[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 122 (Friday, July 27, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1073-D1075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 18 public bills, H.R. 3202-
3219; and 3 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 195; and H. Res. 582-583 were 
introduced.
  Pages H8820-21
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages H8821-22
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 2847, to amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish 
an energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training program, with 
an amendment (H. Rept. 110-262);
  H. Res. 579, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2831) to 
amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination 
in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 
and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to clarify that a discriminatory 
compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such 
Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the 
discriminatory compensation decision or other practice (H. Rept. 110-
263);
  H. Res. 580, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 986) to 
amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of 
the Eightmile River in the State of Connecticut as components of the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (H. Rept. 110-264);
  H. Res. 581, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3161) 
making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2008 (H. Rept. 110-265);
  H.R. 1315, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide 
specially adaptive housing assistance to certain disabled members of 
the Armed Forces residing temporarily in housing owned by a family 
member, with amendments (H. Rept. 110-266);
  H.R. 2623, to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the 
collection of copayments for all hospice care furnished by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, with an amendment (H. Rept. 110-267); 
and
  H.R. 2874, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain 
improvements in the provision of health care to veterans, with an 
amendment (H. Rept. 110-268).
Pages H8819-20
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed 
Representative Altmire to act as Speaker Pro Tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H8745

[[Page D1074]]

Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007: The House passed H.R. 2419, 
to provide for the continuation of agricultural programs through fiscal 
year 2012, by a recorded vote of 231 ayes to 191 noes, Roll No. 756. 
Consideration of the measure began on Thursday, July 26th. 
                                                         Pages H8747-89
  Rejected the Goodlatte motion to recommit the bill to the Committee 
on Agriculture with instructions to report the same back to the House 
promptly with amendments, by a recorded vote of 198 ayes to 223 noes, 
Roll No. 755.
Pages H8786-88
  Agreed by unanimous consent that during further consideration of H.R. 
2419, pursuant to H. Res. 574, the amendment offered en bloc by 
Representative Peterson (MN) is considered as modified by striking 
amendment No. 9 and is considered as adopted as so modified. Further 
agreed that amendments No. 9 and 11 are permitted to be offered at any 
time.
Page H8757
Agreed to:
  Boustany amendment (No. 6 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) that 
states that in the case of sweet potatoes, Risk Management Agency Pilot 
Program data shall not be considered for purposes of determining 
production for the 2005-2006 Farm Service Agency Crop Disaster Program;
                                                             Page H8761
  Peterson (MN) en bloc amendment consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261: Terry modified 
amendment (No. 20) that creates a competitive demonstration project 
designed to provide proof of concept in supplementing corn with sweet 
sorghum as an ethanol feedstock and Hall (NY) amendment (No. 29) that 
establishes a program to encourage environmentally responsible 
practices on actively farmed muck soil land; and
Pages H8763-68
  Jackson-Lee amendment (No. 7 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) 
that expresses the sense of Congress that the food available to 
schoolchildren under the school breakfast and lunch program should be 
selected so as to reduce the incidence of juvenile obesity and to 
maximize nutritional value (by a recorded vote of 422 ayes to 3 noes, 
Roll No. 748).
Pages H8751-53, H8774-75
Rejected:
  Manzullo modified amendment (No. 15 printed in part B of H. Rept. 
110-261) that sought to exempt the Environmental Quality Incentives 
Program from the $60,000 and $125,000 payment limitations, resetting it 
to the $450,000 limitation that is in the current law;
Pages H8757-59
  Rangel amendment (No. 12 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) that 
sought to remove certain banking restrictions related to Cuba's payment 
for agricultural purchases from U.S. producers and to authorize direct 
transfers between Cuban banks and U.S. banks and to allow visas to be 
issued to conduct activities related to purchasing U.S. agricultural 
goods (by a recorded vote of 182 ayes to 245 noes, Roll No. 749); 
                                               Pages H8753-55, H8775-76
  Boehner amendment (No. 13 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) that 
sought to replace the current daily posted county prices used for 
determining loan deficiency payment rates and repayment rates for 
marketing assistance loans with a monthly PCP for each crop (by a 
recorded vote of 153 ayes to 271 noes, Roll No. 750); 
                                                  Pages H8755-57, H8776
  Davis (IL) amendment (No. 19 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) 
that sought to strike the sugar sections in the commodity title as well 
as the feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy producers, extending 
current programs until 2012 (by a recorded vote of 144 ayes to 282 
noes, Roll No. 751);
Pages H8761-63, H8776-77
  Udall (CO) amendment (No. 21 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) 
that sought to reduce the direct payment rate for cotton by 2/3 of a 
cent and use the resulting savings to fund enrollment of 224,000 
additional acres in the Grasslands Reserve Program (by a recorded vote 
of 175 ayes to 251 noes, Roll No. 752);
Pages H8769-70, H8777-78
  Putnam amendment (No. 25 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) that 
sought to prohibit individuals from receiving farm conservation 
payments if their income exceeds $1 million, unless 75% of the income 
comes from farm income (by a recorded vote of 175 ayes to 252 noes, 
Roll No. 753); and
Pages H8770-71, H8778
  Cooper amendment (No. 27 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) that 
sought to comprehensively reform the federal crop insurance program, 
including the Administration's farm bill crop insurance proposals and 
to save $4 billion while adding resources to the Grassland Reserve 
Program (by a recorded vote of 175 ayes to 250 noes, with 1 voting 
``present'', Roll No. 754).
Pages H8771-74, H8778-79
Withdrawn:
  Goodlatte amendment (No. 3 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) 
that was offered and subsequently withdrawn that would have streamlined 
and adopted one set of terms and conditions of easements for the 
Wetlands Reserve Program, Grasslands Reserve Program, Farmland and 
Ranchland Protection Program, and Healthy Forest Reserve Program; 
                                                         Pages H8747-49
  Cardoza amendment (No. 5 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) that 
was offered and subsequently withdrawn that would have required the 
USDA to transition Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service employees 
responsible for plant pest inspection duties back to the USDA from the 
Department of Homeland Security;
Pages H8749-51

