[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 51 (Wednesday, May 3, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D424-D427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                             Wednesday, May 3, 2006

[[Page D424]]


                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      House Committee ordered reported the National Defense 
      Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S3933-S3995
Measures Introduced: Ten bills and four resolutions were introduced, as 
follows: S. 22-23, 2701-2708, S. Res. 462-464, and S. Con. Res. 93. 
                                                         Pages S3984-85
Measures Reported:
  S. 1773, to resolve certain Native American claims in New Mexico, 
with amendments. (S. Rept. No. 109-252)                      
Page S3984
Measures Passed:
  Israel's 58th Independence Anniversary: Senate agreed to S. Res. 463, 
recognizing the 58th Anniversary of the Independence of the State of 
Israel.                                                  
  Pages S3993-94
  National Hunger Awareness Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 464, 
designating June 7, 2006, as ``National Hunger Awareness Day'' and 
authorizing the Senate offices of Senators Gordon H. Smith, Blanche L. 
Lincoln, Elizabeth Dole, and Richard J. Durbin to collect donations of 
food during the period beginning May 8, 2006, and ending June 7, 2006, 
from concerned Members of Congress and staff to assist families 
suffering from hunger and food insecurity in the Washington, D.C., 
metropolitan area.                                           
  Page S3994
  Honoring Murdered Victims in Mexico: Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 
90, conveying the sympathy of Congress to the families of the young 
women murdered in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, and encouraging 
increased United States involvement in bringing an end to these crimes.
                                                             Page S3995
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations: Senate continued consideration 
of H.R. 4939, making emergency supplemental appropriations for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, taking action on the following 
amendments proposed thereto:                             
  Pages S3937-73
Adopted:
  Menendez Modified Amendment No. 3777, to fund a United Nations 
Peacekeeping force in Darfur and to address the shortfall in the United 
States Contributions to the United Nations for international 
peacekeeping missions in 13 countries.                   
Pages S3939-40
  Cochran (for McConnell) Modified Amendment No. 3612, to provide a 
national security interest waiver on prohibitions on assistance for the 
Office of the President of the Palestinian Authority.        
Page S3940
  Cochran (for Biden) Modified Amendment No. 3719, to provide that not 
less than $250,000 of the amount appropriated for Diplomatic and 
Consular Programs assistance shall be made available for the 
establishment and support of an office of a special envoy for Sudan. 
                                                             Page S3940
  Cochran (for Leahy) Amendment No. 3823, to provide urgent assistance 
to support the demobilization process in Colombia.       
Pages S3940-41
  Cochran (for Kennedy) Amendment No. 3798, to honor Eli Segal's 
contribution to AmeriCorps by providing that the national service 
educational awards provided, from available resources, to AmeriCorps 
members on completion of their terms of service shall be known as 
``Segal awards.''                                            
Page S3941
  Cochran (for Lieberman) Amendment No. 3746, to make a technical 
amendment.                                                   
Page S3941
  Cornyn Amendment No. 3699, to establish a floor to ensure that States 
that contain areas that were adversely affected as a result of damage 
from the 2005 hurricane season receive at least 3.5 percent of funds 
set aside for the CDBG program.                      
Pages S3938, S3941
  Burr Modified Amendment No. 3713, to allocate funds to the 
Smithsonian Institution for research on avian influenza. 
                                                     Pages S3937, S3945
  Cochran (for Kennedy) Modified Amendment No. 3686, to provide funds 
to support democracy assistance programs in Iraq that promote the long 
term

[[Page D425]]

