[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 109 (Thursday, September 7, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D921-D923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                        Thursday, September 7, 2006

[[Page D921]]


                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed H.R. 5631, Department of Defense Appropriations 
      Act.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S9071-S9226
Measures Introduced: Seventeen bills and three resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 3862-3878, and S. Res. 559-561. 
                                                         Pages S9111-12
Measures Reported:
  H.R. 866, to make technical corrections to the United States Code.
  H.R. 1442, to complete the codification of title 46, United States 
Code, ``Shipping'', as positive law.                         
Page S9110
Measures Passed:
  Department of Defense Appropriations Act: By a unanimous vote of 98 
yeas (Vote No. 239), Senate passed H.R. 5631, making appropriations for 
the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2007, after taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto:
                                                         Pages S9075-98
Adopted:
  By a unanimous vote of 96 yeas (Vote No. 235), Conrad Amendment No. 
4907, to enhance intelligence community efforts to bring Osama bin 
Laden and other key leaders of al Qaeda to the justice they deserve. 
                                                         Pages S9075-82
  Schumer Amendment No. 4897, to make available up to an additional 
$700,000,000 for Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities to 
combat the growth of poppies in Afghanistan, to eliminate the 
production and trade of opium and heroin, and to prevent terrorists 
from using the proceeds for terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Iraq, 
and elsewhere, and to designate the additional amount as emergency 
spending. (Senate earlier failed to table the amendment by 45 yeas to 
51 nays (Vote No. 237)).                      
Pages S9085, S9086, S9089
  Boxer Modified Amendment No. 4913, to require a report on procedures 
and guidelines the event of further sectarian violence. 
                                                         Pages S9090-91
  Kennedy/Hatch Amendment No. 4857, to provide that none of the funds 
appropriated by this Act may be available for the conversion to 
contractor performance of certain activities or functions of the 
Department of Defense in cases where the contractor receives a 
competitive advantage by offering inferior retirement benefits to 
workers who are going to be employed in the performance of such 
activities or functions than those offered by the Department to 
comparable civilian employees.                 
Pages S9089-90, S9091-92
  Stevens (for Graham) Amendment No. 4900, to make available up to 
$2,000,000 for infrastructure for the Afghanistan military legal 
system.                                                  
Pages S9091-92
  Stevens (for Baucus) Amendment No. 4894, to make available from Other 
Procurement, Army, up to $1,500,000 for a Convoy Training Simulator for 
the Montana Army National Guard.                         
Pages S9091-92
  Stevens (for Cochran) Amendment No. 4916, to make available from 
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy, up to $300,000 for 
independent testing of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device 
Neutralizer III.                                         
Pages S9091-92
  Stevens (for Lieberman/Dodd) Amendment No. 4901, to make available 
from Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide, up to 
$1,500,000 for the development of a field-deployable hydrogen fueling 
station.                                                 
Pages S9091-92
  Stevens (for Bayh) Modified Amendment No. 4903, to make available 
from Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide, up to 
$6,000,000 for research and development on bioterrorism threats to 
troops.                                                  
Pages S9091-92
  Stevens/Murkowski Amendment No. 4917, to provide the Secretary of the 
Army the ability to reimburse servicemembers and their families for 
financial hardships due to extended deployment overseas. 
                                                         Pages S9091-92
  Stevens (for Reid/Obama) Amendment No. 4912, to increase by 
$20,000,000 the amount made available by chapter 2 of title IX for 
Operation and

[[Page D922]]

Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the purpose of assisting the African 
Union force in Sudan.                                    
Pages S9091-92
  Stevens Amendment No. 4918, to make available from Research, 
Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide, up to $1,000,000 for 
research and development on the heavy fuel diesel engine. 
                                                         Pages S9091-92
  Bingaman Amendment No. 4915, to appropriate funds for emergency 
wildfire suppression.                                    
Pages S9092-93
  By a unanimous vote of 98 yeas (Vote No. 238), Reed/Bayh Amendment 
No. 4911, to make available an additional $65,400,000 for additional 
appropriations for Aircraft Procurement, Air Force, for the procurement 
of Predators for Special Operations forces, and to designate the amount 
as an emergency requirement.                      
Pages S9086-87, S9094
Rejected:
  Menendez Amendment No. 4909, to prohibit the use of funds for a 
public relations program designed to monitor news media in the United 
States and the Middle East and create a database of news stories to 
promote positive coverage of the war in Iraq. (By 51 yeas to 44 nays 
(Vote No. 236), Senate tabled the amendment.) 
                                     Pages S9083-85, S9085-86, S9087-89
Withdrawn:
  Rockefeller Amendment No. 4906, to strike the section specifically 
authorizing intelligence and intelligence-related activities. 
                                                  Pages S9075, S9091-92
  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 Stevens, Cochran, 
Specter, Domenici, Bond, McConnell, Shelby, Gregg, Hutchison, Burns, 
Inouye, Byrd, Leahy, Harkin, Dorgan, Durbin, Reid, Feinstein, and 
Mikulski.                                                    
Page S9098
  Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act: Senate passed S. 
2590, to require full disclosure of all entities and organizations 
receiving Federal funds, after agreeing to the committee amendment in 
the nature of a substitute.                              
  Pages S9209-12
  Childhood Cancer Awareness: Senate agreed to S. Res. 560, supporting 
efforts to increase childhood cancer awareness, treatment, and 
research.                                                    
  Page S9212
  Rural America Month: Senate agreed to S. Res. 561, designating the 
month of September 2006, as ``Rural America Month''.         
  Page S9212
  Comair Flight 5191: Committee on the Judiciary was discharged from 
further consideration of S. Res. 558, honoring the lives and memory of 
the victims of the crash of Comair Flight 5191, and extending the most 
sincere condolences of the citizens of the United States to the 
families and friends of those individuals, and the resolution was then 
agreed to.                                               
  Pages S9212-13
  U.S.-Poland Parliamentary Youth Exchange Program Act: Senate passed 
S. 2200, to establish a United States-Poland parliamentary youth 
exchange program, after agreeing to the committee amendments. 
                                                         Pages S9213-14
  United States Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs Act: Senate passed S. 
2697, to establish the position of the United States Ambassador for 
ASEAN Affairs, after agreeing to the committee amendments. 
                                                         Pages S9214-15
  Naval Vessels Transfer Act: Senate passed S. 3722, to authorize the 
transfer of naval vessels to certain foreign recipients.     
  Page S9215
  Stolen Valor Act: Committee on the Judiciary was discharged from 
further consideration of S. 1998, to amend title 18, United States 
Code, to enhance protections relating to the reputation and meaning of 
the Medal of Honor and other military decorations and awards, and the 
bill was then passed.                                    
  Pages S9215-16
  Safe Port Act: Senate began consideration of H.R. 4954, to improve 
maritime and cargo security through enhanced layered defenses, taking 
action on the following amendment proposed thereto:   
  Pages S9098-S9104
Adopted:
  Frist Amendment No. 4919, in the nature of a substitute (which will 
be considered as original text for the purpose of further amendment). 
                                                             Page S9098
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 8, 2006. 
                                                             Page S9216
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Mary E. Peters, of Arizona, to be Secretary of Transportation.
  Dean A. Pinkert, of Virginia, to be a Member of the United States 
International Trade Commission for the term expiring December 16, 2015.
  Irving A. Williamson, of New York, to be a Member of the United 
States International Trade Commission for the term expiring June 16, 
2014.
  Donald Y. Yamamoto, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Federal 
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
  Michael F. Duffy, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the 
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission for a term of six 
years expiring August 30, 2012 (Recess Appointment).

[[Page D923]]


  Lauren M. Maddox, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary for 
Communications and Outreach, Department of Education.
  Daniel Meron, of Maryland, to be General Counsel of the Department of 
Health and Human Services (Recess Appointment).
  Paul DeCamp, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Wage and Hour 
Division, Department of Labor (Recess Appointment).
  Jovita Carranza, of Illinois, to be Deputy Administrator of the Small 
Business Administration.
  1 Air Force nomination in the rank of general.
  2 Army nominations in the rank of general.
  7 Coast Guard nominations in the rank of admiral.
  1 Marine Corps nomination in the rank of general.
  1 Navy nomination in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, 
Navy.                                                    
Pages S9216-26
Messages From the House:                                 
  Pages S9107-08
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S9108
Measures Read First Time:                                    
  Page S9108
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S9108-10
Executive Reports of Committees:                         
  Pages S9110-11
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S9112-13
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S9113-93
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S9105-07
Amendments Submitted:                                 
  Pages S9113-S9209
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S9209
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S9209
Record Votes: Five record votes were taken today. (Total--239) 
                                        Page S9082, S9089, S9094, S9098
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:59 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., on Friday, September 8, 2006. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S9216.)