[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 7, 2015)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D779-D783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 15 public bills, H.R. 2947-
2961; and 2 resolutions, H.J. Res. 59; and H. Res. 59, were introduced.
                                                         Pages H4860-61
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H4862-64
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 6, to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of 
21st century cures, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 
114-190, Part 1);
  H.R. 2256, to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an annual report on the 
Veterans Health Administration and the furnishing of hospital care, 
medical services, and nursing home care by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, with an amendment (H. Rept. 114-191); and
  H. Res. 347, providing for further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5) 
to support State and local accountability for public education, protect 
State and local authority, inform parents of the performance of their 
children's schools, and for other purposes, and providing for 
consideration of the bill (H.R. 2647) to expedite under the National 
Environmental Policy Act and improve forest management activities in 
units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain, on 
public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, 
and on tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone 
forested lands, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 114-192).   
Page H4860
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed 
Representative Abraham to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H4777
Suspensions: The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the 
following measures:
  United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015: H.R. 907, 
amended, to improve defense cooperation between the United States and 
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan;                         
  Pages H4779-81
  Veterans Identification Card Act 2015: Concur in the Senate amendment 
to H.R. 91, to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue, upon request, veteran 
identification cards to certain veterans, by a 2/3 yea-and-nay vote of 
411 yeas with none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 391; and 
                                               Pages H4781-82, H4815-16
  Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act: H.R. 1531, to amend title 
5, United States Code, to provide a pathway for temporary seasonal 
employees in Federal land management agencies to compete for vacant 
permanent positions under internal merit promotion procedures. 
                                                         Pages H4782-83
Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 2016: The House considered H.R. 2822, making 
appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and 
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016. 
Consideration began on June 25th.           
  Pages H4783-H4814, H4816-56
Agreed to:
  Poe (TX) amendment that redirects funding within the Land Acquisition 
Account by $1,000,000;                                       
Page H4784
  Polis amendment that redirects funding within Wildland Fire 
Management by $1,000,000;                                    
Page H4785
  Young (AK) amendment that prohibits the use of funds to implement the 
revised comprehensive conservation plan for the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge, Alaska;                                 
Pages H4803-04
  Grijalva amendment that prohibits the use of funds in contravention 
of the Executive Order regarding Indian Sacred Sites;        
Page H4804
  Poliquin amendment (No. 12 printed in the Congressional Record of 
June 24, 2015) that prohibits the use of funds to enforce the Code of 
Federal Regulations regarding biomass;                   
Pages H4804-05

[[Page D780]]


