Congressional Record
Proceedings, Debates of the U.S. Congress
December 16, 2020
116th Congress (2019 - 2020), 2nd Session
Issue: Vol. 166, No. 213 — Daily Edition
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Daily Digest/Senate; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 213
[Daily Digest] [Pages D1094-D1095] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Wednesday, December 16, 2020 [[Page D1094]] Daily Digest Senate Chamber Action Routine Proceedings, pages S7511-S7562 Measures Introduced: Sixteen bills and one resolution were introduced, as follows: S. 5024-5039, and S. Res. 803. Page S7542 Measures Reported: S. 4077, to amend the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to provide for regulatory impact analyses for certain rules, with an amendment. (S. Rept. No. 116-333) Report to accompany S. 4054, to reauthorize the United States Grain Standards Act. (S. Rept. No. 116-334) Page S7542 Measures Passed: National Landslide Preparedness Act: Senate passed H.R. 8810, to establish a national program to identify and reduce losses from landslide hazards, to establish a national 3D Elevation Program. Page S7556 Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act: Committee on Foreign Relations was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 221, to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to monitor and combat anti-Semitism globally, and the bill was then passed, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto: Page S7556 Moran (for Rubio) Amendment No. 2709, in the nature of a substitute. Page S7556 Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act: Senate passed S. 5036, to amend the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016 to extend the Secret Service overtime pay exception through 2023. Pages S7556-57 Senator Margaret Chase Smith Room and Senator Barbara A. Mikulski Room: Senate agreed to S. Res. 803, designating room S-124 of the United States Capitol as the ``U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith Room'' and designating room S-115 of the United States Capitol as the ``U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski Room'', in recognition of their service to the Senate and the people of the United States. Page S7557 Consider Teachers Act: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions was discharged from further consideration of S. 1387, to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to improve the service obligation verification process for TEACH Grant recipients, and the bill was then passed, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto: Pages S7557-58 Moran (for Braun) Amendment No. 2710, in the nature of a substitute. Page S7557 CFO Vision Act: Senate passed S. 3287, to modify the governmentwide financial management plan, after agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, and the following amendment proposed thereto: Pages S7558-61 Moran (for Enzi) Amendment No. 2711, of a perfecting nature. Page S7560 Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism Act: Senate passed S. 2513, to provide for joint reports by relevant Federal agencies to Congress regarding incidents of terrorism, after agreeing to the committee amendment. Pages S7561-62 House Messages: Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act: Senate agreed to the motion to concur in the amendment of the House of Representatives to S. 1130, to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the health of children and help better understand and enhance awareness about unexpected sudden death in early life. Pages S7555-56 Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act: Senate agreed to the motion to concur in the amendment of the House of Representatives to S. 914, to reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009, to clarify the authority of the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with respect to post- storm assessments, and to require the establishment of a National Water Center. Page S7556 [[Page D1095]] Appointments: United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission: The Chair announced, on behalf of the Majority Leader, pursuant to the provisions of Public Law 106-398, as amended by Public Law 108-7, and in consultation with the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Senate Committee on Finance, the re-appointment of the following individual to serve as a member of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission: Robin Cleveland, of Virginia, for a term expiring December 31, 2022. Page S7555 Message from the President: Senate received the following message from the President of the United States: Transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on the continuation of the national emergency with respect to serious human rights abuse and corruption that was originally declared in Executive Order 13818 of December 20, 2017; which was referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (PM-62) Pages S7540-41 Atchley Nomination--Agreement: Senate resumed consideration of the nomination of Charles Edward Atchley, Jr., of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Pages S7524-33 During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action: By 54 yeas to 41 nays (Vote No. EX. 271), Senate agreed to the motion to close further debate on the nomination. Page S7524 A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that notwithstanding Rule XXII, the post-cloture time on the nomination expire at 11:30 a.m., on Thursday, December 17, 2020. Page S7529 A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the nomination, post-cloture, at approximately 10 a.m., on Thursday, December 17, 2020. Page S7562 Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations: By 48 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. EX. 268), Katherine A. Crytzer, of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Pages S7513-18 By 56 yeas to 39 nays (Vote No. EX. 270), Joseph Dawson III, of South Carolina, to be United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina. Pages S7518-24 During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action: By 56 yeas to 39 nays (Vote No. EX. 269), Senate agreed to the motion to close further debate on the nomination. Page S7518 Anna Maria Ruzinski, of Wisconsin, to be United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Wisconsin for the term of four years. Gregory Scott Tabor, of Arkansas, to be United States Marshal for the Western District of Arkansas for the term of four years. Page S7533 Irving Bailey, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the United States International Development Finance Corporation for a term of three years. Deven J. Parekh, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the United States International Development Finance Corporation for a term of three years. Pages S7533-34 Executive Communications: Pages S7541-42 Additional Cosponsors: Pages S7543-44 Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions: Pages S7544-54 Additional Statements: Pages S7537-40 Amendments Submitted: Pages S7554-55 Authorities for Committees to Meet: Page S7555 Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--271) Pages S7517-18, S7525 Adjournment: Senate convened at 10:00 a.m. and adjourned at 6:27 p.m., until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 17, 2020. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S7562.)
