[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 51 (Monday, March 31, 2014)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D334-D335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                             Monday, March 31, 2014

[[Page D334]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed H.R. 4302, Protecting Access to Medicare Act.

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1839-S1882
Measures Introduced: Five bills and three resolutions were introduced, 
as follows: S. 2184-2188, and S. Res. 405-407.           
  Pages S1870-71
Measures Reported:
  S. 404, to preserve the Green Mountain Lookout in the Glacier Peak 
Wilderness of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, with an 
amendment. (S. Rept. No. 113-140)
  S. 1044, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to install in the 
area of the World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a 
suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President 
Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United States on D-Day, June 6, 
1944. (S. Rept. No. 113-141)                                 
Page S1870
Measures Passed:
  Protecting Access to Medicare Act: By 64 yeas to 35 nays (Vote No. 
93), Senate passed H.R. 4302, to amend the Social Security Act to 
extend Medicare payments to physicians and other provisions of the 
Medicare and Medicaid programs, by the order of the Senate of Thursday, 
March 27, 2014, 60 Senators having voted in the affirmative, and after 
taking action on the following motion proposed thereto: 
                                                  Pages S1840-56, S1859
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 64 yeas to 35 nays (Vote No. 92), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed 
to the motion to waive all applicable sections of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 and applicable budget resolutions with respect to 
the bill. Subsequently, the point of order that the bill was in 
violation of section 201(a) of S. Con. Res. 21, the Concurrent 
Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2008, was not sustained, and 
thus the point of order fell.                                
Page S1859
  National Assistant Principals Week: Senate agreed to S. Res. 405, 
expressing support for the designation of the week of March 31 through 
April 4, 2014, as ``National Assistant Principals Week''.    
  Page S1880
  National Association of Junior Auxiliaries Day: Senate agreed to S. 
Res. 406, designating April 4, 2014, as ``National Association of 
Junior Auxiliaries Day''.                                    
  Page S1880
  Honoring Former Senator and Rear Admiral Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr.: 
Senate agreed to S. Res. 407, honoring former Senator and Rear Admiral 
Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr.                                  
  Page S1881
Measures Considered:
Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act--
Agreement: Senate began consideration of H.R. 3979, to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure that emergency services 
volunteers are not taken into account as employees under the shared 
responsibility requirements contained in the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act, after agreeing to the motion to proceed, and 
taking action on the following motions and amendments proposed thereto:
                                                         Pages S1859-60
Pending:
  Reid (for Reed) Amendment No. 2874, of a perfecting nature. 
                                                             Page S1859
  Reid Amendment No. 2875 (to Amendment No. 2874), to change the 
enactment date.                                          
Pages S1859-60
  Reid Amendment No. 2876 (to Amendment No. 2875), of a perfecting 
nature.                                                      
Page S1860
  A motion was entered to close further debate on Reid (for Reed) 
Amendment No. 2874 (listed above), and, in accordance with the 
provisions of Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a

[[Page D335]]

vote on cloture will occur on Wednesday, April 2, 2014.      
Page S1860
  Reid Amendment No. 2877 (to the language proposed to be stricken by 
Amendment No. 2874), to change the enactment date.           
Page S1860
  Reid Amendment No. 2878 (to Amendment No. 2877), of a perfecting 
nature.                                                      
Page S1860
  Reid motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance, with 
instructions, Reid Amendment No. 2879, to change the enactment date. 
                                                             Page S1860
  Reid Amendment No. 2880 (to (the instructions) Amendment No. 2879), 
of a perfecting nature.                                      
Page S1860
  Reid Amendment No. 2881 (to Amendment No. 2880), of a perfecting 
nature.                                                      
Page S1860
  A motion was entered to close further debate on the bill, and, in 
accordance with the provisions of Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate, a vote on cloture will occur upon disposition of Reid (for 
Reed) Amendment No. 2874.                                    
Page S1860
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at approximately 11:00 a.m., on Tuesday, 
April 1, 2014.                                               
Page S1881
Minimum Wage Fairness Act: Senate began consideration of the motion to 
proceed to consideration of S. 1737, to provide for an increase in the 
Federal minimum wage and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to 
extend increased expensing limitations and the treatment of certain 
real property as section 179 property.                   
  Pages S1860-66
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  By 56 yeas to 43 nays (Vote No. EX. 91), John B. Owens, of 
California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. 
                                               Pages S1856-59, S1880-81
  6 Air Force nominations in the rank of general.
  5 Army nominations in the rank of general.
  7 Marine Corps nominations in the rank of general.
  3 Navy nominations in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. 
                                               Pages S1879-80, S1881-82
  Kelly R. Welsh, of Illinois, to be General Counsel of the Department 
of Commerce.
  (Prior to this action, Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation was discharged from further consideration.) 
                                                         Pages S1880-82
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Elliot F. Kaye, of New York, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer 
Product Safety Commission for a term of seven years from October 27, 
2013.
  Elliot F. Kaye, of New York, to be Chairman of the Consumer Product 
Safety Commission.
  Alfonso E. Lenhardt, of New York, to be Deputy Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development.
  Linda Struyk Millsaps, of North Carolina, to be a Member of the 
Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board for a term expiring September 
14, 2018.
  Dean A. Reuter, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Board of Directors 
of the Corporation for National and Community Service for a term 
expiring September 14, 2016.
  Elizabeth Sembler, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of 
Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for a term 
expiring January 31, 2020.
  1 Air Force nomination in the rank of general.
  4 Coast Guard nominations in the rank of admiral.
  29 Navy nominations in the rank of admiral.                
Page S1881
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S1869-70
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S1871-72
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S1872-74
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S1867-69
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S1874-79
Notices of Hearings/Meetings:                                
  Page S1879
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S1879
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S1879
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--93) 
                                                         Pages S1858-59
Adjournment: Senate convened at 2 p.m. and adjourned, as a further mark 
of respect to the memory of the late Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr., 
former Senator and Rear Admiral, in accordance with S. Res. 407, at 
8:02 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. (For Senate's 
program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's 
Record on page S1881.)