[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 144 (Wednesday, October 15, 2003)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1116-D1118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                        Wednesday, October 15, 2003

[[Page D1116]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate agreed to the Conference Report on H.R. 1474, Check 
      Truncation Act.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S12565-S12634
Measures Introduced: Eight bills and two resolutions were introduced, 
as follows: S. 1731-1738, S. Res. 243, and S. Con. Res. 73. 
                                                            Page S12607
Measures Reported:
  S. 1146, to implement the recommendations of the Garrison Unit Tribal 
Advisory Committee by providing authorization for the construction of a 
rural health care facility on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, 
North Dakota, with an amendment. (S. Rept. No. 108-165).
Page S12607
Measures Passed:
  National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week: Senate agreed to 
S. Res. 243, designating the week of October 19, 2003, through October 
25, 2003, as ``National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week''. 
                                                   Pages S12622, S12632
  Public Printer Authority: Senate passed H.R. 3229, to amend title 44, 
United States Code, to transfer to the Public Printer the authority 
over the individuals responsible for preparing indexes of the 
Congressional Record, clearing the measure for the President. 
                                                            Page S12632
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations, Iraq and Afghanistan: Senate 
continued consideration of S. 1689, making emergency supplemental 
appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan security and reconstruction for 
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, taking action on the 
following amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S12574-79, S12579-99
Adopted:
  Ensign Amendment No. 1839, to reduce the amount available for 
reconstruction in Iraq by the amount that is used to repay bilateral 
debts owed by Iraq.
Pages S12578-79, S12579-80
  By a unanimous vote of 97 yeas (Vote No. 383), Byrd Amendment No. 
1846, to modify the report requirements with respect to the Coalition 
Provisional Authority.
Pages S12585-89
  Boxer Amendment No. 1844, to require a report on replacing U.S. 
troops with Iraqi forces or other non-U.S. forces in secure areas of 
Iraq.
Page S12590
  Feingold Amendment No. 1847, to provide transparency and 
accountability with respect to the Coalition Provisional Authority. 
                                                            Page S12589
  Reid (for Corzine) Amendment No. 1851, to require the President to 
submit periodic reports to Congress on the total projected costs of 
United States operations in Iraq, including military operations and 
reconstruction efforts, through fiscal year 2008.
Pages S12589-90
  Graham (SC) Modified Amendment No. 1805, to express the sense of 
Congress that arbitrary deadlines should not be set for the dissolution 
of the Coalition Provisional Authority or the transfer of its authority 
to an Iraqi governing authority.
Pages S12581-82, S12590
  Reid Amendment No. 1836, to express the sense of Congress on damages 
caused by the regime of Saddam Hussein during the First Gulf War. 
                                                        Pages S12590-91
  Bingaman Modified Amendment No. 1842, to require reports on the 
utilization of the National Guard and Reserves.
Pages S12580-81
  By 95 yeas to 2 nays (Vote No. 384), Graham (SC) Modified Amendment 
No. 1806, to express the sense of Congress that the removal of the 
Government of Saddam Hussein has enhanced the security of Israel and 
other United States allies.
Pages S12591-92, S12593-95
Withdrawn:
  Reid/Lincoln Amendment No. 1835, to permit retired members of the 
Armed Forces who have a service-connected disability to receive both 
military retired pay by reason of their years of military service and 
disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
their disability.
Page S12577

[[Page D1117]]