  Gosar amendment that prohibits the use of funds to treat the Sonoran 
Desert Tortoise as an endangered species or threatened species; 
                                                         Pages H4806-07
  Gosar amendment that prohibits the use of funds for the United 
Nations Environment Programme;                           
Pages H4808-09
  Smith (TX) amendment that reduces funding for the EPA's programs and 
management account to not more than $1,713,500, and not more than 
$3,581,500 for the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental 
Relations account;                                       
Pages H4810-11
  Huffman amendment that prohibits the use of funds to enter into a new 
contract or agreement or to administer a portion of an existing 
contract with a concessioner in any facility within a unit of the 
National Park System of an item with a Confederate flag as a stand-
alone feature;                                           
Pages H4811-12
  Collins (GA) amendment that prohibits the use of funds to reduce or 
terminate any of the propagation programs listed in the March 2013 
National Fish Hatchery System Strategic Hatchery and Workforce Planning 
Report;                                                      
Page H4812
  Gallego amendment that prohibits the use of funds to issue a grazing 
permit or lease in contravention of section 4110.1 or 4130.1-1(b) of 
title 43, Code of Federal Regulations;                       
Page H4816
  Huffman amendment that prohibits the use of funds to implement 
National Park Service Director's Order 61 as it pertains to allowing a 
grave in any Federal cemetery to be decorated with a Confederate flag; 
                                                             Page H4818
  Walberg amendment (No. 9 printed in the Congressional Record of June 
24, 2015) that prohibits the use of funds to lobby in contravention of 
section 1913 of title 18, United States Code, on behalf of the proposed 
rule entitled ``Definition of Waters of the United States Under the 
Clean Water Act;                                         
Pages H4818-19
  Walden amendment (No. 30 printed in the Congressional Record of June 
25, 2015) that prohibits the use of funds to complete or implement the 
revision of the resource management plans for the Coos Bay, Eugene, 
Medford, Roseburg, or Salem Districts of the Bureau of Land Management 
or the Klamath Falls Field Office of the Lakeview District of the 
Bureau of Land management proposed in the bureau of Land Management 
Plan Revisions and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Western 
Oregon published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2015; 
                                                         Pages H4819-20
  Engel amendment that prohibits the use of funds to be used by the 
Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, or any 
other Federal agency to lease or purchase new light duty vehicles for 
any executive fleet or agency's fleet inventory, except in accordance 
with Presidential Memorandum-Federal Fleet Performance, dated May 24, 
2011;                                                    
Pages H4822-23
  Byrne amendment that prohibits the use of funds to be used to propose 
legislation to redirect funds allocated under section 105(a)(2)(A) of 
the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006;          
Pages H4823-24
  Grayson amendment (No. 34 printed in the Congressional Record of June 
25, 2015) that prohibits the use of funds to enter into a contract with 
any offeror if the offeror certifies, pursuant to the Federal 
Acquisition Regulation, that they have been convicted of fraud, charged 
by a governmental entity with stated offenses, or have been notified of 
any delinquent Federal taxes in an amount that exceeds $3,000 for which 
the liability remains unsatisfied;                           
Page H4824
  Jolly amendment that prohibits the use of funds to research, 
investigate, or study offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico 
Planning Area;                                           
Pages H4825-26
  Crawford amendment that prohibits the use of funds by EPA to enforce 
the requirements of part 112 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations 
with respect to any farm;                                
Pages H4827-28
  Jeffries amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the National 
Park Service to purchase or display a confederate flag except in 
situations where such flags would provide historical context pursuant 
to a National Park Service memorandum;                       
Page H4828
  Smith (TX) amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the EPA to 
propose, finalize, implement, or revise any regulation in which the 
research data relied upon to support such action is not derived from 
established scientific methods;                          
Pages H4828-29
  Newhouse amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the 
Administrator of the EPA to issue any regulation that applies to an 
animal feeding operation, including a concentrated animal feeding 
operation and a large concentrated animal feeding operation; 
                                                         Pages H4831-33
  Jackson Lee amendment that prohibits the use of funds to eliminate 
the Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership;                   
Pages H4834-35
  Yoder amendment that prohibits the use of funds to implement or 
enforce the threatened species listing of the lesser prairie chicken; 
                                                         Pages H4835-36
  Jackson Lee amendment that prohibits the use of funds to limit 
outreach programs administered by the Smithsonian Institution; 
                                                         Pages H4836-38
  Rothfus amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the Director of 
the National Park Service to implement, administer, or enforce Policy 
Memorandum 11-03 or to approve a request by a park superintendent to 
eliminate the sale in National Parks of water in disposable plastic 
bottles;                                                 
Pages H4838-39

[[Page D781]]


