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Daily Digest - Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Daily Digest
[Page: D1435] GPO's PDF
Senate
Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S13497-S13529
Measures Introduced:
Six bills and two resolutions were introduced, as follows: S. 2252-2257, and S. Res. 358-359.
Pages S13520-21
Measures Reported:
S. 1498, to amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit the import, export, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce of any live animal of any prohibited wildlife species, with amendments. (S. Rept. No. 110-210)
Report to accompany H.R. 50, to reauthorize the African Elephant Conservation Act and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. (S. Rept. No. 110-211)
Report to accompany H.R. 465, to reauthorize the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997. (S. Rept. No. 110-212)
Page S13520
Measures Passed:
Congratulating Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series Champions:
Senate agreed to S. Res. 359, congratulating the Boston Red Sox on winning the 2007 World Series.
Pages S13528-29
Measures Considered:
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act:
Senate resumed consideration of S. 294, to reauthorize Amtrak, agreeing to the committee amendments, which will be considered as original text for purpose of further amendment, and taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto:
Pages S13509-12
Adopted:
Lott (for Coburn) Amendment No. 3475, to require Amtrak to publish a comprehensive annual financial report that allocates revenues and costs among each of its routes.
Page S13509
Lott (for DeMint) Amendment No. 3483, to encourage private sector funding of passenger trains.
Page S13509
Lott (for Hutchison) Amendment No. 3488, to express the sense of the Senate regarding the need to maintain Amtrak as a national passenger rail system.
Pages S13509-10
Lott (for Bond) Amendment No. 3485, to provide a mission statement for Amtrak.
Page S13510
Lott (for DeMint) Amendment No. 3484, to include private rail passenger operators on the Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee.
Page S13510
Lott (for Crapo) Amendment No. 3477, to give additional consideration to States with limited Amtrak service when considering new intercity passenger rail routes.
Page S13510
Lott (for Allard) Amendment No. 3476, to require Amtrak to develop a plan to operate within budgetary limits, including a long-term plan.
Page S13510
Lott (for Sanders) Amendment No. 3473, to clarify that the Secretary of Transportation should favor projects that involve the purchase of environmentally sensitive, fuel-efficient, and cost-effective passenger rail equipment in selecting projects to receive capital investment grants to support intercity passenger rail service.
Page S13510
Lott (for Tester) Amendment No. 3472, to require Amtrak to conduct a 1-time evaluation of passenger rail service between Chicago and Seattle through Southern Montana.
Page S13510
Withdrawn:
Allard Amendment No. 3455, to strike the provisions repealing Amtrak's self-sufficiency requirements.
Page S13510
Bond Amendment No. 3464, to amend section 24101 of title 49, United States Code, to clarify Amtrak's mission.
Page S13510
Pending:
Bond (for DeMint) Amendment No. 3467, to require Amtrak to disclose the Federal subsidy of every ticket sold for transportation on Amtrak.
Page S13509
Bond (for DeMint) Amendment No. 3468, to increase competition in the American rail system by allowing any qualified rail operator or transportation company to compete for passenger rail service.
Page S13509
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Bond (for DeMint) Amendment No. 3469, to clarify the level of detail to be included in the modern financial accounting and reporting system required under section 203.
Page S13509
Bond (for DeMint) Amendment No. 3470, to require the Performance Improvement Plan to address reaching financial solvency by eliminating routes and services that do not make a profit.
Page S13509
During consideration of this measure, Senate also took the following action:
Lautenberg (for Carper) Amendment No. 3454 (to Amendment No. 3452), of a perfecting nature, fell when Sununu Amendment No. 3452 was withdrawn on Thursday, October 25, 2007.
Page S13509
A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the bill at approximately 11 a.m., on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, and that all second-degree amendments be filed at the desk by 12 noon, on Tuesday, October 30, 2007.
Page S13529
Myers Nomination--Agreement:
A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the sequential referral of the nomination of Julie L. Myers, of Kansas, to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, to the Committee on the Judiciary be extended until November 2, 2007; provided further, that if the nomination is not reported at that time the nomination then be automatically discharged from the Committee on the Judiciary and placed on the Executive Calendar.
Page S13528
Nomination Confirmed:
Senate confirmed the following nomination:
R. Lyle Laverty, of Colorado, to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife.
Page S13529
Measures Placed on the Calendar:
Pages S13497, S13520
Additional Cosponsors:
Page S13521
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
Pages S13521-26
Additional Statements:
Page S13520
Amendments Submitted:
Pages S13526-28
Adjournment:
Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 7:19 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S13529.)
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
No committee meetings were held.