Daily Digest/Senate Committee Meetings; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 213
[Daily Digest] [Pages D1095-D1096] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings (Committees not listed did not meet) UNITED STATES AND CHINA Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Policy concluded a hearing to examine the United States and China, focusing on winning the economic competition, after receiving testimony from Representative Will Hurd; and Derek Scissors, American Enterprise Institute, Melanie Hart, Center for American Progress, and Roy Houseman, United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, all of Washington, D.C. THE ALZHEIMER'S CRISIS Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Health Care concluded a hearing to examine the Alzheimer's crisis, focusing on testing and treatment pipelines and fiscal implications, after receiving testimony from Nikolay Dokholyan, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey; Randall J. Bateman, Washington University School of Medicine Dominantly Inherited [[Page D1096]] Alzheimer's Network Trials Unit, St. Louis, Missouri; and Richard C. Mohs, Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation, and Maria Carrillo, Alzheimer's Association, both of Chicago, Illinois. 2020 ELECTION IRREGULARITIES Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine irregularities in the 2020 election, after receiving testimony from Donald Palmer, Commissioner, Election Assistance Commission; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Representative Frank Ryan, Lebanon; James R. Troupis, Troupis Law Firm, Cross Plains, Wisconsin; Jesse Binnall, Harvey and Binnall, PLLC, Alexandria, Virginia; Chris Krebs, former Director of the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Washington, D.C.; and Ken Starr, Waco, Texas. NOMINATION Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nomination of Raul M. Arias-Marxuach, of Puerto Rico, to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit, after the nominee testified and answered questions in his own behalf. HONG KONG'S PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration concluded a hearing to examine supporting Hong Kong's pro- democracy movement through United States refugee policy, after receiving testimony from Senators Rubio and Menendez; Julian Ku, Hofstra University School of Law, Hempstead, New York; Joey Siu, Hong Kong Watch; Samuel M. Chu, Hong Kong Democracy Council, Washington, D.C.; Nathan Law, former Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, London, United Kingdom; and Jenny Yang, World Relief, Baltimore, Maryland, on behalf of Refugee Council USA.
Daily Digest/House of Representatives; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 213
[Daily Digest] [Pages D1096-D1097] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] House of Representatives Chamber Action Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 22 public bills, H.R. 8974- 8995; and 2 resolutions, H.J. Res. 106; and H. Res. 1266 were introduced. Pages H7227-28 Additional Cosponsors: Page H7229 Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows: H.R. 5047, to require the Administrator of General Services to conduct an annual audit of properties leased to private parties, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 116-655); H.R. 5013, to apply the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to small businesses to the same extent as such Act applies to consumers, to require the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to define ``small business'' for purposes of such Act, and for other purposes, with amendments (H. Rept. 116-656); Hijacking our Heroes: Exploiting Veterans Through Disinformation on Social Media (H. Rept. 116-657); H.R. 3948, to amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to extend the provisions of that Act to cover a debt collector who is collecting debt owed to a State or local government, to index award amounts under such Act for inflation, to provide for civil injunctive relief for violations of such Act, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 116-658); and H.R. 3068. A bill to establish an offshore wind career training grant program, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 116-659, Part 1). Page H7227 Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed Representative McCollum to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. Page H7161 Recess: The House recessed at 12:40 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m. Page H7167 Moment of Silence: The House observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the over 300,000 Americans who have passed away a result of the COVID-19 virus. Page H7167 Suspensions: The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures: Homeless Veterans Coronavirus Response Act of 2020: Concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 7105, to provide flexibility for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in caring for homeless veterans during a covered public health emergency; Pages H7169-H7211 Transparency and Effective Accountability Measures for Veteran Caregivers Act: S. 2216, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally [[Page D1097]] recognize caregivers of veterans, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to eligibility for caregiver programs, and temporarily extend benefits for veterans who are determined ineligible for the family caregiver program, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 380 yeas with none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 244; Pages H7211-13, H7224-25 Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act of 2020: S. 3312, to establish a crisis stabilization and community reentry grant program; Pages H7213-16 Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act: S. 2174, amended, to expand the grants authorized under Jennifer's Law and Kristen's Act to include processing of unidentified remains, resolving missing persons cases; Pages H7217-19 Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To the extent provided in advance in appropriations Act, the Attorney General is authorized to use funds appropriated for the operationalization, maintenance, and expansion of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) for the purpose of carrying out this Act''; Page H7219 One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act: S. 1694, amended, to require any Federal agency that issues licenses to conduct activities in outer space to include in the requirements for such licenses an agreement relating to the preservation and protection of the Apollo 11 landing site; Pages H7219-22 Agreed to amend the title so as to read: ``To require the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to add recommendations and inform other relevant agencies of information relating to the principle of due regard and the limitation of harmful interference with Apollo landing site artifacts, and for other purposes.''; and Page H7222 Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility Act: S. 2472, to redesignate the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Plum Brook Station, Ohio, as the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. Pages H7222-24 Correcting the enrollment of S. 3312: The House agreed to take from the Speaker's table and agree to S. Con. Res. 52, to correct the enrollment of S. 3312, as amended by Representative Bass. Pages H7216-17 Presidential Message: Read a message from the President wherein he notified the Congress that the national emergency with respect to the prevalence and severity of human rights abuse and corruption that was declared in Executive Order 13818 of December 20, 2017 is to continue in effect beyond December 20, 2020. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 116-173). Page H7226 Senate Referrals: S. 2032 was held at the desk. S. 2054 was held at the desk. S. 3152 was held at the desk. Page H7169 Senate Message: Message received from the Senate by the Clerk and subsequently presented to the House today appears on page H7169. Quorum Calls--Votes: One yea-and-nay vote developed during the proceedings of today and appear on page H7224-25. Adjournment: The House met at 12 noon and adjourned at 5:54 p.m.