[[Page D1075]]


  Welch (VT) amendment (No. 11 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) 
that was offered and subsequently withdrawn that would have added a 
provision to the review process for the Federal Milk Marketing Order 
Review Commission to include an evaluation of cost of production 
variables, including cost of feed and cost of fuel;
Page H8759
  Blumenauer amendment (No. 16 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) 
that was offered and subsequently withdrawn that would have made 
conservation easements purchased through a transferable development 
rights program eligible for grants under the Farm and Ranchland 
Protection Program; and
Pages H8759-60
  Arcuri amendment (No. 9 printed in part B of H. Rept. 110-261) that 
was offered and subsequently withdrawn that would have expressed the 
sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture should use existing 
authority when determining the Class I milk price mover to take into 
account the increased cost of production, including energy and feed. 
                                                         Pages H8760-61
  Agreed that the Clerk be authorized to make technical and conforming 
changes to reflect the actions of the House.
Page H8789
  H. Res. 574, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, was 
agreed to on Thursday, July 26th.
Improving America's Security Act of 2007: The House agreed to the 
conference report on H.R. 1, to provide for the implementation of the 
recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon 
the United States, by a yea-and-nay vote of 371 yeas to 40 nays, Roll 
No. 757.
  Pages H8789-H8812
  H. Res. 567, the rule providing for consideration of the conference 
report, was agreed to by voice vote.
Page H8789
Committee Resignation: Read a letter from Representative McCarthy (CA) 
wherein he resigned from the Committee on Homeland Security, effective 
today.
  Page H8813
Calendar Wednesday: Agreed by unanimous consent to dispense with the 
Calendar Wednesday business of Wednesday, August 1st.
  Page H8814
Meeting Hour: Agreed that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to 
meet at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, July 30th for Morning Hour debate. 
                                                             Page H8814
Senate Message: Message received from the Senate today appears on page 
H8745.
Quorum Calls--Votes: One yea-and-nay vote and nine recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H8774-75, 
H8775-76, H8776, H8776-76, H8777-78, H8778, H8778-79, H8787-88, H8788-
89, H8812. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 9:00 a.m. and adjourned at 5:40 p.m.