[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10757-S10758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 5696. Mr. MARTINEZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 6867, to provide for additional emergency 
unemployment compensation; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF LOAN LIMIT INCREASE.

       (a) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.--Section 201(a) of the 
     Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-185, 122 Stat. 
     619) is amended by striking ``December 31, 2008'' and 
     inserting ``December 31, 2009''.
       (b) FHA Loans.--Section 202(a) of the Economic Stimulus Act 
     of 2008 (Public Law 110-185, 122 Stat. 620) is amended by 
     striking ``December 31, 2008'' and inserting ``December 31, 
     2009''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 5697. Mr. DODD (for himself and Mr. Martinez) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 6867, to 
provide for additional emergency unemployment compensation; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. MANDATORY LOAN GUARANTEES AND CREDIT ENHANCEMENT 
                   EFFORTS.

       Section 109(a) of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act 
     of 2008 (division A of Public Law 110-343) is amended--
       (1) by striking the last sentence;
       (2) by striking ``To the extent'' and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(1) In general.--To the extent''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) Loan guarantees and credit enhancements required.--
       ``(A) In general.--In addition to actions required under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, not later than 15 days 
     after the date of enactment of this paragraph, designate the 
     Corporation, on a reimbursable basis, to design and carry out 
     a plan to use loan guarantees or credit enhancements to 
     facilitate loan modifications to prevent avoidable 
     foreclosures.
       ``(B) Aggregate amounts.--The Secretary shall make and fund 
     guarantees and credit enhancements developed under this 
     paragraph in amounts of--
       ``(i) $10,000,000,000 in aggregate estimated subsidy costs, 
     and amounts specified under paragraph (2) of section 115(a) 
     shall be reduced by the subsidy cost of any guarantees or 
     credit enhancements funded by the Secretary under this 
     clause; and
       ``(ii) an additional $15,000,000,000, in aggregate 
     estimated subsidy costs, and amounts specified under 
     paragraph (3) of section 115(a) shall be reduced by the 
     subsidy cost of any guarantees or credit enhancements funded 
     by the Secretary under this clause.
       ``(C) Contracting authority.--In carrying out this 
     paragraph, the Corporation may use its contracting authority 
     under section 9 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 5698. Mr. DORGAN (for Mr. Rockefeller (for himself, Mrs. 
Hutchison, and Mr. Dorgan)) proposed an amendment to the bill S. 3663, 
to require the Federal Communications Commission to provide for a 
short-term extension of the analog television broadcasting authority so 
that essential public safety announcements and digital television 
transition information may be provided for a short time during the 
transition to digital television broadcasting.; as follows:

     Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the 
         following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Short-term Analog Flash and 
     Emergency Readiness Act''.

[[Page S10758]]

     SEC. 2. COMMISSION ACTION REQUIRED.

       (a) Program Required.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
     of law, the Federal Communications Commission shall, not 
     later than January 15, 2009, develop and implement a program 
     to encourage and permit, to the extent technically feasible 
     and subject to such limitations as the Commission finds to be 
     consistent with the public interest and the requirements of 
     this Act, the broadcasting in the analog television service 
     of only the public safety information and digital transition 
     information specified in subsection (b) during the 30-day 
     period beginning on the day after the date established by law 
     under section 3002(b) of the Digital Television Transition 
     and Public Safety Act of 2005 for termination of all licenses 
     for full-power television stations in the analog television 
     service and the cessation of broadcasting by full-power 
     stations in the analog television service.
       (b) Information required.--The program required by 
     subsection (a) shall provide for the broadcast of--
       (1) emergency information, including critical details 
     regarding the emergency, as broadcast or required to be 
     broadcast by full-power stations in the digital television 
     service;
       (2) information, in both English and Spanish, and 
     accessible to persons with disabilities, concerning--
       (A) the digital television transition, including the fact 
     that a transition has taken place and that additional action 
     is required to continue receiving television service, 
     including emergency notifications; and
       (B) the steps required to enable viewers to receive such 
     emergency information via the digital television service and 
     to convert to receiving digital television service, including 
     a phone number and Internet address by which help with such 
     transition may be obtained in both English and Spanish; and
       (3) such other information related to consumer education 
     about the digital television transition or public health and 
     safety or emergencies as the Commission may find to be 
     consistent with the public interest.

     SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS.

       In designing the program required by this Act, the 
     Commission shall--
       (1) take into account market-by-market needs, based upon 
     factors such as channel and transmitter availability;
       (2) ensure that broadcasting of the program specified in 
     section 2(b) will not cause harmful interference with signals 
     in the digital television service;
       (3) not require the analog television service signals 
     broadcast under this Act to be retransmitted or otherwise 
     carried pursuant to section 325(b), 338, 339, 340, 614, or 
     615 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 325(b), 338, 
     339, 340, 614, or 615);
       (4) take into consideration broadcasters' digital power 
     levels and transition and coordination plans that already 
     have been adopted with respect to cable systems and satellite 
     carriers' systems;
       (5) prohibit any broadcast of analog television service 
     signals under section 2(b) on any spectrum that is approved 
     or pending approval by the Commission to be used for public 
     safety radio services, including television channels 14-20; 
     and
       (6) not include the analog spectrum between channels 52 and 
     69, inclusive (between frequencies 698 and 806 megahertz, 
     inclusive) reclaimed from analog television broadcasting 
     pursuant to section 309(j) of the Communications Act of 1934 
     (47 U.S.C. 309(j)).

     SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

       As used in this Act, the term ``emergency information'' has 
     the meaning such term has under part 79 of the regulations of 
     the Federal Communications Commission (47 C.F.R. part 79).

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