[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 80 (Thursday, May 15, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D607-D609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                             Thursday, May 15, 2008

[[Page D607]]


                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate agreed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 2419, 
      Food, Conservation, and Energy Act.

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S4211-S4289
Measures Introduced: Ten bills and two resolutions were introduced, as 
follows: S. 3020-3029, and S. Res. 567-568.
  Page S4282
Measures Reported:
  S. 2511, to amend the grant program for law enforcement armor vests 
to provide for a waiver of or reduction in the matching funds 
requirement in the case of fiscal hardship, with an amendment.
  S. 2913, to provide a limitation on judicial remedies in copyright 
infringement cases involving orphan works, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
Page S4282
Measures Passed:
  FCC Rule Disapproval: Senate passed S.J. Res. 28, disapproving the 
rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission with respect to 
broadcast media ownership.
  Pages S4267-70
  National Governors Association Anniversary: Senate agreed to S. Res. 
568, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the 
National Governors Association.
  Pages S4271-72
  Encourage Display of Flag: Committee on the Judiciary was discharged 
from further consideration of H.R. 2356, to amend title 4, United 
States Code, to encourage the display of the flag of the United States 
on Father's Day, and the bill was then passed, clearing the measure for 
the President.
  Page S4288
  Small Business Act Programs Temporary Extension: Senate passed S. 
3029, to provide for an additional temporary extension of programs 
under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 
1958.
  Pages S4288-89
Conference Reports:
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act--Conference Report: By 81 yeas to 15 
nays (Vote No. 130), Senate agreed to the conference report to 
accompany H.R. 2419, to provide for the continuation of agricultural 
programs through fiscal year 2012.
  Pages S4212-43
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 74 yeas to 21 nays (Vote No. 128), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed 
to the motion to waive section 203 of S. Con. Res. 21, FY08 
Congressional Budget Resolution, with respect to the conference report.
                                                             Page S4227
  By 62 yeas to 34 nays (Vote No. 129), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed 
to the motion to waive Rule XLIV, paragraph 8, of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate, with respect to all provisions of the conference report. 
                                                             Page S4227
House Messages:
Budget Resolution--Motions TO Instruct Conferees: Senate began 
consideration of the amendment of the House of Representatives to S. 
Con. Res. 70, setting forth the congressional budget for the United 
States Government for fiscal year 2009 and including the appropriate 
budgetary levels for fiscal years 2008 and 2010 through 2013, disagreed 
to the amendment of the House, agreed to the request of the House for a 
conference, agreed to the motion to authorize the Chair to appoint 
conferees, after taking action on the following motions to instruct 
conferees on the part of the Senate on the disagreeing votes of the two 
Houses on the concurrent resolution to be instructed to insist on the 
inclusion in the final conference report the following motions proposed 
thereto:
  Pages S4247-67

[[Page D608]]