Daily Digest/House Committee Meetings; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 213
[Daily Digest] [Page D1097] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings No hearings were held. Joint Meetings No joint committee meetings were held.
Daily Digest/COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR 2020-12-17; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 213
[Daily Digest] [Page D1097] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020 (Committee meetings are open unless otherwise indicated) Senate No meetings/hearings scheduled. House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Full Committee, hearing entitled ``The Role of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family in the Opioid Epidemic'', 9 a.m., Webex.
Daily Digest/Next Meeting of the SENATE + Next Meeting of the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES + Other End Matter; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 213
[Daily Digest] [Pages D1097-D1098] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (USPS 087-390). 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 the U.S. Government Publishing Office, at www.govinfo.gov, free of charge to the user. The information is updated online each day the Congressional Record is published. For more information, contact the GPO Customer Contact Center, U.S. Government Publishing Office. Phone 202-512-1800, or 866-512-1800 (toll-free). E-Mail, [email protected] To place an order for any of these products, visit the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at: bookstore.gpo.gov. Mail orders to: Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 979050, St. Louis, MO 63197-9000, or phone orders to 866-512-1800 (toll-free), 202-512-1800 (D.C. area), or fax to 202-512-2104. Remit check or money order, made payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or use VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or GPO Deposit Account. Following each session of Congress, the daily Congressional Record is revised, printed, permanently bound and sold by the Superintendent of Documents in individual parts or by sets. With the exception of copyrighted articles, there are no restrictions on the republication of material from the Congressional Record. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Record, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, along with the entire mailing label from the last issue received. [[Page D1098]] _______________________________________________________________________ Next Meeting of the SENATE 10 a.m., Thursday, December 17 Senate Chamber Program for Thursday: Senate will continue consideration of the nomination of Charles Edward Atchley, Jr., of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, post- cloture, and vote on confirmation thereon at 11:30 a.m. Following disposition of the nomination of Charles Edward Atchley, Jr., Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Zachary N. Somers, of the District of Columbia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims. Next Meeting of the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 12 noon, Thursday, December 17 House Chamber Program for Thursday: Consideration of measures under suspension of the Rules. _______________________________________________________________________ Extensions of Remarks, as inserted in this issue HOUSE Axne, Cynthia, Iowa, E1160 Bera, Ami, Calif., E1153 Brooks, Mo, Ala., E1153, E1161 Calvert, Ken, Calif., E1153, E1156, E1157, E1159, E1161, E1162, E1164 Courtney, Joe, Conn., E1154, E1159, E1163 Crow, Jason, Col., E1154 Davis, Danny K., Ill., E1161, E1164 Engel, Eliot L., N.Y., E1164 Garcia, Jesus G. ``Chuy'', Ill., E1157 Graves, Sam, Mo., E1155, E1162 Guest, Michael, Miss., E1156 Johnson, Eddie Bernice, Tex., E1162 Joyce, David P., Ohio, E1161 Katko, John, N.Y., E1160, E1164 Kwanza, Hall, Ga., E1163 Lamb, Conor, Pa., E1155 Lamborn, Doug, Colo., E1163 Lesko, Debbie, Ariz., E1153 Luria, Elaine G., Va., E1155 Marchant, Kenny, Tex., E1156 McCarthy, Kevin, Calif., E1155, E1159 O'Halleran, Tom, Ariz., E1153 Stefanik, Elise M., N.Y., E1160 Takano, Mark, Calif., E1157 Tlaib, Rashida, Mich., E1157, E1159, E1162 Visclosky, Peter J., Ind., E1157 Welch, Peter, Vt., E1154 Wittman, Robert J., Va., E1163