[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 104 (Thursday, June 21, 2018)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D711-D713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                                            Thursday, June 21, 2018

[[Page D711]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S4313-S4352
Measures Introduced: Eighteen bills were introduced, as follows: S. 
3102-3119.                                               
  Pages S4343-44
Measures Reported:
  S. 3107, making appropriations for financial services and general 
government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019. (S. Rept. No. 
115-281)
  S. 3108, making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 
30, 2019. (S. Rept. No. 115-282)
  S. 3109, making appropriations for the Department of Homeland 
Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019. (S. Rept. No. 
115-283)
  S. 974, to promote competition in the market for drugs and biological 
products by facilitating the timely entry of lower-cost generic and 
biosimilar versions of those drugs and biological products, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute.                     
Page S4343
Measures Passed:
  National GI Bill Commemoration Week: Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
was discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 551, expressing 
support for the designation of the week of June 18 through June 22, 
2018, as National GI Bill Commemoration Week, and the resolution was 
then agreed to.                                              
  Page S4351
Measures Considered:
Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and 
Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act--Agreement: Senate continued 
consideration of H.R. 5895, making appropriations for energy and water 
development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 
30, 2019, taking action on the following amendments and motions 
proposed thereto:                                        
  Pages S4313-36
Adopted:
  By a unanimous vote of 96 yeas (Vote No. 137), Alexander (for Bennet) 
Amendment No. 2983 (to Amendment No. 2910), to increase employment for 
members of the Armed Forces in emerging industries.      
Pages S4325-28
  McConnell (for Alexander) Amendment No. 2915 (to Amendment No. 2910), 
to make a technical correction.                              
Page S4333
  McConnell (for Hatch) Amendment No. 2986 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
clarify coal to carbon fiber research and development expenditures. 
                                                             Page S4333
  McConnell (for Heller) Amendment No. 3048 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
reauthorize Colorado River System pilot projects.            
Page S4333
  McConnell (for Rubio) Amendment No. 2999 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
prohibit the use of funds for certain releases or discharges of water 
from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee Estuary or the Indian River 
Lagoon.                                                      
Page S4333
  McConnell (for Perdue/Isakson) Amendment No. 3054 (to Amendment No. 
2978), to ensure the use of certain funds for projects relating to 
deep-draft navigation.                                       
Page S4333
  McConnell (for Thune) Amendment No. 2978 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
provide funding for water infrastructure projects.           
Page S4333
  McConnell (for Murkowski) Amendment No. 3059 (to Amendment No. 2910), 
to include certain provisions relating to Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission hydroelectric projects.                           
Page S4333
  McConnell (for Heinrich/Gardner) Amendment No. 2980 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to clarify certain cost-sharing requirements applicable to 
awards from the Energy Technology Commercialization Fund.    
Page S4333
  McConnell (for Warner/Portman) Amendment No. 2996 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to provide that funds made available for the Office of the 
Inspector General of the Department of Energy shall be used to fully 
meet certain data transparency requirements.                 
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Hatch) Amendment No. 3042 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
include a provision relating to transfers from the Upper Colorado River 
Basin Fund.                                                  
Page S4334

[[Page D712]]