  Jackson Lee amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the National 
Park Service in contravention of section 320101 of title 54, United 
States Code;                                             
Pages H4839-41
  Weber (TX) amendment (No. 7 printed in the Congressional Record of 
June 24, 2015) that prohibits the use of funds in contravention of 
Section 321(a) of the Clean Air Act;                         
Page H4841
  Noem amendment that prohibits the use of funds to close or move the 
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives;     
Page H4842
  Hudson amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the Environmental 
Protection Agency to issue, implement, administer, or enforce any 
regulation of particulate matter emissions from residential barbecues; 
                                                             Page H4844
  Thompson (PA) amendment that prohibits the use of funds to treat the 
northern long-eared bat as an endangered species under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973;                                     
Pages H4845-46
  Lamborn amendment that prohibits the use of funds to implement or 
enforce the threatened species listing of the Preble's meadow jumping 
mouse under the Endangered Species Act of 1973;          
Pages H4846-47
  Lamborn amendment that prohibits the use of funds to implement or 
enforce the threatened species or endangered species listing of any 
plant or wildlife that has not undergone a review as required by the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973;                          
Pages H4847-48
  Black amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the EPA to 
finalize, implement, administer, or enforce a revision of the Code of 
Federal Regulations or any rule with respect to glider kits and glider 
vehicles;                                                
Pages H4850-51
  Mica amendment that prohibits the use of funds to implement 
Alternative A, Alternative C, or Alternative D, described in the Final 
General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Castillo 
de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine, Florida educational 
center;                                                      
Page H4851
  Burgess amendment that prohibits the use of funds by EPA to hire or 
pay the salary of any officer or employee of EPA under the Public 
Health Service Act who is not already receiving pay under that Act on 
the date of enactment of this Act;                       
Pages H4851-52
  Rokita amendment that prohibits the use of funds by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service to enforce the Endangered Species Act with respect to 
the Clubshell, Fanshell, Rabbitsfoot, Rayed Bean, Sheepnose or Snuffbox 
mussels;                                                 
Pages H4853-54
  Graves (LA) amendment that prohibits the use of funds in 
contravention of 33 United States Code 1319 with respect to a permit 
issued or required to be issued to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
pursuant to 33 United States Code 1344 for discharges of dredged or 
fill material impacting wetlands; and                        
Page H4855
  Perry amendment that prohibits the use of funds on an unmanned 
aircraft system or to operate any such system owned by the Department 
of Interior for the performance of surveying, mapping, or collecting 
remote sensing data.                                     
Pages H4855-56
Rejected:
  Grijalva amendment that sought to strike section 416, which reports 
on the use of climate change funds;                          
Page H4790
  Lawrence amendment (No. 12 printed in the Congressional Record of 
June 24, 2015) that sought to strike section 422, pertaining to the 
definition of waters under the jurisdiction of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act;                                   
Pages H4791-92
  Beyer amendment that sought to strike section 429, pertaining to the 
definition of fill material;                                 
Page H4795
  Yoho amendment that sought to remove the requirement that 85 percent 
of nonattainment counties must achieve full compliance with the ozone 
standard before the limitation on funds in section 438 can take effect 
(agreed by unanimous consent to withdraw the earlier request for a 
recorded vote to the end that the amendment stand disposed of in 
accordance with the previous voice vote thereon); 
                                                  Pages H4798-99, H4821
  Lowenthal amendment that sought to remove the primary designation as 
one of the ambient air quality standards for ozone subject to the 
limitation in section 438;                               
Pages H4800-01
  Peters amendment that sought to prohibit the use of funds to be used 
to enforce section 435 of this Act;                          
Page H4819
  Garamendi amendment (No. 23 printed in the Congressional Record of 
June 25, 2015) that sought to prohibit the use of funds in the bill to 
transfer funds made available by the bill for fire preparedness 
activities to the Wildland Fire Management appropriation for fire 
suppression activities; and                              
Pages H4830-31
  Murphy (FL) amendment that sought to prohibit the use of funds to 
carry out seismic airgun testing or surveys off the coast of Florida. 
                                                         Pages H4841-42
Withdrawn:
  Cartwright amendment that was offered and subsequently withdrawn that 
would have provided that only the funds made available by the bill may 
be subject to the prohibition on hydraulic fracturing contained in 
section 439;                                                 
Page H4801
  Lowenthal amendment that was offered and subsequently withdrawn that 
would have prohibited the use of funds to issue any new Federal oil or 
gas lease

[[Page D782]]

