[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 15 (Thursday, January 25, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D87-D89]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                         Thursday, January 25, 2007

[[Page D87]]


                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1135-S1205
Measures Introduced: Sixteen bills and five resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 387-402, and S. Res. 40-44.
  Pages S1188-89
Measures Reported:
  S. Res. 21, recognizing the uncommon valor of Wesley Autrey of New 
York, New York.
  S. Res. 24, designating January 2007 as ``National Stalking Awareness 
Month''.
  S. Res. 29, expressing the sense of the Senate regarding Martin 
Luther King, Jr. Day and the many lessons still to be learned from Dr. 
King's example of nonviolence, courage, compassion, dignity, and public 
service.
  S. Res. 40, authorizing expenditures by the Senate Committee on 
Indian Affairs.
  S. Res. 42, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on the 
Judiciary.
Page S1188
Measures Passed:
  Philadelphia Academy of Music: Senate agreed to S. Res. 43, honoring 
the important contributions to the Nation of the Academy of Music in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on its 150th Anniversary.
  Page S1204
  New Effective Date of Law: Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban 
Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 188, to 
provide a new effective date for the applicability of certain 
provisions of law to Public Law 105-331, and the bill was then passed, 
clearing the measure for the President.
  Page S1204
Fair Minimum Wage: Senate continued consideration of H.R. 2, to amend 
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the 
Federal minimum wage, taking action on the following amendments 
proposed thereto:
  Pages S1136-82
Adopted:
  By a unanimous vote of 93 yeas (Vote No. 27), Baucus Amendment No. 
207 (to Amendment No. 100), to express the sense of the Senate that 
Congress should repeal the 1993 tax increase on Social Security 
benefits and eliminate wasteful spending, such as spending on 
unnecessary tax loopholes, in order to fully offset the cost of such 
repeal and avoid forcing taxpayers to pay substantially more interest 
to foreign creditors.
Pages S1160-62
  Collins Amendment No. 204 (to Amendment No. 113), to amend the 
Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to permanently extend and 
increase the above-the-line deduction for teacher classroom supplies 
and to expand such deduction to include qualified professional 
development expenses.
Pages S1164-67
  By a unanimous vote of 90 yeas (Vote No. 29), Baucus Amendment No. 
206 (to Amendment No. 100), to express the sense of the Senate that 
Congress should make permanent the tax incentives to make education 
more affordable and more accessible for American families and eliminate 
wasteful spending, such as spending on unnecessary tax loopholes, in 
order to fully offset the cost of such incentives and avoid forcing 
taxpayers to pay substantially more interest to foreign creditors. 
                                                  Pages S1159, S1167-70
  By a unanimous vote of 94 yeas (Vote No. 31), Sessions Amendment No. 
148 (to Amendment No. 100), to prohibit employers who unlawfully employ 
aliens from receiving government contracts.
Pages S1173-79
Rejected:
  Kyl Amendment No. 205 (to Amendment No. 100), to extend through 
December 31, 2008, the depreciation treatment of leasehold, restaurant, 
and retail space improvements. (By 50 yeas to 42 nays (Vote No. 32), 
Senate tabled the amendment.)
Pages S1152-55, S1159-60, S1179-80
Pending:
  Reid (for Baucus) Amendment No. 100, in the nature of a substitute. 
                                                         Pages S1136-82
  McConnell (for Gregg) Amendment No. 101 (to Amendment No. 100), to 
provide Congress a second look at wasteful spending by establishing 
enhanced rescission authority under fast-track procedures.
Page S1136
  Kyl Amendment No. 115 (to Amendment No. 100), to extend through 
December 31, 2008, the depreciation treatment of leasehold, restaurant, 
and retail space improvements.
Page S1136
  Enzi (for Ensign/Inhofe) Amendment No. 152 (to Amendment No. 100), to 
reduce document fraud,

[[Page D88]]