Adopted:
  Gregg Motion to Instruct Conferees to insist on the inclusion in the 
final conference report the point of order against the consideration of 
a budget resolution in the Senate that does not contain a section 
regarding gross federal debt disclosure as contained in section 223 of 
the concurrent resolution as passed by the Senate, and further, that 
the conferees be instructed to include a debt disclosure section in the 
final conference report that itemizes the overall debt increase and the 
per person debt increase assumed by the final conference report. 
                                                             Page S4263
   Gregg Motion to Instruct Conferees to insist that the final 
conference report include the individual points of order that empower 
the Senate to prevent future budget resolutions from raiding Social 
Security, enforces transparency during Senate consideration of the 
congressional budget by requiring disclosure of the gross federal debt 
held by the nation, strengthens the integrity of the reconciliation 
process, and provides an additional tool to thwart any net increases in 
deficits in the long term (four ten year periods after 2018), as 
contained in sections 226, 223/224, 202, and 201, respectively, of the 
concurrent resolution passed by the Senate.
Page S4263
   Conrad Motion to Instruct Conferees to insist that the revenue 
levels in the resolution include the cost of providing relief from the 
Alternative Minimum Tax in 2008.
Pages S4261-63
   Kyl Motion to Instruct Conferees to reject the House amendment that 
assumes $110 billion in tax increases as a result of having to offset 
the extension of tax policies that expired at the end of 2007 and will 
expire at the end of 2008 (including the AMT patch, the research and 
experimentation tax credit, the state and local sales tax deduction, 
the combat pay earned income tax credit, education tax credits, at the 
alternative energy tax credits) and insist that the final conference 
report include in the recommended levels and amounts in Title I 
reductions in revenues commensurate with extending these tax policies 
without offsetting tax increases.
Pages S4251-53
  Gregg Motion to Instruct Conferees to insist on the inclusion in the 
final conference report section 311 of the concurrent resolution, the 
deficit neutral reserve fund to improve energy efficiency and 
production, as passed by the Senate, and that such section include an 
additional requirement that the legislation also encourages the removal 
of existing barriers to building new zero-emission nuclear power plants 
in the United States.
Page S4258
  By 55 yeas to 40 nays (Vote No. 132), Boxer Motion to Instruct 
Conferees that no legislation providing for new mandates on greenhouse 
gas emissions should be enacted until it effectively addresses imports 
from China, India and other nations that have no similar emissions 
programs.
Pages S4255-57, S4264-65
Rejected:
  By 44 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 131), Gregg Motion to Instruct 
Conferees to reject the revenue levels in both the Senate-passed and 
the House-passed budget resolutions, both of which assume the largest 
tax increase in history, and include revenue levels consistent with 
extension of the tax rates currently in place. 
                                               Pages S4248-51, S4263-64
  By 34 yeas to 61 nays (Vote No. 133), DeMint Motion to Instruct 
Conferees to insist that if the final conference report includes 
section 304 of the concurrent resolution, the deficit neutral reserve 
fund to invest in clean energy, preserve the environment and provide 
for certain settlements, as passed by the Senate, that such section 
shall include an additional requirement that legislation providing for 
new mandates on greenhouse gas emissions that would harm the United 
States economy or result in a loss of jobs should not be enacted unless 
similar mandates are enacted by China and India. 
                                               Pages S4253-55, S4265-66
   By 44 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 134), Vitter Motion to Instruct 
Conferees to insist that the conference report include a reserve fund 
that requires the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget to adjust 
budget aggregates and the allocation of the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources, if the Senate considers legislation that allows a 
governor, with the concurrence of the state legislature to petition for 
increased energy exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf and that 
allows for revenue sharing for such producing states on new areas of 
production and new leases made available, if the average price of 
regular gasoline in the United States reaches $5 per gallon. 
                                               Pages S4258-60, S4266-67
   By 47 yeas to 48 nays (Vote No. 135), Gregg Motion to Instruct 
Conferees to insist that the final conference report include a level 
for 2009 budget authority not to exceed $1 trillion for non-emergency 
discretionary appropriations.
Pages S4257-58, S4267
   The Chair was authorized to appoint the following conferees on the 
part of the Senate: Senators Conrad, Murray, Wyden, Gregg and Domenici.
                                                             Page S4267
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act--Agreement: A 
unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the following 
motions to invoke cloture relative to H.R. 980, to provide collective 
bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or 
their political subdivisions, be withdrawn:
  A motion to close further debate on the Reid (for Gregg/Kennedy) 
Amendment No. 4751), in the nature of a substitute.

[[Page D609]]


  A motion to close further debate on the bill.
Signing Authority--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing that the Majority Leader, Senator Reid, be authorized to sign 
enrolled bills during the adjournment of the Senate.
  Page S4289
Messages from the House:
  Page S4281
Executive Communications:
  Pages S4281-82
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S4282
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S4283-84
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S4284-86
Additional Statements:
  Pages S4279-81
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S4286-87
Authorities for Committees to Meet:
  Pages S4287-88
Privileges of the Floor:
  Page S4288
Record Votes: Eight record votes were taken today. (Total--135) 
               Pages S4227, S4239, S4264, S4265, S4265-66, S4266, S4267
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:31 a.m. and adjourned at 8:26 p.m., 
until 2 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2008. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S4289.)