[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 120 (Thursday, September 22, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D952-D954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                       Thursday, September 22, 2005

[[Page D952]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS:

      Senate passed H.R. 2744, Agriculture Appropriations.
      Senate passed H.R. 2528, Military Construction/Veterans Affairs 
      Appropriations.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S10327-S10393
Measures Introduced: Seventeen bills and four resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 1750-1766, and S. Res. 247-250. 
                                                            Page S10378
Measures Passed:
  Agriculture Appropriations: By 97 yeas to 2 nays (Vote No. 241), 
Senate passed H.R. 2744, making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, after taking 
action on the following amendments proposed thereto:    
  Pages S10327-32
Rejected:
  By 47 yeas to 52 nays (Vote No. 240), Dayton Modified Amendment No. 
1844, to condition the use of funds for carrying out a provision 
relating to prevented planting payments, with an offset. 
                                                        Pages S10327-28
Withdrawn:
  Bingaman (for Jeffords) Amendment No. 1796, to provide funds to carry 
out the historic barn preservation program, with an offset. 
                                                            Page S10327
  A unanimous-consent request was granted permitting Senator Stevens to 
change his nay vote to a yea vote on Vote No. 237 changing the outcome 
of the vote to 69 yeas to 28 nays relative to Ensign Amendment No. 
1753, as modified (adopted on September 20, 2005).          
Page S10332
  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 Bennett, Cochran, 
Specter, Bond, McConnell, Burns, Craig, Brownback, Stevens, Kohl, 
Harkin, Dorgan, Feinstein, Durbin, Johnson, Landrieu, and Byrd. 
                                                            Page S10332
  Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations: By a unanimous 
vote of 98 yeas (Vote No. 243), Senate passed H.R. 2528, making 
appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and 
Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, 
agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, 
which will be considered as original text for the purpose of further 
amendment, after taking action on the following amendments proposed 
thereto:                                                
  Pages S10335-60
Adopted:
  Hutchison (for Coburn) Amendment No. 1858, to require that any 
limitation, directive, or earmarking contained in either the House of 
Representatives or Senate report accompanying this bill be included in 
the conference report or joint statement accompanying the bill in order 
to be considered as having been approved by both Houses of Congress. 
                                                            Page S10353
  Hutchison (for Carper) Amendment No. 1859, to provide that, of the 
amount made available by title I for military construction for the Air 
National Guard and available for planning and design, $1,440,000 shall 
be made available for planning and design for a replacement C-130 
maintenance hangar at Air National Guard New Castle County Airport, 
Delaware.                                                   
Page S10353
  Hutchison (for Boxer) Amendment No. 1860, to require a report on 
housing assistance to low-income veterans.                  
Page S10353
  Hutchison (for Chambliss/Isakson) Amendment No. 1861, to provide 
that, of the amount appropriated by this title under the heading 
``Military Construction, Army'', $4,550,000 shall be made available for 
the construction of a military police complex at Fort Gordon, Georgia, 
and to provide an offset.                               
Pages S10353-54

[[Page D953]]