prevent identity theft, and preserve the integrity of the Social 
Security system.
Page S1136
  Enzi (for Ensign) Amendment No. 153 (to Amendment No. 100), to 
preserve and protect Social Security benefits of American workers, 
including those making minimum wage, and to help ensure greater 
Congressional oversight of the Social Security system by requiring that 
both Houses of Congress approve a totalization agreement before the 
agreement, giving foreign workers Social Security benefits, can go into 
effect.
Page S1136
  Vitter/Voinovich Amendment No. 110 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend 
title 44 of the United States Code, to provide for the suspension of 
fines under certain circumstances for first-time paperwork violations 
by small business concerns.
Page S1136
  DeMint Amendment No. 155 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend the Public 
Health Service Act to provide for cooperative governing of individual 
health insurance coverage offered in interstate commerce, and to amend 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 regarding the disposition of unused 
health benefits in cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements 
and the use of health savings accounts for the payment of health 
insurance premiums for high deductible health plans purchased in the 
individual market.
Page S1136
  DeMint Amendment No. 156 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 regarding the disposition of unused 
health benefits in cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements. 
                                                             Page S1136
  DeMint Amendment No. 157 (to the language proposed to be stricken by 
Amendment No. 100), to increase the Federal minimum wage by an amount 
that is based on applicable State minimum wages.
Page S1136
  DeMint Amendment No. 159 (to Amendment No. 100), to protect 
individuals from having their money involuntarily collected and used 
for lobbying by a labor organization.
Page S1136
  DeMint Amendment No. 160 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow certain small businesses to 
defer payment of tax.
Page S1136
  DeMint Amendment No. 161 (to Amendment No. 100), to prohibit the use 
of flexible schedules by Federal employees unless such flexible 
schedule benefits are made available to private sector employees not 
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Fair Minimum Wage 
Act of 2007.
Page S1136
  DeMint Amendment No. 162 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 regarding the minimum wage.
Page S1136
  Kennedy (for Kerry) Amendment No. 128 (to Amendment No. 100), to 
direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to 
establish a pilot program to provide regulatory compliance assistance 
to small business concerns.
Page S1136
  Martinez Amendment No. 105 (to Amendment No. 100), to clarify the 
house parent exemption to certain wage and hour requirements. 
                                                  Pages S1141, S1147-48
  Sanders Amendment No. 201 (to Amendment No. 100), to express the 
sense of the Senate concerning poverty.
Pages S1155-56
  Gregg Amendment No. 203 (to Amendment No. 100), to enable employees 
to use employee option time.
Pages S1156-58
  Burr Amendment No. 195 (to Amendment No. 100), to provide for an 
exemption to a minimum wage increase for certain employers who 
contribute to their employees' health benefit expenses.
Page S1172
  Chambliss Amendment No. 118 (to Amendment No. 100), to provide 
minimum wage rates for agricultural workers.
Pages S1172-73
  Kennedy (for Feinstein) Amendment No. 167 (to Amendment No. 118), to 
improve agricultural job opportunities, benefits, and security for 
aliens in the United States.
Page S1173
  Enzi (for Allard) Amendment No. 169 (to Amendment No. 100), to 
prevent identity theft by allowing the sharing of social security data 
among government agencies for immigration enforcement purposes. 
                                                         Pages S1180-82
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 18 yeas to 76 nays (Vote No. 25), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive section under 904(c) of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974, as made applicable by section 403(b)(1) of H. Con. 
Res. 95, Congressional Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2006, with 
respect to DeMint Amendment No. 158 (to Amendment No. 100), to increase 
the Federal minimum wage by an amount that is based on applicable State 
minimum wages. Subsequently, the point of order that the amendment was 
in violation of section 425(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 
(prohibiting unfunded that exceed the limits established by the Budget 
Act), was sustained, and the amendment thus fell.
Pages S1136-41
  By 47 yeas to 48 nays (Vote No. 26), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive section 505(a) of H. Con. Res. 95, 
Congressional Budget Resolution, with respect to Enzi (for Ensign) 
Amendment No. 154 (to Amendment No.

[[Page D89]]

100), to improve access to affordable health care. Subsequently, the 
point of order that the amendment increases mandatory spending and 
would cause an increase in the deficit in excess of levels permitted by 
H. Con. Res. 95, was sustained, and the amendment thus fell. 
                                                  Pages S1136, S1148-52
  By 42 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 28), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive section 505(a) of H. Con. Res. 95, 
Congressional Budget Resolution, with respect to Bunning Amendment No. 
119 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
to repeal the 1993 income tax increase on Social Security benefits. 
Subsequently, the point of order that the amendment increases mandatory 
spending and would cause an increase in the deficit in excess of levels 
permitted by H. Con. Res. 95, was sustained, and the amendment thus 
fell.
Pages S1136, S1161-63
  By 43 yeas to 50 nays (Vote No. 30), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive section 505(a) of H. Con. Res. 95, 
Congressional Budget Resolution, with respect to Smith Amendment No. 
113 (to Amendment No. 100), to make permanent certain education-related 
tax incentives. Subsequently, the point of order that the amendment 
increases mandatory spending and would cause an increase in the deficit 
in excess of levels permitted by H. Con. Res. 95, was sustained, and 
the amendment thus fell.
Pages S1136, S1164-71
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill on Friday, January 26, 2007, following the 
vote on the confirmation of the nomination of Lieutenant General David 
H. Petraeus, USA, to be General and Commander, Multi-National Forces--
Iraq.
Pages S1204-05
Petraeus Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time agreement was 
reached providing that at 9:00 a.m., Friday, January 26, 2007, Senate 
begin consideration of the nomination of Lieutenant General David H. 
Petraeus, USA, to be General and Commander, Multi-National Forces--
Iraq; that there be 45 minutes of debate equally divided between 
Senator Levin, and the Republican Leader, or his designee; and that 
upon conclusion of the debate, Senate vote on the confirmation of the 
nomination.
  Pages S1204-05
Executive Communications:
  Pages S1187-88
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S1189-90
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S1190-S1200
Additional Statements:
  Page S1187
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S1200-03
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:
  Page S1203
Authorities for Committees to Meet:
  Page S1203-04
Record Votes: Eight record votes were taken today. (Total--32) 
           Pages S1141, S1152, S1162, S1163, S1170, S1171, S1179, S1180
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:22 p.m., 
until 9:00 a.m., on Friday, January 26, 2006. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on 
pages S1204-05.)