(2007-0625-F) Military Construction Appropriations Act of 1997

The materials in FOIA 2007-0625-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. In October 1997, President Clinton used the line item veto on the Military Construction Act of 1998. Researchers should also see 2007-0624-F related to the line item veto. In addition, researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. The Military Construction Appropriations Act of 1997 (H.R. 3517) made appropriations for military construction, family housing, and base realignment for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1997. This bill became law when President Clinton signed it on September 16, 1996. The Military Construction Appropriations Act of 1998 (H.R. 2016), was first presented in the U.S. House of Representatives under the sponsorship of Representative Ron Packard (R-CA). The bill was introduced June 6, 1997 and passed out of the House July 8, 1997 with a vote of 395-14. The Senate took the bill under consideration the next week and passed it 98-2 on July 22, 1997. The conference reports were agreed upon in early September 1997 and the bill was presented to the President on September 18, 1997. President Clinton signed the bill September 30, 1997 and the bill became Public Law 105-45. A week later, October 6, 1997, President Clinton used his line item veto authority to cancel thirty-eight projects. Canceling these projects was estimated to save $290 million out of a total bill of $9.2 billion. As Clinton noted at the signing, ―[these projects] were not requested by the military, cannot make a contribution to our national defense in the coming year, and will not immediately benefit the quality of life and well-being of our men and women in uniform.‖ Perhaps more boldly Clinton stated, ―The use of the line item veto saves the tax payers…and makes clear that the old rules have, in fact, changed.‖ The next day two separate bills were introduced in the House to disapprove the cancellations. House Resolution 2624 and H.R. 2631 were sponsored by Representatives in districts where military construction, or milcon, projects were cancelled. Representative Joe Skeen (R-NM) sponsored H.R. 2631 with fifty-six co-sponsors. In the Senate H.R. 2631 became S.1292, Ted Stevens (R-AK) sponsored the disapproval bill which passed out of the Senate unanimously. The President vetoed S.1292 on November 13, 1997. In February 1998, both the House and the Senate revisited the issue and voted to override the President’s veto in Public Law 105-159, restoring the cancellations. This collection contains email records related to legislative updates of the Military Construction Act of 1998. The legislative updates keep track of the latest action on a particular bill and the expected action in the next days and weeks. The emails also track legislative action following President Clinton’s use of the line item veto in October 1997. The collection also consists of Statements of Administration Policy and correspondence regarding both the 1997 and 1998 appropriations bills.