[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 118 (Thursday, July 13, 2017)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D768-D771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 25 public bills, H.R. 3216-
3240; and 4 resolutions, H. Res. 442-445, were introduced. 
                                                         Pages H5830-32
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H5832-33
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 218, to provide for the exchange of Federal land and non-Federal 
land in the State of Alaska for the construction of a road between King 
Cove and Cold Bay (H. Rept. 115-218); and
  H.R. 3219, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for 
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes (H. 
Rept. 115-219).                                              
Page H5830
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed 
Representative Donovan to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H5763
Recess: The House recessed at 10:54 a.m. and reconvened at 12 noon. 
                                                         Pages H5769-70
Guest Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the Guest Chaplain, Bishop 
Joshua K. Lynn Mastin, Lake Church of God of Prophecy, Huntsville, AL. 
                                                             Page H5770
Motion to Adjourn: Rejected the McGovern motion to adjourn by a yea-
and-nay vote of 77 yeas to 326 nays, Roll No. 353.       
  Pages H5776-77
Recess: The House recessed at 3:25 p.m. and reconvened at 3:32 p.m. 
                                                             Page H5790
Recess: The House recessed at 4:59 p.m. and reconvened at 5:05 p.m. 
                                                             Page H5801
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018: The House 
considered H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 
for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
construction, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for such 
fiscal year. Consideration began yesterday, July 12th. 
                                  Pages H5783-90, H5790-H5801, H5801-23
Agreed to:
  Rogers (AL) amendment (No. 88 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) 
that was debated on July 12th that amends section 1043 of the FY2012 
National Defense Authorization Act to state that the Secretary may 
include information and data on the costs of nuclear weapons 
modernization beyond the currently required 10-year window if the 
Secretary determines such is accurate and useful (by a recorded vote of 
253 ayes to 172 noes, Roll No. 362);                         
Page H5788
  Keating amendment (No. 7 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that authorizes 
the Secretary of Defense to use Defense Health Program funds for 
testing ticks for tick-borne diseases;                   
Pages H5798-99
  Cole amendment (No. 12 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that directs the 
President to provide to Congress a strategy and a budgetary analysis 
needed to defeat Al-Quaeda, the Taliban, The Islamic State of Iraq and 
ISIS, no later than 30 days after final passage; the report shall 
include an analysis of the Authorization for Use of Military Force 
(AUMF) and the legal framework to accomplish the strategy described; 
                                                         Pages H5806-09

[[Page D769]]


  Cheney amendment (No. 14 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that prevents 
reductions of ICBMs below the levels set by the New START Treaty; 
                                                         Pages H5811-12
  Thornberry en bloc amendment No. 1 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in H. Rept. 115-217: Hudson (No. 2) that restricts 
the funds available for the enhanced multi mission parachute system 
until the Secretary of the Navy submits a certification of need for the 
system and a report which addresses cost and safety concerns; Buck (No. 
8) that prohibits the use of funds to designate or expand national 
heritage areas in southeast Colorado counties; Poe (TX) (No. 9) that 
directs the Secretary of Defense to give preference to State and 
Federal agencies who conduct border security functions for distribution 
of surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles including the MQ-9 Reaper, the 
Aerostat radar system; night-vision goggles; and Humvees as part of the 
DOD's Excess Property Program (1033 program); Cheney (No. 11) that 
requires a plan to enhance the extended deterrence and assurance 
capabilities of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region; Poliquin 
(No. 19) that amends section 126 to exclude FY16 DDG-51s from bill 
provision's retroactive (or retroactive Flight 3) requirement and make 
it clear the Navy should bear contractual burden for majority of risk 
on initial FYI 7 DDG-51 Flight 3 ship construction; Larsen (WA) (No. 
