European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a the stars and stripes tuesday october 23, 1990budget agreement May be in sight Washington up administration and congressional budget negotiators expressed a new mood of optimism monday indicating they were moving closer to agreement on a plan to trim the Federal deficit $500 billion Over five years. A agreement is in sight a said Senate Republican Leader Robert Dole of Kansas. Staff members were a running the numbers to determine the actual Impact of the tax plans being considered he said. The negotiations appeared to stall sunday night on a dispute Over How to tax the wealthiest americans but Dole said a i think we got it out of our system last  House speaker Thomas Foley echoed the new mood saying he was a optimistic we will be Abler to reach agreement soon. A top democratic committee aide asked if Progress was being made said a yes we actually  on the critical Issue of taxing the wealthy democrats favored a surtax for those making More than $1 million a year while republicans urged a limit on tax deductions for that same group. The two sides also differed on the medicare part of the package which is expected to provide a substantial portion of the budget savings. Rep. Leon Panetta d-calif., chairman of the House budget committee reported a a everybody a negotiating. Everybody is really making a serious Effort to see if we can put this package together. A pm and m is still the big problem which is millionaires and medicare a Panetta said. Panetta praised Republican negotiators for a grappling with How to ensure that those making Over $1 million make their contribution. To their credit they Are grappling with  Senate democratic Leader George Mitchell tried to play Down the impression that negotiations reached an impasse sunday with budget director Richard Darman and White House chief of staff John Sununu storming out of the Capitol. A what happened yesterday. I would characterize As a tempest in a Teapot a Mitchell said. A a we be had disagreements  White House press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater disputed the walkout reports and said Darman and Sununu had simply returned to the White House to update Bush on developments. A things Are going Well a Fitzwater quoted Darman As saying. Fitzwater said a a we re still hoping we will make Progress and get a conference agreement that can be signed before wednesday at  wednesday is a critical deadline for the negotiators since a Stopgap Money Bill expires then and government spending authority will expire threatening another government shutdown. Both sides appeared to agree on raising the top marginal tax rate for the wealth Quot Iest from 28 percent to 31 percent Alon let with removing the so called Bubble that has americans earning Between $80,000 and $185,000 a year paying income taxes at a 33 percent rate. Income above and below that bracket is taxed at 28 percent. An increase in the Federal gasoline tax also was in the package but the size of the increase depended on How much Revenue would be raised from the income tax provisions. The original Senate version of the plan called for the Gas tax to Rise by 91/2 cents a gallon by 1992, but the House version had no  by fax a it s the latest trendy thing los Angeles apr the fax machine is making the wheels of Justice turn a Little More smoothly these Days in California. A two year Experiment approved this year by the legislature lets lawyers file lawsuits and probate and family Law documents by facsimile machine. Attorneys say it helps them beat deadlines As Well As traffic in car clogged California where papers usually Are delivered by messenger or by lawyers themselves. A like everybody else we wait until the last minute and sometimes things Are developing until the last minute a said Delph Wilson a personal injury lawyer in los Angeles. Quot you re in your office pacing Back and Forth like a father in the maternity Ward while your Secretary is pounding it out and you re hoping the messenger gets there on  smaller court clerks offices around the state receive documents directly on their own fax machines. In los Angeles the most clogged court system in the state with More than 10,000 documents filed daily in los Angeles county Superior court alone the clerks office is not equipped to receive a flood of fax transmissions. Instead fax court filings inc., a company formed by 30 attorney service firms in the area accepts fax transmissions of documents to its office then walks them Over to the los Angeles county courthouse nearby. Andrew Estin president of fax court filings inc., said fax filings have saved attorneys from missing the statutory deadline for suing. In one Case he said a lawyer faxed a petition for a stay of execution. Quot the realities of filing documents in metropolitan areas of California Are traffic and parking a he said. A a it a often difficult to get a document to the court by the filing  fax filings must meet specific requirements including the Type of paper used. Fax court filings inc. Receives the documents on 20 sophisticated laser printing fax machines using Bond paper instead of the Slippery Thermal stuff. The filing of certain documents such As wills and codicil by fax is prohibited. Otherwise signatures on faxed documents generally Are acceptable. At the end of the Experiment the legislature will decide whether to make the program permanent. Minnesota was the first to try fax machines in such a Andrew Estin president of fax court filings inc., stands next to his laser printing fax machines in his la. Office. A Way in october 1987. After a yearlong Experiment machines were ordered installed in All state courts. Other states that have fax transmission in at least some courts include Colorado Idaho Florida Nevada new York Oregon and Washington. Tony Nevarez former lobbyist for the California state bar said faxing was seen As a Way to save clients and lawyers Money by eliminating messengers. He said the Only opposition came from process servers who feared losing business. Frank Zolin los Angeles county clerk and executive officer of the Superior court said services such As Estinos Are working Well but that less than 1 percent of documents Are being filed by fax. A people Are slow to adapt to change Quot said Zolin. A i see it As a real convenience. But its not a revolutionary change. Its mainly a convenience to the litigants and  in some cases Zolin said judges and lawyers will continue to demand original documents. But he said the fax is a Boon for out of state firms. Estin whose service was launched in june said business has been slow but a in five years everybody a going to be doing  defector says he visited West for fun Washington a Edward Lee Howard the first Cia agent Ever to defect to the soviet Union says he has visited the West five to seven times since fleeing the United states five years ago according to a published report. In an interview with the Washington Post Howard said he did the travelling a for fun and Over the objection of the Kab. The Post said the interview resulting in Howard s first published remarks since a series of meetings with author David Wise More than three years ago was conducted Over a four hour period at Howard s Dacha outside Moscow and at a restaurant in Moscow. Asked Why he decided to talk Howard said he was replying to an item in a recent newsmagazine report that said he had committed suicide. Howard maintained the Cia had planted the item As a a deliberate plot to get me to  a they hit me i hit them a he said. A very simple. I know Why they want to hit me. There have been traces of me in the West. They know in be been  Howard insisted that a i love my country a american but said he is a waging War with the Cia a which forced him to resign. He fled the United states after . Authorities accused him of spying for the soviet Union. Howard has maintained consistently that he was not a soviet spy. A i am not a communist and am not involved in Active espionage for the soviet Union a he said. A a in a a political refugee and  asked whether he could now be considered a Kab agent Howard said a when i came Over they asked me if i wanted rank a position in the Kab i said no. A i never want to work for intelligence again. Intelligence messed up my