[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 193 (Thursday, December 15, 2011)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1368-D1369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                        Thursday, December 15, 2011

[[Page D1368]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate agreed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 1540, 
      National Defense Authorization Act.

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S8619-S8691
Measures Introduced: Twelve bills and one resolution were introduced, 
as follows: S. 1996-2007, and S. Res. 348.               
  Pages S8679-80
Measures Reported:
  H.R. 789, to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 20 Main Street in Little Ferry, New Jersey, as the 
``Sergeant Matthew J. Fenton Post Office''.
  H.R. 2422, to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 45 Bay Street, Suite 2, in Staten Island, New York, 
as the ``Sergeant Angel Mendez Post Office''.
  S. 1236, to reduce the trafficking of drugs and to prevent human 
smuggling across the Southwest Border by deterring the construction and 
use of border tunnels.
  S. 1821, to prevent the termination of the temporary office of 
bankruptcy judges in certain judicial districts, with an amendment. 
                                                             Page S8679
Measures Passed:
  Enrollment Correction: Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 92, directing 
the Clerk of the House of Representatives to correct the enrollment of 
the bill H.R. 1540.                                          
  Page S8664
  Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act: Senate passed H.R. 3421, to award 
Congressional Gold Medals in honor of the men and women who perished as 
a result of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 
2001.                                                        
  Page S8689
  Enrollment Correction: Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 93, providing 
for a correction to the enrollment of the bill H.R. 2845. 
                                                         Pages S8689-90
  Targeting Transnational Drug Trafficking Act: Committee on the 
Judiciary was discharged from further consideration of S. 1612, to 
provide the Department of Justice with additional tools to target 
extraterritorial drug trafficking activity, and the bill was then 
passed, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto: 
                                                             Page S8690
  Durbin (for Feinstein/Grassley) Amendment No. 1464, in the nature of 
a substitute.                                                
Page S8690
  40th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act: Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions was discharged from further 
consideration of S. Res. 347, recognizing the 40th anniversary of the 
National Cancer Act of 1971 and the more than 12,000,000 survivors of 
cancer alive today because of the commitment of the United States to 
cancer research and advances in cancer prevention, detection, 
diagnosis, and treatment, and the resolution was then agreed to. 
                                                         Pages S8690-91
Measures Considered:
  Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act--Cloture: Senate began 
consideration of the motion to proceed to consideration of H.R. 3630, 
to provide incentives for the creation of jobs.              
  Page S8673
  A motion was entered to close further debate on the motion to proceed 
to consideration of the bill, and, in accordance with the provisions of 
Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a vote on cloture will 
occur on Saturday, December 17, 2011.                        
Page S8673
Conference Reports:
  National Defense Authorization Act: By 86 yeas to 13 nays (Vote No. 
230), Senate agreed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 1540, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year.             
  Pages S8632-S8664

[[Page D1369]]

Nomination Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nomination:
  By 95 yeas to 3 nays (Vote No. EX. 231), Morgan Christen, of Alaska, 
to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. 
                                        Pages S8625-28, S8664-65, S8691
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Michael A. Raynor, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Benin.
  Jacob Walles, of Delaware, to be Ambassador to the Tunisian Republic.
  Sharon Block, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the 
National Labor Relations Board for the term of five years expiring 
December 16, 2014.
  Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be a Member 
of the National Labor Relations Board for the term of five years 
expiring August 27, 2016.
  Rachel L. Brand, of Iowa, to be a Member of the Privacy and Civil 
Liberties Oversight Board for a term expiring January 29, 2017.
  David Medine, of Maryland, to be Chairman and Member of the Privacy 
and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for a term expiring January 29, 
2012.
  David Medine, of Maryland, to be Chairman and Member of the Privacy 
and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for a term expiring January 29, 
2018.
  Patricia M. Wald, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the 
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for a term expiring January 
29, 2013.
  11 Air Force nominations in the rank of general.
  1 Army nomination in the rank of general.
  A routine list in the Foreign Service.                     
Page S8691
Nomination Withdrawn: Senate received notification of withdrawal of the 
following nomination:
  Craig Becker, of Illinois, to be a Member of the National Labor 
Relations Board for the term of five years expiring December 16, 2014, 
which was sent to the Senate on January 26, 2011.            
Page S8691
Messages from the House:                                     
  Page S8677
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S8677
Measures Read the First Time:                        
  Pages S8677, S8691
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S8677-78
Executive Reports of Committees:                             
  Page S8679
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S8680-81
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S8681-88
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S8676-77
Amendments Submitted:                                        
  Page S8689
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S8689
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S8689
Record Votes: Two record votes were taken today. (Total--231) 
                                                         Pages S8664-65
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m. and adjourned at 7:03 p.m., 
until 10 a.m. on Friday, December 16, 2011. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S8691.)