20) that strikes section 211(d) and replaces with (1) requirement that 
commercial aircraft acquisition for PAR be conducted pursuant to a 
fixed price contract and (2) analysis of potential additional fixed 
price contracts during EMD phase; Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM) (No. 21) 
that requires the DOD, in coordination with DOE, to conduct a pilot 
program among defense laboratories, national laboratories, and private 
entities to facilitate the licensure, transfer, and commercialization 
of innovative technologies; Loebsack (No. 22) that requires the 
Secretary of Defense to perform an assessment of the Science, 
Technology, Engineering, and Math, as well as Maintenance and 
Manufacturing (STEM(MM)) workforce for organizations within the DOD, 
identify the types and quantities of STEM(MM) jobs needed to support 
future mission work, and identify a plan of action to address the 
STEM(MM) jobs gap; Castro (TX) (No. 23) that incorporates a DoD 
recommendation which would allow nonprofit research institutions to 
enter into prototype projects with DoD without having to participate in 
cost sharing; Meng (No. 24) that authorizes the Jet Noise Reduction 
Program within the Office of Naval Research; Fitzpatrick (No. 25) that 
directs the Secretary of Defense to implement a process to coordinate 
annual research requests between all services and offices under 
Department of Defense in order to maximize the benefit of each request 
and minimize duplication; Norman (No. 26) that directs the Comptroller 
General to review Department of Defense Cost Models used in making 
personnel decisions; McKinley (No. 27) that increases the National 
Guard Youth Challenge Program by 25 million and decreases by the same 
amount Operations and Maintenance, Defense-wide; Meng (No. 28) that 
requires a report from the Secretary of Defense regarding the design, 
material, sizing, price, availability, quality, and utility of 
maternity uniforms for pregnant members of the military in response to 
concerns raised by last year's Defense Advisory Committee on Women in 
the Services Report; Cartwright (No. 29) that directs the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to 
provide a briefing to the Congressional Defense Committees on the 
status of the formal process to provide Government agencies outside the 
Department of Defense with information on the availability of surplus, 
serviceable ammunition for the purpose of reducing the overall storage 
and disposal costs related to such ammunition; Perry (No. 30) that 
reduces required percentage of dual status conversions to 4.8; Herrera-
Beutler (No. 31) that codifies and expands existing requirements from 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 that each 
military service establish a process by which alleged survivors of 
sexual assault may challenge the terms or characterization of their 
discharge or separation from the armed forces; Watson Coleman (No. 32) 
that requires the Secretary of Defense to implement changes to the Army 
National Guard and Army Reserve's sexual assault prevention and 
response programs in areas such as staffing, budget management, and 
investigation timeliness; Jenkins (WV) (No. 33) that increases the 
National Guard Counter-Drug account by $10 million with an equal 
offset; Gowdy (No. 34) that adds the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform to the list of committees receiving the Department of 
Defense's recommendations regarding the employment, use, and status of 
military technicians in the National Guard; and Crawford (No. 35) that 
designates the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Corps as a basic branch of 
the Army; and                                            
                                                         Pages H5814-20
  Thornberry en bloc amendment No. 2 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in H. Rept. 115-217: Kildee (No. 36) that allows the 
DoD to provide additional training to service members to counter 
Russian propaganda, disinformation and cyber measures designed to 
influence members of the military; Taylor (No. 37) that expands 
education opportunities for service members to include pursuit of

[[Page D770]]

credentials valued by the services or by civilian employers; Smucker 
(No. 38) that expands the eligibility for the United Services Military 
Apprenticeship Program (USMAP) to include any member of the uniformed 
services; Meng (No. 39) that enhances the hours of operation of DOD 
childcare development centers and establishes childcare coordinators 
for military installations; Meadows (No. 40) that makes all those who 
participated in the S.S. Mayaguez rescue operation eligible for the 
Vietnam Service Medal; Lance (No. 41) that requires each military 
department to carry out a program for awarding medals and other 
commendations to military working dogs and/or their handlers; Graves 
(LA) (No. 42) that awards the Vietnam Service Medal to all veterans who 
participated in Operation End Sweep during the Vietnam War; Soto (No. 
