[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 121 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Page D998]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                                 September 16, 1999

[[Page D996]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed Transportation Appropriations bill, Conference 
      Report on Treasury/Postal Service Appropriations, and Conference 
      Report on District of Columbia Appropriations.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S10963-S11071
Measures Introduced: Nine bills were introduced, as follows: S. 1593-
1601.                                                       
  Page S11053
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 1214, to ensure the liberties of the people by promoting 
federalism, to protect the reserved powers of the States, to impose 
accountability for Federal preemption of State and local laws, with 
amendments. (S. Rept. No. 106-159)
  Report to accompany S. 1389, to provide additional trade benefits to 
certain beneficiary countries in the Caribbean. (S. Rept. No. 106-160)
  S. 1596, making appropriations for the Departments of Veterans 
Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent 
agencies, commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2000. (S. Rept. No. 106-161)
  S. Res. 178, designating the week beginning September 19, 1999, as 
``National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week''. 
                                                            Page S11053
Measures Passed:
  Transportation Appropriations: By a unanimous vote of 95 yeas (Vote 
No. 278), Senate passed H.R. 2084, making appropriations for the 
Department of Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2000, after taking action on the following 
amendments proposed thereto:                 
  Pages S10964-65, S10968-81
Adopted:
  Lautenberg Amendment No. 1678, to express the sense of the Senate 
that the Secretary of Transportation should double the applicable 
penalties for involuntary denied boardings and allow those passengers 
that are involuntarily denied boarding the option of obtaining a prompt 
cash refund for the full value of their airline ticket. 
                                                        Pages S10964-65
  Landrieu (for Daschle) Modified Amendment No. 1679, to express the 
sense of the Senate that certain funds be made available to monitor and 
report on the transfer of passenger air transportation tickets among 
airlines.                                               
Pages S10968-71
  Shelby (for Reid) Amendment No. 1673, to provide for the transfer of 
funds to the State of California for use on High Priority Project No. 
829, Widen I-15 in San Bernardino County.                   
Page S10971
  Shelby (for Thomas) Amendment No. 1667, to provide that the cost 
sharing provisions of Section 5001(b) of the Transportation Equity Act 
for the 21st Century shall not apply.                       
Page S10971
  Shelby (for Durbin) Modified Amendment No. 1666, to express the Sense 
of the Senate regarding the need for reimbursement to the Village of 
Bourbonnais and Kankakee County, Illinois, for crash rescue and cleanup 
incurred in relation to the March 15, 1999, Amtrak train accident. 
                                                            Page S10971
  Shelby/Lautenberg Amendment No. 1680, to make certain improvements to 
the bill.                                                   
Page S10972
  Senate insisted on its amendment (all previously agreed to amendments 
to the bill are being considered second degree amendments to Amendment 
No. 1624, adopted on September 14, 1999), requested a conference with 
the House thereon, and the Chair was authorized to appoint the 
following conferees on the part of the Senate: Senators Shelby, 
Domenici, Specter, Bond, Gorton, Bennett, Campbell, Stevens, 
Lautenberg, Byrd, Mikulski, Reid, Kohl, Murray, and Inouye. 
                                                            Page S10981
  National Home Education Week: Committee on the Judiciary was 
discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 183, designating the 
week beginning on September 19, 1999, and ending on September 25, 1999, 
as National Home Education Week, and the resolution was then agreed to.
                                                            Page S11048

[[Page D997]]

  National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week: Senate 
agreed to S. Res. 178, designating the week beginning September 19, 
1999, as ``National Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
Week''.                                                 
  Pages S11048-49
  Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence: 
Committee on the Judiciary was discharged from further consideration of 
S. Res. 158, designating October 21, 1999, as a ``Day of National 
Concern About Young People and Gun Violence'', and the resolution was 
then agreed to.                                             
  Page S11049
  Family Friendly Programming: Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation was discharged from further consideration of S. Con. 
Res. 56, expressing the sense of Congress regarding the importance of 
``family friendly'' programming on television, and the resolution was 
then agreed to.                                             
  Page S11049
Bankruptcy Reform: Senate began consideration of S. 625, to amend title 
11, United States Code.                             
  Pages S10981-S11013
  A motion was entered to close further debate on the bill and, in 
accordance with the provisions of Rules XXII of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate, a vote on the cloture motion will occur at 5:30 p.m., on 
Tuesday, September 21, 1999.                                
Page S11013
Treasury/Postal Service Appropriations--Conference Report: By 54 yeas 
to 38 nays (Vote No. 277), Senate agreed to the conference report on 
H.R. 2490, making appropriations for the Treasury Department, the 
United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, 
and certain Independent Agencies, for the fiscal year ending September 
30, 2000.                                               
  Pages S10965-68
District of Columbia Appropriations--Conference Report: By 52 yeas to 
39 nays (Vote No. 279), Senate agreed to the conference report on H.R. 
2587, making appropriations for the government of the District of 
Columbia and other activities chargeable in whole or in part against 
revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2000.                                                   
  Pages S11024-28
National Defense Authorization--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time 
agreement was reached providing for the consideration of the conference 
report on S. 1059, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2000 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed 
Forces.                                                     
  Page S10971
Removal of Injunction of Secrecy: The injunction of secrecy was removed 
from the following treaty:
  1977 Amendment to Montreal Protocol (Treaty Doc. No. 106-10).
  The treaty was 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 was ordered to be printed. 
                                                            Page S11048
Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing that notwithstanding Rule 22 it be in order for the Majority 
Leader to file a cloture motion on the nomination of Brian Theadore 
Stewart, to be United States District Judge for the District of Utah, 
at 5:30 on Tuesday, September 21, 1999, and if that motion is filed 
that vote occur on Tuesday, immediately following the cloture vote at 
5:30 p.m.                                               
  Pages S11039-41
Authority for Committees: All committees were authorized to file 
reported items during the adjournment of the Senate on Friday, 
September 17, 1999, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.                 
  Page S11069
Messages From the President: Senate received the following messages 
from the President of the United States:
  A message from the President of the United States transmitting, a 
draft of proposed legislation entitled ``Cyberspace Electronic Security 
Act of 1999'' (CESA); to the Committee on the Judiciary. (PM-57). 
                                                            Page S11050
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Kathleen McCree Lewis, of Michigan, to be United States Circuit Judge 
for the Sixth Circuit.
  Enrigue Moreno, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the 
Fifth Circuit.
  4 Army nominations in the rank of general.
  4 Coast Guard nominations in the rank of admiral.     
Pages S11070-71
Messages From the President:                                
  Page S11050
Messages From the House:                                    
  Page S11050
Measures Referred:                                          
  Page S11050
Measures Read First Time:                                   
  Page S11050
Communications:                                         
  Pages S11050-51
Petitions:                                              
  Pages S11051-53
Statements on Introduced Bills:                         
  Pages S11053-59
Additional Cosponsors:                                  
  Pages S11059-60
Amendments Submitted:                                   
  Pages S11060-61
Authority for Committees:                               
  Pages S11061-62
Additional Statements:                                  
  Pages S11062-69
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--279) 
                                           Pages S10968, S10981, S11028

[[Page D998]]

Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 5:25 p.m., 
until 10 a.m., on Friday, September 17, 1999, for a pro forma session. 
(For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Majority Leader in 
today's Record on page S11069.)