Tuesday, January 15, 2008 [[Page D9]] Daily Digest Senate Chamber Action Adjournment: Senate met at 11:00:11 a.m., in pro forma session, and recessed at 11:00:41 a.m., until 10 a.m., on Friday, January 18, 2008. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's record on page S9.) Committee Meetings (Committees not listed did not meet) No committee meetings were held. House of Representatives Chamber Action Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 49 public bills, H.R. 4934- 4982; and 9 resolutions, H.J. Res. 76; H. Res. 912-917, 919-920 were introduced. Pages H23-25 Additional Cosponsors: Pages H25-26 Report Filed: A report was filed today as follows: H. Res. 918, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2768) to establish improved mandatory standards to protect miners during emergencies (H. Rept. 110-508). Page H23 Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed Representative Tauscher to act as Speaker Pro Tempore for today. Page H3 Member Resignation: Read a letter from Representative Wicker, wherein he resigned as Representative for the 1st Congressional District of Mississippi, effective 10 a.m. on December 31, 2007. Page H3 Whole Number of the House: The Speaker announced to the House that, in light of the resignation of the gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Wicker, and the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Jindal, the whole number of the House is adjusted to 431. Page H3 Recess: The House recessed at 12:03 p.m. and reconvened at 6:33 p.m. Page H3 Call of the House: The Speaker called the House to order and ascertained the presence of a quorum (393 present, Roll No. 1). Pages H3-4 Committee to Notify the President of the assembly of the Congress: The House agreed to H. Res. 913, authorizing the Speaker to appoint a committee to join with a committee on the part of the Senate to notify the President that a quorum of each House has assembled, and Congress is ready to receive any communication that he may be pleased to make. Subsequently, the Speaker appointed Majority Leader Hoyer and Minority Leader Boehner to the Committee. Page H4 Notifying the Senate That a Quorum of the House Is Present: The House agreed to H. Res. 914, to authorize the Clerk of the House to inform the Senate that a quorum of the House is present and that the House is ready to proceed with business. Page H4 Meeting Hour: The House agreed to H. Res. 915, establishing the hour of daily meeting of the House. Page H4 Morning Hour Debate: Agreed by unanimous consent that the order of the House of January 4, 2007, providing for Morning Hour Debate, be extended for the remainder of the 110th Congress, except that pursuant to H. Res. 915, the date of May 12, 2008 shall be used in lieu of May 14, 2007. Page H4 [[Page D10]] Calendar Wednesday: Agreed by unanimous consent to dispense with the Calendar Wednesday business of Wednesday, January 16, 2008. Page H4 Presidential Veto Message--National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008: Read a message from the President wherein he transmitted his memorandum of disapproval of H.R. 1585, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2008 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy and to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and explained his reasons therefor--ordered printed (H. Doc. 110-88). Pages H4-5 Subsequently, the House agreed by voice vote to the Hoyer motion to refer the veto message of the President, together with the accompanying bill, H.R. 1585, to the Committee on Armed Services. Page H5 Committee Resignation: Read a letter from Representative Blunt, wherein he resigned from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, effective today. Pages H5-6 Recess: The House recessed at 7:53 p.m. and reconvened at 8:18 p.m. Page H7 Quorum Calls Votes: One quorum call (Roll No. 1) developed during the proceedings of today and appears on pages H3-4 . Adjournment: The House met at 12 noon and adjourned at 10:05 p.m. Committee Meetings MITCHELL REPORT--ILLEGAL USE OF STEROIDS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Held a hearing entitled ``The Mitchell Report: The Illegal Use of Steroids in Major League Baseball.'' Testimony was heard from former Senator George Mitchell of Maine; Allen H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner, Major League Baseball; and Donald M. Fehr, Executive Director, Major League Baseball Players Association. S-MINER ACT Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule providing 1 hour of general debate on H.R. 2768, Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (S-MINER) Act of 2007, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and Labor. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill except clauses 9 and 10 of rule XXI. The rule provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Education and Labor now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points of order against the amendment in the nature of a substitute except for clause 10 of rule XXI. The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules Committee report. The amendments made in order may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for a division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. All points of order against the amendments except for clauses 9 and 10 of rule XXI are waived. The rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. The rule provides that, notwithstanding the operation of the previous question, the Chair may postpone further consideration of the bill to a time designated by the Speaker. Testimony was heard from Chairman George Miller of California, and Representatives Ellsworth, McKeon, Wilson of South Carolina, and Kline of Minnesota. House Committees Committee on Armed Services, January 16, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, hearing on A Continuing Dialogue: Post-Surge Alternatives for Iraq, 2 p.m., 2212 Rayburn. January 17, full Committee, hearing on Status of Efforts to Develop Iraqi Security Forces, 10 a.m., 2118 Rayburn. Committee on the Budget, January 17, hearing on the Near-Term Outlook for the U.S. Economy, 10 a.m., 210 Cannon. Committee on Energy and Commerce, January 16, Subcommittee on Health, hearing entitled ``Helping Families with Needed Care: Medicaid's Critical Role for Americans with Disabilities,'' 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn. January 17, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, hearing entitled ``Administration Perspectives on United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali,'' 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn. Committee on Foreign Affairs, January 16, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, hearing on U.S.