[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 176 (Wednesday, October 25, 2023)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1079-D1081]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                                        Wednesday, October 25, 2023

[[Page D1079]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S5155-S5195
Measures Introduced: Fifteen bills and six resolutions were introduced, 
as follows: S. 3121-3135, and S. Res. 427-432.           
  Pages S5182-83
Measures Reported:
  Special Report entitled ``Further Revised Allocation to Subcommittees 
of Budget Totals for Fiscal Year 2024''. (S. Rept. No. 118-108) 
                                                             Page S5182
Measures Passed:
  Volleyball Day in Nebraska:  Senate agreed to S. Res. 428, 
recognizing women's collegiate athletics and the record-setting 
Volleyball Day in Nebraska event on August 30, 2023.         
  Page S5172
  National Early Childhood Literacy Awareness Day:  Senate agreed to S. 
Res. 430, designating October 20, 2023, as ``National Early Childhood 
Literacy Awareness Day''.                                    
  Page S5177
  National Women's Small Business Month:  Senate agreed to S. Res. 431, 
recognizing the month of October 2023 as ``National Women's Small 
Business Month''.                                            
  Page S5177
  Fifth Commemoration of the Antisemitic Attack at Tree of Life 
Synagogue:  Senate agreed to S. Res. 432, recognizing the fifth 
commemoration of the antisemitic attack that occurred on October 27, 
2018, at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.            
  Page S5177
Measures Considered:
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act--Agreement: Senate resumed consideration of H.R. 
4366, making appropriations for military construction, the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2024, taking action on the following amendments and 
motions proposed thereto:                                
  Pages S5155-63
Adopted:
  Murray (for Moran) Amendment No. 1250 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
prohibit the use of funds appropriated by division A to change rates 
for reimbursement for transportation via a special mode of 
transportation under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs and to reduce certain amounts available to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.                                            
Page S5160
  Murray (for Daines) Amendment No. 1185 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress an 
earned value analysis of the Veterans Electronic Health Record system 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs.                       
Page S5160
  Murray (for Sullivan/Rosen) Amendment No. 1216 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to prioritize the use of funds for certain telehealth services 
and mental health programs for veterans.                     
Page S5160
  Murray (for Sullivan/Lummis) Amendment No. 1221 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to prohibit the use of funds to procure seafood from China for 
use in school meals.                                         
Page S5160
  Murray (for Peters/Cornyn) Amendment No. 1283 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to provide funding for the emergency and transitional pet 
shelter and housing assistance grant program.                
Page S5160
  Murray (for Rosen) Amendment No. 1117 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
make amounts available to the Veterans Health Administration to sustain 
and increase telehealth capacity and associated programmatic efforts. 
                                                             Page S5160
  Murray (for Schatz) Amendment No. 1120 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
extend the period of availability for fiscal year 2021 national 
infrastructure investments.                                  
Page S5160
  Murray (for Booker/Tuberville) Amendment No. 1175 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to increase funding for rural decentralized water systems. 
                                                             Page S5160
  Murray (for Tillis) Amendment No. 1264 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
require a review regarding veterans who engaged in toxic exposure risk 
activities while serving in Kosovo.                      
Pages S5160-61
  Murray (for Reed) Amendment No. 1202 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
appropriate amounts for shellfish research, with an offset. 
                                                             Page S5161
  Murray (for Britt) Amendment No. 1270 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
provide appropriations for certain research using plant genomics, with 
an offset.                                                   
Page S5161

[[Page D1080]]


