[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 15, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D241-D243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                          Wednesday, March 15, 2006

[[Page D241]]


                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S2145-S2223
Measures Introduced: Eleven bills and one resolution were introduced, 
as follows: S. 2415-2425, and S. Res. 402.
  Pages S2201-02
Measures Passed:
  National Asbestos Awareness Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 402, 
designating the first day of April 2006, as ``National Asbestos 
Awareness Day.''
  Pages S2222-23
Congressional Budget Resolution: Senate continued consideration of S. 
Con. Res. 83, setting forth the congressional budget for the United 
States Government for fiscal year 2007 and including the appropriate 
budgetary levels for fiscal years 2006 and 2008 through 2011, taking 
action on the following amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S2146-84
Adopted:
  Kyl/Cornyn Amendment No. 3068, to designate $2 billion in 
immigration- and homeland security-related funding for interior 
enforcement purposes, including, but not limited to: federal detention 
bed spaces and personnel; implementation of an expanded and user-
friendly Electronic Employment Verification System; and, additional 
worksite enforcement personnel, including additional immigration 
enforcement agents, forensics auditors, fraud agents, intelligence 
research assistants, employer outreach assistants, and others. 
                                                         Pages S2146-48
  By 60 yeas to 38 nays (Vote No. 44), Santorum Amendment No. 3050, to 
increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program. 
                                        Pages S2153, S2154-58, S2173-74
  By 90 yeas to 8 nays (Vote No. 46), McConnell Amendment No. 3061, to 
provide funding for maritime security, including the Container Security 
Initiative, improved data for targeted cargo searches, and full 
background checks and security threat assessments of personnel at our 
nation's seaports.
Pages S2146, S2175-76
  Chambliss (for Dayton) Amendment No. 3018, to restore funding for the 
Byrne/JAG grant program to the FY 2003 level of $900 million, offset 
with an across the board cut to administrative expenses, travel and 
consulting services.
Pages S2146, S2177
  By 76 yeas to 22 nays (Vote No. 48), Grassley Amendment No. 3073, to 
establish a reserve fund to allow for deficit-neutral legislation that 
would provide for an extension of the Medicare part D enrollment 
period.
Pages S2152-53, S2153-54, S2177-78
  By 54 yeas to 44 nays (Vote No. 50), Wyden (for Snowe/Wyden) 
Amendment No. 3004, to ensure that any savings associated with 
legislation that authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to use the collective purchasing power of 40,000,000 Medicare 
beneficiaries to negotiate the best possible prices for prescription 
drugs provided through part D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act 
in fallback plans, by private drug plans (if asked) and in other 
circumstances, but not permitting a uniform formulary or price-setting, 
is reserved for deficit reduction or to improve the Medicare drug 
benefit.
Pages S2165-68, S2178-79
Rejected:
  By 45 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 43), Murray Amendment No. 3063, to 
restore funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program to 
the fiscal 2004 level by closing tax loopholes previously slated for 
elimination in Senate-passed legislation.
Pages S2146, S2172-73
  By 43 yeas to 55 nays (Vote No. 45), Stabenow Amendment No. 3056, to 
provide $5 billion for our emergency responders so that they can field 
effective and reliable interoperable communications equipment to 
respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and the public safety 
needs of America's communities, and fully offset this by closing tax 
loopholes and collecting more from the tax gap.
Pages S2146, S2174-75
  By 43 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 47), Menendez Amendment No. 3054, to 
provide an additional $965 million to make our ports more secure by 
increasing port security grants, increasing inspections, improving 
existing programs, and increasing research and development, and to 
fully offset this additional funding by closing tax loopholes. 
                                                  Pages S2146, S2176-77
  By 49 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 49), Nelson Amendment No. 3009, to 
establish a deficit-neutral

