[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 30, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S771-S773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 81. Mr. BLUMENTHAL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 1, to make improvements to certain defense and 
security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriation of 
funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the wholesale slaughter of the 
Syrian people, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       In section 203(2), strike ``crisis.'' and insert the 
     following: ``crisis; and
       (3) the United States must recommit to resettling a robust 
     number of refugees to meet its share of the global need to 
     alleviate instability in countries like Jordan, which have 
     absorbed a disproportionate number of displaced people 
     fleeing the crisis in Syria, and reaffirm the responsibility 
     of the United States to resettle refugees as a key tenet of 
     foreign policy.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 82. Mr. PERDUE (for himself and Mr. Isakson) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1, to make 
improvements to certain defense and security assistance provisions and 
to authorize the appropriation of funds to Israel, to reauthorize the 
United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the 
wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end, add the following:

 TITLE V--ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DISASTER RELIEF, 
                                  2019

       The following sums in this title are appropriated, out of 
     any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other 
     purposes, namely:

[[Page S772]]

  


                       DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

                         AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS

                   Processing, Research and Marketing

                        Office of the Secretary

       For an additional amount for the ``Office of the 
     Secretary'', $3,005,442,000, which shall remain available 
     until December 31, 2020, for necessary expenses related to 
     losses of crops (including milk and harvested adulterated 
     wine grapes), trees, bushes, and vines, as a consequence of 
     Hurricanes Michael or Florence, other hurricanes, typhoons, 
     volcanic activity, or wildfires occurring in calendar year 
     2018 under such terms and conditions as determined by the 
     Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this title as the 
     ``Secretary''):  Provided, That the Secretary may provide 
     assistance for such losses in the form of block grants to 
     eligible states and territories and such assistance may 
     include compensation to producers, as determined by the 
     Secretary, for past or future crop insurance premiums, forest 
     restoration, and poultry and livestock losses:  Provided 
     further, That of the amounts provided under this heading, 
     tree assistance payments may be made under section 1501(e) of 
     the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)) to eligible 
     orchardists or nursery tree growers (as defined in such 
     section) of pecan trees with a tree mortality rate that 
     exceeds 7.5 percent (adjusted for normal mortality) and is 
     less than 15 percent (adjusted for normal mortality), to be 
     available until expended, for losses incurred during the 
     period beginning January 1, 2018, and ending December 31, 
     2018:  Provided further, That in the case of producers 
     impacted by volcanic activity that resulted in the loss of 
     crop land, or access to crop land, the Secretary shall 
     consider all measures available, as appropriate, to bring 
     replacement land into production:  Provided further, That the 
     total amount of payments received under this heading and 
     applicable policies of crop insurance under the Federal Crop 
     Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) or the Noninsured Crop 
     Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) under section 196 of the 
     Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 
     U.S.C. 7333) shall not exceed 90 percent of the loss as 
     determined by the Secretary:  Provided further, That the 
     total amount of payments received under this heading for 
     producers who did not obtain a policy or plan of insurance 
     for an insurable commodity for the applicable crop year under 
     the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) for 
     the crop incurring the losses or did not file the required 
     paperwork and pay the service fee by the applicable State 
     filing deadline for a noninsurable commodity for the 
     applicable crop year under NAP for the crop incurring the 
     losses shall not exceed 70 percent of the loss as determined 
     by the Secretary:  Provided further, That producers receiving 
     payments under this heading, as determined by the Secretary, 
     shall be required to purchase crop insurance where crop 
     insurance is available for the next two available crop years, 
     excluding tree insurance policies, and producers receiving 
     payments under this heading shall be required to purchase 
     coverage under NAP where crop insurance is not available in 
     the next two available crop years, as determined by the 
     Secretary:  Provided further, That, not later than 120 days 
     after the end of fiscal year 2019, the Secretary shall submit 
     a report to the Congress specifying the type, amount, and 
     method of such assistance by state and territory:  Provided 
     further, That such amount is designated by the Congress as 
     being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 
     251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 
     Control Act of 1985.

