[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 109 (Wednesday, July 20, 2011)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D808-D809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                           Wednesday, July 20, 2011

[[Page D808]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed H.R. 2055, Military Construction and Veterans 
      Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, as amended.

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S4681-S4739
Measures Introduced: Six bills were introduced, as follows: S. 1389-
1394.                                                        
  Page S4721
Measures Passed:
  Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act: By 97 yeas to 2 nays (Vote No. 115), Senate passed 
H.R. 2055, making appropriations for military construction, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2012, after agreeing to the substitute 
amendment, and taking action on the following amendments proposed 
thereto:                                       
  Pages S4687-91, S4700-12
Adopted:
  Johnson (SD) Further Modified Amendment No. 556, of a perfecting 
nature.                                           
Pages S4687, S4701-02
  Wyden/Merkley Amendment No. 570, to provide for the closure of 
Umatilla Army Chemical Depot, Oregon.                        
Page S4687
  Reid (for Hutchison) Amendment No. 562, to restrict the use of funds 
for a permanent United States Africa Command headquarters outside of 
the United States.                                           
Page S4702
  Reid (for Hutchison) Amendment No. 563, to limit the availability of 
funds for military construction projects at Grafenwohr and Baumholder, 
Germany, pending a report on the brigade combat team scheduled to be 
withdrawn from Germany in 2015.                              
Page S4702
  Ayotte Amendment No. 575, to require the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, in coordination with the Defense Advanced Research Projects 
Agency, to submit a report to Congress detailing the Secretary's plans, 
and identifying challenges, both technical and administrative, to 
ensure that advanced, next-generation prosthetics are made available to 
injured members of the Armed Forces and veterans in a timely manner. 
                                                         Pages S4700-01
  Boxer Modified Amendment No. 577, of a perfecting nature. 
                                                     Pages S4701, S4703
Rejected:
  Vitter Amendment No. 568, to provide that none of the funds 
appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated 
or expended at a rate higher than the level of the Senate and House of 
Representatives concurrent budget resolution for fiscal year 2012. (By 
69 yeas to 30 nays (Vote No. 113), Senate tabled the amendment.) 
                                                  Pages S4687, S4690-91
  Coburn Amendment No. 564, to require evidence of causal relationships 
for presumptions by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of service 
connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide 
agents. (By 69 yeas to 30 nays (Vote No. 114), Senate tabled the 
amendment.)                                       
Pages S4687, S4702-04
Withdrawn:
  Coburn (for McCain) Amendment No. 553, to eliminate the additional 
amount of $10,000,000, not included in the President's budget request 
for fiscal year 2012, appropriated for the Department of Defense for 
planning and design for the Energy Conservation Investment Program. 
                                                             Page S4687
  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 Johnson (SD), Inouye, 
Landrieu, Murray, Reed, Nelson (NE), Pryor, Tester, Leahy, Kirk, 
Hutchison, McConnell, Murkowski, Blunt, Hoeven, Coats, and Cochran. 
                                                             Page S4712
  Cut, Cap, and Balance Act--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time 
agreement was reached providing that when the Senate receives H.R. 
2560, to cut, cap, and balance the Federal budget, it be ordered to be 
read twice and placed on the Calendar;

[[Page D809]]

provided further, that when the Senate considers the motion to proceed 
to the bill, the time until 2:00 p.m. be equally divided and controlled 
between the two Leaders, or their designees, with Senators permitted to 
speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the Republicans 
controlling the first 30 minutes and the Majority controlling the next 
30 minutes.                                                  
  Page S4729
Message from the President: Senate received the following message from 
the President of the United States:
  Transmitting, pursuant to law, a report relative to the former 
Liberian regime of Charles Taylor and on the continuation of the 
national emergency blocking property of certain persons and prohibiting 
the importation of certain goods from Liberia that was established in 
Executive Order 13348 on July 22, 2004; which was referred to the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (PM-14)    
Page S4718
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Michael Walter Fitzgerald, of California, to be United States 
District Judge for the Central District of California.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, and Navy.        
Pages S4729-39
Messages from the House:                                     
  Page S4718
Measures Placed on the Calendar:                     
  Pages S4682, S4718
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S4718-21
Executive Reports of Committees:                             
  Page S4721
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S4721-22
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S4722-27
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S4717-18
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S4727-28
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S4728
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                      
  Pages S4728-29
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S4729
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--115) 
                                                  Pages S4691, S4703-05
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m. and adjourned at 6:48 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2011. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S4729.)