[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 3, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D100-D101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                          Tuesday, February 3, 2009

[[Page D100]]

                              Daily Digest


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1371-S1472
Measures Introduced: Ten bills and two resolutions were introduced, as 
follows: S. 364-373, S. Res. 26, and S. Con. Res. 4.     
  Pages S1431-32
Measures Passed:
  Authorizing Use of the Capitol Rotunda: Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 
27, authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony in 
honor of the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln. 
                                                             Page S1472
Measures Considered:
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Senate continued consideration 
of H.R. 1, making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and 
creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, 
assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, 
for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, taking action on the 
following amendments proposed thereto:       
  Pages S1371-87, S1387-1427
Adopted:
  By 52 yeas to 45 nays (Vote No. 34), Coburn Amendment No. 109 (to 
Amendment No. 98), to strike the $246 million tax earmark for Hollywood 
production companies.                       
Pages S1387-97, S1399-S1400
  Mikulski/Brownback Amendment No. 104 (to Amendment No. 98), to amend 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow an above-the-line deduction 
against individual income tax for interest on indebtedness and for 
State sales and excise taxes with respect to the purchase of certain 
motor vehicles.                                
Pages S1397-99, S1400-03
  Harkin Modified Amendment No. 178 (to Amendment No. 98), to provide 
an additional $6,500,000,000 to the National Institutes of Health for 
biomedical research.                           
Pages S1405-06, S1420-21
Withdrawn:
  Specter/Durbin Modified Amendment No. 101 (to Amendment No. 98), to 
provide an additional $6,500,000,000 to the National Institutes of 
Health for biomedical research.                   
Pages S1403-05, S1420
Pending:
  Reid (for Inouye/Baucus) Amendment No. 98, in the nature of a 
substitute.                                              
Pages S1371-74
  Murray Amendment No. 110 (to Amendment No. 98), to strengthen the 
infrastructure investments made by the bill.             
Pages S1374-87
  Vitter Amendment No. 179 (to Amendment No. 98), to eliminate 
unnecessary spending.                                    
Pages S1406-08
  Isakson/Lieberman Amendment No. 106 (to Amendment No. 98), to amend 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a Federal income tax 
credit for certain home purchases.                       
Pages S1421-22
  Feingold Amendment No. 140 (to Amendment No. 98), to provide greater 
accountability of taxpayers' dollars by curtailing congressional 
earmarking and requiring disclosure of lobbying by recipients of 
Federal funds.                                           
Pages S1422-27
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 58 yeas to 39 nays (Vote No. 33), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive Section 204(a) 5A of S. Con. Res. 21, FY08 
Congressional Budget Resolution, with respect to Murray Amendment No. 
110 (to Amendment No. 98), to strengthen the infrastructure investments 
made by the bill. Subsequently, a point of order that the emergency 
designation provision in the amendment was in violation of section 
204(a) 5A of S. Con. Res. 21, FY08 Congressional Budget Resolution was 
sustained, and the provision was stricken.                   
Page S1387
  By 71 yeas to 26 nays (Vote No. 35), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed 
to the motion to waive section 201(a) of S. Con. Res. 21, FY08 
Congressional Budget Resolution, with respect to Mikulski/Brownback 
Amendment No. 104 (to Amendment No. 98), to amend the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 to allow an above-the-line deduction against individual 
income tax for interest on indebtedness and for State sales and excise 
taxes with respect to the purchase of certain motor vehicles.

[[Page D101]]

The point of order that the amendment was in violation of section 
201(a) of S. Con. Res. 21, FY08 Congressional Budget Resolution, was 
not sustained.                                               
Page S1401
  By 42 yeas to 55 nays (Vote No. 36), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive section 201 of S. Con. Res. 21, FY08 
Congressional Budget Resolution, with respect to Boxer Amendment No. 
112 (to Amendment No. 98), to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
to allow the deduction for dividends received from controlled foreign 
corporations for an additional year. Subsequently, the pay-as-you-go 
point of order that the amendment would cause or increase an on-budget 
deficit for either of the applicable time periods set out in S. Con. 
Res. 21, was sustained, and the amendment thus fell.     
Pages S1408-20
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, February 4, 
2009.                                                        
Page S1472
Appointments:
  United States Holocaust Memorial Council: The Chair, on behalf of the 
President pro tempore, pursuant to Public Law 96-388, as amended by 
Public Law 97-84, appointed the following Senator to the United States 
Holocaust Memorial Council for the 111th Congress: Senator Hatch. 
                                                             Page S1472
  Japan-United States Friendship Commission: The Chair, on behalf of 
the President pro tempore, pursuant to Public Law 94-118, Section 
4(a)(3), appointed Senator Murkowski to the Japan-United States 
Friendship Commission.                                       
  Page S1472
  Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution: The Chair, on behalf 
of the Vice President, pursuant to the provisions of 20 U.S.C., 
sections 42 and 43, appointed Senator Cochran as a member of the Board 
of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.                   
  Page S1472
  Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki): The 
Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, pursuant to Public Law 94-304, 
as amended by Public Law 99-7, appointed the following Senators as 
members of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe 
(Helsinki) during the 111th Congress: Senators Dodd, Whitehouse, Udall 
(NM), and Shaheen.                                           
  Page S1472
  Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki): The 
Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, pursuant to Public Law 94-304, 
amended by Public Law 99-7, appointed the following Senators as members 
of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki) 
during the 111th Congress: Senators Chambliss and Brownback. 
                                                             Page S1472
  Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group: The Chair, on behalf of the 
Vice President, pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 276d-276g, as amended, appointed 
the following Senator as Chairman of the Senate Delegation to the 
Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group conference during the 111th 
Congress: Senator Klobuchar.                                 
  Page S1472
Additional Cosponsors:                                       
  Page S1432
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S1432-39
Additional Statements:                                       
  Page S1431
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S1439-71
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S1472
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S1477
Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--36) 
                                       Pages S1387, S1400, S1401, S1420
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 9:45 p.m., 
until 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 4, 2009. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S1472.)