[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 155 (Thursday, October 30, 2003)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1201-D1203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                         Thursday, October 30, 2003

[[Page D1201]]


                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate and House passed H.J. Res. 75, Continuing Appropriations.
      Senate passed H.R. 1904, Healthy Forest Restoration Act.
      Senate passed H.R. 2800, Foreign Operations Appropriations Act.
      The House agreed to the conference report on H.R. 2115, Flight 
      100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act.
       The House agreed to the conference report on H.R. 2691, 
      Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 
      FY 2004.
      The House agreed to the conference report on H.R. 3289, 
      Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2004.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S13613-S13697
Measures Introduced: Seven bills and two resolutions were introduced, 
as follows: S. 1798-1804, S. Res. 255, and S. Con. Res. 78. 
                                                            Page S13660
Measures Reported:
  S. 1663, to replace certain Coastal Barrier Resources System maps. 
(S. Rept. No. 108-179)
  H.R. 274, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the 
property in Cecil County, Maryland, known as Garrett Island for 
inclusion in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. (S. Rept. No. 
108-180)
  S. 1395, to authorize appropriations for the Technology 
Administration of the Department of Commerce for fiscal years 2004 
through 2005, with amendments. (S. Rept. No. 108-181)
  S. 1402, to authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal 
railroad safety laws for fiscal years 2004 through 2008, with 
amendments. (S. Rept. No. 108-182)
  S. 1720, to provide for Federal court proceedings in Plano, Texas, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. Con. Res. 58, expressing the sense of Congress with respect to 
raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking in the United 
States and supporting the goals and ideals of National Stalking 
Awareness Month, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and 
with an amended preamble.
Page S13659
Measures Passed:
   Continuing Appropriations: Senate passed H.J. Res. 75, making 
further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2004, clearing 
the measure for the President.
  Page S13659
  Healthy Forests Restoration Act: By 80 yeas to 14 nays (Vote No. 
428), Senate passed H.R. 1904, to improve the capacity of the Secretary 
of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to 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, after agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature of a 
substitute, and taking action on the following amendments proposed 
thereto:
  Pages S13600-11, S13613-37
Adopted:
  Bingaman Amendment No. 2036, to require collaborative monitoring of 
forest health projects.
Pages S13609-11, S13613-16
  Bingaman Amendment No. 2042, to require best-value contracting 
criteria in awarding contracts and agreements.
Pages S13616-17

[[Page D1202]]


  Cochran Amendment No. 2046, to make certain improvements to the bill.
                                                            Page S13631
  Notwithstanding passage of the bill, Cochran Amendment No. 2046 was 
subsequently modified.
Page S13696
Rejected:
  Bingaman Amendment No. 2035, to require the treatment of slash and 
other long-term fuels management for hazardous fuels reduction 
projects. (By 58 yeas to 36 nays (Vote No. 422), Senate tabled the 
amendment.)
Pages S13608-09
  Leahy Amendment No. 2039, to remove certain provisions relating to 
administrative and judicial review. (By 62 yeas to 33 nays (Vote No. 
423), Senate tabled the amendment.)
Pages S13609-11
  Boxer Amendment No. 2043, to increase the minimum percentage of funds 
allocated for authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects in the 
wildland-urban interface. (By 61 yeas to 34 nays (Vote No. 424), Senate 
tabled the amendment.)
Pages S13617-21
  Murray Amendment No. 2030, to ensure protection of old-growth stands. 
(By 62 yeas to 32 nays (Vote No. 425), Senate tabled the amendment.) 
                                                        Pages S13621-24
  Cantwell Modified Amendment No. 2038, to require the Comptroller 
General to study the costs and benefits of the analysis of alternatives 
in environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. (By 
57 yeas to 34 nays (Vote No. 426), Senate tabled the amendment.) 
                                                        Pages S13624-26
  Harkin Amendment No. 2045, to provide authority for title I, relative 
to hazardous fuels reduction on federal land. (By 61 yeas to 31 nays 
(Vote No. 427), Senate tabled the amendment.)
Pages S13626-31
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 36 yeas to 60 nays (Vote No. 421), 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 Bingaman Amendment No. 2031, to provide 
the Secretary of Agriculture with the authority to borrow funds from 
the Treasury to pay for firefighting costs that exceed funds available 
and to provide funding to conduct hazardous fuels reduction and burned 
area restoration projects on non-Federal lands in and around 
communities. 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 S13601-05
  Foreign Operation Appropriations Act: Senate passed H.R. 2800, making 
appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related 
programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, taking action 
on the following amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S13637-51
Adopted:
  By 89 yeas to 1 nay (Vote No. 429), DeWine Amendment No. 1966, to 
increase assistance to combat HIV/AIDS.
Pages S13638-39
  McConnell Amendment No. 2049, to make certain technical corrections 
and to provide for international military training assistance for 
Indonesia.
Page S13648
  McConnell (for Stevens) Amendment No. 2050, to provide assistance for 
democracy programs in Russia.
Pages S13648-49
  McConnell Amendment No. 1970, to express the sense of the Senate on 
Burma.
Pages S13649-51
Rejected:
  By 45 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. 430), Feinstein Amendment No. 1977, 
to clarify the definition of HIV/AIDS prevention for purposes of 
providing funds for therapeutic medical care.
Pages S13644-46
  By 41 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 432), Bingaman/Daschle Amendment No. 
2048, to make an additional $200,000,000 available for the Global AIDS 
Initiative and reduce the amount available for Millennium Challenge 
Assistance by $200,000,000.
Pages S13645, S13647-48
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 42 yeas to 50 nays (Vote No. 431), 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 Durbin Amendment No. 2047, to increase 
assistance to combat HIV/AIDS. 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 S13639-44, S13646-47
  McConnell (for Kennedy) Amendment No. 2023, to provide for the 
disclosure of prices paid for HIV/AIDS medicines in developing 
countries, previously agreed to on Tuesday, October 28, 2003, was 
modified.
Page S13648
  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 McConnell, Specter, 
Gregg, Shelby, Bennett, Campbell, Bond, DeWine, Stevens, Leahy, Inouye, 
Harkin, Mikulski, Durbin, Johnson, Landrieu, and Byrd.
Page S13651
  A Tribute to Survivors: Committee on the Judiciary was discharged 
from further consideration of S. Con. Res. 76, recognizing that 
November 2, 2003, shall be dedicated to ``A Tribute to Survivors'' at 
the

