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10 Fall 1984—Road to Enactment: House-Senate Conference on the FY 1985 DoD Authorization Act SONNY’S SUMMARY The 31 House-Senate conferees accepted neither the New GI Bill provisions of H.R. 1400 approved by the House in its version of the DoD Authorization Act nor the version approved by the Senate in the New GI Bill Program amendment.The wee-hours Conference Committee produced a compromise three-year, statutory test program in which service members would contribute $100 per month for 12 months so as to become eligible for 36 months (four academic years) of post-service education benefits at $300 per month. Eligibility for the New GI Bill was limited to service members entering the military between July 1, 1985, and June 30, 1988. Highly fatigued conferees ate readily available M&M’s® daily to augment their energy levels. Conference Chairman John Tower scheduled the conference’s vote on a GI Bill provision last, following weeks of hard negotiating over the $211 billion defense authorization bill. The bill included provisions for the MX missile, the B-1B bomber, the Pershing missile, the Trident submarine, the Strategic Defense Initiative (known pejoratively as “Star Wars” in some quarters), and anti-satellite weaponry. At the conclusion of the conference, professional staff of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services Committees even found themselves in disagreement about what they had agreed to regarding a New GI Bill— prolonging the strained relationship on this issue. 10 Sonny’s Cast of Characters G. Kim Wincup, Staff Director, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives Senator John Tower (R-TX), Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee Mack Fleming, Staff Director and Chief Counsel, Committee on Veterans’Affairs, House of Representatives Representative Ron Dellums (D-CA), Member, House Armed Services Committee Representative Melvin Price (D-IL), Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Senator Sam Nunn, (D-GA), Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA), Ranking Member, Senate Veterans’Affairs Committee across the aisle 100 Sonny’s Scene Setter & Journey Guide Early dusk on September 24, 1984, at the House-Senate Conference Committee in room 401 of the U.S. Capitol. On the Legislative Journey chart on pages 10 and 11, we are approaching boxes H-9 and S-8, as the House and Senate debate the New GI Bill provisions in the conference report. And then we’ll be at the point at which President Reagan signs the Fiscal Year 1985 DoD Authorization Act. BACKGROUND TO THE HOUSE-SENATE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE I’ll ask Mr. Kim Wincup, who served on the staff,including as majority staff director of the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives,from 1974 through 1984,to comment further on setting the scene for you,our students.1 Then I’ll ask Mr. Mack Fleming to help describe the conference. Mack served on the staff of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs from 1974 to 1994, including 14 years as majority staff director and chief counsel.2 “Thank you,Mr.Chairman. “First,by way of background,the annual DoDAuthorizationAct is one of the most important bills Congress considers each year. The House-Senate conferees authorized funds of $211.7 billion for fiscal year 1985;$12.8 billion below the President’s budget request.3 “House conferees are known as ‘Managers on the Part of the House’and Senate conferees as‘Managers on the Part of the Senate.’ “It was a big bill.The report on H.R. 5167—the House’s version of the FY 1985 DoD Authorization Act—filed by the House Armed Services Committee on April 19, consumed 399 pages.4 The May 31 report filed by the Senate Armed Services Committee on its version— S.2723—filled 527 pages.5 “Second, before we got to the House-Senate Conference, the full House had debated H.R. 5167, on May 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31.6 It was unusually contentious, with members at times shouting at one another during the debate on thermonuclear weapons systems,for example.7 “Students,during tense times on the House floor,I can say to you that Representative Sonny Montgomery was often a calming force because—based on what I saw—both sides of the aisle respected him.8 He typically was like an island of reason in a sea of dispute when things boiled over.9 “By the time of the House-Senate Conference, we on the House side had already expended considerable energy and...

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