                          Farm Service Agency

                  emergency forest restoration program

       For an additional amount for the ``Emergency Forest 
     Restoration Program'', for necessary expenses related to the 
     consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence and wildfires 
     occurring in calendar year 2018, and other natural disasters, 
     $480,000,000, to remain available until expended:  Provided, 
     That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for 
     an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) 
     of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985.

                 Natural Resources Conservation Service

               watershed and flood prevention operations

       For an additional amount for ``Watershed and Flood 
     Prevention Operations'', for necessary expenses for the 
     Emergency Watershed Protection Program related to the 
     consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence and wildfires 
     occurring in calendar year 2018, and other natural disasters, 
     $125,000,000, to remain available until expended:  Provided, 
     That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for 
     an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) 
     of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985.

                           Rural Development

               rural community facilities program account

       For an additional amount for the cost of grants for rural 
     community facilities programs as authorized by section 306 
     and described in section 381E(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm 
     and Rural Development Act, for necessary expenses related to 
     the consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence and 
     wildfires occurring in calendar year 2018, and other natural 
     disasters, $150,000,000, to remain available until expended:  
     Provided, That sections 381E-H and 381N of the Consolidated 
     Farm and Rural Development Act are not applicable to the 
     funds made available under this heading:  Provided further, 
     That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for 
     an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) 
     of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985.

                     GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS TITLE

       Sec. 501.  In addition to amounts otherwise made available, 
     out of the funds made available under section 18 of Food and 
     Nutrition Act of 2008, $25,200,000 shall be available for the 
     Secretary to provide a grant to the Commonwealth of the 
     Northern Mariana Islands for disaster nutrition assistance in 
     response to the Presidentially declared major disasters and 
     emergencies:  Provided, That funds made available to the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under this 
     section shall remain available for obligation by the 
     Commonwealth until September 30, 2020:  Provided further, 
     That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for 
     an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) 
     of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985.
       Sec. 502.  For purposes of administering title I of 
     subdivision 1 of division B of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 
     2018 (Public Law 115-123), losses to agricultural producers 
     resulting from hurricanes shall also include losses incurred 
     from Tropical Storm Cindy and losses of peach and blueberry 
     crops in calendar year 2017 due to extreme cold:  Provided, 
     That the amounts provided by this section are designated by 
     the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant 
     to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and 
     Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985:  Provided further, 
     That amounts repurposed under this heading that were 
     previously designated by the Congress as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
     Deficit Control Act of 1985 are designated by the Congress as 
     an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) 
     of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985.
       Sec. 503. (a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 
     person or legal entity is not eligible to receive a payment 
     under the Market Facilitation Program established pursuant to 
     the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714 
     et seq.) if the average adjusted gross income of such person 
     or legal entity is greater than $900,000.
       (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a person or legal 
     entity if at least 75 percent of the adjusted gross income of 
     such person or legal entity is derived from farming, 
     ranching, or forestry related activities.
       (b) A person or legal entity may not receive a payment 
     under the Market Facilitation Program described in subsection 
     (a)(1), directly or indirectly, of more than $125,000.
       (c) In this section, the term ``average adjusted gross 
     income'' has the meaning given the term defined in section 
     760.1502 of title 7 Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect 
     July 18, 2018).
       (d) The amount provided by this section is designated by 
     the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant 
     to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and 
     Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 83. Mr. SASSE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1, to make improvements to certain defense and 
security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriation of 
funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the wholesale slaughter of the 
Syrian people, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle D of title III, add the following:

     SEC. 336. REPORT ON IMPACT OF INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION AND 
                   RISK TO UNITED STATES CITIZENS IN EVENT OF 
                   WITHDRAWAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM 
                   SYRIA.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report 
     detailing the anticipated loss of intelligence caused by the 
     withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Syria and the 
     risks, including the possibility of increased terrorist 
     attacks, posed to United States citizens in the region, in 
     Europe, and in the continental United States.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 84. Mr. SASSE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1, to make improvements to certain defense and 
security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriation of 
funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the wholesale slaughter of the 
Syrian people, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       At the end, add the following:

                      TITLE V--GENERAL PROVISIONS

     SEC. 501. REPORT ON RUSSIAN INTERESTS IN VENEZUELA.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the President shall

[[Page S773]]

     submit to Congress a report detailing Russian assets and 
     personnel in Venezuela and assessing the probability that 
     Russian security forces or private military contractors of 
     Russian origin take an active role in supporting Nicolas 
     Maduro's efforts to retain power.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 85. Mr. SASSE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1, to make improvements to certain defense and 
security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriation of 
funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the wholesale slaughter of the 
Syrian people, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. ANNUAL REPORT ON CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY INFLUENCE 
                   AND PROPAGANDA ACTIVITIES IN UNITED STATES.