[[Page D1203]]

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the resolution was then 
agreed to.
  Pages S13696-97
Climate Stewardship Act: Senate continued consideration of S. 139, to 
provide for a program of scientific research on abrupt climate change, 
to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United 
States by establishing a market-driven system of greenhouse gas 
tradeable allowances that could be used interchangeably with passenger 
vehicle fuel economy standard credits, to limit greenhouse gas 
emissions in the United States and reduce dependence upon foreign oil, 
and ensure benefits to consumers from the trading in such allowances, 
taking action on the following amendment proposed thereto: 
                                                        Pages S13572-98
Rejected:
  By 43 yeas to 55 nays (Vote No. 420), Lieberman/McCain Amendment No. 
2028, in the nature of a substitute.
Pages S13572, S13598
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the bill be 
re-referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. 
                                                            Page S13598
Interior Department Appropriations--Conference Report: A unanimous-
consent agreement was reached providing that on Monday, November 3, 
2003, at a time determined by the Majority Leader, after consultation 
with the Democratic Leader, Senate begin consideration of the 
conference report to accompany H.R. 2691, making appropriations for the 
Department of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2004; that there be 60 minutes of debate equally 
divided; and following the use or yielding back of time, Senate vote on 
adoption of the conference report on Monday, November 3, 2003, at a 
time determined by the Majority Leader, after consultation with the 
Democratic Leader.
  Page S13643
Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act: A unanimous-consent agreement was 
reached providing that at a time determined by the Majority Leader, 
after consultation with the Democratic Leader, but not before Thursday, 
November 6, 2003, Senate begin consideration of S. 150, to make 
permanent the moratorium on taxes on Internet access and multiple and 
discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce imposed by the Internet Tax 
Freedom Act.
  Pages S13643-44
Emergency Supplemental, Iraq and Afghanistan Appropriations Act 
Conference Report--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing that at 11 a.m., on Monday, November 3, 2003, Senate begin 
consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 3289, making 
emergency supplemental appropriations for defense and for the 
reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2004; with the time until 5 p.m. equally divided and that 
at 5 p.m. the conference report be adopted.
  Page S13697
Nomination Considered: Senate resumed consideration of the nomination 
of of Charles W. Pickering, Sr., of Mississippi, to be United States 
Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit.
  Pages S13535-72
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 54 yeas to 43 nays (Vote No. 419), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to close further debate on the nomination. 
                                                            Page S13572
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.
  2 Navy nominations in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy.
Page S13612
Messages From the House:
  Pages S13658-59
Measures Referred:
  Page S13658
Enrolled Bills Presented:
  Page S13659
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Pages S13659-60
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S13660-61
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S13661-81
Additional Statements:
  Page S13658
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S13681-95
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:
  Page S13695
Authority for Committees to Meet:
  Pages S13695-96
Privilege of the Floor:
  Page S13696
Record Votes: Fourteen record votes were taken today. (Total--432) 
  Pages S13572, S13598, S13605, S13609, S13611, S13621, S13624, S13626, 
                      S13630-31, S13637, S13639, S13646, S13647, S13648
Adjournment: Senate met at 9 a.m., and adjourned at 11:44 p.m., until 
10 a.m., on Friday, October 31, 2003. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S13611.)