[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 159 (Wednesday, October 1, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1219-D1221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                         Wednesday, October 1, 2008

[[Page D1219]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      See Resume of Congressional Activity.
      Senate completed action on H.R. 2095, Federal Railroad Safety 
      Improvement Act.
      Senate passed H.R. 7081, United States-India Nuclear Cooperation 
      Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act.
      Senate passed H.R. 1424, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and 
      Addiction Equity Act (Emergency Economic Stabilization Act).


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S10189-S10397
Measures Introduced: Twenty bills and two resolutions were introduced, 
as follows: S. 3659-3678, S. Res. 701, and S. Con. Res. 105. 
                                                        Pages S10323-24
Measures Reported:
  H.R. 1187, To expand the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones 
National Marine Sanctuary and the Cordell Bank National Marine 
Sanctuary, with amendments. (S. Rept. No. 110-516)
  S. 2148, to provide for greater diversity within, and to improve 
policy direction and oversight of, the Senior Executive Service, with 
an amendment in the nature of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 110-517)
  S. 2838, to amend chapter 1 of title 9 of United States Code with 
respect to arbitration. (S. Rept. No. 110-518)
  S. 1779, to establish a program for tribal colleges and universities 
within the Department of Health and Human Services and to amend the 
Native American Programs Act of 1974 to authorize the provision of 
grants and cooperative agreements to tribal colleges and universities, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 110-519)
  H.R. 404, to require the establishment of customer service standards 
for Federal agencies, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 547, to establish a Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security for 
Management.
  S. 967, to amend chapter 41 of title 5, United States Code, to 
provide for the establishment and authorization of funding for certain 
training programs for supervisors of Federal employees, with 
amendments.
  S. 1000, to enhance the Federal Telework Program, with an amendment 
in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 1924, to amend chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, to 
create a presumption that a disability or death of a Federal employee 
in fire protection activities caused by any of certain diseases is the 
result of the performance of such employee's duty, with an amendment in 
the nature of a substitute.
  S. 2583, to amend the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (31 
U.S.C. 3321 note) in order to prevent the loss of billions in taxpayer 
dollars, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3384, to amend section 11317 of title 40, United States Code, to 
require greater accountability for cost overruns on Federal IT 
investment projects, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 3474, to amend title 44, United States Code, to enhance 
information security of the Federal Government.
  S. 3662, to establish the Controlled Unclassified Information Office, 
to require policies and procedures for the designation, marking, 
safeguarding, and dissemination of controlled unclassified information.
                                                            Page S10323
Measures Passed:
  Child Safe Viewing Act: Senate passed S. 602, to develop the next 
generation of parental control technology, after agreeing to the 
committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, and the following 
amendment proposed thereto:
  Page S10199

[[Page D1220]]