Pending:
  Byrd Amendment No. 1818, to impose a limitation on the use of sums 
appropriated for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund.
Page S12574
  Byrd/Durbin Amendment No. 1819, to prohibit the use of Iraq Relief 
and Reconstruction Funds for low priority activities that should not be 
the responsibility of U.S. taxpayers, and shift $600 million from the 
Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund to Defense Operations and 
Maintenance, Army, for significantly improving efforts to secure and 
destroy conventional weapons, such as bombs, bomb materials, small 
arms, rocket propelled grenades, and shoulder-launched missiles, in 
Iraq.
Page S12574
  Bond/Mikulski Amendment No. 1825, to provide additional VA Medical 
Care Funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Page S12574
  Durbin Amendment No. 1837, to ensure that a Federal employee who 
takes leave without pay in order to perform certain service as a member 
of the uniformed services or member of the National Guard shall 
continue to receive pay in an amount which, when taken together with 
the pay and allowances such individual is receiving for such service, 
will be no less than the basic pay such individual would then be 
receiving if no interruption in employment had occurred.
Page S12574
  Reed/Hagel Amendment No. 1834, to increase the end strength of the 
Army and to structure the additional forces for constabulary duty. (By 
45 yeas to 52 nays (Vote No. 382), Senate failed to table the 
amendment.)
Pages S12576-77
  Stevens Motion to Reconsider the vote by which the motion to table 
Reed/Hagel Amendment No. 1834 (listed above) failed.
Page S12577
  Feingold Amendment No. 1852, to enable military family members to 
take leave to attend to deployment-related business and tasks. 
                                                        Pages S12592-93
  Daschle Amendment No. 1854, to achieve the most effective means of 
reconstructing Iraq and to reduce the future costs to the American 
taxpayer of such reconstruction by ensuring broad-based international 
cooperation for this effort.
Pages S12595-96
  Feinstein Amendment No. 1848, to require reports on the United States 
strategy for relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, and to limit 
the availability of certain funds for those efforts pending 
determinations by the President that the objectives and deadlines for 
those efforts will be substantially achieved.
Pages S12596-98
  Nelson (FL) Amendment No. 1858, to set aside from certain amounts 
available for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, $10,000,000 for 
the Family Readiness Program of the National Guard.
Page S12598
  Reid (for Landrieu) Amendment No. 1859, to promote the establishment 
of an Iraq Reconstruction Finance Authority and the use of Iraqi oil 
revenues to pay for reconstruction in Iraq.
Pages S12598-99
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 47 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 381), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive section 302(f) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, with respect to Corzine/Durbin Amendment No. 1811, to 
amend title 10, United States Code, to reduce the age for receipt of 
military retired pay for nonregular service from 60 to 55. 
Subsequently, the point of order that the amendment was in violation of 
section 302(f) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, was sustained, 
and the amendment thus falls.
Pages S12574-75
  Chair sustained a point of order against Lincoln Amendment No. 1829, 
to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve tax equity for 
military personnel, as being in violation of section 302(f) of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and the amendment thus fell. 
                                                        Pages S12582-85
  Chair sustained a point of order against Reid Amendment No. 1838, to 
permit retired members of the Armed Forces who have a service-connected 
disability to receive both military retired pay by reason of their 
years of military service and disability compensation from the 
Department of Veteran Affairs for their disability, as being in 
violation of section 302(f) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 
and the amendment thus fell.
Pages S12577-78, S12591
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, October 16, 2003.
                                                            Page S12633
Check Truncation Act--Conference Report: Senate agreed to the 
conference report on H.R. 1474, to facilitate check truncation by 
authorizing substitute checks, to foster innovation in the check 
collection system without mandating receipt of checks in electronic 
form, and to improve the overall efficiency of the Nation's payments 
system, clearing the measure for the President.
  Pages S12632-33
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nomination:
  Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Djibouti.
Page S12634
Executive Communications:
  Pages S12603-07
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S12607
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S12607-09
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S12609-22
Additional Statements:
  Pages S12601-03

[[Page D1118]]

Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S12624-31
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:
  Page S12631
Authority for Committees to Meet:
  Pages S12631-32
Privilege of the Floor:
  Page S12632
Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--384) 
                                   Pages S12575, S12577, S12588, S12594
Adjournment: Senate met at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:51 p.m., until 
9:30 a.m., on Thursday, October 16, 2003. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on pages 
S12633-34.)