[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 27, 2002)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D134-D135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                       Wednesday, February 27, 2002

[[Page D134]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      The House passed H.R. 1542, Internet Freedom and Broadband 
      Deployment Act.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1223-S1326
Measures Introduced: Three bills were introduced, as follows: S. 1970-
1972.                                                    
  Pages S1251-52
Measures Passed:
  Read Across America Day: Committee on the Judiciary was discharged 
from further consideration of S. Res. 211, designating March 2, 2002, 
as ``Read Across America Day'', and the resolution was then agreed to. 
                                                             Page S1260
Election Reform: Senate continued consideration of S. 565, to establish 
the Commission on Voting Rights and Procedures to study and make 
recommendations regarding election technology, voting, and election 
administration, to establish a grant program under which the Office of 
Justice Programs and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of 
Justice shall provide assistance to States and localities in improving 
election technology and the administration of Federal elections, and to 
require States to meet uniform and nondiscriminatory election 
technology and administration requirements for the 2004 Federal 
elections, taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto: 
                                                         Pages S1223-41
Pending:
  Clinton Amendment No. 2906, to establish a residual ballot 
performance benchmark.                                       
Page S1223
  Dodd (for Schumer) Modified Amendment No. 2914, to permit the use of 
a signature or personal mark for the purpose of verifying the identity 
of voters who register by mail.                              
Page S1223
  Dodd (for Kennedy) Amendment No. 2916, to clarify the application of 
the safe harbor provisions.                                  
Page S1223
  Hatch Amendment No. 2935, to establish the Advisory Committee on 
Electronic Voting and the Electoral Process, and to instruct the 
Attorney General to study the adequacy of existing electoral fraud 
statutes and penalties.                                      
Page S1223
  Hatch Amendment No. 2936, to make the provisions of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 permanent.                                       
Page S1223
  Schumer/Wyden Amendment No. 2937, to permit the use of a signature or 
personal mark for the purpose of verifying the identity of voters who 
register by mail. (By 46 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 38), Senate failed 
to table the amendment.)                                 
Pages S1223-28
  Smith (NH) Amendment No. 2933, to prohibit the broadcast of certain 
false and untimely information on Federal elections.         
Page S1223
  Bond Amendment No. 2940 (to Amendment No. 2937), to permit the use of 
signature verification programs to verify the identity of individuals 
who register to vote by mail.                            
Pages S1228-32
  A motion was entered to close further debate on the bill and, in 
accordance with the provisions of Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate, the cloture vote will occur on Friday, March 1, 2002. 
                                                             Page S1241
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at 11 a.m., on Thursday, February 28, 2002. 
                                                             Page S1241
National Laboratories Partnership Improvement Act: A unanimous-consent 
agreement was reached modifying the pending Daschle/Bingaman Amendment 
No. 2917 to S. 517, to authorize funding the Department of Energy to 
enhance its mission areas through technology transfer and partnerships 
for fiscal years 2002 through 2006.                   
  Pages S1262-S1320
Messages from the President: Senate received the following message from 
the President of the United States:
  Transmitting, pursuant to law, a report concerning the continuation 
of the national emergency

[[Page D135]]

relating to Cuba and of the emergency authority relating to the 
regulation of the anchorage and movement of vessels to extend beyond 
March 1, 2002; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 
(PM-71)                                                      
Page S1251
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  3 Air Force nominations in the rank of general.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy. 
                                                         Pages S1325-26
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Deborah Matz, of New York, to be a Member of the National Credit 
Union Administration Board for a term expiring August 2, 2005.
  Lawrence E. Butler, of Maine, to be Ambassador to The Former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia.
  J. Russell George, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Corporation 
for National and Community Service.
  Victoria A. Lipnic, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
Labor.
  Naomi Shihab Nye, of Texas, to be a Member of the National Council on 
the Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 2006. (Reappointment)
  John Leonard Helgerson, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Central 
Intelligence Agency.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army.                  
Pages S1320-25
Messages From the House:                                     
  Page S1251
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S1251
Enrolled Bills Presented:                                    
  Page S1251
Additional Cosponsors:                                       
  Page S1252
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S1252-58
Additional Statements:                                       
  Page S1250
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S1258-59
Authority for Committees to Meet:                        
  Pages S1259-60
Record Votes: One record vote was taken today. (Total-38)    
  Page S1228
Adjournment: Senate met at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 6:15 p.m., until 
10:30 a.m., on Thursday, February 28, 2002. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S1320).