[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D373-D375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 22 public bills, H.R. 1615-
1636; 1 private bill, H.R. 1637; and 3 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 96; 
and H. Res. 258-259 were introduced.
  Pages H2820-21
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages H2821-22
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:

[[Page D374]]


  H.R. 545, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 to clarify that territories and Indian tribes are eligible to 
receive grants for confronting the use of methamphetamine, with an 
amendment (H. Rept. 110-35, Pt. 2);
  Supplemental report on H.R. 1433, to provide for the treatment of the 
District of Columbia as a Congressional district for purposes of 
representation in the House of Representatives (H. Rept. 110-52, Pt. 
3);
  H.R. 1195, to amend the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users to make technical 
corrections, with an amendment (H. Rept. 110-62);
  H. Res. 260, providing for consideration of H.R. 1433, to provide for 
the treatment of the District of Columbia as a Congressional district 
for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives (H. 
Rept. 110-63); and
  H. Res. 261, providing for consideration of H.R. 1591, making 
emergency appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007 
(H. Rept. 110-64).
Pages H2819, H2820
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed 
Representative Schakowsky to act as Speaker Pro Tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H2747
Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the guest Chaplain, Rev. Thomas 
McCarthy, St. Paul Catholic Church, Salem, OH.
  Page H2747
Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007: The House passed 
H.R. 1227, to assist in the provision of affordable housing to low-
income families affected by Hurricane Katrina, by a recorded vote of 
302 ayes to 125 noes, Roll No. 172. Consideration of the measure began 
on Tuesday, March 20th.
  Pages H2752-69
  Agreed to the Jindal motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on 
Financial Services with instructions to report the same back to the 
House forthwith with amendments, by a recorded vote of 249 ayes to 176 
noes, with 1 voting ``present'', Roll No. 171. Subsequently, 
Representative Frank reported the bill back to the House with the 
amendments and the amendments were agreed to.
Pages H2766-69
  On a demand for a separate vote on a certain amendment agreed to in 
the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, March 20th:
  By a yea-and-nay vote of 242 yeas to 184 nays, Roll No. 170, agreed 
to the Al Green (TX) amendment (No. 5 printed in Part B of House Report 
110-53) that extends FEMA housing assistance for evacuees of Hurricanes 
Katrina, Rita, and Wilma until December 31, 2007 and provides tenant-
based rental assistance upon termination of FEMA housing assistance 
(agreed to in the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, March 20th). 
                                                         Pages H2765-66
  Amendments offered in the Committee of the Whole today:
Rejected:
  Neugebauer amendment (No. 6 printed in Part B of House Report 110-53) 
that sought to strike section 306 of the bill, which authorizes funds 
for eligible families to continue receiving voucher assistance after 
the termination of the Disaster Voucher Program (by a recorded vote of 
185 ayes to 247 noes, Roll No. 168) and
Pages H2752-59, H2763-64
  Price (GA) amendment (No. 7 printed in Part B of House Report 110-53) 
that sought to strike section 103 of the bill, which eliminates the 
prohibition of use for match requirement (by a recorded vote of 93 ayes 
to 333 noes, Roll No. 169).
Pages H2759-60, H2762-63, H2764
  Certain words used in debate were objected to and, on request, were 
taken down and read at the Clerk's desk. The Chair found that the words 
were in violation of the spirit of debate and announced that the words 
would be stricken from the record and that the Member in question would 
not be allowed to proceed in debate for the remainder of the 
legislative day. Subsequently, Representative Frank moved that the 
Member in question be allowed to proceed in order on this day. Agreed 
to the Frank motion by a yea-and-nay vote of 265 yeas to 160 nays, Roll 
No. 167.
Pages H2760-62
  H. Res. 254, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, was 
agreed to on Tuesday, March 20th.
Suspensions: The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the 
following measures:
  Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act: H.R. 327, amended, to 
direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a 
comprehensive program designed to reduce the incidence of suicide among 
veterans, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 423 yeas with none voting 
``nay'', Roll No. 174;
  Pages H2772-78, H2785-86
  Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To amend title 38, United 
States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and 
implement a comprehensive program designed to reduce the incidence of 
suicide among veterans.''.
Page H2786
  Dr. James Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act: H.R. 797, amended, to 
improve compensation benefits for veterans in certain cases of 
impairment of vision involving both eyes, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote 
of 424 yeas with none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 175; 
                                               Pages H2778-82, H2786-87
  Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To amend title 38, United 
States Code, to improve

[[Page D375]]

compensation benefits for veterans in certain cases of impairment of 
vision involving both eyes, to provide for the use of the National 
Directory of New Hires for income verification purposes, to extend the 
authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide an 
educational assistance allowance for qualifying work study activities, 
and to authorize the provision of bronze representations of the letter 
``V'' for the graves of eligible individuals buried in private 
cemeteries in lieu of Government-provided headstones or markers.'' 
                                                             Page H2787
  Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2007: H.R. 
1284, to increase, effective as of December 1, 2007, the rates of 
compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the 
rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of 
certain disabled veterans, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 418 yeas with 
none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 176;
  Pages H2782-85, H2795
  Judicial Disclosure Responsibility Act: H.R. 1130, to amend the 
Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to extend the authority to withhold 
from public availability a financial disclosure report filed by an 
individual who is a judicial officer or judicial employee, to the 
extent necessary to protect the safety of that individual or a family 
member of that individual, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 415 yeas with 
none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 177; and
  Pages H2787-88, H2795-96
  Preventing Harassment through Outbound Number Enforcement (PHONE) Act 
of 2007: H.R. 740, to amend title 18, United States Code, to prevent 
caller ID spoofing, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 413 yeas to 1 nay, 
Roll No. 178.
  Pages H2790-93, H2796-97
Suspension--Failed: The House failed to agree to suspend the rules and 
pass the following measure:
  Hawaiian Homeownership Opportunity Act of 2007: H.R. 835, to 
reauthorize the programs of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development for housing assistance for Native Hawaiians, by a \2/3\ 
yea-and-nay vote of 262 yeas to 162 nays, Roll No. 173. 
                                                  Pages H2769-72, H2785
Suspensions--Proceedings Postponed: The House debated the following 
measures under suspension of the rules. Further proceedings were 
postponed until Thursday, March 22nd:
  Native American Methamphetamine Enforcement and Treatment Act of 
2007: H.R. 545, amended, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 to clarify that territories and Indian tribes are 
eligible to receive grants for confronting the use of methamphetamine 
and
  Pages H2788-90
  Permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as 
part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the 
Holocaust: H. Con. Res. 66, to permit the use of the rotunda of the 
Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of 
remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
  Pages H2793-95
Quorum Calls--Votes: Eight yea-and-nay votes and four recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H2761-62, 
H2763-64, H2764, H2765-66, H2768, H2769, H2785, H2786, H2786-87, H2795, 
H2795-96, and H2796-97. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 1:05 a.m.