[Daily Digest]
[Pages D512-D513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                            Tuesday, April 29, 2008

[[Page D512]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S3459-S3552
Measures Introduced: Eleven bills and three resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 2928-2938, and S. Res. 539-541. 
                                                         Pages S3507-08
Measures Reported:
  S. 1760, to amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the 
Healthy Start Initiative, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.
Page S3507
Measures Passed:
  Authorizing Legal Representation: Senate agreed to S. Res. 539, to 
authorize testimony and legal representation in State of Maine v. 
Douglas Rawlings, Jonathan Kreps, James Freeman, Henry Braun, Robert 
Shetterly, and Dudley Hendrick.
  Pages S3461-62
  Higher Education Act Extension: Senate passed S. 2929, to temporarily 
extend the programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965. 
                                                             Page S3475
  Commemorating Dith Pran: Senate agreed to S. Res. 515, commemorating 
the life and work of Dith Pran.
  Pages S3549-50
  Political Situation in Zimbabwe: Committee on Foreign Relations was 
discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 533, expressing the 
sense of the Senate regarding the political situation in Zimbabwe, and 
the resolution was then agreed to.
  Page S3550
Measures Considered:
  FAA Reauthorization Act: Senate began consideration of H.R. 2881, to 
amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize appropriations for the 
Federal Aviation Administration for fiscal years 2008 through 2011, to 
improve aviation safety and capacity, to provide stable funding for the 
national aviation system, after agreeing to the motion to proceed to 
its consideration, and taking action on the following amendment 
proposed thereto:
Pages S3475-84, S3484-96
Pending:
  Rockefeller Amendment No. 4585, in the nature of a substitute. 
                                                         Pages S3484-96
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill at approximately 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday, 
April 30, 2008, and that Senator Durbin be recognized to offer an 
amendment.
Page S3550
Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act--Conferees: Senate insisted 
on its amendment and requested a conference with the House on H.R. 
4040, to establish consumer product safety standards and other safety 
requirements for children's products and to reauthorize and modernize 
the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Chair appointed the 
following conferees: Senators Inouye, Pryor, Boxer, Klobuchar, Stevens, 
Hutchison, and Sununu.
  Page S3549
 Independent Office of Advocacy and Small Business Regulatory Reform 
Act Referral--Agreement: A unanimous consent agreement was reached 
providing that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
be discharged from further consideration of S. 2902, to ensure the 
independent operation of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business 
Administration, ensure complete analysis of potential impacts on small 
entities of rules, and that the bill be referred to the Committee on 
Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
  Page S3549
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  Patricia M. Haslach, of Oregon, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign 
Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, for the rank of Ambassador during 
her tenure of service as United States Senior Coordinator for the Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.
  Rebecca A. Gregory, of Texas, to be United States Attorney for the 
Eastern District of Texas for the term of four years.
  Yousif Boutrous Ghafari, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Slovenia.
  Robert G. McSwain, of Maryland, to be Director of the Indian Health 
Service, Department of Health and Human Services, for the term of four 
years.
  Kurt Douglas Volker, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Permanent 
Representative on the

[[Page D513]]

Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with the rank and 
status of Ambassador.
  Joxel Garcia, of Connecticut, to be Representative of the United 
States on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization.
  Robert J. Callahan, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Nicaragua.
  Heather M. Hodges, of Ohio, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Ecuador.
  Barbara J. Stephenson, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic 
of Panama.
  William Edward Todd, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Brunei 
Darussalam.
  Hugo Llorens, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Honduras.
  Samuel W. Speck, of Ohio, to be a Commissioner on the part of the 
United States on the International Joint Commission, United States and 
Canada.
  Scot A. Marciel, of California, for the rank of Ambassador during his 
tenure of service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian 
and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Affairs.
  Nancy E. McEldowney, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Bulgaria.
  Stephen George McFarland, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Republic 
of Guatemala.
  Peter E. Cianchette, of Maine, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Costa Rica.
  Frank Charles Urbancic, Jr., of Indiana, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Cyprus.
  Barbara McConnell Barrett, of Arizona, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Finland.
  25 Air Force nominations in the rank of general.
  7 Army nominations in the rank of general.
  17 Marine Corps nominations in the rank of general.
  26 Navy nominations in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Foreign Service, 
Marine Corps, Navy.
Pages S3473-75, S3551-52
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Eric J. Boswell, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant 
Secretary of State (Diplomatic Security).
  Eric J. Boswell, of the District of Columbia, to be Director of the 
Office of Foreign Missions, and to have the rank of Ambassador during 
his tenure of service.
  Patricia McMahon Hawkins, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the 
Togolese Republic.
  Paul G. Gardephe, of New York, to be United States District Judge for 
the Southern District of New York.
  Clark Waddoups, of Utah, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Utah.
  1 Air Force nomination in the rank of general.
  27 Army nominations in the rank of general.
Page S3551
Messages from the House:
  Pages S3502-03
Measures Referred:
  Page S3503
Measures Placed on the Calendar:
  Page S3503
Executive Communications:
  Page S3503
Petitions and Memorials:
  Pages S3503-07
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S3508-10
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
  Pages S3510-16
Additional Statements:
  Pages S3500-02
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S3516-48
Authorities for Committees to Meet:
  Pages S3548-49
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 7:36 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2008. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S3550.)