Thursday, January 17, 2008 [[Page D20]] Daily Digest Senate Chamber Action Adjournment: Senate was not in session today. It will next meet at 10 a.m., on Friday, January 18, 2008. Committee Meetings (Committees not listed did not meet) No committee meetings were held. House of Representatives Chamber Action Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 39 public bills, H.R. 5031- 5069; and 5 resolutions, H. Res. 928-932 were introduced. Pages H348-49 Additional Cosponsors: Pages H349-50 Report Filed: A report was filed today as follows: H.R. 664, to amend the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assist in research and development, environmental and feasibility studies, and preliminary engineering for the Municipal Water District of Orange County, California, Dana Point Desalination Project located at Dana Point, California (H. Rept. 110- 511, Pt. 1). Page H348 Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed Representative Solis to act as Speaker Pro Tempore for today. Page H297 HOPE VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2007: The House passed H.R. 3524, to reauthorize the HOPE VI program for revitalization of severely distressed public housing, by a recorded vote of 271 ayes to 130 noes, Roll No. 18. Pages H302-34 Agreed to the Graves (MO) motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on Financial Services with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with an amendment, by a recorded vote of 372 ayes to 28 noes, Roll No. 17. Subsequently, Representative Frank (MA) reported the bill back to the House with the amendment and the amendment was agreed to. Pages H331-33 Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Financial Services now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule. Pages H312-16, H331 Pursuant to section 3 of the rule, H. Res. 894 is laid upon the table. Accepted: Mahoney (FL) amendment (No. 3 printed in H. Rept. 110-509) that restores the set-aside for the Main Street grant program. Pages H321-22 Lee amendment (No. 5 printed in H. Rept. 110-509) that safeguards the rights of tenants of HOPE VI housing from eviction based on the criminal activities of others if the tenant is elderly or disabled, and did not or should not have known of the activity, or if they were the victims of a criminal act; and Pages H323-24 Waters manager's amendment (No. 1 printed in H. Rept. 110-509) that makes a number of technical and conforming changes as well as enhancements to the bill, including the following: (1) redefines the scope of the 1 for 1 replacement requirement by requiring the replacement of all units in existence as of January 1, 2005, and provides a limited waiver from the replacement requirement; (2) extends the timeline for rebuilding replacement housing units to 54 months from the date of execution of the grant agreement, consistent with current HUD practice; (3) clarifies procedural requirements for making any significant amendments or changes to a revitalization plan; (4) removes specific references to LEED for non-residential construction and [[Page D21]] excludes costs associated with green development compliance from HUD's Total Development Cost calculation; (5) clarifies eligibility and occupancy standards; and (6) clarifies that no person not lawfully permitted to be in, or remain in, the United States is eligible for housing assistance under this bill (by a recorded vote of 388 ayes to 20 noes, Roll No. 12). Pages H316-20, H327-28 Rejected: Neugebauer amendment (No. 2 printed in H. Rept. 110-509) that sought to apply the one-to-one replacement requirement for units demolished under a HOPE VI grant only to units that are occupied prior to demolition (by a recorded vote of 181 ayes to 227 noes, Roll No. 13); Pages H320-21, H328-29 Sessions amendment (No. 4 printed in H. Rept. 110-509) that sought to maintain HUD's authority to issue demolition-only grants (by a recorded vote of 186 ayes to 221 noes, Roll No. 14); Pages H322-23, H329-30 King (IA) amendment (No. 6 printed in H. Rept. 110-509) that sought to prevent appropriations for Davis-Bacon wages (by a recorded vote of 136 ayes to 268 noes, Roll No. 15); and Pages H324-26, H330 Capito amendment (No. 7 printed in H. Rept. 110-509) that sought to substitute the green building requirement, which is part of the mandatory core component of the underlying bill, with a provision that includes green building as part of the mandatory graded section. It also sought to strike references in the bill to specific green building standards and instead require the Secretary of HUD to select a rating system, standard, or code for green buildings. This standard would have met certain criteria and the Secretary would have conducted a study every 5 years to evaluate and compare third party green building standards to see if they meet the criteria (by a recorded vote of 169 ayes to 240 noes, Roll No. 16). Pages H326-27, H330-31 Agreed that the Clerk be authorized to make technical and conforming changes to reflect the actions of the House. Page H334 H. Res. 922, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, was agreed to by voice vote after agreeing to order the previous question. Pages H299-H301 Meeting Hour: Agreed that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, and further, when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22nd for morning hour debate. Page H335 Calendar Wednesday: Agreed to dispense with the Calendar Wednesday business of Wednesday, January 23rd. Page H335 Quorum Calls--Votes: Seven recorded votes developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H328, H328-29, H329, H330, H330-31, H332-33, and H333-34. There were no quorum calls. Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 4:20 p.m. Committee Meetings STATUS--DEVELOP IRAQI SECURITY FORCES Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on the Status of Efforts to Develop Iraqi Security Forces. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: LTG James M. Dubik, USA, Commanding General, Multi-National Security Transition Command--Iraq in Baghdad; and Mark Kimmit, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Middle Eastern Affairs. U.S. ECONOMY--NEAR-TERM OUTLOOK Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on the Near-Term Outlook for the U.S. Economy. Testimony was heard from Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System. UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN BALI--ADMINISTRATION PERSPECTIVES Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality held a hearing entitled ``Administration Perspectives on United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.'' Testimony was heard from James L. Connaughton, Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality. NATURALIZATION DELAYS Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law held a hearing on Naturalization Delays: Causes, Consequences and Solutions. Testimony was heard from Emilio T. Gonzalez, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security; and public witnesses. ASSESSING VETERANS' CHARITIES Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Continued hearings on Assessing Veterans' Charities--Part II. Testimony was heard from Belinda J. Johns, Senior Assistant Attorney General, State of California; and public witnesses. [[Page D22]] OVERSIGHT--EXPORT-IMPORT BANK'S IMPLEMENTATION OF SMALL BUSINESS MANDATE Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``Oversight of the U.S. Export-Import Bank's Implementation of its Small Business Mandate.'' Testimony was heard from James H. Lambright, Chairman and President, Export-Import Bank; and public witnesses. NATIONAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION POLICY AND REVENUE STUDY COMMISSION REPORT Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Held a hearing on the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission Report: Transportation for Tomorrow. Testimony was heard from Frank Busalacchi, Secretary, Department of Transportation, State of Wisconsin; and public witnesses. REVIEW PENDING MONTGOMERY GI BILL PROPOSALS Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held a hearing to review pending Montgomery G.I. Bill legislation. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: Thomas L. Bush, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Reserve Affairs; and Curtis L. Gilroy, Director, Accession Policy, Office of the Under Secretary, Personnel and Readiness; Keith M. Wilson, Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefit Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; and representatives of veterans organizations. VETERANS' HEALTH PROPOSALS Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 2790, To amend title 38, United States 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. Testimony was heard from Representatives Hare, Herseth-Sandlin, Space, Capito, Honda, Boswell and Kagen; Gerald M. Cross, M.D., Principal Deputy Under Secretary, Health, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; and representatives of veterans organizations BRIEFING--HOT SPOTS Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence met in executive session to receive a briefing on U.S. Hostages in Colombia. The Subcommittee was briefed by ADM James Stavridis, USN, Commander, U.S. South Command. POLAR BEARS FUTURE Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming: Held a hearing entitled ``On Thin Ice: the Future of the Polar Bear.'' Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of the Interior: H. Dale Hall, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Randall Luthi, Director, Minerals Management Service; and Steven Amstrup, Polar Bear Team Leader, U.S. Geological Survey; and public witnesses. CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM AHEAD Week of January 22 through January 26, 2008 Senate Chamber On Tuesday, at 11 a.m., Senate will begin consideration of S.1200, to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise and extend the Act. During the balance of the week Senate will consider any other cleared legislative and executive business, including appropriation bills, and conference reports, when available. Senate Committees (Committee meetings are open unless otherwise indicated) Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: January 24, to hold hearings to examine the nomination of Ed Schafer, of North Dakota, to be Secretary of Agriculture, 2 p.m., SR-328A. Committee on the Budget: January 24, to hold hearings to examine Congressional Budget Office budget and economic outlook, 10 a.m., SD-608. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: January 24, to hold oversight hearings to examine ways to reform the Mining Law of 1872, 9:30 a.m., SD-366. Committee on Finance: January 24, to hold hearings to examine stimulus that makes sense relating to strengthening America's economy, 10 a.m., SD-215. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: January 24, to hold hearings to examine S.1843, to amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to clarify that an unlawful practice occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, 10 a.m., SD-430. Committee on the Judiciary: January 22, to hold hearings to examine the nominations of Kevin J. O'Connor, of [[Page D23]] Connecticut, to be Associate Attorney General, and Gregory G. Katsas, of Massachusetts, to be an Assistant Attorney General, 2 p.m., SD-226. January 23, Full Committee, to hold oversight hearings to examine the Justice for All Act (Public Law 108-405), focusing on the administration of the Bloodsworth and Coverdell DNA Grant Programs by the Department of Justice, 10 a.m., SD-226. Committee on Veterans' Affairs: January 24, to hold oversight hearings to examine the report of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission, focusing on veterans disability compensation, 9:30 a.m., SD-562. House Committees Committee on Appropriations, January 23, Subcommittee on Defense, executive, hearing on Army Contracting Task Force, 10 a.m., and executive, on DOD Outsourcing--GAO, 3:30 p.m., H-140 Capitol. January 23, Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, hearing on Foreign Assistance in the 21st Century: Proposals for Reform and Restructuring, 10 a.m., 2359 Rayburn. Committee on Armed Services, January 23, hearing on Assessment of U.S. Strategy and Operations in Afghanistan and the Way Ahead, 10 a.m., 2118 Rayburn. January 23, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations to continue hearings on A Continuing Dialogue: Post-Surge Alternatives for Iraq (Part 2), 1 p.m., 2212 Rayburn. Committee on the Budget, January 23, hearing on the Congressional Budget Office's Budget and Economic Outlook, 10 a.m., 210 Cannon. Committee on Education and Labor, January 23, hearing on Investing in Early Education: Paths to Improving Children's Success, 10 a.m., 2175 Rayburn. Committee on Energy and Commerce, January 23, Subcommittee on Health, hearing on H.R. 1232, Voluntary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act of 2007, 10 a.m., 2322 Rayburn. January 23, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, hearing entitled ``Combating Nuclear Proliferation: The Effectiveness of the Department of Energy's Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (IPP) Program,'' 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn. Committee on Foreign Affairs, January 22, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, hearing on That which is not obligatory is prohibited: Censorship and Incitement in the Arab World, 12 p.m., 2200 Rayburn. January 23, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, joint hearing on the Proposed U.S. Security Commitment to Iraq: What Will Be In It and Should It Be a Treaty? 10 a.m., 2200 Rayburn. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, January 23, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, hearing on Fortress America Abroad: Effective Diplomacy and the Future of U.S. Embassies, 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn. Committee on Small Business, January 23, hearing entitled ``Limited Health Care Options for Small Businesses in the Small Group Market,'' 10 a.m., 2360 Rayburn. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, January 23, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, hearing on Transportation Workers Identification Credentials--Follow-Up, 2 p.m., 2167 Rayburn. January 23, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, hearing on Progress Toward Improving Water Quality in the Great Lakes, 10 a.m., 2167 Rayburn. Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, January 23, hearing entitled ``Cap, Auctions and Trade: Auctions and Revenue Recycling Under Carbon Cap and Trade,'' 9:30 a.m., 2128 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 D24]] _______________________________________________________________________ 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 10:30 a.m., Friday, January 18 House Chamber Program for Friday: The House will meet in pro forma session at 10:30 a.m. _______________________________________________________________________ Extensions of Remarks, as inserted in this issue HOUSE Akin, W. Todd, Mo., E44 Bonner, Jo, Ala., E37, E39, E39, E45 Burton, Dan, Ind., E44 Butterfield, G.K., N.C., E46 Capito, Shelley Moore, W.Va., E41 Castor, Kathy, Fla., E40 Cole, Tom, Okla., E44 Conyers, John, Jr., Mich., E43, E46 Crowley, Joseph, N.Y., E44 Davis, Tom, Va., E42 Ferguson, Mike, N.J., E42 Garrett, Scott, N.J., E33, E34 Graves, Sam, Mo., E36, E37, E38, E39, E40, E41, E41 Hayes, Robin, N.C., E43 Hensarling, Jeb, Tex., E41 Higgins, Brian, N.Y., E37, E39, E47 Inslee, Jay, Wash., E45 Kagen, Steve, Wisc., E41 Kucinich, Dennis J., Ohio, E47 Maloney, Carolyn B., N.Y., E45 Markey, Edward J., Mass., E46 Pence, Mike, Ind., E45 Rahall, Nick J., II, W.Va., E33, E35 Reynolds, Thomas M., N.Y., E42 Sestak, Joe, Pa., E33, E34, E35, E36, E37, E38, E38, E39, E40, E41 Sires, Albio, N.J., E43 Tanner, John S., Tenn., E37 Tauscher, Ellen O., Calif., E40 Visclosky, Peter J., Ind., E36, E37, E38 Walsh, James T., N.Y., E33, E34, E35, E36 Wilson, Joe, S.C., E34, E35