and drilling permit to any person that does not commit to following 
Department of Commerce regulations regarding the requirement of 
obtaining a license for exporting crude oil;             
Pages H4820-21
  Norcross amendment that was offered and subsequently withdrawn that 
would have increased funding for Superfund sites by $22,884,840; 
                                                             Page H4825
  Rice (SC) amendment that was offered and subsequently withdrawn that 
would have prohibited the use of funds to issue any oil and gas lease 
under the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 
unless the Secretary of the Interior has entered into revenue sharing 
agreement with each affected State; and                      
Page H4830
  Fitzpatrick amendment that was offered and subsequently withdrawn 
that would have increased funding for the Forest Legacy Program by 
$5,985,000.                                              
Pages H4844-45
Point of Order sustained against:
  Speier amendment that sought to prohibit the use of funds to 
implement, administer, or enforce the final rule following the 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Dog Management 
Plan, Golden Gate National Recreation Area; and          
Pages H4829-30
  Garamendi amendment that sought to prohibit the use of funds made 
available for California drought response or relief in contravention of 
implementation of the California Water Code.                 
Page H4853
Proceedings Postponed:
  Grijalva amendment that seeks to strike section 423, relating to 
stream buffers;                                          
Pages H4792-93
  Tsongas amendment that seeks to strike section 425, relating to the 
limitation on the use of funds for National Ocean Policy; 
                                                         Pages H4793-94
  Grijalva amendment that seeks to strike section 433, relating to the 
availability of vacant grazing allotments;               
Pages H4795-96
  Polis amendment that seeks to strike section 437, relating to the use 
of funds for the social cost of carbon;                  
Pages H4797-98
  Edwards amendment that seeks to strike section 438, which provides 
for a limitation on the use of funds regarding ozone standards; 
                                                      Pages H4799-H4800
  Lawrence amendment (No. 12 printed in the Congressional Record of 
June 24, 2015) that seeks to strike section 439, which provides for 
prohibitions regarding hydraulic fracturing;             
Pages H4801-03
  Polis amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds in 
contravention of Public Law 94-579;                      
Pages H4805-06
  Tsongas amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to 
implement or enforce sections 117, relating to Sage-Grouse, section 121 
relating to reissuance of rules (wolves), and section 122 relating to 
the Northern Long Eared Bat;                             
Pages H4807-08
  Grijalva amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to 
implement or enforce section 120, with respect to ivory; 
                                                         Pages H4709-10
  Beyer amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds in 
contravention of Executive Orders regarding climate change; 
                                                         Pages H4712-13
  Blackburn amendment (No. 6 printed in the Congressional Record of 
June 24, 2015) that seeks to reduce funds by 1 percent across-the-
board;                                                   
Pages H4813-14
  Pearce amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to increase 
the rate of any royalty required to be paid to the United States for 
oil and gas produced on Federal land, or to prepare or publish a 
proposed rule relating to such an increase;              
Pages H4816-18
  Hardy amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to make a 
Presidential declaration by public proclamation of a national monument 
under chapter 3203 of title 54, United States Code in the counties of 
Mohave and Cococino in the State of Arizona, in the counties of Modoc 
and Siskiyou in the State of California, in the counties of Chaffee, 
Moffat, and Park in the State of Colorado, in the counties of Lincoln, 
Clark, and Nye in the State of Nevada, in the county of Otero in the 
State of New Mexico, in the counties of Jackson, Josephine and Malheur 
in the State of Oregon, or in the counties of Wayne, Garfield, and Kane 
in the State of Utah;                                    
Pages H4821-22
  Zinke amendment (No. 39 printed in the Congressional Record of June 
25, 2015) that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to implement, 
finalize, or enforce subparts F and J of part 1206 of the proposed rule 
by the Department of the Interior called ``Consolidated Federal Oil & 
Gas and Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform'' dated January 6, 2015;
                                                         Pages H4824-25
  Garamendi amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds in 
contravention of Executive Order 13693;                  
Pages H4826-27
  Newhouse amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds by the 
Department of Interior or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
to treat any gray wolf in Washington, Oregon, or Utah as an endangered 
species or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973;
                                                         Pages H4833-34
  Rouzer amendment that seeks to prohibit use of funds to implement, 
administer, or enforce the rule entitled ``Standards of Performance for 
New Residential Wood Heaters, New Residential Hydronic Heaters and 
Forced-Air Furnaces'' published in the Federal Register by the EPA; 
                                                         Pages H4842-43
  Hudson amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to remove 
oil and gas lease sale 260 from the Draft Proposed OCS Oil and Gas 
Leasing Program;                                         
Pages H4843-44

[[Page D783]]


  Goodlatte amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds by the 
EPA to take any actions described as a ``backstop'' in the Dec. 29, 
2009 letter from EPA's Regional Administrator to the States in the 
Watershed and the District of Columbia in response to the development 
or implementation of a State's watershed implementation and referred to 
in enclosure B of such letter;                           
Pages H4848-50
  Westmoreland amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to pay 
legal fees pursuant to a settlement in any case, in which the Federal 
Government is a party, that arises under the Clean Air Act, the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act or the Endangered Species Act; and 
                                                         Pages H4852-53
  LaMalfa amendment that seeks to prohibit the use of funds to pay 
attorney fees in a civil suit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
pursuant to a court order that states such fees were calculated at an 
hourly rate in excess of $125 per hour.                  
Pages H4854-55
  H. Res. 333, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 
2822) and (H.R. 2042) was agreed to on June 24th
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016: The House 
agreed to the Thornberry motion to close portions of the conference on 
the bill (H.R. 1735) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 
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, at such 
times as classified national security information may be broached, by a 
yea-and-nay vote of 402 yeas to 12 nays, Roll No. 390.   
  Pages H4814-15
Quorum Calls--Votes: Two yea-and-nay votes developed during the 
proceedings of today and appear on pages H4814-19 and H4815-16. There 
were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 2 p.m. and adjourned at 1:02 a.m. on 
Wednesday, July 8, 2015.