  Dodd (for Pryor) Amendment No. 5684, of a perfecting nature. 
                                                            Page S10199
  United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation 
Enhancement Act: By 86 yeas to 13 nays (Vote No. 211), Senate passed 
H.R. 7081, to approve the United States-India Agreement for Cooperation 
on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, pursuant to the order of the Senate 
of Tuesday, September 30, 2008, the bill having achieved 60 affirmative 
votes, and after taking action on the following amendments proposed 
thereto:
  Pages S10191-S10208, S10290-91
Rejected:
  Bingaman (for Dorgan) Amendment No. 5683, to prohibit nuclear trade 
with India in the event that India detonates a nuclear weapon and to 
impose certain certification, reporting, and control requirements. 
                                                            Page S10201
  Paul Wellstone Mental Health And Addiction Equity Act (Emergency 
Economic Stabilization Act): By 74 yeas to 25 nays (Vote No. 213), 
Senate passed H.R. 1424, to amend section 712 of the Employee 
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, section 2705 of the Public 
Health Service Act, section 9812 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
to require equity in the provision of mental health and substance-
related disorder benefits under group health plans, to prohibit 
discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to 
health insurance and employment, pursuant to the order of the Senate of 
Tuesday, September 30, 2008, the bill having achieved 60 affirmative 
votes, after taking action on the following amendments proposed 
thereto:
  Pages S10220-83, S10291-95
Adopted:
  Dodd Amendment No. 5685, in the nature of a substitute. (By 74 yeas 
to 25 nays (Vote No. 212), and pursuant to the order of the Senate of 
Tuesday, September 30, 2008, the amendment having achieved 60 votes in 
the affirmative, was agreed to).
Pages S10222-34, S10292-94
Rejected:
  Sanders Amendment No. 5687 (to Amendment No. 5685), to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the tax on high income 
individuals.
Pages S10234-36, S10291-92
  Enrollment Correction: Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 105, directing 
the Clerk of the House of Representatives to correct the enrollment of 
H.R. 6063.
  Page S10388
  Trafficking in Persons Accountability Act: Senate passed S. 1703, to 
prevent and reduce trafficking in persons, after agreeing to the 
committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, and the following 
amendment proposed thereto:
  Pages S10388-90
  Durbin Amendment No. 5688, in the nature of a substitute. 
                                                            Page S10390
  Non-Foreign AREA Act: Senate passed S. 3013, to provide for 
retirement equity for Federal employees in nonforeign areas outside the 
48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia, after agreeing to 
the committee amendments, which will be considered as original text for 
the purpose of further amendment, and the following amendment proposed 
thereto:
  Pages S10390-94
  Durbin (for Collins) Amendment No. 5689, to strike the provision 
relating to election of coverage by employees.
Page S10394
  Military Voting Protection Act: Committee on Rules and Administration 
was discharged from further consideration of S. 3073, to amend the 
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to improve 
procedures for the collection and delivery of absentee ballots of 
absent overseas uniformed services voters, and the bill was then 
passed, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto: 
                                                        Pages S10394-96
  Durbin (for Cornyn) Amendment No. 5690, in the nature of a 
substitute.
Pages S10394-96
  Transfer of Naval Vessels: Senate passed H.R. 7177, to authorize the 
transfer of naval vessels to certain foreign recipients, clearing the 
measure for the President.
  Page S10396
  Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal Act: Senate passed H.R. 
7198, to establish the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal for 
organ donors and the family of organ donors, clearing the measure for 
the President.
  Page S10396
House Messages:
Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act: By 74 yeas to 24 nays (Vote 
No. 210), Senate concurred in the amendment of the House of 
Representatives to the amendment of the Senate to H.R. 2095, to amend 
title 49, United States Code, to prevent railroad fatalities, injuries, 
and hazardous materials releases, to authorize the Federal Railroad 
Safety Administration, taking action on the following motion and 
amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S10283-90
Withdrawn:
  Reid Motion to Concur in the amendment of the House of 
Representatives to the amendment of the Senate to the bill with Reid 
Amendment No. 5677, to establish the enactment date.
Page S10283
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  Reid Amendment No. 5678 (to Amendment No. 5677), of a perfecting 
nature, fell when Reid Motion to Concur in the amendment of the House 
of Representatives to the amendment of the Senate to the

[[Page D1221]]

bill with Reid Amendment No. 5677 was withdrawn.
Page S10283
Appointments:
  Commission on the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: The 
Chair, on behalf of the Majority Leader, pursuant to Public Law 110-
183, announced the appointment of the following individual as a member 
of the Commission on the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: 
Rainier Spencer of Nevada.
  Page S10191
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Jonathan R. Scharfen, of Virginia, to be Director of the United 
States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security.
  Routine lists in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
and the Public Health Service.
Pages S10396-97
Messages from the House:
  Pages S10320-21
Executive Communications:
  Pages S10321-23
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S10324-39
Additional Statements:
  Pages S10307-20
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S10339-88
Privileges of the Floor:
  Page S10388
Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--213) 
                                           Pages S10290, S10291, S10294
Recess: Senate convened at 10:00 a.m. and recessed at 9:56 p.m., until 
10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 2, 2008. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S10396.)