable. I wonder if the Senator from Rhode Island could comment on whether there would be united support for the Senator's effort on behalf of his Republican colleagues, and could he shed light on what he thinks may or may not happen as a result of a conference? I conclude by saying I do congratulate him in this effort and I think it is a step in the right direction. Could he comment on what is likely to occur?”