-Pakistan Relations: Assassination, Instability and the Future of U.S. Policy, 2 p.m., 2141 Rayburn. Committee on the Judiciary, January 17, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, oversight hearing on the Implementation of the U.S. Department of Justice's Special Counsel Regulations, 1:30 p.m., 2141 Rayburn. January 17, Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, [[Page D11]] hearing on Naturalization Delays: Causes, Consequences and Solutions, 10 a.m., 2141 Rayburn. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, January 17, hearing on Assessing Veterans' Charities--Part II, 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn. Committee on Rules, January 16, to consider H.R. 3524, HOPE VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2007, 3 p.m., H-313 Capitol. Committee on Small Business, January 16, hearing entitled ``SBA's Progress in Implementing the Women's Procurement Program,'' 10 a.m., 2360 Rayburn. January 17, hearing entitled ``Oversight of the U.S. Export-Import Bank's Implementation of its Small Business Mandate,'' 10 a.m., 2360 Rayburn. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, January 16, to mark up the following: GSA Capital Investment and Leasing Program Resolutions; H.R. 3913, To amend the International Center Act to authorize the lease or sublease of certain property described in such Act to an entity other than a foreign government or international organization if certain conditions are met; H.R. 4140. To designate the Port Angeles Federal Building in Port Angeles, Washington, as the ``Richard B. Anderson Federal Building;'' H. Res. 832, Honoring the Texas Water Development Board on its selection as a recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 Clean Water State Revolving and Innovation Award; H. Res. 845, Recognizing the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park; H.R. 866, Honoring the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard whose tireless work, dedication, and commitment to protecting the United States have let to the Coast Guard seizing over 350,000 pounds of cocaine at sea during 2007, far surpassing all of our previous records; and other pending business, 2 p.m., 2167 Rayburn. January 17, hearing on the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission Report, 11 a.m., 2167 Rayburn. Committee on Veterans' Affairs, January 17, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, hearing to review pending Montgomery G.I. Bill legislation, 1 p.m., 340 Cannon. January 17, Subcommittee on Health, hearing on the following bills: H.R. 2790, To amend title 38, United Stats Code, to establish the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services within the office of the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health; H.R. 3458, To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program on the provision of traumatic brain injury care in rural areas; H.R. 3819, Veterans Emergency Care Fairness Act of 2007; H.R. 4053, Mental Health Improvements Act of 2007; H.R. 4107, Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act; H.R. 4146, To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the availability of emergency medical care for veterans in non-Department of Veteran Affairs medical facilities; H.R. 4204, Veterans Suicide Study Act; and H.R. 4231, Rural Veterans Health Care Access Act of 2007, 10 a.m., 340 Cannon. Committee on Ways and Means, January 16, Subcommittee on Social Security, hearing on Social Security Benefits for Economically Vulnerable Beneficiaries, 10 a.m., 1100 Longworth. Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, January 16, executive, briefing on Hot Spots, 8:45 a.m., and, executive, hearing on CIA Tapes Investigation, 2 p.m., H-405 Capitol. January 17, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence, executive, briefing on U.S. Hostages in Colombia, 10 a.m., H-405 Capitol. Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, January 17, hearing entitled ``On Thin Ice: the Future of the Polar Bear,'' 9:30 a.m., 2175 Rayburn. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (USPS 087ÿ09390). The Periodicals postage is paid at Washington, D.C. 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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Record, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, Along with the entire mailing label from the last issue received. [[Page D12]] _______________________________________________________________________ Next Meeting of the SENATE 10 a.m., Friday, January 18 Senate Chamber Program for Friday: Senate will meet in a pro forma session. Next Meeting of the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 10 a.m., Wednesday, January 16 House Chamber Program for Wednesday: To be announced. _______________________________________________________________________ Extensions of Remarks, as inserted in this issue HOUSE Baldwin, Tammy, Wisc., E8 Boswell, Leonard L., Iowa, E9 Braley, Bruce L., Iowa, E16 Brown-Waite, Ginny, Fla., E5, E6 Carney, Christopher P., Pa., E7 Carter, John R., Tex., E15 Castle, Michael N., Del., E12, E13, E14 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln, Fla., E14 Etheridge, Bob, N.C., E16, E16 Gordon, Bart, Tenn., E15 Graves, Sam, Mo., E5, E5, E6 Hall, Ralph M., Tex., E14 Hastings, Alcee L., Fla., E8 Higgins, Brian, N.Y., E12, E12, E13, E15 Hill, Baron P., Ind., E15 Hunter, Duncan, Calif., E11 Johnson, Eddie Bernice, Tex., E16 Kanjorski, Paul E., Pa., E15 Kaptur, Marcy, Ohio, E10 McCotter, Thaddeus G., Mich., E12, E14 Marchant, Kenny, Tex., E7, E11 Matsui, Doris O., Calif., E9 Mica, John L., Fla., E12, E13 Miller, Jeff, Fla., E10 Musgrave, Marilyn N., Colo., E16 Paul, Ron, Tex., E8 Reynolds, Thomas M., N.Y., E5, E6 Simpson, Michael K., Idaho, E8 Tancredo, Thomas G., Colo., E11 Thompson, Mike, Calif., E7 Westmoreland, Lynn A., Mac, Ga., E11 Wexler, Robert, Fla., E10 Wilson, Heather, N.M., E7 Wolf, Frank R., Va., E5, E6