House of Representatives
Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced:
11 public bills, H.R. 3981-3991; and 1 resolution, H. Con. Res. 243, were introduced.
Page H12155
Additional Cosponsors:
Pages H12155-56
Reports Filed:
Reports were filed today as follows:
H.R. 3877, to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish an initiative to promote the research, development, and demonstration of miner tracking and communications systems and to promote the establishment of standards regarding underground communications to protect miners in the United States, with amendments (H. Rept. 110-411);
H.R. 2262, to modify the requirements applicable to locatable minerals on public domain lands, consistent with the principles of self-initiation mining claims, with an amendment (H. Rept. 110-412);
H.R. 3921, to provide nationwide subpoena authority for actions brought under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (H. Rept. 110-413); and H.R. 3920, to amend the Trade Act of 1974 to reauthorize trade adjustment assistance and to extend trade adjustment assistance to service workers and firms, with an amendment (H. Rept. 110-414, Pt. 1).
Page H12155
Speaker:
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed Representative Gonzalez to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H12105
Recess:
The House recessed at 12:32 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m.
Page H12105
Suspensions:
The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures:
Anthony DeJuan Boatwright Act:
H.R. 1473, amended, to amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to require child care providers to provide to parents information regarding whether such providers carry current liability insurance;
Pages H12106-07
Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to respect the human rights of refugees from North Korea: H. Con. Res. 234, to call on the Government of the People's Republic of China to respect the human rights of refugees from North Korea;
Pages H12109-12
Recognizing and commending the efforts of the United States public and advocacy groups to raise awareness about and help end the worsening humanitarian crisis and genocide in Darfur, Sudan: H. Res. 573, amended, to recognize and commend the efforts of the United States public and advocacy groups to raise awareness about and help end the worsening humanitarian crisis and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 366 yeas with none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 1011;
Pages H12112-15, H12132-33
Calling on the President of the United States and the international community to take immediate steps to respond to and prevent acts of rape and sexual violence against women and girls in Darfur, Sudan, eastern Chad and the Central African Republic: H. Res. 726, amended, to call on the President of the United States and the international community to take immediate steps to respond to and prevent acts of rape and sexual violence against women and girls in Darfur, Sudan, eastern Chad and the Central African Republic;
Pages H12115-18
Condemning in the strongest terms the attacks on African Union peacekeepers that occurred in Haskanita, Darfur, Sudan, on September 29, 2007: H. Res. 740, amended, to condemn in the strongest terms the attacks on African Union peacekeepers that occurred in Haskanita, Darfur, Sudan, on September 29, 2007;
Pages H12118-20
Recognizing the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali: H. Res. 747, to recognize the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 358 yeas with none voting ``nay'' and 8 voting ``present'', Roll No. 1012;
Pages H12121-22, H12133-34
Supporting the observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month: H. Con. Res. 230, to support the observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month;
Pages H12122-23
Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2007: H.R. 3224, amended, to amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to establish a program to provide grant assistance to States for the rehabilitation and repair of deficient dams, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 263 yeas to 102 nays, Roll No. 1010;
Pages H12123-24, H12132
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Recovery Facilitation Act of 2007: H.R. 3247, amended, to improve the provision of disaster assistance for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita;
Pages H12124-28
C. Clyde Atkins United States Courthouse Designation Act: H.R. 2671, to designate the United States courthouse located at 301 North Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida, as the ``C. Clyde Atkins United States Courthouse'';
Pages H12128-29
Theodore L. Newton, Jr. and George F. Azrak Border Patrol Station Designation Act: H.R. 2728, to designate the station of the United States Border Patrol located at 25762 Madison Avenue in Murrieta, California, as the ``Theodore L. Newton, Jr. and George F. Azrak Border Patrol Station''; and
Pages H12129-30
Requiring the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish an initiative to promote the research, development, and demonstration of miner tracking and communications systems and to promote the establishment of standards regarding underground communications to protect miners in the United States: H.R. 3877, amended, to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish an initiative to promote the research, development, and demonstration of miner tracking and communications systems and to promote the establishment of standards regarding underground communications to protect miners in the United States.
Pages H12130-31
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Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish an initiative to promote the research, development, and demonstration of miner tracking and communications systems and to promote the establishment of standards and other measurement services regarding underground communications to protect miners in the United States.''.
Page H12131
Recess:
The House recessed at 4:48 p.m. and reconvened at 6:30 p.m.
