[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 97 (Thursday, June 12, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D736-D738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 25 public bills, H.R. 6249-
6273; and 7 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 372; and H. Res. 1269-1274 were 
introduced.
  Pages H5406-07
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages H5408-09
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 1333, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the 
Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of the Air 
Force to use Civil Air Patrol personnel and resources to support 
homeland security missions, with amendments (H. Rept. 110-691, Pt. 2) 
and
  H.R. 5912, to amend title 39, United States Code, to make cigarettes 
and certain other tobacco products nonmailable, with an amendment (H. 
Rept. 110-711).
Page H5406
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed 
Representative Tauscher to act as Speaker Pro Tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H5331
Suspensions--Proceedings Resumed: The House agreed to suspend the rules 
and pass the following measures which were debated on Wednesday, June 
11th:
  Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008: H.R. 
1553, amended, to amend the Public Health Service Act to advance 
medical research and treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure patients 
and families have access to the current treatments and information 
regarding pediatric cancers, establish a population-based national 
childhood cancer database, and promote public awareness of pediatric 
cancers, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 416 yeas with none voting 
``nay'', Roll No. 409; and
  Pages H5344-45
  Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To amend the Public Health 
Service Act to advance medical research and treatments into pediatric 
cancers, ensure patients and families have access to information 
regarding pediatric cancers and current treatments for such cancers, 
establish a national childhood cancer registry, and promote public 
awareness of pediatric cancer.''
Page H5345
  Authorizing the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
to accept, as part of a settlement, diesel emission reduction 
Supplemental Environmental Projects: S. 2146, amended, to authorize the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to accept, as part 
of a settlement, diesel emission reduction Supplemental Environmental 
Projects, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 406 yeas with none voting 
``nay'', Roll No. 413.
  Pages H5361-62

[[Page D737]]

Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008: The House 
passed H.R. 5749, to provide for a program of emergency unemployment 
compensation, by a yea-and-nay vote of 274 yeas to 137 nays, Roll No. 
412.
  Pages H5333-42, H5343-44, H5345-61
  Rejected the Weller (IL) motion to recommit the bill to the Committee 
on Ways and Means with instructions to report the same back to the 
House forthwith with amendments, by a yea-and-nay vote of 170 yeas to 
243 nays, Roll No. 411.
Pages H5359-61
  Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
printed in H. Rept. 110-710 shall be considered as adopted, in lieu of 
the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the 
Committee on Ways and Means now printed in the bill.
Page H5348
  Agreed to table the appeal of the ruling of the chair on a point of 
order raised by Representative Weller (IL) by a yea-and-nay vote of 217 
yeas to 185 nays, Roll No. 410.
Pages H5347-59
  H. Res. 1265, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, was 
agreed to by a yea-and-nay vote of 227 yeas to 192 nays, Roll No. 408, 
after agreeing to order the previous question by a yea-and-nay vote of 
225 yeas to 186 nays, Roll No. 407.
Pages H5343-44
Calendar Wednesday: Agreed to dispense with the Calendar Wednesday 
business of Wednesday, June 18th.
  Page H5365
Meeting Hour: Agreed that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to 
meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow, and further, when the House adjourns on that 
day, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17th for morning 
hour debate.
  Page H5365
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2008: The House began consideration of H.R. 6063, to authorize the 
programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Further 
proceedings were postponed.
  Pages H5342-43, H5365-93
  Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
recommended by the Committee on Science and Technology now printed in 
the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of 
amendment under the five-minute rule.
Pages H5372-79
Accepted:
  Gordon (TN) manager's amendment (No 1 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) 
that includes a provision related to coordination with the FAA on sonic 
boom research; replaces Secs. 305 and 306 with equivalent language from 
Secs. 903 and 905 respectively of the House-passed FAA Reauthorization, 
H.R. 2881; adds suborbital reusable launch vehicles to the list of 
suborbital science research platforms; includes a sense of Congress on 
the value of NASA's EarthKam and robotics competitions for inspiring 
students; includes sense of Congress language urging NASA to use 
entrepreneurial companies to conduct appropriate R&D and seek ways to 
ensure that firms that rely on fixed price proposals aren't 
disadvantaged; and includes NASA workforce-related provisions, 
including an extension of the RIF moratorium, a limit on the use of 
term positions in FY 2009, and a temporary continuation of coverage of 
health benefits;
Pages H5379-81
  Feeney amendment (No. 2 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that expresses 
the sense of Congress that the U.S. should seek to obtain cooperation 
from other nations in discovering and monitoring near-Earth asteroids; 
                                                             Page H5381
  Wu amendment (No. 3 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that encourages the 
United States to lead confidence building measures that advance the 
long-term initiative for international cooperation;
Pages H5381-82
  Wu amendment (No. 4 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that expresses the 
sense of Congress that NASA should not dilute, distort, suppress, or 
impede scientific research or the dissemination thereof; 
                                                         Pages H5382-83
  Arcuri amendment (No. 6 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that requires 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to examine the 
feasibility of contracting non-federal actors to disseminate images and 
multi-media records delivered from space to the public as part of 
NASA's participatory exploration technology plan. Additionally, the 
amendment requires NASA to employ a transparent bidding process to 
award any such contracts, pursuant to U.S. law;
Page H5386
  Wu amendment (No. 7 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that requires CBO to 
update their report from 2004 on the budgetary analysis of the NASA's 
Vision for the Nation's Space Exploration Program. This report is to be 
completed in 6 months;
Pages H5386-87
  Harman amendment (No. 8 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that expresses 
the sense of Congress that NASA should work with other government 
agencies and the aerospace industry to develop and implement policies 
to sustain and expand the aerospace industry workforce; 
                                                         Pages H5387-89
  Gordon (TN) amendment (No. 9 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that 
directs NASA to prioritize any existing cooperatives with the National 
Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that are related to the study 
of tornadoes and tornado force winds with the goal of determining the 
nation's ability to

