[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF CERTAIN FUNDS

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1537, introduced earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1537) to authorize the transfer of certain funds 
     from the Senate Gift Shop Revolving Fund to the Senate 
     Employee Child Care Center.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I have to say this: The night before last 
at 9 o'clock at night, I got a call from the White House. They were 
upset because of this Christmas ornament issue on the emergency 
supplemental; it is so bad--Christmas tree ornaments in the emergency 
supplemental.
  I said: Do you know what it is about? It is about the Senate Day Care 
Center. They have sold Christmas tree ornaments every year to defray 
the cost for Senate employees for childcare. It doesn't cost the 
Government anything, but some lawyer said they didn't have the legal 
authority to do that, and we put language in the emergency supplemental 
to allow the Senate Day Care to sell Christmas tree ornaments.
  They said: If you put it in there, the President is going to veto the 
bill. So we took it out.
  Can you imagine that? It is hard for me to comprehend, in a budget 
involving $120 billion, the President threatens to veto it over 
Christmas tree ornaments, something that costs the Government nothing 
and helps our very valued Senate employees take care of their kids.
  Anyway, I couldn't pass that up.
  I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times, passed, 
the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statement 
relating to the bill be printed in the Record, with no intervening 
action or debate. And we got it done anyway.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 1537) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 1537

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. TRANSFERS FROM SENATE GIFT SHOP REVOLVING FUND.

       Section 2(c) of Public Law 102-392 (2 U.S.C. 121d(c)) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) The Secretary of the Senate may transfer from the 
     fund to the Senate Employee Child Care Center proceeds from 
     the sale of holiday ornaments by the Senate Gift Shop for the 
     purpose of funding necessary activities and expenses of the 
     Center, including scholarships, educational supplies, and 
     equipment.''.

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