[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 127 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D852-D855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 90 public bills, H.R. 3441-
3524; and 7 resolutions, H.J. Res. 114-115; H. Con. Res. 74; and H. 
Res. 479, 482-484, were introduced.                      
  Pages H6514-17
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H6520-21
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H. Res. 480, providing for consideration of the bill (S. 114) to 
amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to submit an annual report regarding performance 
awards and bonuses awarded to certain high-level employees of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (H. Rept. 115-262); and
  H. Res. 481, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3180) to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for intelligence and 
intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the 
Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency 
Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes; waiving a 
requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration 
of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules; and 
providing for proceedings during the period from July 31, 2017, through 
September 4, 2017 (H. Rept. 115-263).                    
Pages H6513-14
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed 
Representative Gaetz to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H6469
Recess: The House recessed at 11:08 a.m. and reconvened at 12 noon. 
                                                             Page H6476
Guest Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the Guest Chaplain, Dr. 
George Dillard, Peachtree Christian Church, Peachtree City, Georgia. 
                                                             Page H6476
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018: The House passed H.R. 
3219, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, by a yea-and-nay vote of 235 
yeas to 192 nays, Roll No. 435. Consideration began yesterday, July 
26th.                                                 
  Pages H6480-H6512
  Rejected the Roybal-Allard motion to recommit the bill to the 
Committee on Appropriations with instructions to report the same back 
to the House forthwith with an amendment, by a recorded vote of 193 
ayes to 234 noes, Roll No. 434.                          
Pages H6510-11
Agreed to:
  Granger en bloc amendment No. 1 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261: Jackson Lee (No. 1) 
that allocates $2 million to provide the Secretary of Defense the 
flexibility needed for technical assistance by U.S. military women to 
military women in other countries combating violence as a weapon of 
war, terrorism, human trafficking, narcotics trafficking; Bridenstine 
(No. 2) that increases Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air 
Force, by $5 million in order to continue funding for a commercial 
weather data pilot program; reduces Operation and Maintenance, Army, by 
the same amount; Lowenthal (No. 3) that increases the STARBASE fifth 
grade youth STEM education program found in Operations and Maintenance, 
Defense-Wide, Civil Military Programs by $5 million, and to reduce 
Operations and Maintenance, Army, Other Servicewide Activities by the 
offsetting amount; Collins (NY) (No. 4) that increases Air Force RDT&E 
funding to support qualification testing for next generation 
strategically radiation hardened microelectronic processors by reducing 
the Operation and Maintenance, Army account; Mast (No. 5) that 
increases Navy RTD&E funds for Cost-Effective Management of 
Environmental Regulatory Requirements to FY17 appropriated level; Shea-
Porter (No. 6) that provides Department of Defense funding for a health 
impact study on perfluorinated chemicals, such as PFOA/PFOS, which were 
used by the military and have contaminated drinking water sources on 
and near military bases across the country; Meehan (No. 7) that 
decreases the Operation and Maintenance, Defense Wide account and 
increases the Environmental Restoration, Defense-Wide by $10 million to 
allocate funds for the Secretary of Defense to enter into 
intergovernmental agreements to provide health screenings in 
communities near formerly used defense sites that have been exposed to

[[Page D853]]

perfluorooctanesuflonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid; Lance (No. 9) 
that allocates $100,000 in Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for 
the purposes of creating a commendation program for military working 
dogs and their handlers; Napolitano (No. 11) that ensures that funding 
for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program and STARBASE is $194,897 
million ($169,897 million for Youth Challenge and $25 million for 
STARBASE); Gallagher (No. 14) that shifts $26.2M from defense-wide 
operation and maintenance to support MK-48 torpedo procurement; Hunter 
(No. 15) that increases funding for the Marine Corps Procurement by 
$20M, offset by a $20 million reduction to the O and M, Defense-Wide 
account to support installation of broadband Satellite communications 
tech for the Marine Corps MV-22s, under the NOTM-Airborne program; 
Rosen (No. 16) that increases funding for Army missile technology by 
$6,000,000, offset by an equal decrease in Defense-wide operations and 
maintenance; Wilson (SC) (No. 17) that increases funding for the 
medical technology account within the Department of Defense; Shuster 
(No. 18) that provides $20 million to support Small Business Innovation 
Research (SBIR) derived technology for undersea warfare, offset with 
commensurate funds from the Operation and Maintenance Account, Defense-
Wide; Soto (No. 19) that increases funding for Gulf War illness 
research under the Defense Health Program by $1 million; Soto (No. 20) 
that increases funding for prostate cancer research under the Defense 
Health Program by $10 million; McGovern (No. 21) that increases funding 
for a program to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations to 
assist such organizations in the planning, designing, establishing, or 
operating of programs to provide service dogs to covered members and 
veterans; Nolan (No. 22) that provides an additional $2 million for the 
Department of Defense's Lung Cancer Research Program and decreases the 
Operation and Maintenance, Defense-wide account by the same amount; 
Delaney (No. 23) that provides for an additional $5 million for the 
Fisher House Foundation which is offset by an outlay neutral reduction 
in the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-wide account; Knight (No. 24) 
that adds $16 million to Aircraft Procurement, Air Force account; 
Jackson Lee (No. 25) that reduces funding for Procurement, Defense-
Wide, by $10 million and increases funding for Defense Health Programs 
by a similar amount in order to address breast cancer research; Cheney 
(No. 26) that Ensures the Secretary is able to use restoration funds 
for missile defense requirements resulting from urgent or emergent 
operational needs; Paulsen (No. 28) that increases funding for Army 
Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation to assist the Army in 
qualifying new medium caliber ammunition rounds; Emmer (No. 29) that 
allocates an increase of $5 million to Army RDT&E Environmental Quality 
and Technology for explosive Ordnance Disposal in cooperation with the 
Navy for the additional targeted research to demonstrate technology 
capable of both remotely defeating mines threatening our Naval forces, 
and remotely demilitarizing underwater munitions without damaging 
critical habitat; Garamendi (No. 32) that provides $10 million for the 
purposes of carrying out a GPS backup technology demonstration; 
Langevin (No. 33) that supports the Missile Defense Agency's R&D 
efforts for directed energy solutions for boost phase missile defense; 
Brown (MD) (No. 34) that seeks a funding increase of $4.135 million to 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions with 
a corresponding decrease of the same amount to Advanced Innovative 
Analysis and Concepts, in the Research, Development, Test & Eval, 
Defense-Wide section; Courtney (No. 36) that amends Section 8010 to 
provide multiyear authority for up to 13 Virginia class submarines; 
Palazzo (No. 37) that strikes the limitation on a DDG-51 multi-year 
procurement authority of ``up to 10''; Welch (No. 40) that prohibits 
funds from being used to procure additional uniforms for the Afghan 
National Army; Delaney (No. 44) that prohibits funds from being used 
for the closure of a BSL4 laboratory; Conyers (No. 46) that states none 
of the funds made available by this Act may be used to provide arms, 
training, or other assistance to the Azov Battalion; Speier (No. 49) 
that increases the Sexual Assault Special Victims' Counsel Program by 
$10 million; Jackson Lee (No. 50) that reduces funding for Operations 
and Maintenance-Defense Wide, by $6.25 million and increases funding 
for Defense Health Care for PTSD by $5 million; Langevin (No. 52) that 
supports the next phase of electromagnetic railgun development to bring 
the system closer to successful installation within the fleet; Nolan 
(No. 53) that provides an additional $6 million for the Army, Research, 
Development Test and Evaluation account to support the United States 
Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center and 
decreases the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund by $12 million; and 
Raskin (No. 54) that increases funding for the Peer Reviewed Cancer 
Research Program by $10 million, offset by a $10 million decrease to 
Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide;                 
Pages H6493-94
  Langevin amendment (No. 8 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) that 
supports the reinvigoration of the DOD Cyber Scholarship Program; 
                                                             Page H6496
  Grothman amendment (No. 13 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) 
that reduces the Operation

