[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 16, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1093-D1097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                        Tuesday, September 16, 2008

[[Page D1093]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      The House passed H.R. 6899--Comprehensive American Energy 
      Security and Consumer Protection Act


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S8809-S8896
Measures Introduced: Twelve bills and two resolutions were introduced, 
as follows: S. 3491-3502, S. Res. 662, and S. Con. Res. 99. 
                                                         Pages S8855-56
Measures Reported:
  S. 3168, to authorize United States participation in the 
replenishment of resources of the International Development 
Association. (S. Rept. No. 110-464)
  S. 2321, to amend the E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-347) 
to reauthorize appropriations, with an amendment. (S. Rept. No. 110-
465)
  S. 2816, to provide for the appointment of the Chief Human Capital 
Officer of the Department of Homeland Security by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security. (S. Rept. No. 110-466)
  S. 3038, to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to 
extend the adoption incentives program, to authorize States to 
establish a relative guardianship program, to promote the adoption of 
children with special needs, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute. (S. Rept. No. 110-467)
  H.R. 29, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct 
facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, domestic, 
military, and other uses from the Santa Margarita River, California, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  H.R. 31, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study 
and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District Wildomar 
Service Area Recycled Water Distribution Facilities and Alberhill 
Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Facility Projects.
  H.R. 236, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to create a 
Bureau of Reclamation partnership with the North Bay Water Reuse 
Authority and other regional partners to achieve objectives relating to 
water supply, water quality, and environmental restoration.
  H.R. 813, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study 
and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System Project, to 
authorize the Secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in 
projects to construct regional brine lines in California, to authorize 
the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination 
demonstration and reclamation project, with an amendment in the nature 
of a substitute.
  H.R. 816, to provide for the release of certain land from the Sunrise 
Mountain Instant Study Area in the State of Nevada and to grant a 
right-of-way across the released land for the construction and 
maintenance of a flood control project, with an amendment.
  H.R. 838, to provide for the conveyance of the Bureau of Land 
Management parcels known as the White Acre and Gambel Oak properties 
and related real property to Park City, Utah, with an amendment.
  H.R. 903, to provide for a study of options for protecting the open 
space characteristics of certain lands in and adjacent to the Arapaho 
and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
  H.R. 1139, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to plan, design 
and construct facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, 
domestic, and other uses from the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, Santa 
Ana River, California, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  H.R. 1737, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study 
and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in the design, planning, and construction of permanent 
facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired 
waters in the area of Oxnard, California.

[[Page D1094]]


  H.R. 1803, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie 
system for the purposes of improving the water storage opportunities, 
water supply reliability, and water yield of San Vicente, El Capitan, 
Murray, and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California in 
consultation and cooperation with the City of San Diego and the 
Sweetwater Authority.
  H.R. 2246, to provide for the release of any reversionary interest of 
the United States in and to certain lands in Reno, Nevada.
  H.R. 2614, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study 
and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in certain water projects in California.
  H.R. 2632, to establish the Sabinoso Wilderness Area in San Miguel 
County, New Mexico, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  H.R. 3022, to designate the John Krebs Wilderness in the State of 
California, to add certain land to the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National 
Park Wilderness, with an amendment.
  H.R. 3323, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey a 
water distribution system to the Goleta Water District.
  H.R. 3473, to provide for a land exchange with the City of Bountiful, 
Utah, involving National Forest System land in the Wasatch-Cache 
National Forest and to further land ownership consolidation in that 
national forest, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  H.R. 3490, to transfer administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal 
lands from the Bureau of Land Management to the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, to take such lands into trust for Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk 
Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria, with amendments.
  H.R. 3682, to designate certain Federal lands in Riverside County, 
California, as wilderness, to designate certain river segments in 
Riverside County as a wild, scenic, or recreational river, to adjust 
the boundary of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National 
Monument, with amendments.
  H.R. 5137, to ensure that hunting remains a purpose of the New River 
Gorge National River.
  S. 390, to direct the exchange of certain land in Grand, San Juan, 
and Uintah Counties, Utah, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.
  S. 1477, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out the 
Jackson Gulch rehabilitation project in the State of Colorado, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 1680, to provide for the inclusion of certain non-Federal land in 
the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and the Alaska Peninsula National 
Wildlife Refuge in the State of Alaska, with an amendment in the nature 
of a substitute.
  S. 1756, to provide supplemental ex gratia compensation to the 
Republic of the Marshall Islands for impacts of the nuclear testing 
program of the United States, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.
  S. 1816, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
commemorative trail in connection with the Women's Rights National 
Historical Park to link properties that are historically and 
thematically associated with the struggle for women's suffrage, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 2093, 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 in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 2156, to authorize and facilitate the improvement of water 
management by the Bureau of Reclamation, to require the Secretary of 
the Interior and the Secretary of Energy to increase the acquisition 
and analysis of water resources for irrigation, hydroelectric power, 
municipal, and environmental uses, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.
  S. 2255, to amend the National Trails System Act to provide for 
studies of the Chisholm Trail and Great Western Trail to determine 
whether to add the trails to the National Trails System, with an 
amendment.
  S. 2354, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey 4 parcels 
of land from the Bureau of Land Management to the city of Twin Falls, 
Idaho, with amendments.
  S. 2359, to establish the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration 
Commission, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 2448, to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 
1977 to make certain technical corrections.
  S. 2535, to revise the boundary of the Martin Van Buren National 
Historic Site, with amendments.
  S. 2561, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a theme 
study to identify sites and resources to commemorate and interpret the 
Cold War.
  S. 2779, to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 
1977 to clarify that uncertified States and Indian tribes have the 
authority to use certain payments for certain noncoal reclamation 
projects.
  S. 2805, to direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
Commissioner of Reclamation, to assess the irrigation infrastructure of 
the Rio Grande Pueblos in the State of New Mexico and provide

