[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 85 (Thursday, May 22, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D655-D659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 44 public bills, H.R. 6123-
6166; and 20 resolutions, H.J. Res. 88-89; H. Con. Res. 361-365; and H. 
Res. 1220-1232, were introduced.
  Pages H4829-32
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages H4832-34
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 5540, to amend the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 to 
provide for the continuing authorization of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways 
and Watertrails Network (H. Rept. 110-667);
  H.R. 3667, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a 
segment of the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers in the State of Vermont for 
study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
System, with an amendment (H. Rept. 110-668);
  H.R. 5876, to require certain standards and enforcement provisions to 
prevent child abuse and neglect in residential programs, with an 
amendment (H. Rept. 110-669);
  H.R. 554, to provide for the protection of paleontological resources 
on Federal lands, with an amendment (H. Rept. 110-670, Pt. 1);
  H.R. 5683, to make certain reforms with respect to the Government 
Accountability Office, with an amendment (H. Rept. 110-671); and
  H.R. 3774, to provide for greater diversity within, and to improve 
policy direction and oversight of, the Senior Executive Service, with 
an amendment (H. Rept. 110-672).
Page H4828
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed 
Representative Pastor to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H4455
Privileged Resolution: The House agreed to table H. Res. 1221, raising 
a question of the privileges of the House, by a yea-and-nay vote of 220 
yeas to 188 nays with 10 voting ``present'', Roll No. 352. 
                                                         Pages H4468-69
Suspensions: The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the 
following measure:
  Providing for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of 
the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2012: H.R. 6124, to 
provide for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of the 
Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2012, by a \2/3\ yea-and-
nay vote of 306 yeas to 110 nays, Roll No. 353.
  Pages H4469-H4655
Suspensions--Proceedings Resumed: The House agreed to suspend the rules 
and agree to the following measures which were debated on Tuesday, May 
20th:
  Reaffirming the support of the House of Representatives for the 
legitimate, democratically-elected Government of Lebanon under Prime 
Minister Fouad Siniora: H. Res. 1194, to reaffirm the support of the 
House of Representatives for the legitimate, democratically-elected 
Government of Lebanon under Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, by a \2/3\ 
yea-and-nay vote of 401 yeas to 10 nays with 2 voting ``present'', Roll 
No. 354 and
  Pages H4655-56
  Recognizing the courage and sacrifice of those members of the United 
States Armed Forces who

[[Page D656]]

were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and calling 
for a full accounting of the 1,729 members of the Armed Forces who 
remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam conflict: H. Res. 986, amended, 
to recognize the courage and sacrifice of those members of the United 
States Armed Forces who were held as prisoners of war during the 
Vietnam conflict and to call for a full accounting of the 1,729 members 
of the Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam 
conflict, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 394 yeas with none voting 
``nay'', Roll No. 366.
  Pages H4821-22
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009: The House 
passed H.R. 5658, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2009 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense and to prescribe 
military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2009, by a recorded vote 
of 384 ayes to 23 noes, Roll No. 365. 
                               Pages H4656-H4763, H4763-78, H4779-H4821
  Rejected the Conaway motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on 
Armed Services with instructions to report the same back to the House 
promptly with amendments, by a recorded vote of 186 ayes to 223 noes, 
Roll No. 364.
Pages H4812-21
  Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
recommended by the Committee on Armed Services now printed in the bill 
shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment 
under the five-minute rule.
Page H4658
  Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2009 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, to amend the Servicemembers Civil 
Relief Act to provide for the protection of child custody arrangements 
for parents who are members of the Armed Forces deployed in support of 
a contingency operation, and for other purposes.''.
Page H4821
Accepted:
  Skelton manager's amendment (No. 1 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that 
makes technical corrections to the bill;
Pages H4741-42
  Skelton amendment (No. 2 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that requires 
the Defense Secretary, Secretary of State, and USAID Administrator to 
establish a standing advisory panel to improve integration on matters 
of national security;
Pages H4742-45
  Skelton en bloc amendment No. 1 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in H. Rept. 110-666: No. 7, that clarifies that the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act does not apply to the Congressional 
Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States; No. 9, that 
revises section 595 of the bill; No. 12, that provides $22.3 million 
for Army Reserve first term dental readiness and $8.5 million for Army 
Reserve demobilization dental treatment; No. 13, that requires defense 
contractors supporting the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan to report 
violent crimes committed against or by Defense Department contract 
employees and require that the information be made public; No. 16, that 
allows a service member with a minor dependent to request a deferment 
of a deployment to a combat zone if their spouse is currently deployed 
to a combat zone; No. 17, that requires the Navy Secretary and the 
Interior Secretary to negotiate a memorandum of agreement to transfer 
the decommissioned Naval Security Group Activity, Skaggs Island, 
Sonoma, California, from the Navy to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge 
System; No. 18, that adds an additional finding to title XVI of the 
bill to reflect the Administation's request for stabilization 
activities; No. 21, that requires the Secretary of Defense to report to 
Congress an acquisition strategy for insurance required by the Defense 
Base Act; No. 27, that directs the Secretary of Defense, in 
consultation with the United States Postal Service, to provide postal 
benefits to service members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan or currently 
hospitalized under the care of the Armed Forces; No. 29, that directs 
the Defense Secretary to study the use of power management software at 
DOD facilities to reduce the amount of electricity consumed by 
computers, monitors, and other electronic equipment; No. 34, that 
requires DOD to report to Congress on implementation of the 
recommendations of the report entitled, ``Review of the Toxicologic and 
Radiologic Risks to Military Personnel from Exposure to Depleted 
Uranium During and After Combat''; No. 35, that requires the Chief of 
the National Guard Bureau to submit a report to Congress detailing the 
extent to which the various provisions enacted within title XVIII of 
the FY08 National Defense Authorization Act have been effective; No. 
36, that allows the Defense Department six months to review appeals 
from service members who were denied full Army College Fund benefits 
under Army Incentive Program contracts; No. 37, that requires that for 
any Department of Defense contracts for truck transportation or service 
using fuel, the motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder involved in 
the transaction must pass any fuel surcharge on to the person 
responsible for paying the cost of fuel and to disclose that surcharge 
and other charges in writing; No. 38, that requires a report from the 
Secretary of Defense within 45 days after the date of enactment on 
laboratory personnel demonstration projects; No. 39, that extends 
eligibility for military disability retired pay to individuals who left 
enlisted service in order to attend a military academy between January

