FULL COMMITTEE ACTION

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 

H.R. 5337, "Reform of National Security Reviews of Foreign Direct Investments Act", was ordered favorably reported to the House, amended, by a voice vote.

The following amendments were offered:

An amendment offered by Messrs. Barton, Dingell, Stearns, and Ms. Schakowsky, #1, manager's amendment - eliminating the position of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) vice chairman throughout the bill, requiring CFIUS to act through the Chair pursuant to a majority vote of the committee rather than just a signature of the Chair and Vice Chair, adding the Secretary of Energy as a member of CFIUS, making explicit CFIUS is to report specifically to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as the other committees of jurisdiction on its review and work, designating the Secretary of Commerce as a Chair of CFIUS, and eliminating a clarification of the definition of national security, was adopted by a voice vote;

An amendment offered by Mr. Markey, #2, to increase the 30-day review period to 60 days and the 45-day national security investigation period to 90 days; and to add a definition of 'critical infrastructure' -- systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combinations of those matters (including seaports, airports, and mass transit systems of the United States) -- that would be a trigger for a national security investigation, was defeated by a yea-nay vote: 16 - 27.

H.R. 4591, "Stockholm and Rotterdam Toxics Treaty Act of 2005", was ordered favorably reported to the House, amended, by a yea-nay vote: 28 - 15.

The following amendments were offered:

An amendment offered by Mr. Gillmor, #1, removing two references to 'scientific assessments' and one reference to 'research' in terms of cooperative international effort, was adopted by a voice vote;

An amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Ms. Solis, #2, the text of H.R. 4800 - POPS, LRTAPS POPS, and PIC Implementation Act of 2006 - to set a health-based standard (rather than H.R. 4591's cost-based standard) for regulating additional POPs; to allow States to adopt more stringent regulations to protect the health of their citizens; to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to proceed in an efficient and expeditious manner; to set deadlines for EPA actions; and to protect U.S. sovereignty regarding regulation of additional POPs, was defeated by a yea-nay vote: 19 - 26;

An amendment offered by Mr. Green, #3, to make clarifications regarding the information that EPA can consider and to require EPA to provide a status report on its intentions one year after an additional POP is listed, was adopted by a voice vote;

An amendment offered by Ms. Solis, #4, to amend, for future POPs rulemakings, the Toxic Substances Control Act provisions, was defeated by a yea-nay vote: 15 -29.

H.R. 2567, "Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005", was ordered favorably reported, amended, to the House by a yea-nay vote: 30 -15.

Prior to consideration of amendments, Mr. Dingell offered a motion to postpone consideration of the legislation until July 19, 2006, which was defeated by a yea-nay vote: 17 - 26.

The following amendments were offered:

An amendment offered by Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Bono, and Mr. Bass, #1, to require the use of the bittering agent denatonium benzoate (DB) in engine coolant or antifreeze unless the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in a study to be conducted in cooperation with EPA and appropriate State health and environmental officials, determines that use of DB in engine coolant or antifreeze has an unreasonable adverse effect on the environment (said study to be completed within 180 days of enactment of this section), was adopted by a yea-nay vote: 26 - 13;

An amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Ms. Solis, #2, to require the addition of a bittering agent (DB or an equally effective aversive agent) to engine coolant or antifreeze, only if EPA finds that the use of DB in antifreeze will not endanger public health, the publice welfare, or the environment, which finding shall be based on a comprehensive toxicological, exposure, and risk evaluation of DB, including whether it bio-degrades, and whether it is removed by processes used to treat waste water at publicly-owned treatment facilities (said evaluation shall be conducted by EPA and then submitted to Congress 18 months after enactment of this Act), was defeated by a yea-nay vote: 17 - 26;

An amendment offered by Ms. Schakowsky, #3, to strike the provision waiving environmental liability for antifreeze manufacturers from the use of DB in antifreeze, was defeated by a yea-nay vote: 15 - 27.

THE COMMITTEE ADJOURNED SUBJECT TO THE CALL OF THE CHAIR