[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 8, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D949-D951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                       Wednesday, September 8, 1999

[[Page D949]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      See Resume of Congressional Activity.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S10537-S10655
Measures Introduced: Five bills and three resolutions were introduced, 
as follows: S. 1566-1570, S.J. Res. 33, S. Res. 179, and S. Con. Res. 
55.                                                         
  Page S10612
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  Reported on Friday, August 27, during the adjournment:
  H.R. 457, to amend title 5, United States Code, to increase the 
amount of leave time available to a Federal employee in any year in 
connection with serving as an organ donor. (S. Rept. No. 106-143)
  S. 28, to authorize an interpretive center and related visitor 
facilities within the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 106-144)
  S. 400, to provide technical corrections to the Native American 
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996, to improve the 
delivery of housing assistance to Indian tribes in a manner that 
recognizes the right of tribal self-governance, with an amendment in 
the nature of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 106-145)
  S. 1346, to ensure the independence and nonpartisan operation of the 
Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration, with 
amendments. (S. Rept. No. 106-146)
  Special Report entitled ``Summary of Legislative and Oversight 
Activities During the 105th Congress.'' (S. Rept. No. 106-147)
Reported today:
  S. 299, to elevate the position of Director of the Indian Health 
Service within the Department of Health and Human Services to Assistant 
Secretary for Indian Health, with an amendment. (S. Rept. No. 106-148)
  S. 401, to provide for business development and trade promotion for 
native Americans, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. (S. 
Rept. No. 106-149)
  S. 613, to encourage Indian economic development, to provide for the 
disclosure of Indian tribal sovereign immunity in contracts involving 
Indian tribes, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. (S. 
Rept. No. 106-150)
  S. 614, to provide for regulatory reform in order to encourage 
investment, business, and economic development with respect to 
activities conducted on Indian lands, with an amendment in the nature 
of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 106-151)
  S. 406, to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to make 
permanent the demonstration program that allows for direct billing of 
medicare, medicaid, and other third party payors, and to expand the 
eligibility under such program to other tribes and tribal 
organizations, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. (S. 
Rept. No. 106-152)
  S. 1156, to amend provisions of law enacted by the Small Business 
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to ensure full analysis of 
potential impacts on small entities of rules proposed by certain 
agencies, with amendments. (S. Rept. No. 106-153)           
Page S10612
Measures Passed:
  Commerce/Justice/State Appropriations: Pursuant to the order of July 
22, 1999, Senate passed H.R. 2670, making appropriations for the 
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related 
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, after striking 
all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the text of 
S. 1217, Senate companion measure, as passed the Senate on July 22, 
1999. Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair was authorized to appoint the following 
conferees on the part of the Senate: Senators Gregg, Stevens, Domenici, 
McConnell, Hutchison, Campbell, Cochran, Hollings, Inouye, Lautenberg, 
Mikulski, and Byrd.                                         
  Page S10540

[[Page D950]]


  Subsequently, passage of S. 1217 was vitiated and then indefinitely 
postponed.
  Organ Donor Leave Act: Senate passed H.R. 457, to amend title 5, 
United States Code, to increase the amount of leave time available to a 
Federal employee in any year in connection with serving as an organ 
donor, clearing the measure for the President.              
  Page S10637
  Veteran's Benefits: Senate passed S. 1076, to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to enhance programs providing health care and other 
benefits for veterans, to authorize major medical facility projects, 
and to reform eligibility for burial in Arlington National Cemetery, 
after agreeing to a committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, 
and the following amendment proposed thereto:           
  Pages S10637-54
  Brownback (for Rockefeller/Specter) Amendment No. 1622, to improve 
the provisions relating to long-term health care for veterans. 
                                                        Pages S10643-46
Department of the Interior Appropriations: Senate resumed consideration 
of H.R. 2466, making appropriations for the Department of the Interior 
and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, 
taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto: 
                                                        Pages S10551-83
Adopted:
  Graham Amendment No. 1577, to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior 
from implementing class III gaming procedures without State approval. 
                                                        Pages S10551-58
Pending:
  Gorton Amendment No. 1359, of a technical nature.         
Page S10551
  Bond (for Lott) Amendment No. 1621, to provide funds to assess the 
potential hydrologic and biological impact of lead and zinc mining in 
the Mark Twain National Forest of Southern Missouri. 
                                             Pages S10553-54, S10571-72
  Hutchison Amendment No. 1603, to prohibit the use of funds for the 
purpose of issuing a notice of rulemaking with respect to the valuation 
of crude oil for royalty purposes until September 30, 2000. 
                                             Pages S10558-69, S10579-83
  Robb Amendment No. 1583, to strike section 329, provisions that would 
overturn recent decisions handed down by the 11th circuit corporation 
and federal district court in Washington State dealing with national 
forests.                                     
Pages S10561-62, S10570-79
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill with votes to occur on pending Amendment Nos. 
1621 and 1583 (listed above) on Thursday, September 9, 1999. 
                                                            Page S10569
Removal of Injunction of Secrecy: The injunction of secrecy was removed 
from the following treaties:
  International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings 
(Treaty Doc No. 106-6); and
  Treaty with Dominican Republic for Return of Stolen or Embezzled 
Vehicles, with Annexes (Treaty Doc. No. 106-7).
  The treaties were transmitted to the Senate today, considered as 
having been read for the first time, and referred, with accompanying 
papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and were ordered to be 
printed.                                                
Pages S10636-37
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  By 93 yeas to 1 nay (Vote No. EX. 262), Adalberto Jose Jordan, of 
Florida, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District 
of Florida.                                     
Pages S10544-45, S10655
  Carlos Murguia, of Kansas, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Kansas.                                
Pages S10636, S10655
  By 93 yeas to 1 nay (Vote No. EX. 263), Marsha J. Pechman, of 
Washington, to be United States District Judge for the Western District 
of Washington.                                  
Pages S10544-45, S10655
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Jay Johnson, of Wisconsin, to be Director of the Mint for a term of 
five years.
  Willene A. Johnson, of New York, to be United States Director of the 
African Development Bank for a term of five years.
  Joseph W. Prueher, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador to the People's 
Republic of China.
  Mark Reid Tucker, of North Carolina, to be United States Marshal for 
the Eastern District of North Carolina for the term of four years.
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.
  Routine lists in the Foreign Service.                 
Pages S10654-55
Messages From the House:                                    
  Page S10587
Measures Referred:                                          
  Page S10587
Communications:                                     
  Pages S10587-S10604
Petitions:                                              
  Pages S10604-12
Statements on Introduced Bills:                         
  Pages S10612-16
Additional Cosponsors:                                  
  Pages S10616-19
Amendments Submitted:                                   
  Pages S10621-23
Notices of Hearings:                                        
  Page S10623
Authority for Committees:                                   
  Page S10623
Additional Statements:                                  
  Pages S10623-26
Text of S. 632, S. 800, S. 1072, and S. 1255, as Previously Passed: 
                                                        Pages S10626-30

[[Page D951]]

Enrolled Bills Presented:                                   
  Page S10587
Record Votes: Two record votes were taken today. (Total--263) 
                                                            Page S10545
Adjournment: Senate convened at 12 noon, and adjourned at 8:37 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., on Thursday, September 9, 1999. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S10654.)