[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 26, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D387-D389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 20 public bills, H.R. 5196-
5215; and 10 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 390-394; and H. Res. 778-782 
were introduced.
  Pages H1851-53
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages H1853-54
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 3496, to amend the National Capital Transportation Act of 1969 
to authorize additional Federal contributions for maintaining and 
improving the transit system of the Washington Metropolitan Area 
Transit Authority, and for other purposes, amended (H. Rept. 109-440); 
and
  H. Res. 783, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4975) to 
provide greater transparency

[[Page D388]]

with respect to lobbying activities, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 
109-441).
Page H1851
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed 
Representative Capito to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H1745
Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the guest Chaplain, Rev. John 
Hergenrother, Presiding Judge, Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Chicago. 
                                                             Page H1745
Suspensions: The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the 
following measures:
  Urging the Government of China to reinstate all licenses of Gao 
Zhisheng and his law firm, remove all legal and political obstacles for 
lawyers attempting to defend criminal cases in China, including 
politically sensitive cases, and revise law and practice in China so 
that it conforms to international standards: H. Con. Res. 365, to urge 
the Government of China to reinstate all licenses of Gao Zhisheng and 
his law firm, remove all legal and political obstacles for lawyers 
attempting to defend criminal cases in China, including politically 
sensitive cases, and revise law and practice in China so that it 
conforms to international standards, by a yea-and-nay vote of 421 yeas 
with none voting ``nay'' and 1 voting ``present'', Roll No. 104; and 
                                                  Pages H1751-54, H1785
  Iran Freedom Support Act: H.R. 282, amended, to hold the current 
regime in Iran accountable for its threatening behavior and to support 
a transition to democracy in Iran, by a yea-and-nay vote of 397 yeas to 
21 nays, Roll No. 105.
  Pages H1754-74, H1785-86
Discharge Petition: Representative Markey moved to discharge the 
Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Education and the 
Workforce from the consideration of H.R. 4263, to amend the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a temporary windfall profit tax on crude 
oil, to establish the Consumer Energy Assistance Trust Fund, and to 
provide for a rebate to energy consumers (Discharge Petition No. 12).
Committee Election: The House agreed to H. Res. 778, electing 
Representative Berman to the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct, to rank immediately ahead of Representative Jones of Ohio. 
                                                             Page H1786
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007: The House passed 
H.R. 5020, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2007 for 
intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States 
Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central 
Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, by a recorded 
vote of 327 ayes to 96 noes, Roll No. 108.
  Pages H1786-H1812
  Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
recommended by the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence now 
printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the 
purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read. 
                                                      Pages H1795-H1808
  Rejected Mr. Schiff motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on 
Intelligence with instructions to report the same back to the House 
forthwith with amendments, by a recorded vote of 195 ayes to 230 noes, 
Roll No. 107, after ordering the previous question without objection. 
                                                         Pages H1809-11
Agreed to:
  Hoekstra amendment (No. 1 printed in H. Rept. 109-438) strikes a 
provision relating to the Freedom of Information Act in Section 421 of 
the Committee Amendment, relating to protection of intelligence sources 
and methods. The amendment clarifies that the membership of the Drug 
Enforcement Administration on the intelligence community is limited to 
the Office of National Security Intelligence of the Drug Enforcement 
Administration;
Pages H1800-01
  Fossella amendment (No. 2 printed in H. Rept. 109-438) authorizes $5 
million for a study to be conducted by the Secretary of the Department 
of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Director of National Intelligence 
(DNI) to identify the problems and the successes of terrorist-threat 
information sharing between the Federal, State, and local levels of 
government. The amendment also authorizes $10 million to establish 
centers of best practices. $3 million is authorized for the following 
five years to cover operational expenses of the centers; 
                                                         Pages H1801-02
  Lee amendment (No. 3 printed in H. Rept. 109-438) requires a report 
to House and Senate Intelligence committees describing any 
authorization granted during the past 10 years to engage in 
intelligence activities related to the overthrow of a democratically 
elected government;
Pages H1803-04
  Price of North Carolina amendment (No. 4 printed in H. Rept. 109-438) 
requires: (1) the DNI to report to Congress on regulations issued by 
agencies within the Intelligence Community regarding minimum standards 
for hiring and training of contractors, functions appropriate for 
private sector contractors, and procedures for preventing waste, fraud, 
and abuse; (2) contractors awarded Intelligence Community contracts to 
provide a transparent accounting of their work to their contracting 
officers within Intelligence Community agencies; (3) the DNI to submit 
an annual report to Congress on the contracts awarded by Intelligence 
Community agencies; and (4) the

[[Page D389]]

DNI to make recommendations to Congress on enhancing the Intelligence 
Community's ability to hire, promote, and retain highly qualified and 
experienced professional staff;
Pages H1804-05
  Andrews amendment (No. 5 printed in H. Rept. 109-438) requires the 
Director of National Intelligence to provide the Congress with a 
quarterly classified intelligence report on insurgent forces in Iraq. 
The report would contain intelligence on (1) the number of insurgent 
forces in Iraq, (2) the number of insurgent forces that are former 
members of the Ba'ath Party, (3) the number of insurgent forces that 
are members of al Qaeda or other known terrorist organizations, and (4) 
a description of where the insurgent forces are located, their 
capabilities and sources of funding; and
Pages H1805-06
  Renzi amendment (No. 6 printed in H. Rept. 109-438) makes findings 
with respect to the President's authority to protect national security 
information and the harm from unauthorized disclosures of classified 
information, and express the Sense of Congress that the President 
should utilize his constitutional authority to the fullest extent 
practicable (where warranted) to classify and protect national security 
information and take action against persons who commit unauthorized 
disclosures (by a recorded vote of 366 ayes to 56 noes with 1 voting 
``present'', Roll No. 106).
Pages H1806-08
  Agreed that the Clerk be authorized to make technical and conforming 
changes to reflect the actions of the House.
Page H1812
  H. Res. 774, the rule providing for consideration of the bill was 
agreed to by a yea-and-nay vote of 227 yeas to 198 nays, Roll No. 103, 
after agreeing to order the previous question by a yea-and-nay vote of 
228 yeas to 194 nays, Roll No. 102.
Pages H1774-85
Tax Relief Act of 2005--Motion to Instruct Conferees: The House 
completed general debate on the McDermott motion to instruct conferees 
on H.R. 4297, to provide for reconciliation pursuant to section 201(b) 
of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2006. 
Further consideration will resume at a later date.
  Pages H1813-19
Presidential Message: Read a letter from the President wherein he 
transmitted notification of his issuance of an Executive Order blocking 
property of persons in connection with the terrorist act in Beirut, 
Lebanon, on February 14, 2005 and to take additional steps to a 
national emergency with respect to the Government of Syria--referred to 
the Committee on International Relations (H. Doc. 109-100). 
                                                         Pages H1819-20
Senate Message: Message received from the Senate today appears on page 
H1750.
Senate Referrals: S. Res. 443 was held at the desk.
Quorum Calls--Votes: Four yea-and-nay votes and three recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H1783-84, 
H1784-85, H1785, H1785-86, H1808, H1810-11, and H1811-12. There were no 
quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 12:01 a.m.