       (a) Annual Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act and not less frequently 
     than once each year thereafter, the Director of National 
     Intelligence shall, acting through the Director of the 
     National Counterintelligence Security Center, submit to 
     Congress a report on influence and propaganda activities of 
     the Chinese Communist Party, the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army 
     carried out in the United States.
       (b) Form of Reports.--Each report submitted under 
     subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 
     may include a classified annex.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 86. Mr. SASSE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1, to make improvements to certain defense and 
security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriation of 
funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the wholesale slaughter of the 
Syrian people, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT ON BELT 
                   AND ROAD INITIATIVE OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
                   CHINA.

       (a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National 
     Intelligence shall submit to Congress a report on the 
     security implications of the Belt and Road Initiative of the 
     People's Republic of China.
       (b) Contents.--The report submitted under subsection (a) 
     shall include the following:
       (1) An assessment of the objectives of the Belt and Road 
     Initiative and the ability of China to meet those objectives.
       (2) An evaluation of the security implications of the Belt 
     and Road Initiative, including specific military applications 
     in both peacetime and during conflict.
       (3) An assessment of the current and future effects of the 
     initiative on regional economic, political, and security 
     interests of the United States and allies and partners of the 
     United States.
       (c) Form of Report.--The report submitted under subsection 
     (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 
     a classified annex.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 87. Mr. SASSE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1, to make improvements to certain defense and 
security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriation of 
funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the wholesale slaughter of the 
Syrian people, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       At the end, add the following:

                         TITLE V--MISCELLANEOUS

     SEC. 501. ASSESSMENT OF COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVES OF THE 
                   UNITED STATES AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
                   CHINA RELATING TO SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL 
                   COOPERATION.

       (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
     United States shall submit to Congress a report assessing 
     collaborative initiatives of the United States and the 
     People's Republic of China relating to scientific and 
     technical cooperation.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) A description of the nature of collaborative 
     initiatives described in subsection (a), including how such 
     initiatives are funded, who participates in such initiatives, 
     and the outcomes of such initiatives.
       (2) A description of the licensing and regulatory regime 
     under which such initiatives occur.
       (3) An assessment of whether the intellectual property 
     rights of United States researchers and entities 
     participating in such initiatives are being adequately 
     protected.
       (4) An assessment of whether entities owned or controlled 
     by the government or the military of the People's Republic of 
     China are benefitting from research funded by United States 
     taxpayers.
       (5) An assessment of whether any Chinese researchers 
     participating in such initiatives have ties to the government 
     or the military of the People's Republic of China.
       (6) An assessment of whether any institutions of higher 
     education, laboratories, or other entities in the United 
     States participating in such initiatives have been subject to 
     cyber penetration originating in the People's Republic of 
     China.
       (7) An evaluation the benefits of such initiatives for the 
     United States.
       (8) An assessment of any redundancies among such 
     initiatives.
       (9) Recommendations for improving such initiatives.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 88. Mr. KENNEDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 65 proposed by Mr. McConnell (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. 
Blunt, Mr. Burr, Mr. Romney, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Rubio, Mr. 
Sasse, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Tillis, 
Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Young, and Mr. 
Boozman) to the bill S. 1, to make improvements to certain defense and 
security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriation of 
funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt the wholesale slaughter of the 
Syrian people, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       At the end, add the following:

     SEC. ___. AUTHORIZATION.

       The President is hereby authorized to undertake military 
     assistance and use of armed forces, if the President 
     determines it necessary and appropriate, to defend the Kurds 
     in Syria against armed aggression from any country or 
     terrorist organization.

                          ____________________