[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 117 (Friday, July 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5693-S5694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2346. Mr. GARDNER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 22, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
to exempt employees with health coverage under TRICARE or the Veterans 
Administration from being taken into account for purposes of 
determining the employers to which the employer mandate applies under 
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; which was ordered to 
lie on the table; as follows:

       On page 407, before line 1, insert the following:

     SEC. 31304. ADDRESSING PORT SLOWDOWNS, STRIKES, AND LOCK-
                   OUTS.

       (a) National Emergencies.--Section 206 of the Labor 
     Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 176) is amended--
       (1) in the first sentence--
       (A) by striking ``Whenever in the opinion'' and inserting 
     ``(a) Whenever in the opinion'';
       (B) by striking ``a threatened or actual strike or lock-
     out'' and inserting ``a slowdown, or a threatened or an 
     actual strike or lock-out,'';
       (C) by striking ``he may appoint'' and inserting ``the 
     President may appoint''; and
       (D) by striking ``to him within such time as he shall 
     prescribe'' and inserting ``to the President within such time 
     as the President shall prescribe and in accordance with the 
     third sentence of this subsection'';
       (2) in the third sentence, by striking ``The President'' 
     and inserting ``Not later than 30 days after appointing the 
     board of inquiry, the President''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b)(1) Whenever in the opinion of any Governor of a State 
     or territory of the United States, a slowdown, or a 
     threatened or an actual strike or lock-out, occurring at 1 or 
     more ports in the United States, is affecting an entire 
     industry or a substantial part thereof engaged in trade, 
     commerce, transportation, transmission, or communication 
     among the several States or with foreign nations, or engaged 
     in the production of goods for commerce, will, if permitted 
     to occur or to continue, imperil national or State health or 
     safety, the Governor may request the President to appoint a 
     board of inquiry under subsection (a).
       ``(2)(A) If the President does not appoint a board of 
     inquiry within 10 days of receiving a request under paragraph 
     (1), the Governor who made the request under such paragraph 
     may appoint a board of inquiry to inquire into the issues 
     involved in the dispute and prepare and submit, to the 
     Governor and the President, a written report as described in 
     subparagraph (B) within such time as the Governor shall 
     prescribe and in accordance with the deadline under 
     subparagraph (C).
       ``(B) The report described in this subparagraph shall 
     include a statement of the facts with respect to the dispute, 
     including a statement from each party to the dispute 
     describing the position of such party, but shall not contain 
     any recommendations.
       ``(C) Not later than 30 days after appointing a board of 
     inquiry under subparagraph (A), the Governor shall--
       ``(i) file a copy of the report described in subparagraph 
     (B) with the Service; and
       ``(ii) make the contents of such report available to the 
     President and the public.
       ``(c) Any Governor of a State or territory of the United 
     States (referred to in this subsection as the `supplementing 
     Governor') may submit to the President or Governor who 
     appointed a board of inquiry under subsection (a) or (b)(2) a 
     supplement to the report under such subsection that includes 
     data pertaining to the impact on the State or territory of 
     the supplementing Governor of a slowdown, or a threatened or 
     an actual strike or lock-out, at 1 or more ports. Upon 
     receiving such supplement, the President or Governor shall 
     file such supplement with the Service and make the contents 
     of such supplement available to the public.
       ``(d) For each slowdown, or threatened or actual strike or 
     lock-out, at 1 or more ports, only 1 board of inquiry may be 
     appointed under subsection (a) or (b)(2) during any 90-day 
     period.''.
       (b) Boards of Inquiry.--Section 207(a) of the Labor 
     Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 177) is amended by 
     striking ``as the President shall determine,'' and inserting 
     ``as the President shall determine for a board of inquiry 
     appointed under section 206(a), or as the Governor shall 
     determine for a board of inquiry appointed by such Governor 
     under section 206(b)(2),''.
       (c) Injunctions During National Emergencies.--Section 208 
     of the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 178) 
     is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in the matter preceding clause (i)--
       (i) by inserting ``appointed under subsection (a) or (b)(2) 
     of section 206'' after ``board of inquiry'';
       (ii) by striking ``strike or lock-out or the continuing 
     thereof'' and inserting ``slowdown, or threatened or actual 
     strike or lock-out, or the continuing thereof''; and
       (iii) by striking ``such threatened or actual strike or 
     lock-out'' and inserting ``such slowdown, or threatened or 
     actual strike or lock-out, or the continuing thereof''; and
       (B) in clause (ii), by striking ``strike or lock-out or the 
     continuing thereof'' and inserting ``slowdown, strike, or 
     lock-out, or the continuing thereof'';