[[Page D1095]]

grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, the Rio Grande 
Pueblos to repair, rehabilitate, or reconstruct existing 
infrastructure, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 2842, to require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out annual 
inspections of canals, levees, tunnels, dikes, pumping plants, dams, 
and reservoirs under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 2875, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide grants 
to designated States and tribes to carry out programs to reduce the 
risk of livestock loss due to predation by gray wolves and other 
predator species or to compensate landowners for livestock loss due to 
predation, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 2943, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the 
Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, with amendments.
  S. 2974, to provide for the construction of the Arkansas Valley 
Conduit in the State of Colorado, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.
  S. 3010, to reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
  S. 3011, to amend the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site 
Act of 1991 to expand the boundaries of the historic site, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3017, to designate the Beaver Basin Wilderness at Pictured Rocks 
National Lakeshore in the State of Michigan, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
  S. 3045, to establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National 
Forest Heritage Area in the State of Alaska, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
  S. 3051, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the 
suitability and feasibility of designating the site of the Battle of 
Camden in South Carolina, as a unit of the National Park System, with 
an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3065, to establish the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation 
Area and the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
  S. 3069, to designate certain land as wilderness in the State of 
California, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3085, to require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
cooperative watershed management program, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
  S. 3088, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as 
wilderness, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3089, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as 
wilderness, to provide for the exchange of certain Federal land and 
non-Federal land, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3096, to amend the National Cave and Karst Research Institute Act 
of 1998 to authorize appropriations for the National Cave and Karst 
Research Institute.
  S. 3158, to extend the authority for the Cape Cod National Seashore 
Advisory Commission, with an amendment.
  S. 3179, to authorize the conveyance of certain public land in the 
State of New Mexico owned or leased by the Department of Energy, with 
an amendment.
  S. 3189, to amend Public Law 106-392 to require the Administrator of 
the Western Area Power Administration and the Commissioner of 
Reclamation to maintain sufficient revenues in the Upper Colorado River 
Basin Fund, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3226, to rename the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic 
Site in the State of Kentucky as the ``Abraham Lincoln Birthplace 
National Historical Park'', with an amendment.
  S. 3499, to protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national 
parks.                                                   
Pages S8853-54
Measures Passed:
  Library of Congress Sound Recording and Film Preservation Programs 
Reauthorization Act: Committee on Rules and Administration was 
discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5893, to reauthorize the 
sound recording and film preservation programs of the Library of 
Congress, and the bill was then passed, clearing the measure for the 
President.                                                   
  Page S8875
  District of Columbia Courts: Senate passed H.R. 5551, to amend title 
11, District of Columbia Official Code, to implement the increase 
provided under the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2008, in 
the amount of funds made available for the compensation of attorneys 
representing indigent defendants in the District of Columbia courts, 
clearing the measure for the President.                      
  Page S8875
  Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act: Senate passed S. 3023, to amend 
title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to prescribe regulations relating to the notice to be provided 
claimants with the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding the 
substantiation of claims, after agreeing to the committee amendment in 
the nature of a substitute, and the following amendment proposed 
thereto:                                                 
  Pages S8875-89