44) that expedites the replacement of military decorations for veterans 
of World War II and the Korean War; Heck (WA) (No. 45) that automates 
interest rate limitations under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; 
Esty (No. 46) that requires the Secretary of Defense in consultation 
with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue a report on possible 
improvements to processing retirements and medical discharges; the 
report shall address: the feasibility of requiring members of the armed 
forces to apply for Veterans Affairs benefits before members complete 
discharge from the armed forces, requiring members to undergo 
compensation and benefits examinations, and a review of possible 
improvements to the timeliness of the process for transitioning members 
who undergo medical discharge to care provided by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs; Mast (No. 47) that establishes an ``Oath of Exit''; 
members of the military may take this oath upon separation from service 
to maintain a personal stake in the mental health of their fellow 
veterans into civilian life; Watson Coleman (No. 48) that extends 
reporting requirements regarding diversity inclusion in military 
leadership for 5 years; Donovan (No. 50) that requires the Secretary of 
Defense to reevaluate the basic housing allowance for the Military 
Housing area that includes Staten Island, New York; Trott (No. 51) that 
directs the Department of Defense to provide states with non-classified 
information about its training programs, so states can evaluate if this 
training meets state occupational licensing requirements; it would 
further provide that service members be provided with certificates for 
successfully completed training so they can present them to 
participating states for occupational licenses; Courtney (No. 52) that 
allows members of the National Guard and Reserves to seek treatment at 
the VA for Military Sexual Trauma regardless of their duty status; and 
Schneider (No. 53) that requires DOD providers who prescribe opioids 
for pain management to complete 12 hours of training every three years 
on pain management treatment guidelines and best practices, early 
detection of opioid use disorder, and the treatment and management of 
patients with opioid use disorder.                       
                                                         Pages H5820-23
                                                              Rejected:
  Conaway amendment (No. 2 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) that 
was debated on July 12th that sought to prohibit the DoD from entering 
new biofuels contracts while sequestration remains law; once 
sequestration expires or is repealed, it sought to amend current law to 
require the DoD to include calculations of any financial contributions 
made by other federal agencies for biofuels purchases (by a recorded 
vote of 198 ayes to 225 noes, Roll No. 356);                 
                                                             Page H5784
  Polis amendment (No. 4 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) that 
was debated on July 12th that sought to reduce the base Defense 
Department budget by 1 percent excluding military/reserve/National 
Guard personnel, as well as Defense Health Program account (by a 
recorded vote of 73 ayes to 351 noes, Roll No. 357);     
                                                         Pages H5784-85
  Jayapal amendment (No. 5 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) that 
was debated on July 12th that sought to express the sense of Congress 
that any authorization to appropriate increases to combined budgets of 
National Defense Budget (050) and Overseas Contingency Operations 
should be matched for non-defense discretionary budget (by a recorded 
vote of 179 ayes to 245 noes, Roll No. 358);             
                                                         Pages H5785-86
  Nadler amendment (No. 6 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) that 
was debated on July 12th that sought to strike section 1022 of the bill 
prohibiting the use of funds for transfer or release of individuals 
detained at Guantanamo Bay to the United States (by a recorded vote of 
167 ayes to 257 noes, Roll No. 359);                         
                                                             Page H5786
  Blumenauer amendment (No. 8 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) 
that was debated on July 12th that sought to modify Sec. 1244 to 
include limitations on the development of an INF range groundlaunched 
missile system (by a recorded vote of 173 ayes to 249 noes, Roll No. 
