European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 04, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 4, 1993 . The stars and strikes a Page 5 parties Square off on family Bill Washington a Senate re publicans Are offering an alternate family leave plan that would give tax Breaks to companies that provide the Benefit but majority democrats apparently have. The votes to defeat the Effort. Even a few gop lawmakers opposed the push for tax incentives which was seen As a move to weaken the Bill by making the Benefit optional. The demo cratic sponsored measure would require companies with 50 or More workers to offer up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees who need to care for ill family members or for a Newborn. In arguing against the Republican substitute sen. James m. Jeffords r-vt., said tuesday if you Don t want to do much for family leave vote for  the Senate planned to resume debate wednesday and vote on the tax incentive amendment. Also wednesday the House was to begin considering its version of the Bill. Both Chambers Are moving rapidly on the legislation Likely to be the first Bill to pass the ,103rd Congress. Family leave Bills were twice vetoed by former presi Dent Bush and president Clinton has asked Congress to give him an Amend ment free Bill quickly. Clinton and democrats Hope to display Quick enactment of the Bill As proof that the stalemate Between Congress and the White House is Over. Passage of the Bill would be a fitting indication that the government has gone to the work for the people the presi Dent said in a letter tuesday to the Mea sure s chief Senate sponsor sen. Christo Pher j. Dodd a Conn. In tuesday s Senate debate republicans complained that the government should t be mandating benefits and that companies need flexibility to design Benefit packages. Sen. Larry e. Craig a Idaho offered the plan to give companies tax Breaks i they offered family leave. He said Law makers Don t know the True costs to Busi Nesses of mandated leave and Congress is trying to shove the costs off on the Pri vate  but critics said Craig s plan just amounted to a $5 billion tax break for corporations. And they said the costs to companies Only amount to continuing their health care coverage. That s still cheaper than retraining new workers those lawmakers argued. Craig said european governments that mandate leave policies pay for it. But critics noted that in most of those cases the governments were ordering paid leave not unpaid leave As the demo cratic Bill provides. According to labor department Esti mates the measure would affect Only about 5 percent of the nation s employ ers but about 40 percent of the .work Force. The Senate debate was expected to la stat least a few Days As republicans readied amendments designed to make the Bill More acceptable to business. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum r-kan., planned one that would let workers negotiate whether they wanted family leave or other benefits such As More vacation instead. Kassebaum arguing against the Overall need for the Bill noted that Clinton campaigned on a pledge to turn the Economy around. It s ironic that the first piece of legis lation that will be passed has absolutely nothing for the chronically unemployed she said. In fact it May even Hurt their chances of Landing a Job. In the stars and stripes l10 years ago feb. 4,1983 . Marine capt. Charles b. Johnson said he told an israeli commander that you re going to have to kill me to Stop the commander from trying to move his three tanks farther into an american controlled area in Beirut Lebanon. 20 years ago feb. 4,1973 West Germany imposed drastic controls on capital transactions in what could turn into a concerted International move against the latest Dollar crisis. 30 years ago feb. 4,1963 British Primasin ister Harold Macmillan left rope with Italy s pledge of full support for Britain s Effort to join the cof Rimon Market. 40 years ago feb. 4,1953 icy floodwaters threatened to engulf hundreds still marooned by a Hurricane and flood disaster As the death toll passed 1,500 in Britain Belgium and the Netherlands. 