[[Page D657]]

1, 2000 and October 28, 2004, and who suffered a disabling injury while 
attending the academy; No. 41, that expands existing authority for 
professional military education institutions of the Army, Navy, Air 
Force, and Marine Corps to award degrees to graduates of their schools; 
No. 44, that requires the Defense Secretary to establish a program to 
research and develop unexploded ordnance detection technology and 
facilitate the deployment of this technology in the field; No. 47, that 
requires a report be submitted to the congressional defense committees 
by the Secretary of the Navy not later than 120 days after enactment of 
the act on future jet carrier training requirements; No. 48, that 
requires the Secretary of Defense to conduct a demonstration project to 
assess the feasibility of providing a behavioral health care provider 
locator and appointment assistance service; No. 49, that requires the 
Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on DOD's policies regarding 
the sale and disposal of used motor vehicle oil; No. 54, that expresses 
the sense of Congress that each military department should, to the 
maximum extent practicable, provide honor guard details for the 
funerals of veterans; and No. 57, that makes it the policy of the 
United States that any Status of Forces Agreement negotiated between 
the U.S. and Iraq include measures requiring the Iraqi Government to 
provide financial or other types of support for U.S. Armed Forces 
stationed in Iraq;
Pages H4746-56
  Boren amendment (No. 8 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that includes 
clarifying language regarding the procurement by a federal agency of 
alternative or synthetic fuels; clarifies conditions by which DOD and 
other federal agencies would be allowed to enter into a contract to 
purchase a generally available fuel, if it is not predominantly an 
alternative or synthetic fuel; and sets forth a set of conditions 
pursuant to these changes;
Pages H4764-66
  Waxman amendment (No. 15 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that requires 
agencies to enhance competition in contracting; limits the use of 
abuse-prone contracts; rebuilds the federal acquisition workforce; 
strengthens anti-fraud measures; and increases transparency in federal 
contracting;
Pages H4766-74
  Israel amendment (No. 50 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that creates a 
joint Department of Defense/Department of State program for the purpose 
of hiring Iraqis (who supported the U.S. efforts in Iraq and have 
resettled in the U.S.) as interpreters, translators, and cultural 
awareness instructors for various agencies of the Federal government 
and to increase awareness of the existence of the program; 
                                                         Pages H4777-78
  Skelton en bloc amendment No. 2 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in H. Rept. 110-666: No. 5, that requires the 
President to develop and submit to Congress a comprehensive interagency 
strategy for strategic communication and public diplomacy by December 
31, 2009; No. 10, that provides that autistic children of members of 
the Armed Forces, who are enrolled in the Extended Care Health Option 
program, receive a minimum of $5,000 per month of autistic therapy 
services; No. 11, that establishes the Visiting NIH Senior Neuroscience 
Fellowship Program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and 
the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic 
Brain Injury; No. 14, that gives the secretary of a military department 
authority to authorize military installations to enter into 
partnerships with colleges, universities, and technical schools for the 
purposes of improving the accessibility and flexibility of college 
courses available to active duty service members; No. 19, that finds 
that Congress and the Secretary of Defense should work to understand 
and identify the contributing factors related to suicide amongst our 
service men and women; No. 20, that increases (by offset) the amount 
provided for DOD military personnel by $3 million, one million for each 
of the Army Secretary, Navy Secretary, and Air Force Secretary, for the 
funeral honors program; No. 24, that amends safeguards and internal 
controls of DOD to require that appropriate inventory and property 
systems are updated promptly in response to expenditures charged to a 
purchase card related to sensitive and pilferable property; No. 28, 
that directs the Defense Secretary to include the effects of greenhouse 
gas emissions in planning, requirements development, and acquisition 
processes; No. 30, that permits the Army Secretary to award the Army 
Combat Action Badge to those soldiers who served during the dates 
ranging from December 7, 1941, to September 18, 2001, if the Secretary 
determines such individuals have not been previously recognized; No. 
40, that requires the Defense Secretary to conduct a demonstration 
project to assess the feasibility and efficacy of providing a face to 
face post-deployment mental health screening between a member of the 
Armed Forces and a mental health provider; No. 42, that requires the 
Secretary of Defense of revise the regulations issued pursuant to 
section 862 of the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act 
to ensure that private security contractors are not authorized to 
perform inherently governmental functions in an area of combat 
operations; No. 45, that permits the Transportation Secretary, acting 
through the Maritime Administration, to establish a Port of Guam 
Improvement Enterprise Program to provide for the planning, design, and 
construction of projects for the Port of Guam; No. 46, that requires 
the