[[Page D1096]]


  Levin (for Akaka) Amendment No. 5614, to strike section 311, relating 
to relief for students who discontinue education because of military 
service, and to provide a temporary increase in the number of 
authorized judges of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans 
Claims.                                                      
Page S8883
  Republic of Latvia Independence 90th Anniversary: Committee on 
Foreign Relations was discharged from further consideration of S. Con. 
Res. 87, congratulating the Republic of Latvia on the 90th anniversary 
of its declaration of independence, and the resolution was then agreed 
to.                                                      
  Pages S8889-90
Measures Considered:
National Defense Authorization Act: Senate continued consideration of 
S. 3001, 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, taking action on the 
following amendments proposed thereto:         
  Pages S8814-21, S8821-37
Pending:
  Reid Amendment No. 5290, to change the enactment date.     
Page S8814
  Reid Amendment No. 5291 (to Amendment No. 5290), of a perfecting 
nature.                                                      
Page S8814
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
   By 61 yeas to 32 nays (Vote No. 200), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed 
to the motion to close further debate on the bill.           
Page S8826
  Subsequently, the motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on 
Armed Services with instructions to report back forthwith, with Reid 
Amendment No. 5292 (to the instructions of the motion to recommit), to 
change the enactment date, fell when the motion to invoke cloture on 
the bill was agreed to.                              
Pages S8814, S8826
  Reid Amendment No. 5293 (to the instructions of the motion to 
recommit to the bill), of a perfecting nature, fell when Reid Amendment 
No. 5292 fell.                                       
Pages S8814, S8826
  Reid Amendment No. 5294 (to Amendment No. 5293), of a perfecting 
nature, fell when Reid Amendment No. 5292 fell.      
Pages S8814, S8826
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at approximately 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, 
September 17, 2008, and that all time in adjournment, recess, and 
morning business count post-cloture.                         
Page S8890
Signing Authority--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing that Senator Harkin be authorized to sign the duly enrolled 
copy of S. 3406, to restore the intent and protections of the Americans 
with Disabilities Act of 1990.                               
  Page S8890
Executive Reports of Committees:
  By Mr. Biden, from the Committee on Foreign Relations:
  Treaty Doc. 110-6: Amendment to Convention on Physical Protection of 
Nuclear Material with 1 reservation, 3 understandings, and 1 
declaration (Ex. Rept. 110-24);
  Treaty Doc. 110-8: Protocols of 2005 to the Convention concerning 
Safety of Maritime Navigation and to the Protocol concerning Safety of 
Fixed Platforms on the Continental Shelf with reservations, 
understandings, and declarations (Ex. Rept. 110-25); and
  Treaty Doc. 106-1(A): The Hague Convention with 4 understandings and 
1 declaration (Ex. Rept. 110-26).                        
Pages S8854-55
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Bill Nelson, of Florida, to be a Representative of the United States 
of America to the Sixty-third Session of the General Assembly of the 
United Nations.
  Bob Corker, of Tennessee, to be a Representative of the United States 
of America to the Sixty-third Session of the General Assembly of the 
United Nations.
  Anthony H. Gioia, of New York, to be a Representative of the United 
States of America to the Sixty-third Session of the General Assembly of 
the United Nations.
  Karen Elliott House, of New Jersey, to be an Alternate Representative 
of the United States of America to the Sixty-third Session of the 
General Assembly of the United Nations.
  James W. Ceaser, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Council 
on the Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 2014.
  Alfred S. Irving, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be an 
Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for 
the term of fifteen years.
  Routine lists in the Army, Coast Guard.                
Pages S8890-96
Messages from the House:                                     
  Page S8852
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S8852
Enrolled Bills Presented:                                    
  Page S8852
Executive Reports of Committees:                         
  Pages S8854-55
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S8856-58
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S8858-63
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S8848-52

[[Page D1097]]

Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S8863-75
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S8875
Authorities for Committees To Meet:                          
  Page S8875
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S8875
Record Votes: One record vote was taken today. (Total--200) 
                                                             Page S8826
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 6:51 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17, 2008. (For Senate's 
program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's 
Record on page S8890.)