[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 102 (Thursday, July 9, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D809-D811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                             Thursday, July 9, 2009

[[Page D809]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed H.R. 2892, Department of Homeland Security 
      Appropriations Act.
      The House passed H.R. 2997, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food 
      and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 
      2010.
      The House passed H.R. 3081, Making appropriations for the 
      Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for 
      the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S7277-S7332
Measures Introduced: Nineteen bills were introduced, as follows: S. 
1419-1437.                                               
  Pages S7317-18
Measures Reported:
  Special Report entitled ``Further Revised Allocation to Subcommittees 
of Budget Totals from the Concurrent Resolution, Fiscal Year 2010''. 
(S. Rept. No. 111-42)
  S. 1432, making appropriations for financial services and general 
government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010. (S. Rept. No. 
111-43)
  S. 1434, making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 
30, 2010. (S. Rept. No. 111-44)
  S. 1436, making appropriations for energy and water development and 
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010. (S. 
Rept. No. 111-45)                                            
Page S7317
Measures Passed:
  Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act: By 84 yeas to 6 
nays (Vote No. 229), Senate passed H.R. 2892, making appropriations for 
the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2010, as amended, after taking action on the following 
amendments proposed thereto:                          
  Pages S7288-S7311
Adopted:
  Vitter Modified Amendment No. 1375 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
prohibit amounts made available under this Act from being used to amend 
the final rule to hold employers accountable if they hire illegal 
aliens.                                                  
Pages S7288-89
  Murray (for Tester) Amendment No. 1459 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
condition funding for the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility. 
                                                         Pages S7301-02
  Murray (for Kyl/McCain) Modified Amendment No. 1455 (to Amendment No. 
1373), to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a 
detailed report to Congress regarding the utilization and potential 
expansion of Operation Streamline programs.              
Pages S7301-02
  Murray (for Rockefeller) Amendment No. 1401 (to Amendment No. 1373), 
to amend title 46, United States Code, to ensure that the prohibition 
on disclosure of maritime transportation security information is not 
used inappropriately to shield certain other information from public 
disclosure.                                              
Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Cornyn) Amendment No. 1447 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
clarify the definition of switchblade knifes.            
Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Bennet) Amendment No. 1457 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
protect taxpayers by improving financial accountability at the 
Department of Homeland Security.                         
Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Lincoln) Modified Amendment No. 1463 (to Amendment No. 
1373), to make a technical correction to the Federal Deposit Insurance 
Act.                                                     
Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Lieberman/Graham) Amendment No. 1456 (to Amendment No. 
1373), to provide that certain photographic records relating to the 
treatment of any individual engaged, captured, or detained after 
September 11, 2001, by the Armed

[[Page D810]]