development of civil society, political parties, election processes, 
the rule of law, reconciliation activities, and parliament in that 
country.                                                 
Pages S3945-48
  By 53 yeas to 46 nays (Vote No. 107), Murray (for Kennedy) Modified 
Amendment No. 3688, to provide funding to compensate individuals harmed 
by pandemic influenza vaccine.             
Pages S3937, S3942-43, S3948
  Biden Amendment No. 3855 (to Amendment No. 3717), to provide that no 
funds made available by title I of this Act may be made available to 
establish permanent United States military bases in Iraq or to exercise 
control by the United States over the oil infrastructure or oil 
resources of Iraq.                                   
Pages S3949, S3952
  Biden Amendment No. 3717, to provide that none of the funds made 
available by title I of this Act may be made available to establish 
permanent military bases in Iraq or to exercise control over the oil 
infrastructure or oil resources of Iraq.          
Pages S3948-49, S3952
  Cochran (for Lott) Amendment No. 3605, to designate the Navy, acting 
through the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, as the agent for all 
matters relating to the construction of a new Armed Forces Retirement 
Home in Gulfport, Mississippi.                               
Page S3963
  Cochran (for Leahy) Modified Amendment No. 3657, to address a 
shortfall in funding for international disaster and famine assistance 
and for hurricane relief.                                
Pages S3963-64
  By 51 yeas to 45 nays (Vote No. 110), Inouye Amendment No. 3601, to 
provide assistance relating to assessments and monitoring of waters in 
the State of Hawaii.                                     
Pages S3966-68
Rejected:
  By 37 yeas to 61 nays (Vote No. 108), McCain/Ensign Amendment No. 
3616, to strike a provision that provides $74.5 million to states based 
on their production of certain types of crops, livestock and or dairy 
products, which was not included in the Administration's emergency 
supplemental request.                      
Pages S3937, S3953-55, S3964
  By 43 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 109), Inouye Amendment No. 3673, to 
increase funds made available for assessments of critical reservoirs 
and dams in the State of Hawaii.                         
Pages S3966-67
Withdrawn:
  Coburn Amendment No. 3641 (Division XIX), relative to the 
construction of the Sacramento Riverbank Protection Project in 
California.                                          
Pages S3937, S3938
  Coburn Amendment No. 3817, to strike a provision relating to the 
Office of Job Corps, Department of Labor.                
Pages S3938-39
  McCain/Ensign Amendment No. 3618, to strike $15 million for a seafood 
promotion strategy that was not included in the Administration's 
emergency supplemental request.                      
Pages S3937, S3952
  McCain/Ensign Amendment No. 3619, to strike the limitation on the use 
of funds for the issuance or implementation of certain rulemaking 
decisions related to the interpretation of ``actual control'' of 
airlines.                                            
Pages S3937, S3952
  Murray (for Harkin) Amendment No. 3714, to increase by $8,500,000 the 
amount appropriated for Economic Support Fund assistance, to provide 
that such funds shall be made available to the United States Institute 
of Peace for programs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to provide an 
offset.                                              
Pages S3937, S3952
  Murray (for Kennedy) Amendment No. 3716, to provide funds to promote 
democracy in Iraq.                                   
Pages S3937, S3952
Pending:
  Thune Amendment No. 3704, to provide, with an offset, $20,000,000 for 
the Department of Veterans Affairs for Medical Facilities.
  Vitter/Landrieu Modified Amendment No. 3728, to provide for flood 
prevention in the State of Louisiana, with an offset.    
Pages S4955-57
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  Chair sustained a point of order under rule XXII, that the following 
amendments were not germane, and the amendments thus fell:
  Warner Amendment No. 3620, to repeal the requirement for 12 
operational aircraft carriers within the Navy.       
Pages S3937, S3969
  Vitter Modified Amendment No. 3628, to base the allocation of 
hurricane disaster relief and recovery funds to States on need and 
physical damages.                                    
Pages S3937, S3969
  Wyden Amendment No. 3665, to prohibit the use of funds to provide 
royalty relief for the production of oil and natural gas. 
                                                     Pages S3937, S3969
  Santorum Modified Amendment No. 3640, to increase by $12,500,000 the 
amount appropriated for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, to 
increase by $12,500,000 the amount appropriated for the Department of 
State for the Democracy Fund, to provide that such funds shall be made 
available for democracy programs and activities in Iran, and to provide 
an offset.                                           
Pages S3937, S3969
  Salazar/Baucus Amendment No. 3645, to provide funding for critical 
hazardous fuels and forest health projects to reduce the risk of 
catastrophic fires and mitigate the effects of widespread insect 
infestations.                                        
Pages S3937, S3969

[[Page D426]]


