[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 154 (Tuesday, December 4, 2012)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D998-D999]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                          Tuesday, December 4, 2012

[[Page D998]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed National Defense Authorization bills.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S7363-S7404
Measures Introduced: Six bills and one resolution were introduced, as 
follows: S. 3651-3656, and S. Res. 608.                  
  Pages S7401-02
Measures Passed:
  National Defense Authorization Act: By a unanimous vote of 98 yeas 
(Vote No. 221), Senate passed S. 3254, to authorize appropriations for 
fiscal year 2013 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, after taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto:
                                                         Pages S7381-92
Adopted:
  Levin (for Kyl/Udall (NM)) Modified Amendment No. 2927, to establish 
a congressional advisory panel on revising the governance structure of 
the National Nuclear Security Administration to permit it to operate 
more effectively and independently of the Department of Energy. 
                                                         Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Akaka) Amendment No. 3019, to amend the Small Business 
Jobs Act of 2010 with respect to the State Trade and Export Promotion 
Grant Program.                                           
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Toomey) Amendment No. 3062, to require the Government 
Accountability Office to include in its annual report to Congress a 
list of the most common grounds for sustaining protests relating to 
bids for contracts.                                      
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Brown (OH)) Modified Amendment No. 3113, to extend 
treatment of base closure areas as HUBZones for purposes of the Small 
Business Act.                                            
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Rubio/Nelson (FL)) Modified Amendment No. 3175, to limit 
the availability of funds for retirement or inactivation of Ticonderoga 
class cruisers or dock landing ships.                    
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Carper) Amendment No. 3241, to repeal or modify certain 
mandates of the Government Accountability Office.        
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Carper) Amendment No. 3242, to intensify efforts to 
identify, prevent, and recover payment error, waste, fraud, and abuse 
within Federal spending.                                 
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Thune) Modified Amendment No. 3277, to express the sense 
of Congress regarding the reallocation of government spectrum. 
                                                         Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Moran/Ayotte) Modified Amendment No. 3285, in the nature 
of a substitute.                                         
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Bennet) Modified Amendment No. 3226, to make enhancements 
to the Troops-to-Teachers program.                       
Pages S7383-85
  Levin (for Hatch) Modified Amendment No. 3117, to provide that the 
rating chain for a system program manager may include any senior 
official located at an Air Logistics Complex where the system program 
manager is based.                                        
Pages S7383-85
  By 92 yeas to 6 nays (Vote No. 220), McCain Modified Amendment No. 
3262, to require a report on military activities to deny or 
significantly degrade the use of air power against civilian and 
opposition groups in Syria.                              
Pages S7386-89
  Kyl Modified Amendment No. 3123, to require briefings on dialogue 
between the United States and the Russian Federation on nuclear arms, 
missile defense, and long-range conventional strike systems. 
                                                     Pages S7381, S7389
  National Defense Authorization: Committee on Armed Services was 
discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4310, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2013 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, and the bill was then passed, after 
striking all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof 
the text of S. 3254, as amended.                             
  Page S7392

[[Page D999]]


  Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses; and the Chair was 
authorized to appoint the following conferees on the part of the 
Senate: Senators Levin, Lieberman, Reed, Akaka, Nelson (NE), Webb, 
McCaskill, Udall (CO), Hagan, Begich, Manchin, Shaheen, Gillibrand, 
Blumenthal, McCain, Inhofe, Sessions, Chambliss, Wicker, Brown (MA), 
Portman, Ayotte, Collins, Graham, Cornyn, and Vitter.        
Page S7392
  Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act: Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry was discharged from further consideration of S. 
1947, to prohibit attendance of an animal fighting venture, and the 
bill was then passed, after agreeing to the following amendment 
proposed thereto:                                        
  Pages S7393-97
  Blumenthal Amendment No. 3309, to improve the bill.        
Page S7393
  International parental child abduction: Senate agreed to S. Res. 543, 
to express the sense of the Senate on international parental child 
abduction, after agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.                                              
  Pages S7403-04
Measures Considered:
  Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal Act--Agreement: Senate began 
consideration of the motion to proceed to consideration of H.R. 6156, 
to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade 
relations treatment) to products of the Russian Federation and Moldova 
and to require reports on the compliance of the Russian Federation with 
its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization. 
                                                         Pages S7392-93
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that at 
approximately 1:30 p.m., on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, Senate begin 
consideration of the bill.                                   
Page S7404
  Morning Business--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time agreement was 
reached providing that at approximately 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday, 
December 5, 2012, Senate be in a period of morning business for up to 4 
hours with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes 
each except where noted below and the time be divided as follows: 
Majority controlling the first 30 minutes; Republicans controlling the 
next 30 minutes; Senator Grassley controlling the next 45 minutes; 
Majority controlling the next 45 minutes; Republicans controlling the 
next 45 minutes; and the Majority controlling the following 45 minutes; 
and that following morning business, Senate begin consideration of H.R. 
6156, Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal Act.           
  Page S7404
  Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Treaty: By 61 
yeas to 38 nays (Vote No. 219), two-thirds of the Senators present and 
not having voted in the affirmative, the resolution of ratification to 
the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by 
the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 2006, and signed by 
the United States of America on June 30, 2009 (the ``Convention'') 
(Treaty Doc. 112-7) was not agreed to and the Senate does not advise 
and consent to the ratification of the treaty.           
  Pages S7365-79
Measures Placed on the Calendar:                             
  Page S7400
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S7400-01
Additional Cosponsors:                                       
  Page S7402
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S7402-03
Additional Statements:                                
  Pages S7399-S7400
Amendments Submitted:                                        
  Page S7403
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S7403
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--221) 
                                              Pages S7379, S7389, S7392
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10:00 a.m. and adjourned at 6:30 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 5, 2012. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S7404.)