[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 56 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D404-D405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 114 public bills, H.R. 1865-
1978; 1 private bill, H.R. 1979; and 22 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 93-
99; and H. Res. 319-333 were introduced.                  
  PagesH4518-24
Additional Cosponsors:                                    
  PagesH4524-26
Report Filed: A report was filed today as follows:
  Report of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (H. Rept. 
111-74).                                                     
Page H4518
Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the Guest Chaplain, Rev. Bruce 
Frank, Biltmore Baptist Church, Arden, NC.                   
  Page H4399
Adjournment Resolution: The House agreed to H. Con. Res. 93, providing 
for a conditional adjournment of the House of Representatives and a 
conditional recess or adjournment of the Senate, by a yea-and-nay vote 
of 244 yeas to 177 nays, Roll No. 183.                   
  Pages H4410-11
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act: The House passed 
H.R. 1256, to protect the public health by providing the Food and Drug 
Administration with certain authority to regulate tobacco products, by 
a recorded vote of 298 ayes to 112 noes, Roll No. 187.   
  Pages H4412-15
  Rejected the Rogers (MI) motion to recommit the bill to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce with instructions to report the same back to the 
House forthwith with an amendment, by a recorded vote of 169 ayes to 
256 noes, Roll No. 186.                                      
Page H4414
Rejected:
  Buyer amendment in the nature of a substitute (printed in part B of 
H. Rept. 111-72) that was debated on Wednesday, April 1st that sought 
to create a Tobacco Harm Reduction Center under the Department of HHS 
to regulate all tobacco products and establishes a regulatory scheme to 
provide for tobacco prevention, education, and cessation programs (by a 
recorded vote of 142 ayes to 284 noes, Roll No. 185).    
Pages H4412-13
  Pursuant to section 2 of the rule, in the engrossment of H.R. 1256, 
the Clerk shall add the text of H.R. 1804, as passed by the House, as 
new matter at the end of H.R. 1256; conform the title of H.R. 1256 to 
reflect the addition of H.R. 1804; assign appropriate designations to 
provisions within the engrossment; and conform provisions for short 
titles within the engrossment. Upon the addition of the text of H.R. 
1804 to the engrossment of H.R. 1256, H.R. 1804 shall be laid on the 
table.
  H. Res. 307, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, was 
agreed to on Wednesday, April 1st.
Setting forth the congressional budget for the U.S. Government for 
fiscal year 2010 and including the appropriate budgetary levels for 
fiscal years 2009 and 2011 through 2014: The House agreed to H. Con. 
Res. 85, to set forth the congressional budget for the U.S. Government 
for fiscal year 2010 and including the appropriate budgetary levels for 
fiscal years 2009 and 2011 through 2014, by a yea-and-nay vote of 233 
yeas to 196 nays, Roll No. 192. Consideration of the resolution began 
on Wednesday, April 1st.             
  Pages H4401-10, H4411-12, H4415-87
Rejected:
  Woolsey amendment in the nature of a substitute (No. 1 printed in H. 
Rept. 111-73) that sought to provide $991 billion for non-military 
discretionary spending in FY10, $469 billion above the President 
request; provide $479 billion as sufficient defense spending level; and 
reduce the deficit by 58 percent by FY2012. Savings would come from 
eliminating Cold War era weapons systems, targeting waste, fraud, and 
abuse at the Pentagon, military redeployment and military contractors 
out of Iraq, repeal of Bush tax cuts for those making more than 
$250,000 a year, crackdown on corporate welfare and reinstating a 
quarter-cent tax (0.25%) on all stock transactions. Spending increases 
would include health care

[[Page D405]]

for all Americans, cutting poverty in half in 10 years, additional 
economic stimulus, increased foreign assistance, combating global 
warming and establishing energy independence, providing comprehensive 
education, and providing health care to veterans as an entitlement (by 
a recorded vote of 84 ayes to 348 noes, Roll No. 188);   
Pages H4437-46
  Jordan amendment in the nature of a substitute (No. 2 printed in H. 
Rept. 111-73) that sought to set spending levels, revenue levels, and 
deficit levels at lower amounts than what is projected by the CBO 
baseline or what is proposed in the President's budget request. The 
substitute would provide defense funding at the President's level and 
for non-defense discretionary spending, the substitute provides a hard 
freeze to non-defense discretionary spending, plus a 1 percent 
reduction to prior year spending levels, and also assumes other savings 
from reductions to lower-priority spending (by a recorded vote of 111 
ayes to 322 noes, Roll No. 189);                         
Pages H4446-60
  Lee (CA) amendment in the nature of a substitute (No. 3 printed in H. 
Rept. 111-73) that sought to build upon the investments made by the 
President's budget and the Majority's budget. However, the budget would 
build on these investments by immediately repealing the 2001 and 2003 
Bush-era tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest Americans. The budget 
also would add a 0.565 percent surtax on adjustable gross income 
exceeding $500,000 for individuals ($1 million for joint filers). The 
budget would shift those savings and additional revenue towards 
Education, Health Care, Job Training, International Aid, Justice, 
Transportation, and Veterans, while still producing a 5 year deficit 
that is $67 billion smaller than the Majority's budget (by a recorded 
vote of 113 ayes to 318 noes with 1 voting ``present'', Roll No. 190); 
and                                                      
Pages H4460-69
  Ryan (WI) amendment in the nature of a substitute (No. 4 printed in 
H. Rept. 111-73) that sought to spend $4.8 trillion less than the 
President's budget over 10 years; set spending levels which are 20.7 
percent of GDP; freeze non-defense/non-veterans spending; borrow $3.6 
trillion less than the President's budget over 10 years; seek to hold 
debt to 65 percent of GDP; and put forward a long-term budget to bring 
debt under control. The substitute also sought to permanently extend 
2001 and 2003 tax relief; permanently fix the Alternative Minimum Tax; 
create 2.1 million more jobs than the Democrats' budget; suspend 
capital gains taxes through 2010; and reduce the corporate tax rate to 
25 percent from the current 35 percent. The amendment also sought to 
provide $5 billion over the President's budget for Defense; $540 
million over the President's budget for Veterans; to save $50 billion 
annually for war or unmet defense needs; and provide for health and 
retirement security by reforming programs to ensure they provide 
benefits for future beneficiaries (by a recorded vote of 137 ayes to 
293 noes, Roll No. 191).                                 
Pages H4469-87
  H. Res. 316, the rule providing for further consideration of the 
resolution, was agreed to by a yea-and-nay vote of 242 yeas to 182 
nays, Roll No. 184, after agreeing to order the previous question 
without objection.                             
Pages H4401-02, H4411-12
Quorum Calls--Votes: Three yea-and-nay votes and seven recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H4411, 
H4411-12, H4412-13, H4414, H4414-15, H4446, H4459-60, H4469, H4486-87, 
H4487. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 9 a.m. and at 11:02 p.m., the House 
stands adjourned until 10 a.m. on Monday, April 6, 2009 unless it 
sooner has received a message from the Senate transmitting its 
concurrence in H. Con. Res. 93, in which case the House shall stand 
adjourned pursuant to that concurrent resolution.