House modifications will also make it harder to those who sell guns and explosives to suspected terrorists. Both bills also put strict new limits on appeals allowed to death row inmates

Status: The Senate passed its version of the bill in June of last year, 91-8. The House passed its version on March 14, 229-191. On March 27 a conference committee began meeting to craft a final version. The committee is scheduled to resume meeting on April 15, and Republican leaders reportedly hope to have a final bill to send to President Clinton before the April 19 anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Inside Scoop: The bombing at the World Trade Center raised Americans' fears about domestic terrorism, and the carnage at the Oklahoma City Federal Building a year ago moved Congress to try to clamp down on the terrorist threat. But while the public is worried about terrorism, in the wake of showdowns at Ruby Ridge and Waco many Americans are deeply suspicious of the powers of the federal government. Hence the conservative effort, led by Rep. Bob Barr, R-GA, to strip the House bill of provisions that would have given federal agents more power in the name of fighting terrorism. Barr and other conservative members, including many House Republican Freshmen, were supported by the National Rifle Association and civil liberties groups such as the ACLU. Some liberal Democrats also opposed the bill because of the death row appeals provision. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry J. Hyde, R-IL, oversaw the crafting of the original House bill and fought to prevent Barr's amendments.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS BAN
Nuts and Bolts: One hundred sixty countries, including the United States and Russia, have signed an international treaty called the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an agreement which would:

The CWC would not outlaw the use of riot-control chemicals such as tear gas for domestic law enforcement use. Forty-seven countries have ratified the CWC, signed by President Bush in 1993, but at least 65 must do so for the treaty to go into effect.

Status: The agreement has been waiting for Senate approval for three years. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been conducting hearings on the CWC, which have included testimony urging ratification from Secretary of Defense William J. Perry and Secretary of State Warren Christopher. The full Senate will consider the treaty sometime after April 30, and likely ratify it. There is currently broad support for ratification from both political parties, military officials, and from executives of major chemical-producing corporations.

Inside Scoop: While proponents of the treaty want a general ban on the military use of chemical weapons, their major concern is the possibility that terrorists or "outlaw" states like Iraq might acquire and wantonly attack with chemical weapons. The Clinton administration applied little pressure on Congress to act until January of this year, when Clinton called on the Senate to ratify the treaty in his State of the Union address. Meanwhile, concern is growing over the possibility that Libya has secretly constructed a major chemical weapons facility. Defense Secretary William J. Perry has implied the U.S. might use force to destroy it. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, R-NC, usually suspicious of international commitments, has expressed doubts about the treaty. Helms and other critics are skeptical whether the monitoring system can be truly effective, and point out that the biggest potential threats -- like Libya, as well as Iraq and Syria -- have not signed the treaty.

LANDMINE BAN
Nuts and Bolts: The horror of landmine-infested earth in Cambodia, Angola and Bosnia has drawn international concern to the potentially 100 million landmines currently planted in some 60 countries around the world. Noncombatant civilians are the disproportionate victims of mines for months and even years after the end of the fighting for which they were laid. Between 7,000 and 20,000 people are killed or maimed each year by landmines. Proposals under consideration both within the U.S. government and the international community range from banning the production and use of landmines outright, to redesigning mines to deactivate themselves after a set period of time.

Status: Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman John Shalikashvili has ordered a review of the U.S. military's long opposition to a ban on landmines. Supporters of a review include a bipartisan group in Congress and the American ambassador to the U.N., Madeleine Albright. A total ban on landmine production either by the Pentagon or the U.N. seems unlikely, but compromise proposals such as modifying mines to deactivate could win broad support. Last year Congress passed a one-year moratorium on the use of antipersonnel mines starting in 1998. And an international conference will convene in Geneva this month to consider updating United Nations rules governing landmines.

Inside Scoop: The anti-mine movement is gaining strength in Congress, prompted in part because of the threat posed to U.S. troops in Bosnia by the three million mines there (three U.S. troops in Bosnia were wounded by mines this winter). The Congressional group is led by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, R-VT, author of the U.S. mine moratorium. Leahy argues that if the U.S. joined the 20 other countries (including France and Canada) who have self-imposed mine bans, others would follow suit. But many Pentagon officials urge lawmakers to consider that landmines serve a legitimate and important purpose in aiding and protecting U.S. troops in combat.