Senate Daily Digest — Thursday, 11/21/2024
Senate convened at 10 a.m., adjourned at 4:48 p.m.
Thursday, 11/21/2024 — Activity – On the Floor – Votes: 4 – Confirmed: 981
Legislation: New: 57, Passed: 27
Amendments: Agreed to: 3
Committee — Meetings: 1 • Legislation: Markup: 1, Reported: 75
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1061-D1065]
Thursday, November 21, 2024
[[Page D1061]]
Daily Digest
Senate
Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S6699-S6736
Measures Introduced: Forty bills and eleven resolutions were
introduced, as follows: S. 5365-5404, S.J. Res. 118, and S. Res. 908-
917.
Pages S6723-24
Measures Reported:
H.R. 359, to establish Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron in Puerto Rico
as an affiliated area of the National Park System, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute.
H.R. 3448, to amend chapter 3081 of title 54, United States Code, to
enhance the protection and preservation of America's battlefields.
H.R. 4984, to amend the District of Columbia Stadium Act of 1957 to
provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over the Robert
F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus to the Administrator of General
Services and the leasing of the Campus to the District of Columbia for
purposes which include commercial and residential development.
H.R. 5443, to establish a policy regarding appraisal and valuation
services for real property for a transaction over which the Secretary
of the Interior has jurisdiction.
H.R. 6062, to restore the ability of the people of American Samoa to
approve amendments to the territorial constitution based on majority
rule in a democratic act of self-determination, as authorized pursuant
to an Act of Congress delegating administration of Federal territorial
law in the territory to the President, and to the Secretary of the
Interior under Executive Order 10264, dated June 29, 1951, under which
the Constitution of American Samoa was approved and may be amended
without requirement for further congressional action, subject to the
authority of Congress under the Territorial Clause in article IV,
section 3, clause 2 of the United States Constitution.
S. 254, to amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of
1996 to provide for the establishment of a Ski Area Fee Retention
Account.
S. 373, to modify the disposition of certain outer Continental Shelf
revenues and to open Federal financial sharing to heighten
opportunities for renewable energy.
S. 482, to amend the Klamath Basin Water Supply Enhancement Act of
2000 to provide the Secretary of the Interior with certain authorities
with respect to projects affecting the Klamath Basin watershed, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 620, to provide for the distribution of certain outer Continental
Shelf revenues to the State of Alaska.
S. 739, to clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau of
Reclamation pumped storage development, with an amendment in the nature
of a substitute.
S. 914, to establish an energy threat analysis center in the
Department of Energy, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 1553, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
to improve the management of grazing permits and leases, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 1764, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 2132, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a pilot
program for the establishment and use of a pre-fire-suppression stand
density index, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 2151, to amend the Southwest Forest Health and Wildlife Prevention
Act of 2004 to require the establishment of an additional Institute
under that Act.
S. 2156, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management,
and Recreation Act to authorize additional entities to be eligible to
complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch
Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado.
S. 2160, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to
authorize certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for
urban canals of concern, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
[[Page D1062]]
S. 2169, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out
watershed pilots, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 2620, to establish the Chesapeake National Recreation Area as a
unit of the National Park System, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
S. 2742, to establish the Fort Ontario National Monument in the State
of New York as a unit of the National Park System, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute.
S. 2743, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management,
and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage
Area System the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area in the State of New
York.
S. 2784, to amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of
1992 to adjust the boundary of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National
Historical Park, with an amendment.
S. 2867, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest
System and public lands, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
S. 2927, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to
increase Tribal access to water conservation and efficiency grants.
S. 2991, to improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities
in the United States, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3123, to provide for the standardization, consolidation, and
publication of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of
Federal waterways among Federal land and water management agencies,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3195, to designate the General George C. Marshall House, in the
Commonwealth of Virginia, as an affiliated area of the National Park
System, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3241, to establish the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and
Jefferson College as affiliated areas of the Natchez Historical Park,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3346, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain
streams in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and Smith River system in
the State of Montana as components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers
System, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3474, to redesignate the Hulls Cove Visitor Center at Acadia
National Park as the “George J. Mitchell, Jr., Visitor Center”, with
amendments.
S. 3534, to authorize the Pines Foundation to establish the Fire
Island AIDS Memorial, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3542, to amend the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area Act to
modify the boundary of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area.
S. 3543, to establish the Historic Greenwood District-Black Wall
Street National Monument in the State of Oklahoma, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute.
S. 3544, to designate the visitor and education center at Fort
McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine as the “Paul S. Sarbanes
Visitor and Education Center”.