360);                                                    
                                                         Pages H5786-87
  Aguilar amendment (No. 10 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) that 
was debated on July 12th that sought to extend a currently required CBO 
cost estimate review on the fielding, maintaining, modernization, 
replacement, and life extension of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons 
delivery systems from covering a 10-year period to covering a 30-year 
period (by a recorded vote of 188 ayes to 235 noes, Roll No. 361); 
                                                         Pages H5787-88

[[Page D771]]


  Garamendi amendment (No. 12 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) 
that was debated on July 12th that sought to modify and extend the 
scope of the report required by Section 1043 of the Fiscal Year 2012 
National Defense Authorization Act (by a recorded vote of 192 ayes to 
232 noes, Roll No. 363);                                 
                                                         Pages H5788-89
  Blumenauer amendment (No. 13 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) 
that was debated on July 12th that sought to limit spending on the Long 
Range Standoff weapon (LRSO) until the Administration submits a Nuclear 
Posture Review to Congress including a detailed assessment of the 
weapon (by a recorded vote of 169 ayes to 254 noes, Roll No. 364); 
                                                         Pages H5789-90
  McClintock amendment (No. 14 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-212) 
that was debated on July 12th that sought to strike section 2702, the 
prohibition on conducting an additional round of Base Realignment and 
Closure (by a recorded vote of 175 ayes to 248 noes, Roll No. 365); 
                                                             Page H5790
  Garamendi amendment (No. 1 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that sought 
to strike section 123 regarding icebreaker vessels (by a recorded vote 
of 198 ayes to 220 noes, Roll No. 366);           
                                                  Pages H5791-92, H5802
  Buck amendment (No. 3 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that sought to 
require the DOD to complete a cost competitiveness calculation ensuring 
that the Department does not purchase alternative fuels unless they are 
as cost effective as traditional fuels; research on alternative fuels 
is allowed to continue (by a recorded vote of 203 ayes to 218 noes, 
Roll No. 367);                                 
                                               Pages H5792-93, H5802-03
  Perry amendment (No. 4 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that sought to 
strike section 336, relating to climate change (by a recorded vote of 
185 ayes to 234 noes, Roll No. 368);           
                                               Pages H5793-95, H5803-04
  Hartzler amendment (No. 10 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that sought 
to prohibit funds for medical treatment (other than mental health 
treatment) related to gender transition to a person entitled to medical 
care under chapter 55 of title 10, U.S. code (by a recorded vote of 209 
ayes to 214 noes, Roll No. 369);               
                                               Pages H5799-S5801, H5804
  Gosar amendment (No. 5 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that sought to 
direct that any determination of prevailing wage pursuant to this Act, 
shall be conducted by the Secretary of Labor using surveys carried out 
by the Bureau that use proper random statistical sampling techniques 
(by a recorded vote of 183 ayes to 242 noes, Roll No. 370); and 
                                               Pages H5795-96, H5004-05
  Thomas J. Rooney (FL) amendment (No. 6 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) 
that sought to strike Sec. 541 which prohibits student-athletes 
graduating from service academies from seeking a deferment of service 
in order to pursue professional athletic careers (by a recorded vote of 
107 ayes to 318 noes, Roll No. 371).           
                                               Pages H5796-98, H5005-06
                                                 Proceedings Postponed:
  Franks amendment (No. 13 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that seeks to 
require the Secretary of Defense to conduct strategic assessments of 
the use of violent or unorthodox Islamic religious doctrine to support 
extremist or terrorist messaging and justification; and 
                                                         Pages H5809-11
  Lamborn amendment (No. 15 printed in H. Rept. 115-217) that seeks to 
normalize the operational test and evaluation process for the ballistic 
missile defense system by conforming the condition for proceeding 
beyond low-rate initial production in line with all other major defense 
acquisition programs.                                    
                                                         Pages H5812-14
  H. Res. 440, the rule providing for further consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 2810) was agreed to by a recorded vote of 230 ayes to 190 noes, 
Roll No. 355, after the previous question was ordered by a yea-and-nay 
vote of 234 yeas to 187 nays, Roll No. 354.    
                                               Pages H5774-76, H5777-83
Quorum Calls--Votes: Two yea-and-nay votes and seventeen recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H5776, 
H5782-83, H5783, H5784, H5784-85, H5785-86, H5786, H5786-87, H5787-88, 
H5788, H5788-89, H5789-90, H5790, H5802, H5802-03, H5803-04, H5804, 
H5804-05, and H5805-06. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 8:18 p.m.