[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D382-D383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                           Thursday, March 22, 2007

[[Page D382]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S3547-S3658
Measures Introduced: Eighteen bills and five resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 957-974, S. Res. 117-120, and S. Con. Res. 
23.                                                      
  Pages S3607-08
Measures Reported:
  Special Report entitled ``Further Revised Allocation to Subcommittees 
of Budget Totals for Fiscal Year 2007''. (S. Rept. No. 110-36).
  S. 965, making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2007. (S. Rept. No. 110-37).       
Page S3607
Measures Passed:
  Authorizing Testimony: Senate agreed to S. Res. 119, to authorize 
testimony by a former detailee of the Committee on the Judiciary. 
                                                             Page S3647
  National Rehabilitation Counselors Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 120, 
designating March 22, 2007, as National Rehabilitation Counselors 
Appreciation Day.                                        
  Pages S3647-48
Measures Considered:
Budget Resolution: Senate continued consideration of S. Con. Res. 21, 
setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government 
for fiscal year 2008 and including the appropriate budgetary levels for 
fiscal years 2007 and 2009 through 2012, taking action on the following 
amendments proposed thereto:                
  Pages S3547-S3603, S3648-55
Adopted:
  Baucus/Rockefeller Modified Amendment No. 504, to affirm the Senate's 
commitment to the reauthorization of the State Children's Health 
Insurance Program.                                       
Pages S3561-62
  Grassley Amendment No. 502, to ensure the appropriate use of funds 
provided for the Smithsonian Institution.                    
Page S3564
  Carper/Coburn Amendment No. 538, to reduce the deficit by recovering 
improper payments.                                           
Page S3576
  Lincoln Amendment No. 542, to provide the Veterans Benefits 
Administration with additional resources and staff to more effectively 
meet their increasing workload and to address the unacceptably large 
claims backlog that continues to cause undue hardships for veterans and 
their families across the country.                
Pages S3572-74, S3576
  Bayh/Snowe Amendment No. 526, to make permanent the tuition tax 
deduction and is fully offset by closing a portion of the tax gap 
through enhanced information reporting requirements.     
Pages S3582-83
  Hutchison Modified Amendment No. 517, to provide for extension of the 
deduction for State and local sales taxes in a deficit-neutral manner. 
                                                         Pages S3583-84
  By 54 yeas to 42 nays (Vote No. 97), Conrad Amendment No. 598, to 
create a deficit-neutral reserve fund for extending certain energy tax 
incentives.                                              
Pages S3586-87
Rejected:
  By 45 yeas to 52 nays (Vote No. 89), DeMint Amendment No. 489, to 
establish a reserve fund for Social Security reform.     
Pages S3560-61
  By 33 yeas to 64 nays (Vote No. 90), Allard Amendment No. 491, to pay 
down the Federal debt and eliminate government waste by reducing 
spending on programs rated ineffective by the Program Assessment Rating 
Tool.                                                        
Page S3561
  By 38 yeas to 59 nays (Vote No. 91), Cornyn Amendment No. 511, to 
provide a deficit-neutral reserve fund for the reauthorization of the 
State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that will cover kids 
first.                                                   
Pages S3562-63
  By 23 yeas to 74 nays (Vote No. 92), Cornyn/Gregg Modified Amendment 
No. 525, to provide for reconciliation instructions of $33.8 billion to 
make provider payments more accurate, to improve Medicare Part B income 
relation provisions, expand those provisions to Medicare Part D and 
reduce the deficit.                        
Pages S3548-51, S3557, S3563
  By 44 yeas to 52 nays (Vote No. 93), Gregg (for Ensign) Amendment No. 
472, to require wealthy Medicare beneficiaries to pay a greater share 
of their Medicare Part D premiums.      
Pages S3551-54, S3555-60, S3584
  By 38 yeas to 58 nays (Vote No. 94), Sanders/Mikulski Modified 
Amendment No. 545, to restore the top marginal tax rate to pre-2001 
levels on taxable

[[Page D383]]

income in excess of $1 million and use the increased revenue to 
increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Act. 
                                        Pages S3564-66, S3583, S3584-85
  By 47 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 95), Enzi Amendment No. 497, to 
establish a 60-vote point of order for legislation that creates 
unfunded mandates on small business concerns.     
Pages S3566-69, S3585
  By 29 yeas to 67 nays (Vote No. 96), Thomas Amendment No. 498, to 
strike the reserve funds.                      
Pages S3575-76, S3585-86
  By 42 yeas and 53 nays (Vote No. 98), Coleman Amendment No. 577, to 
provide budget levels to extend through 2012 the production tax credit 
for electricity produced from renewable resources, the Clean Renewable 
Energy Bonds, and energy tax provisions for energy efficient buildings 
and power plants.                              
Pages S3569-70, S3587-88
Withdrawn:
  Grassley/Dorgan Amendment No. 464, to limit farm payments to $250,000 
per person per year and apply the savings to renewable energy/rural 
development, conservation, and nutrition.                
Pages S3574-75
Pending:
  Kyl/Thune Amendment No. 583, to reform the death tax by setting the 
exemption at $5 million per estate, indexed for inflation, and the top 
death tax rate at no more than 35% beginning in 2010, to avoid 
subjecting an estimated 119,200 families, family businesses, and family 
farms to the death tax each and every year, to promote continued 
economic growth and job creation, and to make the enhanced teacher 
deduction permanent.                           
Pages S3570-72, S3577-82
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the resolution at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 23, 2007; 
that there be 30 minutes remaining for debate, equally divided and 
controlled between the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Budget 
Committee; that when the voting sequence begins, there be 2 minutes of 
debate, equally divided, prior to each vote in the sequence. 
                                                             Page S3647
Measures Indefinitely Postponed:
  Gerald R. Ford, Jr. Post Office Building: Senate indefinitely 
postponed S. 194, to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1300 North Frontage Road West in Vail, Colorado, as 
the ``Gerald R. Ford, Jr. Post Office Building''.            
  Page S3647
  Gale W. McGee Post Office Building: Senate indefinitely postponed S. 
219, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 152 North 5th Street in Laramie, Wyoming, as the ``Gale W. 
McGee Post Office''.                                         
  Page S3647
  Lane Evans Post Office Building: Senate indefinitely postponed S. 
412, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, as the ``Lane 
Evans Post Office Building''.                                
  Page S3647
Nomination Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nomination:
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.          
Pages S3647, S3658
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  John C. Rood, of Arizona, to be Under Secretary of State for Arms 
Control and International Security.
  Michael J. Sullivan, of Massachusetts, to be Director, Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
  38 Army nominations in the rank of general.
  1 Marine Corps nomination in the rank of general.
  1 Navy nomination in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Army, Coast Guard, Foreign Service, Marine 
Corps, Public Health Service.                            
Pages S3655-58
Messages from the House:                                 
  Pages S3605-06
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S3606
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S3606-07
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S3608-09
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S3609-31
Additional Statements:                                       
  Page S3605
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S3631-46
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                      
  Pages S3646-47
Record Votes: Ten record votes were taken today. (Total--98) 
                  Pages S3561, S3563, S3584, S3585, S3586, S3587, S3588
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 9:42 p.m., 
until 9 a.m. on Friday, March 23, 2007. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S3647.)