Wednesday, January 25, 2006 [[Page D17]] Daily Digest HIGHLIGHTS Senate began consideration of the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of New Jersey, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Senate Chamber Action Routine Proceedings, pages S35-S143 Measures Introduced on Friday, January 20, 2006 During Adjournment: Four bills and four resolutions were introduced, as follows: S. 2180- 2183, S. Res. 349-351, and S. Con. Res. 76. Page S123 Measures Introduced Today: Thirteen bills and three resolutions were introduced, as follows: S. 2184-2196, S. Res. 352-353, and S. Con. Res. 77. Page S123 Measures Reported: Reported on Tuesday, January 24, during the adjournment: S. 1219, to authorize certain tribes in the State of Montana to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights to meet the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Inc. (S. Rept. No. 109-213) Page S123 Measures Passed: Joint Session of Congress: Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 77, to provide for a joint session of Congress to receive a message from the President on the State of the Union. Page S141 Congratulating University of Texas Longhorns Football: Senate agreed to S. Res. 352, commending the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns football team for winning the 2005 Bowl Championship Series national championship. Pages S141-42 Democracy in Cambodia: Senate agreed to S. Res. 353, expressing concern with the deliberate undermining of democratic freedoms and justice in Cambodia by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Government of Cambodia. Pages S142-43 Supreme Court Nomination: Senate began consideration of the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of New Jersey, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Pages S35-S108 A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the nomination at 9:45 a.m., on Thursday, January 26, 2006. Page S143 Escort Committee--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the Presiding Officer of the Senate be authorized to appoint a committee on the part of the Senate to join with a like committee on the part of the House of Representatives to escort the President of the United States into the House Chamber for the joint session to be held at 9 p.m., Tuesday, January 31, 2006. Page S141 Appointments: Board of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy: The Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4355(a)(1) and 4355(a)(2), appointed the following Senators to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy: Senator Collins, designated by the Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, Senator Hutchison, from the Committee on Appropriations, Senator Reed, At Large, and Senator Landrieu, from the Committee on Appropriations. Page S143 Board of Visitors of the U.S. Naval Academy: The Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 6968(a)(1) and 6968(a)(2), appointed the following Senators to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Naval Academy: Senator McCain, designated by the Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, [[Page D18]] Senator Cochran, from the Committee on Appropriations, Senator Sarbanes, At Large, and Senator Mikulski, from the Committee on Appropriations. Page S143 Board of Visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy: The Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 9355(a)(1) and 9355(a)(2), appointed the following Senators to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy: Senator Allard, designated by the Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, Senator Craig, from the Committee on Appropriations, Senator Pryor, At Large, and Senator Johnson, from the Committee on Appropriations. Page S143 Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations: Thomas J. Barrett, of Alaska, to be Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Transportation. Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Michael A. Chagares, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. Vanessa Lynne Bryant, of Connecticut, to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut. Renee Marie Bumb, of New Jersey, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. Brian M. Cogan, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Thomas M. Golden, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Andrew J. Guilford, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California. Noel Lawrence Hillman, of New Jersey, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. Gray Hampton Miller, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas. Susan Davis Wigenton, of New Jersey, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. S. Pamela Gray, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years. Steven G. Bradbury, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General. Rajkumar Chellaraj, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Administration). Richard T. Miller, of Texas, to be Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador. Richard T. Miller, of Texas, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during his tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. 1 Army nomination in the rank of general. 1 Coast Guard nomination in the rank of admiral. Page S143 Executive Communications: Pages S119-23 Executive Reports of Committees: Page S123 Additional Cosponsors: Pages S124-26 Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions: Pages S126-41 Additional Statements: Pages S116-19 Authorities for Committees to Meet: Page S141 Privileges of the Floor: Page S141 Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 8:06 p.m., until 9:45 a.m., on Thursday, January 26, 2006. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S143.) Committee Meetings (Committees not listed did not meet) U.S. VISITOR & IMMIGRANT STATUS INDICATOR TECHNOLOGY Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security concluded a hearing to examine the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S. VISIT) program, relating to United States Entry/Exit Tracking information, allowing for the collection of the information and sharing across the immigration and border management systems, after receiving testimony from James A. Williams, Director, U.S. VISIT Program, Department of Homeland Security; and Randolph C. Hite, Director, Information Technology Architecture and Systems Issues, Government Accountability Office. IRAQ Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a briefing regarding operations and intelligence in Iraq from Brigadier General Carter Ham, USA, Deputy Director for Regional Operations, J-3, and Rear Admiral David J. Dorsett, USN, Director of Intelligence, J-2, both of The Joint Staff; and MaryBeth Long, Principal Deputy [[Page D19]] Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Affairs. NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM PROPOSALS Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee held a hearing to examine proposals to reform the National Flood Insurance Program, focusing on the causes of the financial disarray of the Program, receiving testimony from David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, Government Accountability Office; David I. Maurstad, Acting Director and Federal Insurance Administrator, Mitigation Division, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate, Department of Homeland Security; and Donald Marron, Acting Director, Congressional Budget Office. Hearing recessed subject to the call. NOMINATIONS Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Mark D. Wallace, of Florida, to be U.S. Representative to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform, with the rank of Ambassador, and to be Alternate U.S. Representative to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during his tenure of service as U.S. Representative to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform, and Jackie Wolcott Sanders, of Virginia, to be Alternate U.S. Representative for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador, and to be an Alternate U.S. Representative to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during her tenure of service as Alternate U.S. Representative for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. NOMINATION Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nomination of Janet Ann Sanderson, of Arizona, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Haiti, after the nominee testified and answered questions in her own behalf. NOMINATIONS Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Patricia Newton Moller, of Arkansas, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Burundi, Robert Weisberg, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Congo, Bernadette Mary Allen, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Niger, and Steven Alan Browning, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Uganda, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. LOBBYING REFORM Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine lobbying reform proposals and issues, focusing on S. 2128, to provide greater transparency with respect to lobbying activities, and S. 2180, to provide more rigorous requirements with respect to disclosure and enforcement of ethics and lobbying laws and regulations, after receiving testimony from Senators McCain, Santorum, Coleman, Durbin, and Feingold; Dick Clark, Aspen Institute Congressional Program, John Engler, National Association of Manufacturers, and William Samuel, AFL-CIO, Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21, all of Washington. D.C.; and Paul A. Miller, American League of Lobbyists, Alexandria, Virginia. House of Representatives Chamber Action The House was not in session today. The House is scheduled to meet at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 31, 2006. Committee Meetings No committee meetings were held. COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2006 (Committee meetings are open unless otherwise indicated) Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: to hold a closed briefing on intelligence matters, 2:30 p.m., SH-219. House No committee meetings are scheduled. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (USPS 087ÿ09390). The Periodicals postage is paid at Washington, D.C. The public proceedings of each House of Congress, as reported by the Official Reporters thereof, are printed pursuant to directions of the Joint Committee on Printing as authorized by appropriate provisions of Title 44, United States Code, and published for each day that one or both Houses are in session, excepting very infrequent instances when two or more unusually small consecutive issues are printed one time. Public access to the Congressional Record is available online through GPO Access, a service of the Government Printing Office, free of charge to the user. 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