[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 20, 2003)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D554-D556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Measures Introduced:  22 public bills, H.R. 2155-2176; 1 private bill, 
H.R. 2177; and 5 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 185-186 and H. Res. 242-244, 
were introduced.                                         
  Pages H4367-68
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H4368-69
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 1925, to reauthorize programs under the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act and the Missing Children's Assistance Act, amended (H. Rept. 
108-118);
  H.R. 1189, to increase the waiver requirement for certain local 
matching requirements for grants provided to American Samoa, Guam, the 
Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (H. 
Rept. 108-119); and
  H. Res. 245, providing for consideration of H.R. 1588, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2004 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
fiscal year 2004 (H. Rept. 108-120).                         
Page H4366
Speaker Pro Tempore: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he 
appointed Representative Boozman to act as Speaker pro tempore for 
today.                                                       
  Page H4257
Guest Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the Rev. Dr. David Anderson, 
Pastor, Faith Baptist Church of Sarasota, Florida.           
  Page H4262
Recess: The House recessed at 9:42 a.m. and reconvened at 10 a.m. 
                                                             Page H4262
Suspensions: The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the 
following measures:
  Veterans' Memorials Preservation and Recognition: S. 330, to further 
the protection and recognition of veterans' memorials (agreed to by 2/3 
yea-and-nay vote of 419 yeas with none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 196)--
clearing the measure for the President;           
  Pages H4263-64, H4286
  National Correctional Officers and Employees Week: H. Res. 180, 
supporting the goals and ideals of ``National Correctional Officers and 
Employees Week'' and honoring the service of correctional officers and 
employees;                                               
  Pages H4265-66
  Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children Protection Act: H.R. 1925, 
amended, to reauthorize programs under the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act and the Missing Children's Assistance Act (agreed to by 2/3 yea-
and-nay vote of 404 yeas to 14 nays, Roll No. 197); and 
                                               Pages H4266-70, H4286-87
  Commending the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers: H. Res. 217, 
commending the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers for winning the 
2003 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Men's Ice 
Hockey Championship.                                     
  Pages H4270-72
Suspensions--Proceedings Postponed: The House completed debate on the 
following motions. Further proceedings were postponed until Wednesday, 
May 21.
  Enhanced Cooperation Between the VA and DOD: H.R. 1911, to amend 
title 38, United States Code, to enhance cooperation and the sharing of 
resources between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department 
of Defense;                                              
  Pages H4272-73
  Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment: H.R. 1683, to 
increase, effective as of December 1, 2003, the rates of disability 
compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the 
rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for

[[Page D555]]

survivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans; and 
                                                         Pages H4273-75
  Selected Reserve Home Loan Equity Act: H.R. 1257, to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to make permanent the authority for qualifying 
members of the Selected Reserve to have access to home loans guaranteed 
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and to provide for uniformity in 
fees charged qualifying members of the Selected Reserve and active duty 
veterans for such home loans.                            
  Pages H4275-77
Healthy Forests Restoration Act: The House passed H.R. 1904, to improve 
the capacity of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
Interior to plan and conduct hazardous fuels reduction projects on 
National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands aimed 
at protecting communities, watersheds, and certain other at-risk lands 
from catastrophic wildfire, to enhance efforts to protect watersheds 
and address threats to forest and rangeland health, including 
catastrophic wildfire, across the landscape by recorded vote of 256 
ayes to 170 noes, Roll No. 200.             
  Pages H4277-85, H4287-H4324
  Rejected the Udall of New Mexico motion to recommit the bill to the 
Committee on the Judiciary with instructions to report it back 
forthwith with an amendment that sought to strike Sec. 106, Special 
Requirements Regarding Judicial Review of Authorized Hazardous Fuels 
Reduction Projects and Sec. 107, Standard for Injunctive Relief for 
Agency Action to Restore Fire-adapted Forest or Rangeland Ecosystems by 
a recorded vote of 176 ayes to 250 noes, Roll No. 199.   
Pages H4322-24
  Pursuant to the rule, the amendment printed in Part A of H. Rept. 
108-109 that clarifies that perennial streams feeding at-risk municipal 
water supply systems are eligible for authorized hazardous fuels 
reduction projects; makes explicit the requirement to do environmental 
assessment or environmental impact statements for authorized reduction 
projects; requires that each project notice and comment is provided in 
a manner sufficient to permit interested persons a reasonable 
opportunity to participate; requires courts to balance the short and 
long term effects of undertaking the agency action against the short-
term and long-term action of not undertaking the agency action; 
specifies that the Secretary of Agriculture shall comply with 
applicable endangered species and riparian protections; and requires 
that silvicultural assessment peer review teams include non-Federal 
experts, was considered as adopted.                   
Pages H4292-H4310
  By a yea-and-nay vote of 184 yeas to 239 nays, Roll No. 198, rejected 
the George Miller of California amendment in the nature of a substitute 
printed in Part B of H. Rept. 108-109 that sought to establish the 
Hazardous Fuels Reduction Act; allow projects within \1/2\ mile of 
threatened communities to be excluded from the National Environmental 
Policy Act; codifies guidance regarding environmental documents for 
projects outside the \1/2\ mile zone; focuses resources on efforts to 
protect communities; provides a process that brings communities and 
Federal land managers together to identify areas in need of thinning; 
gives new authority for Federal land mangers to enter into cooperative 
agreements with local governments and communities to plan projects 
across public and private ownership boundaries; and requires that 85 
percent of funding be used for areas close to homes, communities, and 
watersheds.                                              
Pages H4310-22
  The Clerk was authorized to make technical corrections and conforming 
changes in the engrossment of the bill.                  
Pages H4324-25
  H. Res. 239, the rule that provided for consideration of the bill was 
agreed to by yea-and-nay vote of 234 yeas to 179 nays, Roll No. 195. 
                                                             Page H4285
Order of Business--United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, 
Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act: Agreed that it shall be in order at any 
time without intervention of any point of order to consider a motion to 
take H.R. 1298, to provide assistance to foreign countries to combat 
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, from the Speaker's table, with the 
Senate amendment thereto, and to concur in the Senate amendment; the 
motion be debatable for 60 minutes; the amendment considered read; and 
the previous question be considered as ordered on the motion to final 
adoption without intervening motion.                         
  Page H4325
Presidential Message: Read a message from the President wherein he 
transmitted the 2003 Comprehensive Report on U.S. Trade and Investment 
Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa and Implementation of the African Growth 
and Opportunity Act--referred to the Committee on Ways and means and 
ordered printed (H. Doc. 108-74).                            
  Page H4325
Commission on International Religious Freedom: The Chair announced the 
Speaker's reappointment, of Ms. Nina Shea of Washington, D.C., to 
succeed herself, to the Commission on International Religious Freedom 
for a two-year term ending May 14, 2005.                     
  Page H4325
Senate Messages: Message received from the Senate today appears on page 
H4262.
Referral: S. Con. Res. 44 was referred to the Committee on Government 
Reform. S. Con. Res. 46 was held at the desk.                
  Page H4365
Amendments: Amendments ordered printed pursuant to the rule appear on 
page H4369.

[[Page D556]]

Quorum Calls--Votes: Four yea-and-nay votes and two recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of the House today and appear on pages 
H4285, H4286, H4286-87, H4321-22, H4323-24, and H4324. There were no 
quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 9 a.m. and adjourned at 10:34 p.m.