[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 26, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S8321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               FUNDING AUTHORITY FOR EVACUEES OF LEBANON

  Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3741 introduced earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 3741) to provide funding authority to facilitate 
     the evacuation of persons from Lebanon, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. BENNETT. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third 
time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and 
that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 3741) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 3741

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FUNDING AUTHORITY.

       (a) Transfer Authority.--
       (1) Authority.--
       (A) In general.--Upon a determination by the Secretary of 
     State described in subparagraph (B), the Secretary may 
     transfer to the ``Emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular 
     Service'' account from unobligated amounts in any account 
     under the ``Administration of Foreign Affairs'' heading such 
     sums as may be necessary--
       (i) to cover the costs of facilitating the evacuation under 
     section 4 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 
     1956 (22 U.S.C. 2671) of persons from Lebanon on or after 
     July 16, 2006; and
       (ii) to replenish the ``Emergencies in the Diplomatic and 
     Consular Service'' account up to the level of funding that 
     existed in such account on July 15, 2006.
       (B) Determination.--A determination referred to in 
     subparagraph (A) is a determination that additional funding 
     for the ``Emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular 
     Service'' account is necessary as a result of the 
     extraordinary costs of facilitating the evacuation under 
     section 4 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 
     1956 (22 U.S.C. 2671) of persons from Lebanon on or after 
     July 16, 2006.
       (C) Treatment of funds.--Amounts transferred under 
     subparagraph (A) shall be merged with amounts in the 
     ``Emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular Service'' 
     account, and shall be available for the same purposes, and 
     subject to the same conditions and limitations, as amounts in 
     such account.
       (2) Notification requirement.--
       (A) In general.--Except as provided under subparagraph (B), 
     not later than 5 days before transferring funds under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary of State shall notify the 
     appropriate congressional committees of the proposed 
     transfer.
       (B) Exigent circumstances waiver.--The Secretary may waive 
     the requirement under subparagraph (A) if exigent 
     circumstances exist. In the event of such a waiver, the 
     Secretary shall provide notice of the transfer of funds to 
     the appropriate congressional committees as early as 
     practicable, but in no event later than 3 days after such 
     transfer, including an explanation of the circumstances 
     necessitating such waiver.
       (C) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this 
     paragraph, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
     International Relations and the Committee on Appropriations 
     of the House of Representatives.
       (b) Use of Certain Funds.--Amounts appropriated or 
     otherwise made available by chapter 8 of title II of division 
     B of Public Law 109-148 under the heading ``emergencies in 
     the diplomatic and consular service'' and any other 
     unobligated amounts in the ``Emergencies in the Diplomatic 
     and Consular Service'' account may be made available to cover 
     the costs of facilitating the evacuation under section 4 of 
     the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 
     2671) of persons from Lebanon on or after July 16, 2006.

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