Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2348 - Department of Justice Appropriation Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1986

REVISED
(House Rules)
(Rodino (D) New Jersey)

The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 2348 unless it is amended to delete the following unwarranted or unnecessary provisions:

— prohibiting authorized appropriations from being used to alter the per se prohibition against resale price maintenance (section 13);

— limiting the Department's authority to reopen litigation in order to eliminate race or gender distinctions contained in court decrees and judgments (section 14);

— requiring the Department in civil rights cases to seek public scrutiny of any proposed consent decree, or modifications to an existing consent decree (section 15);

— prohibiting the use of any authorized appropriations by the Office of the Attorney General until the Attorney General directs all Federal agencies and departments to comply fully with the provisions of the Competition in Contracting Act (section 16); and

— authorizing payment of travel expenses of newly appointed Immigration and Naturalization Service border oatrol agents (section 2).

Sections 13, 14 and 15 of H.R. 2348 are particularly objectionable, because they raise serious separation of powers constitutional concerns.