[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 168 (Tuesday, November 10, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11351-S11352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 2771. Mr. ENSIGN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2730 proposed by Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. 
Hutchison) to the bill H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military 
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title II, add the following:
       Sec. 229.  In administering section 51.210(d) of title 38, 
     Code of Federal Regulations, the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall permit a State home to provide services to, in 
     addition to non-veterans described in such section, a non-
     veteran any of whose children died while serving in the Armed 
     Forces.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2772. Mr. VITTER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military 
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:
       Sec. __. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no 
     funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this 
     section as the ``Secretary'') may be used by the Secretary to 
     require that oysters be treated with post-harvest processing 
     or other treatment or cooking requirements that result in a 
     prohibition on selling or consuming raw oysters.
       (b)(1) The Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of 
     Food and Drugs, and in cooperation with the oyster industry, 
     the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference, and any other 
     agency such Commissioner deems appropriate, shall conduct an 
     education campaign to increase awareness of the risks 
     associated with consuming raw oysters.
       (2) The education campaign conducted under paragraph (1) 
     shall include the following components:
       (A) A focus on educating the populations most at risk for 
     harm from eating raw oysters, especially those with liver 
     diseases or weakened immune systems.
       (B) Informing oyster harvesters, processors, and 
     distributors of all the requirements for oyster storage and 
     handling and best practices to keep oysters safe for human 
     consumption.
       (3) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
     may be necessary to carry out this subsection.
       (c) If the Secretary issues a proposed regulation or 
     guidance that affects the harvesting, processing, or 
     transportation of seafood harvested in the United States, 
     then in no case may such regulation or guidance become final 
     or take effect until the Secretary submits to the appropriate 
     committees of Congress a report that contains--
       (1) a cost-benefit analysis and an economic impact study on 
     such proposed regulation or guidance;
       (2) a health impact analysis that describes any alleged 
     health risks that such proposed regulation or guidance seeks 
     to address and an explanation of how such regulation or 
     guidance would addresses those risks; and
       (3) an analysis that compares such proposed regulation or 
     guidance to any similar regulations or guidance with respect 
     to other regulated foods, including a comparison of risks the 
     Secretary may find associated with seafood and the instances 
     of those risks in such other regulated foods.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2773. Mr. McCONNELL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 2730 proposed by Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. 
Hutchison) to the bill H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military 
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title II, add the following:
       Sec. 229. (a) Designation of Robley Rex Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Medical Center.--The Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Center in Louisville, Kentucky, and any 
     successor to such medical center, shall after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Robley 
     Rex Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, 
     document, record, or other paper of the United States to the 
     medical center referred to in subsection (a) shall be 
     considered to be a reference to the Robley Rex Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2774. Mr. INHOFE (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Brownback, Mr. 
Crapo, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Johanns, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
Thune, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Bond, and Mr. Hatch) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2730 proposed by Mr. Johnson 
(for himself and Mrs. Hutchison) to the bill H.R. 3082, making 
appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2010, and for other purposes; as follows:

       On page 60, after line 24, add the following:
       Sec. 608. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available by this Act may be used to construct or modify 
     a facility or facilities in the United States or its 
     territories to permanently or temporarily hold any individual 
     who was detained as of October 1, 2009, at Naval Station, 
     Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
       (b) In this section, the term ``United States'' means the 
     several States and the District of Columbia.

[[Page S11352]]

                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2775. Mr. WARNER (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Shaheen, Mrs. 
Hagan, and Mrs. Boxer) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 2730 proposed by Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. 
Hutchison) to the bill H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military 
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title II, add the following:
       Sec. 229. (a) Study on Capacity of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs To Address Combat Stress in Women 
     Veterans.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
     a study to assess the capacity of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs to address combat stress in women veterans.
       (b) Elements.--In carrying out the study, the Secretary 
     shall consider the following:
       (1) Whether women veterans are properly evaluated by the 
     Department for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 
     traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other combat stress.
       (2) Whether women veterans with combat stress are properly 
     assigned disability ratings by the Department for purposes of 
     veterans disability benefits for combat stress.
       (3) Whether the staffing and training of mental health 
     professionals in the Department is adequate to properly 
     identify and treat post-traumatic stress disorder in women 
     veterans.
       (4) Such other matters as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate.
       (c) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress a report on the findings 
     of the Secretary as a result of the study, together with such 
     recommendations for legislative or administrative action as 
     the Secretary considers appropriate in light of such 
     findings.
       (2) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this 
     subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committees on Appropriations and Veterans' Affairs 
     of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committees on Appropriations and Veterans' Affairs 
     of the House of Representatives.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2776. Mr. McCAIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2754 submitted by Mr. Inouye to the amendment SA 2730 
proposed by Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. Hutchison) to the bill 
H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military construction, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       On page 2 of the amendment, beginning on line 8, strike 
     ``Notwithstanding'' and all that follows through line 11.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2777. Ms. KLOBUCHAR submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 2730 proposed by Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. 
Hutchison) to the bill H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military 
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       On page 52, after line 21, add the following:
       Sec. 229. (a) Study on Improvements to Information 
     Technology Infrastructure Needed To Furnish Health Care 
     Services to Veterans Using Telehealth Platforms.--The 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a study to 
     identify the improvements to the infrastructure of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs that are required to furnish 
     health care services to veterans using telehealth platforms.
       (b) Availability of Funds.--The amounts appropriated or 
     otherwise made available by this title under the headings 
     ``Departmental Administration'' and ``information technology 
     systems'' shall be available to the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs to carry out the study required by subsection (a).
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2778. Mr. DeMINT submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2730 proposed by Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. 
Hutchison) to the bill H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military 
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be used to support, prepare for, or 
     otherwise facilitate the transfer to or the detention in any 
     State or territory of the United States any individual who 
     was detained as of October 1, 2009, at Naval Station, 
     Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2779. Mr. DeMINT proposed an amendment to amendment SA 2730 
proposed by Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. Hutchison) to the bill 
H.R. 3082, making appropriations for military construction, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; as follows:

       At the end of title II, add the following:
       Sec. 229. (a) Limitation on Use of Funds for Transfer or 
     Detention in United States of Detainees at Guantanamo Bay 
     Without Full Funding of Certain Veterans Programs.--
       (1) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available by this Act may be used to support, 
     prepare for, or otherwise facilitate the transfer to or the 
     detention in any State or territory of the United States of 
     any individual who was detained as of November 1, 2009, at 
     Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until 15 days after the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs certifies to Congress that the 
     programs specified in subsection (b) are fully funded for 
     fiscal year 2010.
       (2) Certification.--The certification submitted under this 
     subsection shall include a description of the funding 
     available for fiscal year 2010 for each program intended to 
     address a need of veterans specified in subsection (b).
       (b) Programs.--The programs specified in this subsection 
     are the programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
     meet needs of veterans for the following:
       (1) Health care.
       (2) Rehabilitation and reintegration into the community of 
     veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI).
       (3) Rehabilitation and reintegration into the community of 
     veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder 
     (PTSD).
       (4) Specially adapted housing for disabled veterans.
       (5) Counseling and treatment for service-connected trauma, 
     including trauma associated with sexual assault.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2780. Mr. REID (for Mrs. Murray) proposed an amendment to the bill 
S. 1422, to amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to clarify 
the eligibility requirements with respect to airline flight crews; as 
follows:

       On page 2, line 22, insert after ``counting'' the following 
     ``personal commute time or''.

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