[[Page D242]]

reserve fund to protect Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in the 
prescription drug benefit during 2006.
Pages S2148-52, S2178
  By 44 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 51), Byrd Amendment No. 3086, to 
preserve a national intercity passenger rail system by providing 
adequate funding of $1.45 billion for Amtrak in Fiscal Year 2007 and to 
fully offset this additional funding by closing corporate tax 
loopholes.
Pages S2168-70, S2179-80
  By 39 yeas to 59 nays (Vote No. 52), Santorum/Specter Amendment No. 
3015, to provide an additional $550,000,000 for Amtrak for fiscal year 
2007.
Pages S2170-72, S2180-84
Withdrawn:
  Byrd Amendment No. 3062, to provide $184 million over five years for 
the Mine Safety and Health Administration to hire additional mine 
safety inspectors, paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes. 
                                                     Pages S2146, S2171
Pending:
  Specter Amendment No. 3048, to increase the advance appropriations 
allowance in order to fund health, education and training, and low-
income programs.
Page S2146
  Reid (for Clinton/Reid) Amendment No. 3115, to increase funding in 
fiscal year 2007 by $347 million to restore funding or provide 
increased funding over fiscal year 2006 for programs and policies that 
support the delivery of contraceptive services and medically accurate 
information in order to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, 
including Title X of the Public Health Service Act, and to restore 
funding or provide increased funding over fiscal year 2006 for programs 
that help women have healthy pregnancies and healthy children, 
including the Child Care Development Block Grant, Maternal and Child 
Health Block Grant, Healthy Start, and the Special Supplemental 
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children paid for by closing 
corporate tax loopholes.
Page S2180
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that at 1:30 
p.m., on Thursday, March 16, 2006, all time under the Act expire.
  A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the budget resolution at 9 a.m., on Thursday, March 
16, 2006; provided further, that the time from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 
be equally divided between the Chairman and the Ranking Member; 
following which, Senate proceed to votes in relation to certain 
amendments proposed thereto; Senate then will continue debate on the 
budget resolution until 1:30 p.m., with the time equally divided; and 
that at 1:30 p.m., Senate begin a series of additional votes on certain 
amendments to be proposed thereto.
Page S2184
Debt-Limit Extension: Committee on Finance was discharged from further 
consideration of H.J. Res. 47, increasing the statutory limit on the 
public debt, and the Senate then began consideration of the joint 
resolution, taking action on the following amendment proposed thereto: 
                                                         Pages S2184-95
Pending:
  Baucus/Lincoln Amendment No. 3131, to require a study of debt held by 
foreigners.
Pages S2193-95
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the resolution on Thursday, March 16, 2006, with a 
vote on or in relation to Baucus/Lincoln Amendment No. 3131 (listed 
above), followed by a vote on final passage of the joint resolution. 
                                                             Page S2184
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Warren W. Tichenor, of Texas, to be Representative of the United 
States of America to the Office of the United Nations and Other 
International Organizations in Geneva, with the rank of Ambassador.
  Mark C. Minton, of Florida, to be Ambassador to Mongolia.
  Andrew von Eschenbach, of Texas, to be Commissioner of Food and 
Drugs, Department of Health and Human Services.
  John A. Rizzo, of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel of 
the Central Intelligence Agency.
Page S2223
Nominations Discharged: The following nominations were discharged from 
the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and then placed 
on the Executive Calendar:
  Marc L. Kesselman, of Tennessee, to be General Counsel of the 
Department of Agriculture, which was sent to the Senate on November 16, 
2005, from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry.
  Gale A. Buchanan, of Georgia, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture 
for Research, Education, and Economics, which was sent to the Senate on 
January 18, 2006, from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry.
  Boyd Kevin Rutherford, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
Agriculture, which was sent to the Senate on January 27, 2006, from the 
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Linda Avery Strachan, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
Agriculture, which was sent to the Senate on February 17, 2006, from 
the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. 
                                                     Pages S2222, S2223
Messages From the House:
  Page S2200
Measures Referred:
  Pages S2200-01

[[Page D243]]

Executive Communications:
  Page S2201
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S2201
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S2202-04
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S2204-07
Additional Statements:
  Page S2200
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S2207-21
Authorities for Committees to Meet:
  Page S2222
Record Votes: Ten record votes were taken today. (Total--52) 
                                                         Pages S2173-80
Recess: Senate convened at 9 a.m., and recessed at 8:05 p.m., until 9 
a.m., on Thursday, March 16, 2006. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on pages 
S2223.)