[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 24 (Friday, February 6, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D119-D120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                           Friday, February 6, 2009

[[Page D119]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1773-S1893
Measures Introduced: Two bills and one resolution were introduced, as 
follows: S. 392-393, and S. Con. Res. 5.                     
  Page S1864
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 S1774-S1840, S1841-59
Adopted:
  Sanders/Grassley Modified Amendment No. 306 (to Amendment No. 98), to 
require recipients of TARP funding to meet strict H-1B worker hiring 
standard to ensure non-displacement of U.S. workers. 
                                                     Pages S1775, S1803
  By 73 yeas to 24 nays (Vote No. 51), Coburn Amendment No. 309 (to 
Amendment No. 98), to ensure that taxpayer money is not lost on 
wasteful and non-stimulative projects.            
Pages S1775, S1803-04
  Udall Amendment No. 359 (to Amendment No. 98), to expand the number 
of veterans eligible for the employment tax credit for unemployed 
veterans.                                            
Pages S1775, S1804
  By a unanimous vote of 97 yeas (Vote No. 52), Coburn Amendment No. 
176 (to Amendment No. 98), to require the use of competitive procedures 
to award contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements funded under 
this Act.                                         
Pages S1775, S1804-07
  Baucus (for Dodd) Modified Amendment No. 145 (to Amendment No. 98), 
to improve the efforts of the Federal Government in mitigating home 
foreclosures and to require the Secretary of the Treasury to develop 
and implement a foreclosure prevention loan modification plan. 
                                           Pages S1775, S1850-51, S1852
  Cantwell Further Modified Amendment No. 274 (to Amendment No. 98), to 
improve provisions relating to energy tax incentives and provisions 
relating manufacturing tax incentives for energy property. 
                                               Pages S1819-26, S1853-54
  Wyden Amendment no. 468 (to Amendment No. 98), to require financial 
institutions receiving TARP assistance to redeem from the United States 
preferred stock in an amount equal to excess bonuses from 2008 or to 
pay a 35 percent tax on such amount.              
Pages S1834-38, S1855
  Enzi Further Modified Amendment No. 293 (to Amendment No. 98), to 
provide for a manager's amendment.             
Pages S1831-34, S1856-59
Rejected:
  By 39 yeas to 57 nays (Vote No. 53), Graham/Conrad Modified Amendment 
No. 501 (to Amendment No. 98), to limit wasteful spending, to fund a 
systematic program of foreclosure prevention, to be administered by the 
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 
                                        Pages S1808-17, S1831, S1851-52
  By 47 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 54), Grassley Amendment No. 297 (to 
Amendment No. 98), to provide the same temporary increase in the FMAP 
for all States and to permit States to choose the period through June 
2011 for receiving the increase.               
Pages S1817-19, S1852-53
  By 45 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 56), Vitter Amendment No. 107 (to 
Amendment No. 98), prohibiting direct or indirect use of funds to fund 
the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). 
                                                     Pages S1808, S1854
  By 41 yeas to 55 nays (Vote No. 57), Bunning Amendment No. 531 (to 
Amendment No. 98), to temporarily increase the limitations on 
offsetting ordinary income with capital losses and to strike the 5-year 
carryback of general business credits.            
Pages S1826-27, S1855
Withdrawn:
  Feingold/Stabenow Amendment No. 485 (to Amendment No. 98), to clarify 
that certain programs constitute a qualified conservation purpose for 
qualified energy conservation bonds.              
Pages S1827-28, S1855
  Murray Amendment No. 110 (to Amendment No. 98), to strengthen the 
infrastructure investments made by the bill.         
Pages S1775, S1855
  Reid (for Inouye/Baucus) Amendment No. 98, in the nature of a 
substitute.                                 
Pages S1774-S1840, S1841-59

[[Page D120]]


  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 80 yeas to 16 nays (Vote No. 55), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed 
to the motion to waive section 904 of Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
with respect to Cantwell Further Modified Amendment No. 274 (to 
Amendment No. 98), to improve provisions relating to energy tax 
incentives and provisions relating manufacturing tax incentives for 
energy property. The point of order that the amendment was in violation 
of section 201 of S. Con. Res. 21, FY08 Congressional Budget 
Resolution, was not sustained.                           
Pages S1853-54
  By 35 yeas to 61 nays (Vote No. 58), 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 Thune Amendment No. 
538 (to Amendment No. 98), to replace all spending and tax provisions 
with a direct rebate to all Americans filing a tax return. 
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 S1828-31, S1855-56
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at 12 p.m., on Saturday, February 7, 2009, 
and that the Collins-Nelson (NE) Amendment be called up, and that 
cloture be filed on the amendment, and that no further amendments or 
motions be in order for the duration of the bill; provided further, 
that on Monday, February 9, 2009, the time from 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., 
be equally divided and controlled in the same manner and at 5:30 p.m., 
Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the amendment offered by 
Senator Reid for Senators Collins and Nelson (NE); that if cloture is 
invoked on the amendment; then post-cloture time run during any recess 
or adjournment of the Senate on Monday, February 9, 2009; and that all 
post-cloture time be considered expired at 12 noon, on Tuesday, 
February 10, 2009; that on Tuesday, February 10, 2009, the time until 
12 noon be equally divided and controlled as provided above; and that 
if a budget point of order is raised against the amendment, then a 
motion to waive the applicable point of order be considered made; that 
if the waiver is successful, the amendment be agreed to; that if there 
is no point of order against the amendment, then adoption of the 
amendment be subject to a 60 affirmative vote threshold, and Senate 
vote on final passage of the bill, that upon passage of the bill, 
Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House on 
the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, and the Chair be authorized to 
appoint conferees, with the ratio agreed upon by the two Leaders. 
                                                             Page S1859
Appointments:
  British-American Interparliamentary Group: The Chair, on behalf of 
the President pro tempore, and upon the recommendation of the 
Republican Leader, pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 2761, as amended, appointed 
the following Senator as Vice Chairman of the British-American 
Interparliamentary Group conference during the 111th Congress: Senator 
Cochran.                                                     
  Page S1883
  British-American Interparliamentary Group: The Chair, on behalf of 
the President pro tempore, and upon the recommendation of the Majority 
Leader, pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 2761, as amended, appointed the following 
Senator as Chairman of the British-American Interparliamentary Group 
conference during the 111th Congress: Senator Leahy.
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S1864-66
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:                  
  Page S1866
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S1862-64
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S1866-83
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S1883
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S1883
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S1883
Record Votes: Eight record votes were taken today. (Total--58) 
        Pages S1804, S1805, S1852, S1853, S1853-54, S1854, S1855, S1856
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 6, 2009 and 
adjourned at 12:39 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, 2009, until 12 p.m. on 
the same day. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Majority 
Leader in today's Record on page S1883.)