50 years ago feb. 4,1943 russian guerrillas in the Leningrad St. Petersburg area have killed five German Gener als 700 officers and 306 spies and Gestapo agents a soviet newspaper reported. World War ii 50 years ago today feb. 4 1 943 a Wolf pack of 20 Gorman a boats begins a six Day assault on an Allied Convoy that will Send 20 of 63 cargo ships to the Bottom of the Atlantic escorting warships sin three submarines and badly damage two in the Pacific a japanese Cruiser and 22 destroyers weather . Air attacks and evacuate 5,000 More japanese soldiers from Guadalcanal source 2w Dys of War w h   inc would almanac Book o world War ii. B son books corp1981 a new riots unlikely judge in King Case says a to a  it / a nor of. A i  i Ohhi thib via i Phil   Chi by huh i a los Angeles a fear of an other riot Over the Rodney g. King beat ing May be unfounded a judge said tues Day on the eve of a Federal civil rights trial of four current and former police officers. I have an intuitive feeling of optimism . District judge John Davies said at a hearing in which he rejected de sense moves to keep jury selection from starting wednesday. V. Regardless of the trial s put come i Don t think you will see the unrest you saw at the time of the state verdict Davies said. There have been changes in los Angeles since that  the four were acquitted by a nearly All White jury of. Almost All state charges in the March 3, 1991, beating of King after he was chased and stopped for speeding. The april 29 verdicts unleashed three Days of riots. Defense attorney Ira Salzman Dis agreed with the judge s views saying a lbs poll released this week found that75 percent of los Angeles residents fear a repeat of last year s riot if the officers Are acquitted. I ask the court to continue this Matte until the passions Cool said Salzman who represents sgt. Stacy c. Koon but Davies refused. Last week Davies rejected another de sense attorney s argument that the trial should be delayed because it could Over Lap with the trial of three men charged with beating a trucker during the riots. Koon Laurence m. Powell Theodore j. Briseno and Timothy e. Wind were in Orrt car Laurence m. Powell answers questions after a tuesday pc trial hearing. Dieted by a Federal grand jury after the need not show that race was a Factor riot. The new trial will reopen the Issue of during what is expected to be an eight whether the officers used excessive in week trial . Prosecutors will try to reasonable Force when they clubbed and prove that the White officers violated the kicked King in a beating videotaped by a Black Motorist s Civi rights although they citizen. Man pleads guilty in attack on trucker during riots los Angeles a a reputed gang member pleaded guilty tuesday to attacking a Motorist at the outset of the 1992 riots and then spitting on beaten trucker Reginald Denny. The plea by Anthony Lamar Brown came As jury selection was about to begin in his assault and robbery trial. Drown 24, raised his hand and flashed gang signs at a news helicopter hovering overhead As Denny was beaten. Before spitting on Denny Brown pulled Motorist Manuel Vaca from a car and beat the Man prosecutors said. Brown pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and robbery in the attack on Vaca and to Misdemeanour Battery for spitting at Denny As the trucker Lay help less on the  faces up to 30 months in prison at sentencing scheduled for feb. 23 by Superior judge Paul Flynn. Brown was one of six men arrested in the attack on Denny who was pulled from his Rig and beaten hours after the april 29 acquittals of four current and former police officers on most charges in the beating of Rodney g. King. Also facing trial in the Denny beating Are Lance Jerome Parker 26 Damian Williams 19 Gary Williams 33 Antoine Miller 20 and Henry Keith Watson 27. News accounts probed in Rostenkowski Case by the new York times Washington a. Judge said tuesday that seven news accounts of the criminal investigation of rep. Dan Rostenkowski d-lll., appeared to debased on confidential grand jury Evi Dence an tie ordered prosecutors to Tell whether they had improperly disclosed the information. Rostenkowski chairman of the House ways and Means committee has been under investigation on suspicion of improperly using Campaign funds Lor per Sonal use taking Money from the House Post office and violating . Tax Laws. He has denied any wrongdoing and has asserted his fifth amendment rights against compelled self incrimination be fore a grand jury in Washington. The investigation is being closely Fol Lowed because his indictment would re quire him to step Down As committee chairman under a Rule adopted by House democrats. In the next few months the committee is expected to play a Pivotal role in shaping tax legislation. Rostenkowski s attorneys have asserted that he is the victim of a political vendetta by Jay b. Stephens . Attorney in Washington and have cited the news coverage of the investigation As Evi Dence of prosecutor Al misconduct. In a ruling analysing 13 news articles and two television broadcasts chief judge John Garrett Penn of . District court in Washington said a hearing would be necessary to act Ermine if the material in six articles and one broadcast had been improperly disclosed