[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 31, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D117-D119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                        Wednesday, January 31, 2007

[[Page D117]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      The House agreed to H.J. Res. 20, making further continuing 
      appropriations for the fiscal year 2007.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1359-S1468
Measures Introduced: Thirty-two bills and fifteen resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 439-470, S. Res. 52-63, and S. Con. Res. 5-
7.
  Pages S1409-11
Measures Reported:
  S. Res. 52, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on the Budget.
  S. Res. 54, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  S. Res. 55, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs.
  S. Res. 56, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  S. Res. 57, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry.
  S. Res. 58, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation.
  S. Res. 59, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Finance.
  S. Res. 60, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  S. Res. 63, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Rules and 
Administration.
Page S1409
Measures Passed:
  National Mentoring Month: Senate agreed to S. Res. 61, designating 
January 2007 as ``National Mentoring Month''.
  Page S1466
  Catholic Schools Week: Senate agreed to S. Res. 62, recognizing the 
goals of Catholic Schools Week and honoring the valuable contributions 
of Catholic Schools in the United States.
  Page S1467
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 S1364-80
Adopted:
  Reid (for Baucus) Amendment No. 100, in the nature of a substitute. 
                                                             Page S1364
Rejected:
  Sessions (for Kyl) Amendment No. 209 (to Amendment No. 100), to 
extend through December 31, 2012, the increased expensing for small 
businesses. (By 49 yeas to 48 nays (Vote No. 37), Senate tabled the 
amendment.)
Pages S1373-75
Withdrawn:
  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 S1364
  Enzi (for Ensign/Inhofe) Amendment No. 152 (to Amendment No. 100), to 
reduce document fraud, prevent identity theft, and preserve the 
integrity of the Social Security system.
Page S1364
  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 S1364
  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 S1364
  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

[[Page D118]]

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 S1364
  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 S1364
  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 S1364
  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 S1364
  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 S1364
  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 S1364
  DeMint Amendment No. 162 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 regarding the minimum wage.
Page S1364
  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 S1364
  Martinez Amendment No. 105 (to Amendment No. 100), to clarify the 
house parent exemption to certain wage and hour requirements. 
                                                             Page S1364
  Sanders Amendment No. 201 (to Amendment No. 100), to express the 
sense of the Senate concerning poverty.
Page S1364
  Gregg Amendment No. 203 (to Amendment No. 100), to enable employees 
to use employee option time.
Page S1364
  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 S1364
  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 S1364
  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 S1364-65
  Enzi (for Cornyn) Amendment No. 135 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the Federal unemployment 
surtax.
Page S1365
  Enzi (for Cornyn) Amendment No. 138 (to Amendment No. 100), to amend 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand workplace health incentives 
by equalizing the tax consequences of employee athletic facility use. 
                                                             Page S1365
  Division I of Sessions (for Kyl) Amendment No. 210 (to Amendment No. 
100), to provide for the permanent extension of increasing expensing 
for small businesses, the depreciation treatment of leasehold, 
restaurant, and retail space improvements, and the work opportunity tax 
credit.
Page S1365
  Division II of Sessions (for Kyl) Amendment No. 210 (to Amendment No. 
100), to provide for the permanent extension of increasing expensing 
for small businesses, the depreciation treatment of leasehold, 
restaurant, and retail space improvements, and the work opportunity tax 
credit.
Page S1365
  Division III of Sessions (for Kyl) Amendment No. 210 (to Amendment 
No. 100), to provide for the permanent extension of increasing 
expensing for small businesses, the depreciation treatment of 
leasehold, restaurant, and retail space improvements, and the work 
opportunity tax credit.
Page S1365
  Division IV of Sessions (for Kyl) Amendment No. 210 (to Amendment No. 
100), to provide for the permanent extension of increasing expensing 
for small businesses, the depreciation treatment of leasehold, 
restaurant, and retail space improvements, and the work opportunity tax 
credit.
Page S1365
  Division V of Sessions (for Kyl) Amendment No. 210 (to Amendment No. 
100), to provide for the permanent extension of increasing expensing 
for small businesses, the depreciation treatment of leasehold, 
restaurant, and retail space improvements, and the work opportunity tax 
credit.
Page S1365
  Durbin Amendment No. 221 (to Amendment No. 157), to change the 
enactment date.
Page S1365
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 46 yeas to 50 nays (Vote No. 38), 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 Kyl Amendment No. 115 
(to Amendment No. 100), to extend through December 31, 2008, the 
depreciation treatment of leasehold, restaurant, and retail space

[[Page D119]]

improvements. 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 S1376-79
  By 88 yeas to 8 nays (Vote No. 39), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed 
to the motion to close further debate on the bill.
Page S1380
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that on Tuesday, 
February 1, 2007, following the votes on the confirmations of Lawrence 
Joseph O'Neill, of California, to be United States District Judge for 
the Eastern District of California, Valerie L. Baker, of California, to 
be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, 
and Gregory Kent Frizzell, of Oklahoma, to be United States District 
Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Senate continue 
consideration of the bill; provided further that the time consumed 
during the adjournment of the Senate on Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 
and during the period of morning business on Thursday, February 1, 
2007, be counted against the time for debate on the bill, pursuant to 
Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate.
Page S1466
Nominations--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached 
providing that at 11:45 a.m., on Thursday, February 1, 2007, Senate 
begin consideration of the following nominations en bloc: Lawrence 
Joseph O'Neill, of California, to be United States District Judge for 
the Eastern District of California, Valerie L. Baker, of California, to 
be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, 
and Gregory Kent Frizzell, of Oklahoma, to be United States District 
Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma; that there be 10 minutes 
for debate on the nominations, equally divided between the Chairman and 
Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary, or their designees; 
that at the conclusion, or yielding back of time, Senate vote on the 
confirmation of the nomination of Lawrence Joseph O'Neill, of 
California, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District 
of California; that following that vote Senate vote on the confirmation 
of the nomination of Valerie L. Baker, of California, to be United 
States District Judge for the Central District of California; that 
following that vote Senate vote on the confirmation of the nomination 
of Gregory Kent Frizzell, of Oklahoma, to be United States District 
Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma; that there be 2 minutes 
for debate between the second and third votes; that the Senate then 
return to legislative session and that all time consumed in executive 
session, including the time consumed during votes, count against the 
time post-cloture on H.R. 2.
  Page S1466
Messages From the House:
  Page S1408
Messages Referred:
  Page S1408
Measures Read the First Time:
  Pages S1408, S1467
Executive Communications:
  Pages S1408-09
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S1409
Additional Cosponsors:
  Page S1411
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S1411-65
Additional Statements:
  Pages S1406-08
Authorities for Committees to Meet:
  Pages S1465-66
Privileges of the Floor:
  Page S1466
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--39) 
                                              Pages S1375, S1379, S1380
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 8:27 p.m., 
until 10 a.m., on Thursday, February 1, 2007. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S1467.)