[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 23 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D172-D173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                            Thursday, March 3, 2005

[[Page D172]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1959-S2051
Measures Introduced: Thirty bills and three resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 500-529, and S. Res. 69-71.
  Pages S2003-04
Measures Passed:
  Congressional Rule Disapproval: By a vote of 52 yeas to 46 nays (Vote 
No. 19), Senate passed S.J. Res. 4, providing for congressional 
disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Agriculture 
under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, relating to risk zones 
for introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
  Pages S1961-79
  Commemorating 40th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday: Senate agreed to S. 
Res. 70, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. 
                                                     Pages S2045, S2050
Bankruptcy Reform Act: Senate continued consideration of S. 256, a bill 
to amend title 11 of the United States Code, taking action on the 
following amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S1979-97
Adopted:
  Specter Amendment No. 48, to increase bankruptcy filing fees to pay 
for the additional duties of United States trustees and the new 
bankruptcy judges added by this Act.
Pages S1985, S1994
Rejected:
  By 24 yeas to 74 nays (Vote No. 20), Dayton Amendment No. 31, to 
limit the amount of interest that can be charged on any extension of 
credit to 30 percent.
Pages S1979, S1981-82
  By 37 yeas to 61 nays (Vote No. 21), Nelson (FL) Amendment No. 37, to 
exempt debtors from means testing if their financial problems were 
caused by identity theft.
Pages S1982-83
  By 40 yeas to 58 nays (Vote No. 22), Durbin Amendment No. 38, to 
discourage predatory lending practices.
Page S1984
  By 39 yeas to 56 nays (Vote No. 23), Schumer Amendment No. 42, to 
limit the exemption for asset protection trusts.
Pages S1980-81, S1991-94
  By 40 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 24), Rockefeller Amendment No. 24, to 
amend the wage priority provision and to amend the payment of insurance 
benefits to retirees.
Pages S1994-95
  By 40 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 25), Durbin Amendment No. 49, to 
protect employees and retirees from corporate practices that deprive 
them of their earnings and retirement savings when a business files for 
bankruptcy.
Pages S1985-91, S1995-96
Pending:
  Leahy Amendment No. 26, to restrict access to certain personal 
information in bankruptcy documents.
Page S1979
  Feinstein Amendment No. 19, to enhance disclosures under an open end 
credit plan.
Page S1979
  Kennedy Amendment No. 44, to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage. 
                                                  Pages S1979-80, S1981
  Dorgan/Durbin Amendment No. 45, to establish a special committee of 
the Senate to investigate the awarding and carrying out of contracts to 
conduct activities in Afghanistan and Iraq and to fight the war on 
terrorism.
Pages S1983-84
  Pryor Amendment No. 40, to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to 
prohibit the use of any information in any consumer report by any 
credit card issuer that is unrelated to the transactions and experience 
of the card issuer with the consumer to increase the annual percentage 
rate applicable to credit extended to the consumer.
Pages S1984-85
  Reid (for Baucus) Amendment No. 50, to amend section 524(g)(1) of 
title 11, United States Code, to predicate the discharge of debts in 
bankruptcy by an vermiculite mining company meeting certain criteria on 
the establishment of a health care trust fund for certain individuals 
suffering from an asbestos related disease.
Pages S1996-97
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at 9:30 a.m., on Friday, March 4, 2005; that 
in addition to Kennedy Amendment No. 44 (listed above), it be in order 
for Senator Santorum to offer a first degree amendment related to the 
minimum wage issue; that on Monday, March 7, 2005, there be 3 hours of 
debate equally divided between Senator Santorum and Senator Kennedy, or 
their designees; and that at 5:30 p.m., on Monday, March 7, 2005, the 
Senate

[[Page D173]]

proceed to a vote on Kennedy Amendment No. 44, to be followed by a vote 
on the amendment offered by Senator Santorum, with no amendments in 
order to either amendment, and that if either amendment does not 
receive 60 votes in the affirmative, that the Senate action on the 
amendment be vitiated and the amendment be immediately withdrawn. 
                                                         Pages S2050-51
Messages From the House:
  Page S2002
Measures Referred:
  Page S2002
Executive Communications:
  Page S2002
Petitions and Memorials:
  Pages S2002-03
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S2004-05
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S2005-45
Additional Statements:
  Pages S2001-02
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S2046-49
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:
  Page S2049
Authority for Committees to Meet:
  Pages S2049-50
Record Votes: Seven record votes were taken today. (Total--25) 
                             Pages S1979, S1982-83, S1984, S1994, S1995
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:15 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., on Friday, March 4, 2005. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on pages S2050-
51.)