  McConnell (for Tester/Daines) Amendment No. 2961 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to extend the authorization for the Fort Peck Rural Water 
System.                                                      
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Sanders/Nelson) Amendment No. 2963 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to set aside funds for the Regional Test Centers for Solar 
Technologies of the Department of Energy.                    
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Brown) Amendment No. 2997 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
support the development and deployment of high-efficiency linear 
generator power plant technology.                            
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Whitehouse) Amendment No. 2939 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to require a report on Corps of Engineers activities relating to 
inland and coastal projects.                                 
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Kennedy) Amendment No. 3068 (to Amendment No. 2910), 
to express the sense of the Senate that certain Corps of Engineers 
projects should receive consideration for additional funding. 
                                                             Page S4334
  McConnell (for Hyde-Smith) Amendment No. 2953 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to provide adequate funds for the Surplus Books Program of the 
Library of Congress.                                         
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Coons/Murkowski) Amendment No. 3053 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to provide funds to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic 
straws in facilities under the care of the Architect of the Capitol. 
                                                             Page S4334
  McConnell (for Boozman/Daines) Amendment No. 3051 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to appropriate funds for the Veterans History Project. 
                                                             Page S4334
  McConnell (for Lee/Paul) Amendment No. 3057 (to Amendment No. 2910), 
to require that funds made available for the Congressional Budget 
Office be used to improve the transparency of scoring and the 
availability and replicability of models, economic assumptions, and 
data to Members of Congress.                                 
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Heller/Tester) Amendment No. 3056 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to protect programs for homeless veterans.            
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Heller) Amendment No. 2949 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
report on the program of support services for caregivers of veterans of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs.                          
Page S4334
  McConnell (for Klobuchar/Tillis) Amendment No. 2960 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish within 
the Department of Veterans Affairs a center of excellence in the 
prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of 
health conditions relating to exposure to burn pits.     
Pages S4334-35
  McConnell (for Boozman) Amendment No. 2924 (to Amendment No. 2910), 
to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
plan to avoid clinical mistakes by employees of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs that result in adverse events that require certain 
disclosures.                                                 
Page S4335
  McConnell (for Boozman/Schatz) Amendment No. 2925 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to make a technical correction to title III of division C. 
                                                             Page S4335
  McConnell (for Tester/Brown) Amendment No. 2934 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a means 
to track and monitor information on debts of persons to the United 
States by virtue of the persons' participation in a benefits program 
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, including because of 
an overpayment by the Department of Veterans Affairs.        
Page S4335
  McConnell (for Cassidy/Jones) Amendment No. 3013 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish the 
quality rating of each nursing home of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs.                                                 
Pages S4335-36
  McConnell (for Cortez-Masto) Amendment No. 3050 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to require the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to conduct an investigation of all nursing homes of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs with an overall one-star rating as 
determined by the rating system of the Department.           
Page S4336
  McConnell (for Kennedy) Amendment No. 2992 (to Amendment No. 2910), 
to prohibit the use of funds made available under this Act in a manner 
that would increase wait times for veterans who seek care at medical 
facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.            
Page S4336
  McConnell (for Hassan/Shaheen) Amendment No. 2955 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to prevent the use of funds made available by this Act to 
modernize or realign facilities of the Veterans Health Administration 
in States in which the Department does not operate a full-service 
medical facility unless the Secretary of Veterans Affairs certifies to 
Congress that such modernization or realignment will not result in a 
disruption or reduction of services for veterans.            
Page S4336
  McConnell (for Nelson) Amendment No. 3032 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
limit the conversion of funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs 
program to improve retention of housing by formerly homeless veterans 
and veterans at risk of becoming homeless.                   
Page S4336
  McConnell (for Rubio) Amendment No. 3066 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
express the sense of Congress relating to the Comprehensive Everglades 
Restoration Plan.                                            
Page S4336

[[Page D713]]


  McConnell (for Whitehouse) Amendment No. 2957 (to Amendment No. 
2910), to require the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study on the 
potential for natural gas demand response across energy sectors and 
geographic regions.                                          
Page S4336
  McConnell (for Wyden) Amendment No. 3038 (to Amendment No. 2910), to 
require a report on cell site simulators detected near facilities of 
the Department of Defense.                                   
Page S4336
  Alexander Amendment No. 2911 (to Amendment No. 2910), to make a 
technical correction.                                        
Page S4336
  Shelby Amendment No. 2910, in the nature of a substitute. 
                                                             Page S4336
Rejected:
  McConnell (for Lee) Modified Amendment No. 3021 (to Amendment No. 
2911), to terminate a rule relating to the definition of ``waters of 
the United States''. (By 62 yeas to 34 nays (Vote No. 138), Senate 
tabled the amendment.)                                   
Pages S4329-30
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the motion 
to invoke cloture on Shelby Amendment No. 2910 (listed above), be 
withdrawn.                                                   
Page S4333
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the motion 
to invoke cloture on the bill, be withdrawn.                 
Page S4333
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that at 5:30 
p.m., on Monday, June 25, 2018, Senate vote on passage of the bill, as 
amended.                                                     
Page S4333
  A unanimous consent agreement was reached providing that at 
approximately 3 p.m., on Monday, June 25, 2018, Senate resume 
consideration of the bill; and that the motion to invoke cloture on the 
motion to proceed to consideration of H.R. 2, to provide for the reform 
and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department 
of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, ripen following disposition of 
H.R. 5895.                                                   
Page S4351
Agriculture and Nutrition Act--Cloture: Senate began consideration of 
the motion to proceed to consideration of H.R. 2, to provide for the 
reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the 
Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023.      
  Pages S4336-37
  A motion was entered to close further debate on the motion to proceed 
to consideration of the bill, and, in accordance with the provisions of 
Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, and pursuant to the 
unanimous-consent agreement of Thursday, June 21, 2018, a vote on 
cloture will occur upon disposition of H.R. 5895, making appropriations 
for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2019.                              
Page S4337
House Messages:
  Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act: Senate agreed to 
the motion to concur in the House amendments to S. 1091, to establish a 
Federal Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.
                                                             Page S4351
Nomination Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nomination:
  Jean Carol Hovland, of South Dakota, to be Commissioner of the 
Administration for Native Americans, Department of Health and Human 
Services.                                            
Pages S4337, S4352
Messages from the House:                                     
  Page S4341
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S4341
Measures Placed on the Calendar:                  
  Pages S4319, S4341-42
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S4342-43
Petitions and Memorials:                                     
  Page S4343
Executive Reports of Committees:                             
  Page S4343
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S4344-45
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S4339-41
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S4345-51
Authorities for Committees to Meet:                          
  Page S4351
Privileges of the Floor:                                     
  Page S4351
Record Votes: Two record votes were taken today. (Total--138) 
                                                     Pages S4328, S4330
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:45 a.m. and adjourned at 5:35 p.m., 
until 3 p.m. on Monday, June 25, 2018. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S4351.)