[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 58 (Wednesday, April 11, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D481-D482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                          Wednesday, April 11, 2007

[[Page D481]]


                              Daily Digest

HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed S. 5, Stem Cell Enhancement Act.
      Senate passed S. 30, HOPE Act.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S4319-S4397
Measures Introduced: Eight bills were introduced, as follows: S. 1085-
1092.                                                        
  Page S4379
Measures Reported:
  S. 343, to extend the District of Columbia College Access Act of 
1999. (S. Rept. No. 110-52)
  Report to accompany S. 558, to provide parity between health 
insurance coverage of mental health benefits and benefits for medical 
and surgical services. (S. Rept. No. 110-53)                 
Page S4379
Measures Passed:
  Regional Strategy in Africa: Senate agreed to S. Res. 76, calling on 
the United States Government and the international community to 
promptly develop, fund, and implement a comprehensive regional strategy 
in Africa to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian operations, 
contain and reduce violence, and contribute to conditions for 
sustainable peace in eastern Chad, northern Central African Republic, 
and Darfur, Sudan, after agreeing to the following amendments proposed 
thereto:                                                 
  Pages S4385-86
  Harkin (for Lugar) Amendment No. 840, to urge the Government of the 
Central African Republic to address human rights abuses in the 
northwestern region of that country.                         
Page S4385
  Harkin (for Lugar) Amendment No. 841, to amend the title. 
                                                             Page S4385
  Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act: By 63 yeas and 34 nays (Vote No. 
127), Senate passed S. 5, to amend the Public Health Service Act to 
provide for human embryonic stem cell research, and pursuant to the 
order of March 29, 2007, requiring 60 votes for the passage of this 
bill, it is passed.                            
  Pages S4319-71, S4386-91
  HOPE Act: By 70 yeas and 28 nays (Vote No. 128), Senate passed S. 30, 
to intensify research to derive human pluripotent stem cell lines, and 
pursuant to the order of March 29, 2007, requiring 60 votes for the 
passage of this bill, it is passed.            
  Pages S4319-71, S4386-91
  Holocaust Memorial Day: Committee on Foreign Relations was discharged 
from further consideration of S. Res. 142, observing Yom Hashoah, 
Holocaust Memorial Day, and calling on the remaining member countries 
of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service to 
ratify the May 2006 amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords immediately to 
allow open access to the Bad Arolsen archives, and the resolution was 
then agreed to.                                              
  Page S4391
  Intelligence Authorization Act: A unanimous-consent agreement was 
reached providing that at approximately 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, April 
11, 2007, Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to 
consideration of S. 372, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2007 for the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the 
United States Government, the Intelligence Community Management 
Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability 
System, and Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion 
to proceed thereon.                                          
  Page S4386
Appointments:
  United States Commission on International Religious Freedom: The 
Chair, on behalf of the President pro tempore, upon the recommendation 
of the Democratic Leader, pursuant to Public Law 105-292, as amended by 
Public Law 106-55, and as further amended by Public Law 107-228, 
appointed the following individual to the United States Commission on 
International Religious Freedom: Dr. Don H. Argue, of Washington (for a 
term of May 15, 2007-May 14, 2009).                          
  Page S4385

[[Page D482]]

Nomination Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nomination:
  James R. Clapper, Jr., of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense 
for Intelligence.                                    
Pages S4386, S4397
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Peter Michael McKinley, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic 
of Peru.
  Charles L. Hopkins, of Massachusetts, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs (Operations, Preparedness, Security and Law 
Enforcement).
  29 Air Force nominations in the rank of general.
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.
  6 Navy nominations in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Public 
Health Service.                                          
Pages S4391-97
Nominations Withdrawn: Senate received notification of withdrawal of 
the following nominations:
  William Ludwig Wehrum, Jr., of Tennessee, to be an Assistant 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, which was sent to 
the Senate on January 9, 2007.
  Alex A. Beehler, of Maryland, to be Inspector General, Environmental 
Protection Agency, which was sent to the Senate on January 9, 2007. 
                                                             Page S4397
Nomination Discharged: The following nomination was discharged from 
further committee consideration and placed on the Executive Calendar:
  Claude M. Kicklighter, of Georgia, to be Inspector General, 
Department of Defense, which was sent to the Senate on February 26, 
2007, from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs.                                             
Pages S4386, S4397
Messages from the House:                                     
  Page S4374
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S4374-79
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S4380-82
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S4382-83
Additional Statements:                                       
  Page S4373
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S4383-84
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S4384
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                      
  Pages S4384-85
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S4385
Record Votes: Two record votes were taken today. (Total--128) 
                                                     Pages S4389, S4390
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 6:42 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 12, 2007. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S4386.)