[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 23, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D483-D485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page D483]]




                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 10 public bills, H.R. 5875-
5884; and 12 resolutions, H. Res. 1134-1145 were introduced. 
                                                         Pages H2657-58
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages H2658-59
Report Filed: A report was filed today as follows:
  Supplemental report on H.R. 2830, to authorize appropriations for the 
Coast Guard for fiscal year 2008 (H. Rept. 110-338, Pt. 4). 
                                                             Page H2657
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed 
Representative Baldwin to act as Speaker Pro Tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H2656
Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the guest Chaplain, Rabbi Akiva 
Males, Kesher Israel Congregation, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 
                                                             Page H2656
Discharge Petition: Representative Fossella moved to discharge the 
Committee on the Judiciary and the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence from the consideration of H.R. 5440, to amend the Foreign 
Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to establish a procedure for 
authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence (Discharge 
Petition No. 7).
Clerk to Correct Authority: Agreed by unanimous consent that in the 
engrossment of H.R. 2634, the Clerk be directed to execute the second 
instruction in the amendment conveyed by the motion to recommit as 
though it read ``all that follows on that line'' rather than ``all that 
follows''.
  Pages H2559-61
Suspensions: The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the 
following measures:
  Alonzo Woodruff Post Office Building Designation Act: H.R. 5479, to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
117 North Kidd Street in Ionia, Michigan, as the ``Alonzo Woodruff Post 
Office Building'';
  Pages H2561-62
  Rocky Marciano Post Office Building Designation Act: H.R. 5528, to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
120 Commercial Street in Brockton, Massachusetts, as the ``Rocky 
Marciano Post Office Building'';
  Pages H2562-63
  Private First Class David H. Sharrett II Post Office Building 
Designation Act: H.R. 5483, to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 10449 White Granite Drive in Oakton, 
Virginia, as the ``Private First Class David H. Sharrett II Post Office 
Building'';
  Pages H2563-64
  Marisol Heredia Post Office Building Designation Act: H.R. 4185, to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
11151 Valley Boulevard in El Monte, California, as the ``Marisol 
Heredia Post Office Building'';
  Pages H2564-65
  Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives on the 
death of William F. Buckley, Jr.: H. Res. 1016, amended, to express the 
condolences of the House of Representatives on the death of William F. 
Buckley, Jr.;
  Pages H2565-68
  Marine Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry Post Office Building Designation Act: 
H.R. 3721, to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1190 Lorena Road in Lorena, Texas, as the ``Marine 
Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry Post Office Building'';
  Pages H2568-69
  Contractors and Federal Spending Accountability Act of 2007: H.R. 
3033, amended, to improve Federal agency awards and oversight of 
contracts and assistance and to strengthen accountability of the 
Government-wide suspension and debarment system;
  Pages H2569-72
  Close the Contractor Fraud Loophole Act: H.R. 5712, amended, to 
require disclosure by Federal contractors of certain violations 
relating to the award or performance of Federal contracts; and 
                                                         Pages H2572-74
  Government Contractor Accountability Act of 2007: H.R. 3928, amended, 
to require certain large government contractors that receive more than 
80 percent of their annual gross revenue from Federal contracts to 
disclose the names and salaries of their most highly compensated 
officers.
  Pages H2574-77
  Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To amend the Federal 
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to require certain 
recipients of Federal funds to disclose the names and total 
compensation of their most highly compensated officers, and for other 
purpose.''.
Page H2577
Motion to Adjourn: Rejected the Sessions motion to adjourn by a yea-
and-nay vote of 57 yeas to 345 nays, Roll No. 208.
  Pages H2593-94
Suspensions--Proceedings Resumed: The House agreed to suspend the rules 
and pass the following measures which were debated on Tuesday, April 
22nd:
  Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008: H.R. 5613, amended, 
to extend certain moratoria and impose additional moratoria on certain 
Medicaid regulations through April 1, 2009, by a 2/3 yea-and-nay vote 
of 349 yeas to 62 nays, Roll No. 209 and
  Page H2596