[[Page D658]]

Comptroller General to review, and report to Congress within one year 
on, the DOD's implementation of the recommendations of the Department 
of Defense Task Force on Mental Health; and No. 43, that requires the 
Defense Secretary to study methods to verifiably reduce the likelihood 
of accidental nuclear launch by any nation;
Pages H4781-87
  Lee (CA) amendment (No. 26 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that provides 
that no provision in any status of forces agreement negotiated between 
the United States and the Government of Iraq that obligates the United 
States to the defense of Iraq from internal or external threats shall 
have any legal effect unless the agreement is in the form of a treaty 
requiring the advice and consent of the Senate, or is specifically 
authorized by an Act of Congress (by a recorded vote of 234 ayes to 183 
noes, Roll No. 359);
Pages H4774-77, H4790
  Braley (IA) amendment (No. 53 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that 
requires the President to submit a report to Congress on the long-term 
costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom within 
90 days of enactment; directs the estimate to be based on certain 
scenarios; make projections through at least Fiscal Year 2068; and take 
into account and specify various factors, including operational costs, 
reconstruction costs, and the cost of providing health care and 
disability benefits (by a recorded vote of 245 ayes to 168 noes, Roll 
No. 360);
Pages H4779-81, H4790-91
  Bishop (GA) amendment (No. 52 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that 
provides 180 days of transitional health care to those service members 
who separate honorably from active duty and agree to serve in the Guard 
or Selected Reserve at no charge to the service member;
Page H4794
  Ellsworth amendment (No. 55 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that revises 
the Federal Acquisition Regulation by requiring each contract awarded 
by the Department of Defense to contain a clause prohibiting the 
contractor from performing the contract using a subsidiary or 
subcontractor that is a foreign shell company if the foreign shell 
company will perform the work of the contract or subcontract using 
United States citizens or permanent residents of the United States; 
                                                             Page H4801
  Hodes amendment (No. 56 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that provides 
that no funds authorized in the bill may be used for propaganda 
purposes, and directs the DOD Inspector General and GAO to report on 
whether or not the defense analysts program violated the propaganda 
provisions of Department of Defense appropriations bills for Fiscal 
Years 2002 through 2008;
Pages H4801-04
  Foster amendment (No. 58 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that amends 
title XXXI of the bill (DOE National Security Programs) to require the 
Administrator for Nuclear Security to establish a fellowship program 
for Ph.D. candidates in nuclear chemistry;
Pages H4804-06
  Schwartz amendment (No. 51 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that prevents 
future use of the airfield at NASJRB Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, for 
commercial passenger operations; commercial cargo operations; 
commercial, business, or nongovernment aircraft operations not related 
to missions of the installation; and as a reliever airport to relieve 
congestion at other airports;
Pages H4806-07
  Spratt amendment (No. 4 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that requires 
the DNI, on an annual basis, to submit to Congress an update of the 
National Intelligence Estimate entitled ``Iran: Nuclear Intentions and 
Capabilities'' and dated November 2007; such update may be submitted in 
classified form; the President shall notify Congress in writing within 
15 days of determining that Iran has met or surpassed any major 
milestone in its nuclear weapons program or that Iran has undertaken to 
accelerate, decelerate, or cease the development of any significant 
element within its nuclear weapons program;
Pages H4807-10
  Price (NC) amendment (No. 25 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that 
prohibits agencies under the Department of Defense from using 
contractors to perform interrogations; the amendment allows the use of 
contractors for interpretation (by a recorded vote of 240 ayes to 160 
noes, Roll No. 361);
Pages H4794-96, H4810
  Holt amendment (No. 32 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that requires the 
videotaping or electronic recording of detainee interrogations in the 
custody of or under the effective control of the Department of Defense; 
directs the Judge Advocates General of the respective military services 
to develop uniform guidelines for such videotaping or electronic 
recording, and for said guidelines to be provided to Congress (by a 
recorded vote of 218 ayes to 192 noes, Roll No. 362); and 
                                               Pages H4796-97, H4810-11
  McGovern amendment (No. 31 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that requires 
the Defense Secretary to release to the public, upon request, the 
names, ranks, countries of origin, and other information of students 
and instructors of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security 
Cooperation (``WHINSEC''); the amendment covers fiscal years 2005-2008 
and any fiscal year thereafter (by a recorded vote of 220 ayes to 189 
noes, Roll No. 363).
Pages H4797-H4801, H4811-12
Rejected:
  Akin amendment (No. 3 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that sought to 
increase funding (by offset) for Future Combat Systems by $193 million 
(by a