  Vitter Amendment No. 3668, to provide for the treatment of a certain 
Corps of Engineers project.                          
Pages S3937, S3969
  Coburn (for Obama/Coburn) Amendment No. 3693, to reduce wasteful 
spending by limiting to the reasonable industry standard the spending 
for administrative overhead allowable under Federal contracts and 
subcontracts.                                        
Pages S3937, S3969
  Coburn (for Obama/Coburn) Amendment No. 3694, to improve 
accountability for competitive contracting in hurricane recovery by 
requiring the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to 
approve contracts awarded without competitive procedures. 
                                                     Pages S3937, S3969
  Coburn (for Obama/Coburn) Amendment No. 3695, to improve financial 
transparency in hurricane recovery by requiring the Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget to make information about Federal 
contracts publicly available.                        
Pages S3937, S3969
  Coburn (for Obama/Coburn) Amendment No. 3697, to improve transparency 
and accountability by establishing a Chief Financial Officer to oversee 
hurricane relief and recovery efforts.               
Pages S3937, S3969
  Menendez Amendment No. 3675, to provide additional appropriations for 
research, development, acquisition, and operations by the Domestic 
Nuclear Detection Office, for the purchase of container inspection 
equipment for developing countries, for the implementation of the 
Transportation Worker Identification Credential program, and for the 
training of Customs and Border Protection officials on the use of new 
technologies.                                        
Pages S3937, S3969
  Conrad/Clinton Amendment No. 3715, to offset the costs of defense 
spending in the supplemental appropriation.          
Pages S3937, S3969
  Levin Amendment No. 3710, to require reports on policy and political 
developments in Iraq.                                
Pages S3937, S3969
  Schumer/Reid Amendment No. 3723, to appropriate funds to address 
price-gouging and market manipulation and to provide for a report on 
oil industry mergers.                                
Pages S3937, S3969
  Schumer Amendment No. 3724, to improve maritime container security. 
                                                     Pages S3937, S3969
  Cornyn Amendment No. 3722, to provide for immigration injunction 
reform.                                              
Pages S3937, S3969
  Cornyn Amendment No. 3672, to require that the Secretary of Labor 
give priority for national emergency grants to States that assist 
individuals displaced by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. 
                                                     Pages S3938, S3969
  Murray (for Byrd) Amendment No. 3708, to provide additional amounts 
for emergency management performance grants.         
Pages S3938, S3969
  Landrieu Amendment No. 3750, to direct the Secretary of the Army to 
develop a comprehensive plan for the deauthorization of deep draft 
navigation on the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and address wetland 
losses and other issues relating to that Outlet. 
                                                  Pages S3943-44, S3969
  Landrieu Amendment No. 3752, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to 
provide a grant to the Port of New Orleans to mitigate increased costs 
resulting from the loss of deep draft navigation access to certain 
facilities at the Port in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 
                                                  Pages S3944-45, S3969
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that when the 
Senate resumes consideration of the bill on Thursday, May 4, 2006, 
Senate proceed to consider votes on or in relation to Thune Amendment 
No. 3704 and Vitter Amendment No. 3728, as modified (both listed 
above), provided further, that the bill then be read a third time and 
the Senate proceed to a vote on final passage; that following passage, 
Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House 
thereon, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part 
of the Senate.                                               
Page S3969
  A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at approximately 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, May 
4, 2006.                                                     
Page S3995
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Mark Myers, of Alaska, to be Director of the United States Geological 
Survey.
  Susan C. Schwab, of Maryland, to be United States Trade 
Representative, with the rank of Ambassador.
  1 Air Force nomination in the rank of general.
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.
  3 Coast Guard nominations in the rank of admiral.
  A routine list in the Coast Guard.                         
Page S3995
Nominations Withdrawn: Senate received notification of withdrawal of 
the following nomination:
  A routine list in the Coast Guard.                         
Page S3995
Messages From the House:                                     
  Page S3982
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S3982
Measures Placed on Calendar:                                 
  Page S3982
Measures Read First Time:                                    
  Page S3982
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S3983-84
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S3985-86
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S3986-92
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S3981-82

[[Page D427]]

Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                            
  Pages S3992-93
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S3993
Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--110) 
                                       Pages S3948, S3964, S3967, S3968
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:50 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., on Thursday, May 4, 2006. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S3995.)