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  Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To extend certain 
moratoria and impose additional moratoria on certain Medicaid 
regulations through April 1, 2009, and for other purposes.''. 
                                                             Page H2596
  Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State 
of Israel and reaffirming the bonds of close friendship and cooperation 
between the United States and Israel: H. Con. Res. 322, to recognize 
the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel and 
to reaffirm the bonds of close friendship and cooperation between the 
United States and Israel, by a 2/3 yea-and-nay vote of 417 yeas with 
none voting ``nay,'' Roll No. 210.
  Pages H2596-97
SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act: The House passed H.R. 5819, to amend the 
Small Business Act to improve the Small Business Innovation Research 
(SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) 
program, by a recorded vote of 368 ayes to 43 noes, Roll No. 217. 
                                                      Pages H2599-H2628
  Rejected the Heller (NV) motion to recommit the bill to the Committee 
on Small Business with instructions to report the same back to the 
House promptly with an amendment, by a recorded vote of 195 ayes to 215 
noes, Roll No. 216.
Pages H2625-28
  Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
recommended by the Committee on Small Business now printed in the bill 
shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment 
under the five-minute rule.
Page H2607
  Agreed by unanimous consent that the Chair may reduce to two minutes 
the minimum time for electronic voting under clause 6 of rule 18 and 
clauses 8 and 9 of rule 20.
Page H2599
Accepted:
  Boswell amendment (No. 1 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that gives 
priority to applications from companies located in areas that have lost 
a major source of employment;
Pages H2612-13
  Ehlers amendment (No. 2 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that strikes 
section 102--doing so leaves the current set-asides for SBIR and STTR 
unchanged;
Pages H2613-14
  Sestak amendment (No. 3 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that notifies an 
applicant to the SBIR and STTR programs, who is not successful in 
receiving an award, that the applicant can request an explanation of 
why the applicant did not receive the award;
Page H2614
  Giffords amendment (No. 5 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that mandates 
that SBIR awardees must be entities with their primary business 
operations in the United States;
Pages H2615-16
  Graves amendment (No. 6 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that strikes and 
replaces Title II, regarding venture capital investment standards; 
                                                         Pages H2616-18
  Matsui amendment (No. 7 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that adds 
business incubators as eligible for the partnerships with SBIR awardees 
that are required by section 404. The amendment also defines the term 
``business incubators'' for this purpose;
Page H2618
  Sutton amendment (No. 8 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that provides 
that veterans will be given priority when applying for SBIR and STTR 
awards;
Pages H2618-19
  Sutton amendment (No. 9 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that requires 
agencies that administer SBIR programs to give special consideration to 
pressing transportation and infrastructure research activities, as 
identified by reports issued by the Department of Transportation and 
National Academy of Sciences;
Pages H2619-20
  Barrow amendment (No. 10 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that 
establishes a pilot program to make grants to minority institutions 
that partner with nonprofit organizations that have experience 
developing relationships between industry, minority institutions, and 
other entities;
Page H2620
  Velazquez amendment (No. 12 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that allows 
the Administrator of the SBA to view favorably FAST grant applicants 
that use accredited SBDC's in determining the award of a FAST grant; 
                                                             Page H2621
  Gillibrand amendment (No. 13 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that 
requires a veteran small-business owner must be at least one of the 
people appointed to the advisory board overseeing the Small Business 
Innovation Research Program Grants;
Pages H2621-22
  Velazquez amendment (No. 14 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that 
requires the Small Business Administration to consult with the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop an outreach program to 
publicize the Small Business Innovation Research program to veterans 
returning from service and encourage veterans with appropriate 
technical skills to apply for SBIR grants;
Page H2622
  Matheson amendment (No. 4 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that gives 
priority to small businesses and organizations, in the awarding of 
SBIR, STTR, and FAST grants, that are making significant contributions 
towards energy efficiency, including those that are making efforts to 
reduce their carbon footprint or are carbon neutral (by a recorded vote 
of 355 ayes to 48 noes, Roll No. 213);
Pages H2614-15, H2623-24
  Capito amendment (No. 11 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that changes 
section 104, regarding the

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SBIR Advisory Board. It adds small business concerns owned and 
controlled by service-disabled veterans to the groups to be targeted by 
the board to make applications for SBIR grants (by a recorded vote of 
405 ayes with none voting ``no,'' Roll No. 214); and 
                                               Pages H2620-21, H2624-25
  Foster amendment (No. 15 printed in H. Rept. 110-603) that requires 
SBIR awardees to be owned and controlled by at least one individual, or 
a business concern owned and controlled by individuals, who are 
citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States. Any 
applicant found knowingly hiring, recruiting, or referring for a fee, 
an unauthorized alien shall not be eligible for the receipt of future 
awards (by a recorded vote of 406 ayes with none voting ``no'' and 3 
voting ``present,'' Roll No. 215).
Pages H2622-23, H2625
  Agreed that the Clerk be authorized to make technical and conforming 
changes to reflect the actions of the House.
Page H2630
  H. Res. 1125, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, was 
agreed to by a yea-and-nay vote of 221 yeas to 190 nays, Roll No. 212, 
after agreeing to order the previous question by a yea-and-nay vote of 
222 yeas to 194 nays, Roll No. 211.
Pages H2577-86, H2597-98
Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007--Rule for Consideration: The 
House agreed to the rule that is providing for consideration of H.R. 
2830, to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 
2008, by a recorded vote of 223 ayes to 183 noes, Roll No. 219, after 
agreeing to order the previous question by a yea-and-nay vote of 220 
yeas to 187 nays, Roll No. 218.
  Pages H2586-93, H2594-95, H2628-29
Senate Message: Message received from the Senate today appears on page 
H2595.
Quorum Calls--Votes: Six yea-and-nay votes and six recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H2593, 
H2596, H2596-97, H2597-98, H2598, H2623-24, H2624-25, H2625, H2627-28, 
H2628, H2628-29, and H2829. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 11:59 p.m.