Pages H12131-32
Suspension--Proceedings Postponed:
The House debated the following measure under suspension of the rules. Further proceedings were postponed:
Expressing support for designation of the month of October 2007 as ``Country Music Month'' and to honor country music for its long history of supporting America's armed forces and its tremendous impact on national patriotism:
H.J. Res. 58, to express support for designation of the month of October 2007 as ``Country Music Month'' and to honor country music for its long history of supporting America's armed forces and its tremendous impact on national patriotism.
Pages H12107-09D1438
Senate Message:
Message received from the Senate by the Clerk and subsequently presented to the House today appears on pages H12105-06.
Quorum Calls--Votes:
Three yea-and-nay votes developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H12132, H12132-33 and H12133-34. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment:
The House met at 12:30 p.m. and adjourned at 9:43 p.m.
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Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
Joint Meetings
RUSSIA: PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe:
Commission concluded a hearing to examine the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and simmering tensions with Russia before parliamentary and presidential elections, after receiving testimony from Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyabe, Chairman in Office, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain, Madrid.
(For last listing of Public Laws, see
Daily Digest,
p. D 1424)
H.R. 3233, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at Highway 49 South in Piney Woods, Mississippi, as the ``Laurence C. and Grace M. Jones Post Office Building''. Signed on October 26, 2007. (Public Law 110-107)
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:
business meeting to consider S. 2096, to amend the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act to eliminate the automatic removal of telephone numbers registered on the Federal ``do-not-call'' registry, S. 1580, to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, S. 2045, to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission to provide greater protection for children's products, to improve the screening of noncompliant consumer products, to improve the effectiveness of consumer product recall programs, S. 1853, to promote competition, to preserve the ability of local governments to provide broadband capability and services, S. 1675, to implement the recommendations of the Federal Communications Commission report to the Congress regarding low-power FM service, H. Con. Res. 225, honoring the 50th anniversary of the dawn of the Space Age, and the ensuing 50 years of productive and peaceful space activities, and the nominations of Todd J. Zinser, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of Commerce, Robert Clarke Brown, of Ohio, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, and promotions lists in the United States Coast Guard, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2:30 p.m., SR-253.
Committee on Foreign Relations:
to hold hearings to examine the nominations of Daniel D. Heath, of New Hampshire, to be United States Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund, Sean R. Mulvaney, of Illinois, to be an Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and Patrick Francis Kennedy, of Illinois, to be an Under Secretary of State (Management), 2:30 p.m., SD-419.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
to hold hearings to examine ways to protect the United States from drug-resistant tuberculosis, focusing on reinvesting in control and new tools research, 10 a.m., SD-430.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs:
to hold hearings to examine the role of local law enforcement in countering violent Islamist extremism, 9:30 a.m., SD-342.
Select Committee on Intelligence:
to hold closed hearings to examine certain intelligence matters, 2:30 p.m., SH-219.
Committee on Agriculture,
hearing to review technologies in the meat industry, 1:30 p.m., 1300 Longworth.
Committee on Appropriations,
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Assessing an Effective Diplomatic and Development Program in Iraq: An Examination of the Diplomatic Surge, 2 p.m., 2359 Rayburn.
Committee on Armed Services,
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, hearing on Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations: Learning from Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Experience, 10 a.m., 2212 Rayburn.
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
to mark up the following bills:
H.R. 1534, Mercury Export Ban Act of 2007; H.R. 2830, Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007; H.R. 3461, Safeguarding America's Families by Enhancing and Reorganizing New and Efficient Technologies Act of 2007; H.R. 2601 To extending the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to collect fees to administer and enforce the provisions relating to the ``Do-not-call'' registry of the Telemarketing Sales Rule; H.R. 3541, Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007; H.R. 3526, To include all banking agencies within the existing regulatory authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act with respect to depository institutions; H.R. 3403, 911 Modernization and Safety Act of 2007; and H.R. 3919, Broadband Census of America Act of 2007; 2 p.m., 2123 Rayburn.
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Committee on Financial Services,
Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises, hearing entitled ``Additional Perspectives on the Need for Insurance Regulatory Reform,'' 2 p.m., 2128 Rayburn.
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, hearing entitled ``Preserving and Expanding Minority Banks,'' 10 a.m., 2128 Rayburn.
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
hearing on Russia on the Eve of National Elections, 9:30 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, hearing on Renewable Energy and the Global Environment, 2 p.m., 2172 Rayburn.
Committee on Homeland Security,
Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism, hearing entitled ``The SAFE Port Act: Status of Implementation One Year Later,'' 2 p.m., 311 Cannon.
Committee on the Judiciary,
Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, to continue hearings on Straightening Out the Mortgage Mess: How Can We Protect Home Ownership and Provide Relief to Consumers in Financial Distress?--Part II, 12 p.m., 2141 Rayburn.
Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, oversight hearing on the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, 10 a.m., 2141 Rayburn.
Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, hearing on Stifling or Stimulating--Role of Gene Patents in Research and Genetic Testing, 2 p.m., 2141 Rayburn.
Committee on Natural Resources,
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands, hearing on the following bills: H.R. 415, To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; H.R. 1143, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National Park; H.R. 1286, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Designation Act; H.R. 1545, To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a boundary study to evaluate the significance of Fort San Geronimo and other related resources in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the suitability and feasibility of their inclusion in the National Park System as part of the San Juan National Historic Site; H.R. 1836, Weir Farm National Historic Site Amendment Act; H.R. 3022, Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness Act of 2007; H.R. 3120, Stranahan House, Trading Post and Campsite Historic Preservation Act; H.R. 3265, Harry S. Truman Birthplace Study Act; H.R. 3473, Bountiful City Land Consolidation Act; H.R. 3616, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Extension Study Act of 2007; and H.R. 3821, Battle of Matewan Study Act, 10 a.m., 1324 Longworth.
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, hearing on Will Increased Postal Rates put Mailers out of Business? 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.
Subcommittee on National Security, and Foreign Affairs, hearing on Iran:
Reality, Options, and Consequences--Iranian People and Attitudes, 10 a.m., 2247 Rayburn.
Committee on Rules,
to consider the following:
H.R. 2262, Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007; and H.R. 3920, Trade and Globalization Act of 2007, 2 p.m., H-313 Capitol.
Committee on Science and Technology,
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, hearing on Research to Improve Water-Use Efficiency and Conservation: Technologies and Practices, 2 p.m., 2318 Rayburn.
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, to mark up the following: H.R. 3495, Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety, and Health Act of 2007; the John F. Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act of 2007; H.R. 3315, To provide that the great hall of the Capitol Visitor Center shall be known as Emancipation Hall; and H.R. 3712, To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 1716 Spielbusch Avenue in Toledo, Ohio, as the ``James M. and Thomas W.L. Ashley Customs Building and United States Courthouse, 11 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.
Committee on Ways and Means,
hearing on the Appropriateness of Retirement Plan Fees, 10 a.m., 1100 Longworth.
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Program for Tuesday:
After the transaction of any morning business (not to extend beyond 60 minutes), Senate will continue consideration of S. 294, Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, and vote on certain amendments, and then vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the bill.
(Senate will recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. for their respective party conferences.)
Program for Tuesday:
Consideration of the following suspensions: (1) H.R. 2787--CJ's Home Protection Act of 2007; (2) H.R. 1236--To make permanent the authority of the United States Postal Service to issue a special postage stamp to support breast cancer research; (3) H. Res. 759--Recognizing the 40th Anniversary of the Mass Movement for Soviet Jewish Freedom and the 20th Anniversary of the Freedom Sunday Rally for Soviet Jewry on the Mall in Washington, D.C.; (4) H.R. 3307--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 570 Broadway in Bayonne, New Jersey, as the ``Dennis P. Collins Post Office Building''; and (5) H.R. 3446--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 202 East Michigan Avenue in Marshall, Michigan, as the ``Michael W. Schragg Post Office Building''. Consideration of H.R. 3867--Small Business Contracting Program Improvements Act (Subject to a Rule).
HOUSE
Akin, W. Todd, Mo., E2264
Arcuri, Michael A., N.Y., E2260
Brady, Robert A., Pa., E2262
Brown, Corrine, Fla., E2261
Buyer, Steve, Ind., E2262
Davis, Tom, Va., E2263
Emanuel, Rahm, Ill., E2260
Gingrey, Phil, Ga., E2263
Hare, Phil, Ill., E2261
Hirono, Mazie K., Hawaii, E2265
Johnson, Timothy V., Ill., E2261
Kanjorski, Paul E., Pa., E2261
Kucinich, Dennis J., Ohio, E2259, E2260
Lamborn, Doug, Colo., E2263, E2264
McHugh, John M., N.Y., E2265
Maloney, Carolyn B., N.Y., E2263
Miller, Jeff, Fla., E2259, E2260
Oberstar, James L., Minn., E2268
Pallone, Frank, Jr., N.J., E2264
Saxton, Jim, N.J., E2262
Schakowsky, Janice D., Ill., E2267
Shuster, Bill, Pa., E2259, E2261
Slaughter, Louise McIntosh, N.Y., E2263
Smith, Adam, Wash., E2267
Spratt, John M., Jr., S.C., E2262
Tancredo, Thomas G., Colo., E2259, E2260
Wilson, Heather, N.M., E2259
Wilson, Joe, S.C., E2265
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