September 12, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — DAILY DIGEST D849 

Additional Statements: Pages S6261–66 

Amendments Submitted: Pages S6274–84 

Notices of Hearings/Meetings: Page S6284 

Authorities for Committees to Meet: Page S6284 

Privileges of the Floor: Pages S6284–85 

Record Votes: One record vote was taken today. 

(Total—192) Page S6259 

Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m. and 

adjourned at 9:38 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Thursday, 

September 13, 2012. (For Senate’s program, see the 

remarks of the Majority Leader in today’s Record on 

page S6287.) 

Committee Meetings 

(Committees not listed did not meet) 

LOW-EARTH ORBIT TO MARS 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: 

Committee concluded a hearing to examine the path 

from low-Earth orbit to Mars, after receiving testimony from Fuk Li, Director, Mars Exploration Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and John 

Grunsfeld, Associate Administrator, Science Mission 

Directorate, both of the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration; Charles F. Kennel, Chair, National Research Council Space Studies Board, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, The National Academies, and University of California San 

Diego Scripps Institute of Oceanography; John 

Grotzinger, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; Steven W. Squyres, Cornell University, Ithaca, 

New York; and Jim Maser, Pratt and Whitney 

Rocketdyne, Los Angeles, California. 

NUCLEAR WASTE ADMINISTRATION ACT 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee 

concluded a hearing to examine S. 3469, to establish 

a new organization to manage nuclear waste, provide 

a consensual process for siting nuclear waste facilities, ensure adequate funding for managing nuclear 

waste, after receiving testimony from General Brent 

Scowcroft, Co-Chairman, and Richard A. Meserve, 

Commissioner, both of the Blue Ribbon Commission 

on America’s Nuclear Future; Peter Lyons, Assistant 

Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy; Henry B. 

Barron, Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, LLC, 

Baltimore, Maryland; and Geoffrey H. Fettus, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC. 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee with the Subcommittee on Clean Air and 

Nuclear Safety concluded a joint oversight hearing to 

examine the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s implementation of recommendations for enhancing nuclear reactor safety in the 21st century, after receiving testimony from Allison M. MacFarlane, Chairman, and Kristine L. Svinicki, George Apostolakis, 

William D. Magwood, IV, and William C. 

Ostendorff, each a Commissioner, all of the Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission. 

UPDATE ON SYRIA AND IRAN 

Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee received a 

closed briefing on an intelligence update on Syria 

and Iran from national security briefers. 

NOMINATIONS 

Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded 

a hearing to examine the nominations of Joseph E. 

Macmanus, of New York, to be Representative to 

the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with the 

rank of Ambassador, and to be Representative to the 

International Atomic Energy Agency, with the rank 

of Ambassador, Sharon English Woods Villarosa, of 

Texas, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Republic 

of Seychelles, and Walter North, of Washington, to 

be Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, and to serve 

concurrently and without additional compensation as 

Ambassador to the Solomon Islands, and Ambassador 

to the Republic of Vanuatu, all of the Department 

of State, after the nominees testified and answered 

questions in their own behalf. 

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 

future of the General Services Administration, after 

receiving testimony from Daniel Tangherlini, Acting 

Administrator, and Brian D. Miller, Inspector General, both of the General Services Administration. 

CITIZENS UNITED 

Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a 

hearing to examine the Citizens United court and the 

continuing importance of the ‘‘Voting Rights Act’’, 

after receiving testimony from Senator Tester; Anthony Johnstone, University of Montana School of 

Law, Missoula; and Michael A. Carvin, Jones Day, 

and Elisabeth MacNamara, League of Women Voters 

of the United States, both of Washington, DC. 

BUSINESS MEETING 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the following business 

items: 

S. 3340, to improve and enhance the programs 

and activities of the Department of Defense and the 

Department of Veterans Affairs regarding suicide 


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D850 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — DAILY DIGEST September 12, 2012 

prevention and resilience and behavioral health disorders for members of the Armed Forces and veterans, with amendments; 

S. 3322, to strengthen enforcement and clarify 

certain provisions of the Servicemembers Civil Relief 

Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee 

Voting Act, and chapter 43 of title 38, United 

States Code, and to reconcile, restore, clarify, and 

conform similar provisions in other related civil 

rights statutes; 

S. 3313, to amend title 38, United States Code, 

to improve the assistance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to women veterans, to improve health care furnished by the Department, with 

amendments; 

S. 2259, to provide for an increase, effective December 1, 2012, in the rates of compensation for 

veterans with service-connected disabilities and the 

rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for 

the survivors of certain disabled veterans; 

S. 2241, to ensure that veterans have the information and protections they require to make informed 

decisions regarding use of Post-9/11 Educational Assistance; and 

S. 1707, to amend title 38, United States Code, 

to clarify the conditions under which certain persons 

may be treated as adjudicated mentally incompetent 

h 

for certain purposes. 

House of Representatives 

Chamber Action 

Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 11 public bills, H.R. 6377–6387; and 2 resolutions, H. 

Con. Res. 137; and H. Res. 780 were introduced. 

 Pages H5922–23 

Additional Cosponsors: Page H5923 

Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows: 

H.R. 2356, to enhance homeland security by improving efforts to prevent, protect against, respond 

to, and recover from an attack with a weapon of 

mass destruction, and for other purposes, with an 

amendment (H. Rept. 112–665, Pt. 1); 

H.R. 3479, to reauthorize Federal natural hazards 

reduction programs, and for other purposes, with an 

amendment (H. Rept. 112–666, Pt. 1); 

H. Res. 778, providing for consideration of the 

joint resolution (H.J. Res. 117) making continuing 

appropriations for fiscal year 2013, and for other 

purposes; and providing for consideration of the bill 

(H.R. 6365) to amend the Balanced Budget and 

Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to replace 

the sequester established by the Budget Control Act 

of 2011 (H. Rept. 112–667); and 

H. Res. 779, providing for consideration of the 

bill (H.R. 6213) to limit further taxpayer exposure 

from the loan guarantee program established under 

title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and 

providing for consideration of motions to suspend 

the rules (H. Rept. 112–668). Page H5922 

Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he 

appointed Representative Buerkle to act as Speaker 

pro tempore for today. Page H5863 

Recess: The House recessed at 10:58 a.m. and reconvened at 12 noon. Page H5869 

Chaplain: The prayer was offered by the guest chaplain, Reverend Matthew Mello, The Church of the 

Resurrection, Lakeland, Florida. Page H5869 

Minnesota Education Investment and Employment Act: The House passed H.R. 5544, to authorize and expedite a land exchange involving National 

Forest System land in the Laurentian District of the 

Superior National Forest and certain other National 

Forest System land in the State of Minnesota that 

has limited recreational and conservation resources 

and lands owned by the State of Minnesota in trust 

for the public school system that are largely scattered in checkerboard fashion within the Boundary 

Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and have important 

recreational, scenic, and conservation resources, by a 

recorded vote of 225 ayes to 189 noes, Roll No. 

568. Pages H5873–90 

Rejected the Ellison motion to recommit the bill 

to the Committee on Natural Resources with instructions to report the same back to the House 

forthwith with an amendment, by a recorded vote of 

183 ayes to 233 noes, Roll No. 567. Pages H5888–90 

Pursuant to the rule, an amendment in the nature 

of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 112–30, modified by the amendment 

printed in part A of H. Rept. 112–660, shall be 

considered as adopted in the House and in the Committee of the Whole, in lieu of the amendment in 

the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Natural Resources now printed in the bill. 

The bill, as amended, shall be considered as the 


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