  Hutchison (for Feinstein) Amendment No. 1862, to increase by 
$25,000,000 the amount made available by title I for the Department of 
Defense Base Closure Account 1990, and to provide an offset. 
                                                            Page S10354
  Hutchison (for Feingold/Salazar) Amendment No. 1863, to require the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on a plan to 
provide veterans benefits handbooks to all county veterans service 
officers.                                                   
Page S10354
  Hutchison (for Durbin/Murray) Amendment No. 1864, to place conditions 
on the use of appropriated funds for reviewing or revoking approved 
disability claims for post-traumatic stress disorder and to prohibit 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from using Federal funds for certain 
investigations until after the submission of a detailed implementation 
plan to the Committee on Appropriations.                    
Page S10354
  Hutchison (for Durbin) Amendment No. 1865, to instruct the Department 
of Veterans Affairs to conduct a veterans disability compensation 
information campaign.                        
Pages S10354-55, S10355-56
  Hutchison (for Jeffords) Amendment No. 1866, to provide clinical 
training and protocols to meet the mental health care needs of 
servicemembers and veterans.                                
Page S10355
  Hutchison (for Salazar) Amendment No. 1867, to require a report on 
any Department of Veterans Affairs budget shortfall totaling 2 percent 
or more of the Department's total discretionary funding budget for a 
fiscal year.                                                
Page S10356
  Craig (for Salazar) Amendment No. 1868, to assist rural veterans. 
                                                        Pages S10356-59
Rejected:
  By 48 yeas to 50 nays (Vote No. 242), Akaka Amendment No. 1852, to 
provide an additional $10,000,000 for the Readjustment Counseling 
Service, with a corresponding offset from the HealtheVet account. 
                                             Pages S10351-53, S10359-60
  Senate insisted on its amendments, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair was authorized to appoint the following 
conferees on the part of the Senate: Senators Hutchison, Burns, Craig, 
DeWine, Brownback, Allard, McConnell, Cochran, Feinstein, Inouye, 
Johnson, Landrieu, Byrd, Murray and Leahy.                  
Page S10360
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that, 
notwithstanding the earlier passage of the bill, the following 
amendments be agreed to:
  Frist (for Hutchison) Amendment No. 1870, to provide funds for Phase 
1a of a Permanent Party Barracks at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and for 
an Airfield Fire Station at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.            
Page S10391
  Frist (for Hutchison) Amendment No. 1871, to make funds available for 
a B-2 Conventional Munitions Storage Facility at Whiteman Air Force 
Base, Missouri and for Phase 1 of Force Protection Enhancement at Vance 
Air Force Base, Oklahoma.                                   
Page S10391
  Children Displaced by Hurricane Katrina: Senate passed S. 1764, to 
provide for the continued education of students affected by Hurricane 
Katrina.                                                
  Pages S10387-88
  Indian Financing Act Amendment: Senate passed S. 1758, to amend the 
Indian Financing Act of 1974, to provide for sale and assignment of 
loans and underlying security.                          
  Pages S10388-89
  Commending James Madison Council: Senate agreed to S. Res. 247, 
commending the Library of Congress's private-sector advisory body, the 
James Madison Council, and its Founding Chairman, John W. Kluge on 15 
years of exemplary service to Congress and the Nation and looking 
forward to the Council's continued success in the years ahead. 
                                                        Pages S10389-90
  Commemorating West Oahu Little League Team: Senate agreed to S. Res. 
248, commemorating the West Oahu Little League Team for winning the 
2005 Little League World Series.                            
  Page S10390
  Commemorating Oahu All-Stars: Senate agreed to S. Res. 249, 
commemorating the Oahu All-Stars for winning the 2005 Cal Ripken World 
Series and the Hawaii Warriors for winning the 2005 Continental Amateur 
Baseball Association World Series (ages 9-under).       
  Pages S10390-91
  Supporting Gold Star Mothers Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 250, 
supporting the goals and ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day.   
  Page S10391
  Infant Mortality Awareness Month: Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions was discharged from further consideration of S. 
Res. 239, supporting the goals and ideals of Infant Mortality Awareness 
Month, and the resolution was then agreed to.               
  Page S10391
  Grain Standards Act Authorization: Senate passed S. 1752, to amend 
the United States Grain Standards Act to reauthorize that Act. 
                                                            Page S10392
Roberts Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time agreement was 
reached providing that at 1 p.m., on Monday, September 26, 2005, Senate 
begin consideration of the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr., of 
Maryland, to be Chief Justice of the United States.         
  Page S10392
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nomination:
  Robert B. Holland III, of Texas, to be United States Executive 
Director of the International Bank

[[Page D954]]

for Reconstruction and Development for a term of two years. (Prior to 
this action, Committee on Foreign Relations was discharged from further 
consideration.)                                             
Page S10393
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Dorrance Smith, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense.
  Katherine Baicker, of New Hampshire, to be a Member of the Council of 
Economic Advisers.
  Matthew Slaughter, of New Hampshire, to be a Member of the Council of 
Economic Advisers.
  Benson K. Whitney, of Minnesota, to be Ambassador to Norway.
  David M. Hale, of New Jersey, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign 
Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom 
of Jordan.
  John O. Agwunobi, of Florida, to be Medical Director in the Regular 
Corps of the Public Health Service, subject to the qualifications 
therefor as provided by law and regulations.
  1 Air Force nomination in the rank of general.
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.                 
Page S10393
Messages From the House:                                    
  Page S10373
Measures Referred:                                          
  Page S10373
Measures Placed on Calendar:                                
  Page S10373
Measures Read First Time:                                   
  Page S10373
Enrolled Bills Presented:                                   
  Page S10373
Executive Communications:                               
  Pages S10373-77
Executive Reports of Committees:                        
  Pages S10377-78
Additional Cosponsors:                                  
  Pages S10378-79
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:             
  Pages S10379-83
Additional Statements:                                  
  Pages S10372-73
Amendments Submitted:                                   
  Pages S10383-86
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                               
  Page S10386
Authority for Committees to Meet:                       
  Pages S10386-87
Privilege of the Floor:                                     
  Page S10387
Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--243) 
                                Pages S10328, S10332, S10359-60, S10360
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:28 p.m., 
until 1 p.m., on Monday, September 26, 2005. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S10392-
93.)