[[Page D738]]

predict tornado events; and also requires NASA to examine if there are 
other areas where NASA can work with NOAA in the area of tornado 
research;
Pages H5389-90
  Yarmuth amendment (No. 11 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that requires 
NASA to respond to recommendations in recent reports of the Government 
Accountability Office and the National Academy of Sciences to ensure 
the public has access to correct and timely research and data on global 
warming; and
Pages  H5390-91
  Jackson-Lee (TX) amendment (No. 12 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that 
clarifies that the NASA Outreach and Technology Assistance Program will 
include small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses; also gives 
preference, in selection for the program, to socially and economically 
disadvantaged small business concerns, small business concerns owned 
and controlled by service-disabled veterans, and HUBZone small business 
concerns.
Pages  H5391-93
Proceedings Postponed:
  Lampson amendment (No. 5 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that seeks to 
exempt NASA from Section 526(a) of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 if the contract does not specifically require the 
contractor to provide an alternative or synthetic fuel or fuel from a 
nonconventional source, the purpose of the contract is not to obtain an 
alternative or synthetic fuel or fuel from a nonconventional petroleum 
source, and the contract does not provide incentives for a refinery 
upgrade or expansion to allow a refinery to use or increase its use of 
fuel from a nonconventional petroleum source and
Pages  H5383-86
  Hodes amendment (No. 10 printed in H. Rept. 110-707) that seeks to 
establish a scholarship program in honor of Christa McAuliffe, a 
teacher from Concord, New Hampshire who died in the 1986 Challenger 
Space Shuttle disaster. The scholarship would go to women pursuing 
degrees in mathematics, science, and engineering.
Page  H5390
  H. Res. 1257, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, was 
agreed to by a yea-and-nay vote of 221 yeas to 188 nays, Roll No. 406, 
after agreeing to order the previous question by a yea-and-nay vote of 
226 yeas to 183 nays, Roll No. 405.
Pages  H5342-43
Quorum Calls--Votes: Nine yea-and-nay votes developed during the 
proceedings of today and appear on pages H5342, H5343, H5343-44, H5344, 
H5345, H5347-48, H5360-61, H5361, H5362. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 7:23 p.m.