[[Page S5694]]

       (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections 
     (c) and (d), respectively; and
       (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
       ``(b)(1) If a slowdown, or a threatened or an actual strike 
     or lock-out, is occurring at 1 or more ports and the 
     President does not direct the Attorney General to make a 
     petition under subsection (a) within 10 days of receiving a 
     report from a board of inquiry appointed under subsection (a) 
     or (b)(2) of section 206, any Governor of a State or 
     territory of the United States in which such port or ports 
     are located may direct the attorney general of such State or 
     territory to petition the district court of the United States 
     having jurisdiction in such State or territory to enjoin such 
     slowdown, or threatened or actual strike or lock-out, or the 
     continuing thereof, at the port or ports within such State or 
     territory.
       ``(2) The district court described in paragraph (1) shall 
     have jurisdiction to enjoin any slowdown, threatened or 
     actual strike or lock-out, or continuing thereof, and to make 
     such other orders as may be appropriate, if such court 
     determines that such slowdown or threatened or actual strike 
     or lock-out--
       ``(A) affects an entire industry or a substantial part 
     thereof engaged in trade, commerce, transportation, 
     transmission, or communication within the applicable State or 
     territory, or engaged in the production of goods for 
     commerce; and
       ``(B) if permitted to occur or to continue, will imperil 
     national or State health and safety.''.
       (d) Reconvening of Boards of Inquiry; NLRB Secret 
     Ballots.--Section 209(b) of the Labor Management Relations 
     Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 179(b)) is amended--
       (1) in the first sentence, by striking ``Upon the issuance 
     of such order, the President'' and inserting ``(1) Upon the 
     issuance of any such order, the President or the Governor, as 
     the case may be,'';
       (2) in the second sentence, by striking ``report to the 
     President'' and inserting ``report to the President and any 
     Governor who initiated an action under section 206(b) or 
     208(b)'';
       (3) in the third sentence, by striking ``The President'' 
     and inserting ``The President or the Governor, as the case 
     may be,'';
       (4) in the fourth sentence--
       (A) by striking ``The National Labor Relations Board, 
     within the succeeding fifteen days, shall take a secret 
     ballot'' and inserting the following:
       ``(2) Not later than 15 days after the board of inquiry 
     submits a report under paragraph (1), the National Labor 
     Relations Board, subject to paragraph (3), shall take a 
     secret ballot'';
       (B) by striking ``as stated by him'' and inserting ``as 
     stated by the employer''; and
       (C) by striking ``Attorney General'' and inserting 
     ``Attorney General or State attorney general, whichever 
     sought the injunction,''; and
       (5) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) For each slowdown, or threatened or actual strike or 
     lock-out, at 1 or more ports, the National Labor Relations 
     Board shall take not more than 1 secret ballot in any 30-day 
     period for the same employees.''.
       (e) Discharge of Injunctions.--Section 210 of the Labor 
     Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 180) is amended--
       (1) in the first sentence, by striking ``the Attorney 
     General'' and inserting ``the Attorney General, or the State 
     attorney general, whichever sought the injunction,''; and
       (2) in the second sentence, by striking ``the President'' 
     and inserting ``the President, or any Governor who initiated 
     an action under section 208(b),''.
                                 ______