[[Page D854]]

and Maintenance, Defense-wide account by $30 million and increase the 
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle account by $30 million;         
Page H6499
  Dunn amendment (No. 31 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) that 
reduces the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force 
account by $30 million and increases the Research, Development, Test 
and Evaluation, Air Force to accelerate deployment of Air Force Major 
Range Test Facility Base (MRTFB) open-air range capabilities in the 
Eastern Gulf;                                         
Pages H6499-H6500
  DeSantis amendment (No. 47 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) 
that prohibits funds from being used to purchase heavy water from Iran 
(agreed by unanimous consent to withdraw the earlier request for a 
recorded vote to the end that the Chair put the question de novo); 
                                                         Pages H6505-07
  Suozzi amendment (No. 10 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) that 
sought to increase Environmental Restoration, Navy funding by 
$34,734,000 and decreases Operations and Maintenance, Defense-Wide by 
$34,734,000 (by a recorded vote of 214 ayes to 211 noes, Roll No. 430);
                                                  Pages H6497-98, H6507
  Brendan F. Boyle (PA) amendment (No. 12 printed in part B of H. Rept. 
115-261) that increases by $30 million each the Navy Environmental 
Restoration Account and the Air Force Environmental Restoration Account 
for the purpose of remediating perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and 
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) drinking water contamination and outreach 
and engagement with local communities with impacted drinking water 
systems (by a recorded vote of 256 ayes to 169 noes, Roll No. 431); and
                                               Pages H6498-99, H6507-08
  Cartwright amendment (No. 43 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) 
that prohibits the use of funds be used to plan for, begin, continue, 
complete, process, or approve a public-private competition to determine 
whether Federal civilian jobs should be outsourced (by a recorded vote 
of 253 ayes to 172 noes, Roll No. 433).           
Pages H6503-04, H6509
Rejected:
  Blackburn amendment (No. 62 printed in H. Rept. 115-259) that was 
debated on July 26th that sought to provide for a one percent across 
the board cut to the discretionary spending levels in Division D of the 
bill (by a recorded vote of 140 ayes to 285 noes with one answering 
``present'', Roll No. 428);                              
Pages H6491-92
  Perry amendment (No. 63 printed in H. Rept. 115-259) that was debated 
on July 26th that sought to prohibit the use of funds to implement or 
enforce the final rule published by the Secretary of Energy entitled 
``Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Central Air 
Conditioners and Heat Pumps'' (by a recorded vote of 177 ayes to 248 
noes, Roll No. 429);                                         
Page H6492
  Speier amendment (No. 35 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) that 
sought to specify that $25 million appropriated for Defense Health 
Program research, development, test and evaluation may be used to award 
grants to medical researchers and universities to support research into 
early detection of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE); 
                                                         Pages H6500-01
  Foster amendment (No. 42 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) that 
sought to prohibit the use of funds to develop a space-based ballistic 
missile intercept layer;                                 
Pages H6502-03
  Davidson amendment (No. 45 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) 
that sought to prohibit use of funds with respect to military action in 
Yemen to the extent that such action is inconsistent with the War 
Powers Resolution; and                                   
Pages H6504-05
  Nadler amendment (No. 38 printed in part B of H. Rept. 115-261) that 
sought to strike sections 8094 and 8095 relating to the release or 
transfer of detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay to secure 
facilities in the United States and allows for funding to construct, 
acquire, or modify domestic facilities to host these relocated 
detainees (by a recorded vote of 172 ayes to 252 noes, Roll No. 432). 
                                               Pages H6501-02, H6508-09
  H. Res. 478, the rule providing for further consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 3219) was agreed to by a recorded vote of 230 ayes to 196 noes, 
Roll No. 427, after the previous question was ordered by a yea-and-nay 
vote of 233 yeas to 185 nays, Roll No. 426.              
Pages H6490-91
Wounded Officers Recovery Act of 2017: The House agreed to take from 
the Speaker's table and concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 3298, to 
authorize the Capitol Police Board to make payments from the United 
States Capitol Police Memorial Fund to employees of the United States 
Capitol Police who have sustained serious line-of-duty injuries. 
                                                             Page H6512
Recess: The House recessed at 5:26 p.m. and reconvened at 6:16 p.m. 
                                                             Page H6513
Senate Message: Message received from the Senate today appears on page 
H6491.
Quorum Calls--Votes: Two yea-and-nay votes and eight recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H6490-91, 
H6491-92, H6492, H6507, H6507-08, H6508-09, H6509, H6510-11, and H6511-
12. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 6:18 p.m.

[[Page D855]]