Forces of the United States in operations outside the United States 
shall not be subject to disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United 
States Code (commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act), 
to amend section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
referred to as the Freedom of Information Act) to provide that 
statutory exemptions to the disclosure requirements of that Act shall 
specifically cite to the provision of that Act authorizing such 
exemptions, to ensure an open and deliberative process in Congress by 
providing for related legislative proposals to explicitly state such 
required citations.                                      
Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Sanders) Modified Amendment No. 1454 (to Amendment No. 
1373), to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to 
Congress a report on reducing the travel time between locations in the 
United States and locations in Ontario and Quebec by intercity 
passenger rail.                                          
Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Landrieu) Amendment No. 1466 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
require a report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency relative 
to housing and the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act. 
                                                         Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Landrieu) Amendment No. 1465 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
authorize the temporary reemployment of administrative law judge 
annuitants for disputes relating to certain public assistance 
applications under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act.                                          
Pages S7303-04
  Murray (for Gregg) Amendment No. 1464 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
protect the privacy of personal information provided by United States 
travelers who participated in the Registered Traveler program. 
                                                         Pages S7303-04
  Hatch Modified Amendment No. 1428 (to Amendment No. 1373), to amend 
the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend the religious workers and 
Conrad-30 visa programs, to protect orphans and widows with pending or 
approved visa petitions.                      
Pages S7288, S7292, S7305
  By 55 yeas to 36 nays (Vote No. 225), Vitter Amendment No. 1467 (to 
Amendment No. 1458), to prevent funds from being used to prevent 
individuals from importing prescription drugs under certain 
circumstances.                                       
Pages S7302, S7307
  Murray (for Dodd) Amendment No. 1458 (to Amendment No. 1373), to 
provide additional funds for FIRE grants under section 33 of the 
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974.     
Pages S7302, S7307
  Coburn Amendment No. 1433 (to Amendment No. 1373), to prohibit the 
payment of bonuses to government contractors for poor performance. 
                                                         Pages S7307-08
  By 67 yeas to 24 nays (Vote No. 226), Murray Amendment No. 1468 (to 
Amendment No. 1373), to prohibit certain funds from being used for 
certain efforts.                                             
Page S7308
  Grassley Amendment No. 1415 (to Amendment No. 1373), to authorize 
employers to voluntarily verify the immigration status of existing 
employees.                                           
Pages S7288, S7309
  Reid (for Byrd/Inouye) Amendment No. 1373, in the nature of a 
substitute.                                           
Pages S7288-S7311
Rejected:
  By 36 yeas to 59 nays (Vote No. 223), Kyl/McCain Amendment No. 1432 
(to Amendment No. 1373), to strike the earmark for the City of 
Whitefish Emergency Operations Center.            
Pages S7288, S7289-90
  By 35 yeas to 61 nays (Vote No. 224), McCain Amendment No. 1378 (to 
Amendment No. 1373), to strike the appropriation for the Advanced 
Training Center.                        
Pages S7289, S7290-92, S7296-97
  By 31 yeas to 60 nays (Vote No. 227), Coburn Amendment No. 1434 (to 
Amendment No. 1373), to prohibit no bid contracts be requiring the use 
of competitive procedures to award contracts and grants funded under 
this Act.                                                
Pages S7308-09
  By 32 yeas to 58 nays (Vote No. 228), Sanders Amendment No. 1430 (to 
Amendment No. 1373), to increase funding for firefighter assistance 
grants and recruitment and retention grants.             
Pages S7309-10
  Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair was authorized to appoint the following 
conferees on the part of the Senate: Senators Byrd, Inouye, Leahy, 
Mikulski, Murray, Landrieu, Lautenberg, Tester, Specter, Voinovich, 
Cochran, Gregg, Shelby, Brownback, and Murkowski.        
Pages S7311-12
Senator Coleman Tributes--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was 
reached providing that the tributes to Senator Coleman in the 
Congressional Record be printed as a Senate document and that Senators 
be permitted to submit statements for inclusion until Friday, August 7, 
2009.                                                        
  Page S7332
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Christopher P. Bertram, of the District of Columbia, to be an 
Assistant Secretary of Transportation.
  Philip D. Murphy, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to the Federal 
Republic of Germany.
  Francis S. Collins, of Maryland, to be Director of the National 
Institutes of Health.

[[Page D811]]


  Sherry Glied, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and 
Human Services.
  Craig Becker, of Illinois, to be a Member of the National Labor 
Relations Board for the term of five years expiring December 16, 2009.
  Craig Becker, of Illinois, to be a Member of the National Labor 
Relations Board for the term of five years expiring December 16, 2014.
  Brian Hayes, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the National Labor 
Relations Board for the term of five years expiring December 16, 2012.
  Mark Gaston Pearce, of New York, to be a Member of the National Labor 
Relations Board for the term of five years expiring August 27, 2013.
  James A. Leach, of Iowa, to be Chairperson of the National Endowment 
for the Humanities for a term of four years.
  Rolena Klahn Adorno, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the National 
Council on the Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 2014.
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.                  
Page S7332
Nomination Discharged: The following nomination were discharged from 
further committee consideration and placed on the Executive Calendar:
  Gordon S. Heddell, of the District of Columbia, to be Inspector 
General, Department of Defense, which was sent to the Senate on June 1, 
2009, from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs.                                                     
Page S7332
Messages from the House:                                     
  Page S7314
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S7314
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S7314-15
Petitions and Memorials:                                 
  Pages S7315-17
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S7318-19
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S7319-27
Additional Statements:                                       
  Page S7314
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S7327-31
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                            
  Pages S7331-32
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S7332
Record Votes: Seven record votes were taken today. (Total--229) 
                                           Pages S7390, S7397, S7307-11
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:31 a.m. and adjourned at 10:08 p.m., 
until 10 a.m. on Friday, July 10, 2009. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S7332.)