[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 13, 2012)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D240-D241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                            Tuesday, March 13, 2012

[[Page D240]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1583-S1638
Measures Introduced: Three bills and one resolution were introduced, as 
follows: S. 2188-2190, and S. Res. 395.                  
  Pages S1613-14
Measures Considered:
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century--Agreement: Senate 
resumed consideration of S. 1813, to reauthorize Federal-aid highway 
and highway safety construction programs, taking action on the 
following amendments proposed thereto:                
  Pages S1592-S1610
Adopted:
  By 50 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. 37), Bingaman/Durbin Amendment No. 
1759, to remove privatized highways from consideration in apportioning 
highway funding among States.                  
Pages S1593-94, S1595-96
  Brown (OH)/Merkley Amendment No. 1819, to close a loophole in current 
law which has allowed public infrastructure projects to be outsourced, 
to standardize the process by which the Secretary of Transportation 
responds to requests for waivers to applicable Buy America provisions, 
and to require the Secretary to report annually to Congress regarding 
such waivers.                                            
Pages S1601-02
  Blunt/Casey Amendment No. 1540, to modify the section relating to 
off-system bridges.                                  
Pages S1593, S1602
  Merkley Modified Amendment No. 1814, to provide exemptions from 
requirements for certain farm vehicles.                  
Pages S1602-03
  Klobuchar/Roberts Amendment No. 1617, to amend the Motor Carrier 
Safety Improvement Act of 1999 to provide clarification regarding the 
applicability of exemptions relating to the transportation of 
agricultural commodities and farm supplies.              
Pages S1603-04
  Boxer Amendment No. 1830, to improve the bill.             
Page S1606
Rejected:
  By 30 yeas to 67 nays (Vote No. 36), Coats (for DeMint) Amendment No. 
1756, to return to the individual States maximum discretionary 
authority and fiscal responsibility for all elements of the national 
surface transportation systems that are not within the direct purview 
of the Federal Government.                        
Pages S1593, S1594-95
  By 41 yeas to 57 nays (Vote No. 38), Roberts Modified Amendment No. 
1826, of a perfecting nature. (Pursuant to the order of Wednesday, 
March 7, 2012, the amendment having failed to achieve 60 affirmative 
votes, was not agreed to.)                        
Pages S1593, S1596-97
  By 49 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 39), Stabenow Modified Amendment No. 
1812, to prevent a tax increase on American businesses and to provide 
certainty to job creators by extending certain expiring tax credits 
relating to energy. (Pursuant to the order of Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 
the amendment having failed to achieve 60 affirmative votes, was not 
agreed to.)                                              
Pages S1597-99
  By 26 yeas to 72 nays (Vote No. 40), Coats (for DeMint) Amendment No. 
1589, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate certain 
energy tax subsidies and lower the corporate income tax rate. (Pursuant 
to the order of Wednesday, March 7, 2012, the amendment having failed 
to achieve 60 affirmative votes, was not agreed to.) 
                                               Pages S1593, S1599-S1600
  By 51 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. 41), Menendez Amendment No. 1782, to 
amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify certain tax credits 
relating to energy. (Pursuant to the order of Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 
the amendment having failed to achieve 60 affirmative votes, was not 
agreed to.)                                              
Pages S1600-01
  By 28 yeas to 70 nays (Vote No. 42), Coats/Lugar Amendment No. 1517, 
to modify the apportionment formula to ensure that the percentage of 
apportioned funds received by a State is the same as the percentage of 
total gas taxes paid by the State.                           
Page S1601
  By 30 yeas to 68 nays (Vote No. 43), Portman/Coburn Amendment No. 
1736, to free States to spend gas taxes on their transportation 
priorities.                                          
Pages S1593, S1604
  By 12 yeas to 86 nays (Vote No. 45), Portman Amendment No. 1742, to 
allow States to permit nonhighway uses in rest areas along any highway.
                                                  Pages S1593, S1605-06

[[Page D241]]

Pending:
  McCain Modified Amendment No. 1669, to enhance the natural quiet and 
safety of airspace of the Grand Canyon National Park.        
Page S1593
  Corker Amendment No. 1810, to ensure that the aggregate amount made 
available for transportation projects for a fiscal year does not exceed 
the estimated amount available for those projects in the Highway Trust 
Fund for the fiscal year.                                    
Page S1593
  Coats (for Alexander) Amendment No. 1779, to make technical 
corrections to certain provisions relating to overflights of National 
Parks.                                                       
Page S1593
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 40 yeas to 58 nays (Vote No. 44), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive pursuant to section 904 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and section 4(g)(3) of the Statutory 
Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, with respect to Corker Modified Amendment 
No. 1785, to lower the FY13 discretionary budget authority cap as set 
in the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 by 
$11,000,000,000 in order to offset the general fund transfers to the 
Highway Trust Fund. Subsequently, the Chair sustained a point of order 
against Corker Modified Amendment No. 1785, as being in violation of 
section 306 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 
                                                  Pages S1593, S1604-05
  A unanimous-consent request was granted permitting Senator Ayotte to 
change her yea vote to a nay vote on Vote No. 28 changing the outcome 
of the vote to 43 yeas to 55 nays relative to Vitter Amendment No. 
1535.                                                        
Page S1606
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at approximately 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, 
March 14, 2012; with the time until 11:30 a.m. equally divided between 
the two Leaders, or their designees; that upon the disposition of the 
bill, Senate proceed to a period of morning business until 2 p.m. 
                                                             Page S1638
Groh Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time agreement was 
reached providing that at 2 p.m., on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, Senate 
resume consideration of the nomination of Gina Marie Groh, of West 
Virginia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District 
of West Virginia, and that there be 30 minutes for debate equally 
divided prior to the vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the 
nomination.                                                  
  Page S1638
Measures Placed on the Calendar:                     
  Pages S1583, S1613
Executive Communications:                                    
  Page S1613
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S1614-15
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S1615-18
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S1610-13
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S1618-38
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S1638
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S1638
Record Votes: Ten record votes were taken today. (Total--45) 
                                 Pages S1595-97, S1599, S1601, S1604-06
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 6:45 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, 2012. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S1638.)