Senate Floor Activity - Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Mr. Christopher A. Coons, from the State of Delaware, called the Senate to order at 10 a.m., the Chaplain offered a prayer, and Mr. Coons led the Senate in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.

The Journal

Pursuant to the order of yesterday, the Journal of the proceedings of the Senate was deemed approved to date.

Certain Procedures Dispensed With

Pursuant to the order of yesterday, the morning hour being deemed expired, and the times for the recognition of the two leaders being reserved.

Transaction of Morning Business

Pursuant to the order of yesterday, the Senate proceeded to a period for the transaction of morning business.

Legislative Business (Tuesday, December 4)

H.R. 4310 (Rep. McKeon): To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2013 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.

-- Senate Committee on Armed Services discharged by Unanimous Consent.

-- Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.

-- Senate struck all after the Enacting Clause and substituted the language of S. 3254 amended.

-- Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.

-- Senate insists on its amendment, asks for a conference, appoints conferees Levin; Lieberman; Reed; Akaka; Nelson NE; Webb; McCaskill; Udall CO; Hagan; Begich; Manchin; Shaheen; Gillibrand; Blumenthal; McCain; Inhofe; Sessions; Chambliss; Wicker; Brown MA; Portman; Ayotte; Collins; Graham; Cornyn; Vitter.

-- See also S. 3254.

-- Senate ordered measure printed as passed.

H.R. 6156 (Rep. Camp): To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to products of the Russian Federation and Moldova and to require reports on the compliance of the Russian Federation with its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization, and for other purposes.

-- Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate.

S. 1947 (Sen. Blumenthal): To prohibit attendance of an animal fighting venture, and for other purposes.

-- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry discharged by Unanimous Consent.

-- Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.

-- Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.

S.Amdt. 3309 (Sen. Blumenthal): To improve the bill.

-- Amendment SA 3309 proposed by Senator Blumenthal.

-- Amendment SA 3309 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S. 3254 (Sen. Levin): An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2013 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.

-- Considered by Senate.

-- Passed Senate with amendments by Yea-Nay Vote. 98 - 0. Record Vote Number: 221

-- Senate incorporated this measure in H.R. 4310 as an amendment.

-- See also H.R. 4310.

S.Amdt. 2927 (Sen. Kyl): To establish a congressional advisory panel on revising the governance structure of the National Nuclear Security Administration to permit it to operate more effectively and independently of the Department of Energy.

-- Amendment SA 2927 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Kyl.

-- Amendment SA 2927 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3019 (Sen. Akaka): To amend the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 with respect to the State Trade and Export Promotion Grant Program .

-- Amendment SA 3019 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Akaka.

-- Amendment SA 3019 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3062 (Sen. Toomey): To require the Government Accountability Office to include in its annual report to Congress a list of the most common grounds for sustaining protests relating to bids for contracts.

-- Amendment SA 3062 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Toomey.

-- Amendment SA 3062 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3113 (Sen. Brown, of OH): To extend treatment of base closure areas as HUBZones for purposes of the Small Business Act.

-- Amendment SA 3113 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Brown OH.

-- Amendment SA 3113 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3117 (Sen. Hatch): To provide that the rating chain for a system program manager may include any senior official located at an Air Logistics Complex where the system program manager is based.

-- Amendment SA 3117 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Hatch.

-- Amendment SA 3117 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3123 (Sen. Kyl): To require briefings on dialogue between the United States and the Russian Federation on nuclear arms, missile defense, and long-range conventional strike systems.

-- Amendment pending in Senate.

-- Amendment SA 3123 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3175 (Sen. Rubio): To limit the availability of funds for retirement or inactivation of Ticonderoga class cruisers or dock landing ships .

-- Amendment SA 3175 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Rubio.

-- Amendment SA 3175 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3226 (Sen. Bennet): To make enhancements to the Troops-to-Teachers program.

-- Amendment SA 3226 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Bennet.

-- Amendment SA 3226 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3241 (Sen. Carper): To repeal or modify certain mandates of the Government Accountability Office.

-- Amendment SA 3241 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Carper.

-- Amendment SA 3241 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3242 (Sen. Carper): To intensify efforts to identify, prevent, and recover payment error, waste, fraud, and abuse within Federal spending .

-- Amendment SA 3242 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Carper.

-- Amendment SA 3242 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3262 (Sen. McCain): To require a report on military activities to deny or significantly degrade the use of air power against civilian and opposition groups in Syria.

-- Amendment SA 3262 proposed by Senator McCain.

-- Amendment SA 3262 as modified agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 92 - 6. Record Vote Number: 220

S.Amdt. 3277 (Sen. Thune): To express the sense of Congress regarding the reallocation of government spectrum.

-- Amendment SA 3277 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Thune.

-- Amendment SA 3277 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Amdt. 3285 (Sen. Moran): In the nature of a substitute.

-- Amendment SA 3285 proposed by Senator Levin for Senator Moran.

-- Amendment SA 3285 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

S.Res. 543 (Sen. Boxer): A resolution to express the sense of the Senate on international parental child abduction.

-- Resolution agreed to in Senate with an amendment and an amended preamble by Voice Vote.

Executive Business (Tuesday, December 4)

Treaty Doc. 112-7: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 2006, and signed by the United States of America on June 30, 2009 (the "Convention")

-- Considered by Senate.

-- Treaty moved through its parliamentary stages up to and including presentation of the resolution of advice and consent to ratification.

-- Resolution of advice and consent to ratification not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 61 - 38. Record Vote Number: 219

Adjournment

By unanimous consent, on the request of Mr. Whitehouse, at 6:30 p.m., the Senate adjourned, under its order of today, until 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.