[[Page D659]]

recorded vote of 128 ayes to 287 noes, Roll No. 355); 
                                               Pages H4745-46, H4787-88
  Franks (AZ) amendment (No. 6 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that sought 
to add $719 million (by offset) to the Missile Defense Agency's Budget 
(by a recorded vote of 186 ayes to 229 noes, Roll No. 356); 
                                                  Pages H4756-59, H4788
  Tierney amendment (No. 23 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that sought to 
reduce funding (by offset) for the Missile Defense Agency by $966.2 
million (by a recorded vote of 122 ayes to 292 noes, Roll No. 357); and
                                               Pages H4759-62, H4788-89
  Pearce amendment (No. 33 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that sought to 
remove $10 million in funding for energy conservation on military 
installations and increase funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead 
program by $10 million (by a recorded vote of 145 ayes to 271 noes, 
Roll No. 358).
Pages H4763-64, H4789
Withdrawn:
  Flake amendment (No. 22 printed in H. Rept. 110-666) that was offered 
and subsequently withdrawn that would have prohibited any funds 
appropriated to carry out H.R. 5658 from being used for a library/
lifelong learning center at Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, 
California.
Pages H4791-94
  Agreed that the Clerk be authorized to make technical and conforming 
changes to reflect the actions of the House.
Page H4822
  H. Res. 1218, the rule providing for further consideration of the 
bill, was agreed to by a yea-and-nay vote of 223 yeas to 197 nays, Roll 
No. 351, after agreeing to order the previous question by a yea-and-nay 
vote of 228 yeas to 192 nays, Roll No. 350.
Pages H4457-68
Calendar Wednesday: Agreed by unanimous consent to dispense with the 
Calendar Wednesday business of Wednesday, June 4th.
  Page H4822
Speaker Pro Tempore: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she 
appointed Representative Hoyer and Representative Van Hollen to act as 
Speaker pro tempore to sign enrolled bills and joint resolutions 
through June 3, 2008.
  Page H4822
Senate Messages: Messages received from the Senate today appear on 
pages H4778 and H4821.
Senate Referrals: S. Con. Res. 85 was held at the desk.
Quorum Calls--Votes: Six yea-and-nay votes and eleven recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H4467-68, 
H4468, H4469, H4654-55, H4655-56, H4787, H4788, H4788-89, H4789, H4790, 
H4790-91, H4810, H4811, H4811-12, H4820, H4821, and H4822. There were 
no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and at 10:35 p.m., pursuant to 
the provisions of H. Con. Res. 355, the House stands adjourned until 2 
p.m. on Tuesday, June 3, 2008.