[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 32 (Wednesday, March 16, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D249-D250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                          Wednesday, March 16, 2005

[[Page D249]]


                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      The House passed H.R. 1268, Emergency Supplemental Wartime 
      Appropriations Act.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S2759-S2874
Measures Introduced: Fourteen bills and three resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 632-645, S.J. Res. 10-11, and S. Res. 83. 
                                                             Page S2846
Measures Reported:
  S. 161, to provide for a land exchange in the State of Arizona 
between the Secretary of Agriculture and Yavapai Ranch Limited 
Partnership. (S. Rept. No. 109-40)
Page S2845
Concurrent Budget Resolution: Senate continued consideration of S. Con. 
Res. 18, setting forth the congressional budget for the United States 
Government for fiscal year 2006 and including the appropriate budgetary 
levels for fiscal years 2005 and 2007 through 2010, taking action on 
the following amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S2759-S2841
Adopted:
  By 96 yeas to 4 nays (Vote No. 54), Ensign Amendment No. 171, to 
increase veterans medical care by $410,000,000 in fiscal year 2006. 
                                        Pages S2759, S2787-93, S2806-07
  By 63 yeas to 37 nays (Vote No. 56), Specter/Harkin Amendment No. 
173, to increase discretionary health and education funding by 
$2,000,000,000.
Pages S2762-68, S2808
Rejected:
  By 46 yeas to 52 nays (Vote No. 51), Byrd Amendment No. 158, to 
provide adequate funding of $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2006 to 
preserve a national intercity passenger rail system. 
                                                  Pages S2759, S2793-95
  By 49 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 52) Cantwell Amendment No. 168, to 
strike section 201(a)(4) relative to the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge.
Pages S2759, S2768-87, S2795
  By 50 yeas to 50 nays (Vote No. 53), Feingold Amendment No. 186, to 
fully reinstate the pay-as-you-go requirement.
Pages S2795-S2806
  By 47 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 55), Akaka Amendment No. 149, to 
increase veterans medical care by $2.8 billion in 2006. 
                                           Pages S2759, S2787-93, S2807
Pending:
  Bingaman (for Smith) Amendment No. 204, to create a reserve fund for 
the establishment of a Bipartisan Medicaid Commission to consider and 
recommend appropriate reforms to the Medicaid program, and to strike 
Medicaid cuts to protect states and vulnerable populations. 
                                                         Pages S2808-17
  Carper Amendment No. 207, to provide for full consideration of tax 
cuts in the Senate under regular order.
Pages S2718-21
  Snowe Amendment No. 214, to ensure that any savings associated with 
legislation that provides the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
with the authority to participate in the negotiation of contracts with 
manufacturers of covered part D drugs to achieve the best possible 
prices for such drugs under part D of title XVIII of the Social 
Security Act, that requires the Secretary to negotiate contracts with 
manufacturers of such drugs for each fallback prescription drug plan, 
and that requires the Secretary to participate in the negotiation for a 
contract for any such drug upon request of a prescription drug plan or 
an MA-PD plan, is reserved for reducing expenditures under such part. 
                                                         Pages S2821-25
  Harkin Amendment No. 172, to restore the Perkins Vocational Education 
program and provide for deficit reduction paid for through the 
elimination of the phase out of the personal exemption limitation and 
itemized deduction limitation for high-income taxpayers now scheduled 
to start in 2006.
Pages S2825-27
  Hutchison Amendment No. 218, to fully fund the level of Border Patrol 
Agents authorized by the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 and 
as recommended by the 9/11 Commission.
Pages S2827-29
  Landrieu Amendment No. 219, to establish a reserve fund in the event 
that legislation is passed to

[[Page D250]]

provide a 50 percent tax credit to employers that continue to pay the 
salaries of Guard and Reserve employees who have been called to active 
duty.
Pages S2829-31
  Salazar/Conrad Amendment No. 215, to provide additional funding for 
rural education, rural health access, and rural health outreach 
programs.
Pages S2831-32
  Conrad (for Dorgan) Amendment No. 210, to repeal the tax subsidy for 
certain domestic companies which move manufacturing operations and 
American jobs offshore.
Pages S2832-33
  Collins (for Lieberman/Collins) Amendment No. 220, to protect the 
American people from terrorist attacks by restoring $565 million in 
cuts to vital first-responder programs in the Department of Homeland 
Security, including the State Homeland Security Grant program, by 
providing $150 million for port security grants and by providing $140 
million for 1,000 new border patrol agents.
Pages S2833-35
  Vitter Amendment No. 223, to express the sense of the Senate that 
Congress should provide dedicated funding for port security 
enhancements.
Pages S2835-36
  Vitter Amendment No. 224, to restore funding for Corps of Engineers 
environmental programs to fiscal year 2005 levels.
Page S2836
  Allen Modified Amendment No. 197, to increase by $1,582,700,000 over 
fiscal years 2006 through 2010 funding for Transportation (budget 
function 400) with the amount of the increase intended to be allocated 
to the Vehicle Systems account of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration for subsonic and hypersonic aeronautics research. 
                                                         Pages S2836-41
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the resolution at 9 a.m., on Thursday, March 17, 2005; 
that certain Senators be recognized to offer amendments; and that at 
approximately 1:20 p.m., Senate begin a series of votes on certain 
amendments.
Pages S2873-74
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  Ronald Rosenfeld, of Oklahoma, to be a Director of the Federal 
Housing Finance Board for the remainder of the term expiring February 
27, 2009.
  Raymond Thomas Wagner, Jr., of Missouri, to be a Member of the 
Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board for a term expiring September 
14, 2009.
  Routine lists in the Coast Guard, Foreign Service, National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration.
Pages S2873, S2874
Messages From the House:
  Page S2845
Measures Referred:
  Page S2845
Executive Communications:
  Page S2845
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S2845
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S2846-47
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S2847-60
Additional Statements:
  Pages S2843-45
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S2860-72
Authority for Committees to Meet:
  Pages S2872-73
Privilege of the Floor:
  Page S2873
Record Votes: Six record votes were taken today. (Total--56) 
                                               Pages S2794-95, S2806-08
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9 a.m., and adjourned at 9:48 p.m., 
until 9 a.m., on Thursday, March 17, 2005. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S2874.)