  Murray (for Kelly/Tillis) Amendment No. 1116 (to Amendment No. 1092), 
to require medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
share certain data with State cancer registries.             
Page S5161
  Murray (for Hirono/Moran) Amendment No. 1113 (to Amendment No. 1092), 
to provide funding for competitive grants for construction of 
agricultural research facilities and related activities, with an 
offset.                                                      
Page S5162
  Murray (for Warnock) Amendment No. 1351 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
require the Secretary of Transportation to report on the Federal 
Aviation Administration's workforce development programs.    
Page S5162
  Murray (for Smith/Ricketts) Amendment No. 1134 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to require the submission of a report on improving staffing at 
Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service at 
the county level.                                            
Page S5162
  Murray (for Rosen) Amendment No. 1220 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
provide funding for the suppression and control of Mormon crickets in 
western States.                                              
Page S5162
  Murray (for Cardin/Van Hollen) Amendment No. 1277 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to provide funding for invasive catfish control.      
Page S5162
  Murray (for Padilla) Amendment No. 1140 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
improve housing assistance for veterans experiencing homelessness. 
                                                             Page S5162
  Murray (for Shaheen) Amendment No. 1131 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
require a report on the use of third-party contractors to conduct 
medical disability examinations of veterans.                 
Page S5162
  Murray (for Klobuchar/Moran) Amendment No. 1203 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to make funds available for the aeronautical information 
management program.                                          
Page S5162
  Murray (for Kelly/Sinema) Amendment No. 1133 (to Amendment No. 1092), 
to require a report relating to rural community facilities direct loan 
applicants.                                                  
Page S5162
  Murray (for Padilla) Amendment No. 1139 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
provide for the development of emergency evacuation route planning 
guidelines and best practices.                               
Page S5162
  Murray (for Ossoff) Amendment No. 1255 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
provide funds for the Office of Women's Health of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to expand access of women veterans to mammography 
initiatives and equipment.                                   
Page S5162
  Murray (for Merkley/Crapo) Amendment No. 1352 (to Amendment No. 
1092), to increase the set-aside for multi-benefit projects under the 
watershed and flood prevention operations program.           
Page S5163
  Murray (for Stabenow) Amendment No. 1115 (to Amendment No. 1092), to 
provide funding for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production 
Program.                                                     
Page S5163
  By 59 yeas to 38 nays (Vote No. 266), Vance Amendment No. 1210 (to 
Amendment No. 1092), to prohibit funds appropriated for the Department 
of Transportation for fiscal year 2024 from being used to enforce a 
mask mandate in response to the COVID-19 virus.          
Pages S5163-64
  By 53 yeas to 45 nays (Vote No. 268), Kennedy Amendment No. 1354 (to 
Amendment No. 1092), to prohibit the availability of funds for the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report certain information to the 
Department of Justice for use by the National Instant Criminal 
Background Check System.                                     
Page S5169
  Rejected:
  By 47 yeas to 51 nays (Vote No. 267), Graham (for Rubio) Amendment 
No. 1237 (to Amendment No. 1092), to prohibit the use of funds to 
implement the final rule regarding energy efficient standards for 
certain subsidized housing.                                  
Page S5168
  By 56 yeas to 42 nays (Vote No. 269), Lankford Amendment No. 1232 (to 
Amendment No. 1092), to provide for a period of continuing 
appropriations in the event of a lapse in appropriations under the 
normal appropriations process, and establish procedures and 
consequences in the event of a failure to enact appropriations. 
(Pursuant to the order of Tuesday, October 24, 2023, the amendment 
having failed to achieve 60 affirmative votes, was not agreed to.) 
                                                             Page S5177
  Withdrawn:
  Schumer motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Appropriations, 
with instructions, Schumer Amendment No. 1230, to change the effective 
date.                                                        
Page S5160
  Murray Amendment No. 1205 (to Amendment No. 1092), to change the 
effective date.                                              
Page S5160
  Pending:
  Schumer (for Murray/Collins) Amendment No. 1092, in the nature of a 
substitute.                                                  
Page S5155


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page D1080, October 25, 2023, the following language appears: 
Pending: Schumer (for Murray/Collins) Amendment No. 1092, in the 
nature of a substitute. Page S5155 Murray motion to suspend Rule 
XVI for the consideration of Schumer (for Murray/Collins) 
Amendment No. 1092 (listed above) to the bill. Page S5155
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: Pending: Schumer 
(for Murray/Collins) Amendment No. 1092, in the nature of a 
substitute. Page S5155


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at approximately 10 a.m., on Thursday, 
October 26, 2023, as provided under the order of Tuesday, October 24, 
2023; that if Senator Paul makes a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 44, 
directing the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in 
the Republic of Niger that have not been authorized by Congress, from 
the Committee on Foreign Relations, Senate vote on the motion at 11:30 
a.m.; that if the

[[Page D1081]]

motion to discharge is not agreed to, Senate vote on Braun Amendment 
No. 1182 to the bill; that upon disposition of the Braun Amendment, 
Senate move to the consideration of S.J. Res. 42, providing for 
congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States 
Code, of the rule submitted by the Food and Nutrition Service relating 
to ``Application of Bostock v. Clayton County to Program Discrimination 
Complaint Processing--Policy Update''; that there be up to 30 minutes 
for debate equally divided between the two Leaders or their designees, 
and that following the use or yielding back of time, Senate vote on 
passage of the joint resolution.                             
Page S5195
     Nomination Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following 
     nomination:
  By 51 yeas to 46 nays (Vote No. EX. 265), Jessica Looman, of 
Minnesota, to be Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, 
Department of Labor.                                         
Page S5163
     Messages from the House:                                30Measures 
     Read the First Time:
      Communications:                                    30Executive 
     Reports of Committees:
     l Cosponsors:                                       30Statements 
     on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:                    30Additional 
     Statements:
     Amendments Submitted:                               30Authorities 
     for Committees to Meet:
     s of the Floor:                                         30Record 
     Votes: Five record votes were taken today. (Total--269) 
                       Record VoPages S5163, S5164, S5168, S5169, S5177
     Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 7:02 
     p.m., until 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 26, 2023. (For 
     Senate's program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority 
     Leader in today's Record on page S5195.)