S. 3593, to provide for economic development and conservation in
Washoe County, Nevada, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3596, to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to amend references of
gilsonite to asphaltite.
S. 3617, to provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village
Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, with
an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3631, to require reports on critical mineral and rare earth
element resources around the world and a strategy for the development
of advanced mining, refining, separation, and processing technologies,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3790, to make additional Federal public land available for
selection under the Alaska Native Vietnam era veterans land allotment
program, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 3985, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain
land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness.
S. 4016, to amend the Boulder Canyon Project Act to authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to expend amounts in the Colorado River Dam
fund, with an amendment.
S. 4129, to contribute funds and artifacts to the Theodore Roosevelt
Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute.
S. 4164, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a
special resource study of the Cahokia Mounds and surrounding land in
the States of Illinois and Missouri, with an amendment in the nature of
a substitute.
S. 4209, to provide greater regional access to the Katahdin Woods and
Waters National Monument in the State of Maine.
S. 4216, to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve
in the State of Georgia, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
S. 4218, to designate the visitor center for the First State National
Historical Park to be located at the Sheriff's House in New Castle,
Delaware, as the “Thomas R. Carper Visitor Center”.
[[Page D1063]]
S. 4222, to adjust the boundary of the Mojave National Preserve in
the State of California to include the land within the Castle Mountains
National Monument, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4227, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to
expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute.
S. 4228, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree
National Park as the “Senator Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center”, with
an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4242, to extend the authorization of the Reclamation States
Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991.
S. 4245, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to
reauthorize certain United States Geological Survey water data
enhancement programs, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4259, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study
to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land
as the Lahaina National Heritage Area, with amendments.
S. 4347, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land at
Swanson Reservoir and Hugh Butler Reservoir in the State of Nebraska,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4424, to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture to encourage and expand the use of prescribed fire on land
managed by the Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with
an emphasis on units of the National Forest System in the western
United States, to acknowledge and support the longstanding use of
cultural burning by Tribes and Indigenous practitioners, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4432, to allow certain Federal minerals to be mined consistent
with the Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute.
S. 4451, to require the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an
agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to carry out a study on
reservation systems for Federal land, with an amendment in the nature
of a substitute.
S. 4454, to provide for the establishment of an Operational
Flexibility Grazing Management Program on land managed by the Bureau of
Land Management, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4457, to provide for conservation and economic development in the
State of Nevada, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4576, to amend the Energy and Water Development and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, to reauthorize the Colorado River
System conservation pilot program.
S. 4607, to designate the America's National Churchill Museum
National Historic Landmark.
S. 4664, to require the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to
promote the use of artificial intelligence to support the missions of
the Department of Energy, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
S. 4851, to adjust the boundaries of the Golden Gate National
Recreation Area to include the Scarper Ridge property.
S. 4932, to amend the National Quantum Initiative Act to provide for
a research, development, and demonstration program, with an amendment
in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4936, to require a study relating to the Minidoka National
Historic Site.
S. 4974, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management,
and Recreation Act to reauthorize the National Volcano Early Warning
and Monitoring System.
S. 4994, to modify the boundary of the Vicksburg National Military
Park in the State of Mississippi.
S. 4996, to amend Public Law 89-108 to modify the authorization of
appropriations for State and Tribal, municipal, rural, and industrial
water supplies, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 4999, to amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a
provision relating to conveyances for aquifer recharge purposes, with
an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
S. 5000, to prohibit the use of amounts from the Upper Colorado River
Basin Fund to implement a certain record of decision, with an amendment
in the nature of a substitute.
S. 5005, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River
Restoration Settlement Act.
S. 5011, to establish the Integrated Water Management Federal
Leadership Committee, to provide for improved drought resilience and
dam safety.
S. 5012, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal
contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation
Program, with an amendment.
S. 5013, to make certain modifications to the repayment for the
Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute.
S. 5125, to provide for certain improvements to the housing and
workforce programs of Federal land management agencies, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
[[Page D1064]]
S. 5136, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study
of Plum Island.
Pages S6721-23
Measures Passed:
Amending the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience
Act: Senate passed S. 385, to amend the Native American Tourism and
Improving Visitor Experience Act to authorize grants to Indian tribes,
tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
Pages S6703-07
Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key
Economic Developments Act: Senate passed S. 1322, to amend the Act of
August 9, 1955, to modify the authorized purposes and term period of
tribal leases, after agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature
of a substitute.
Pages S6703-07
Lower Sioux Indian Community Charter: Senate passed S. 2868, to
accept the request to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Lower
Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota at the request of that
Community.
Pages S6703-07
National Rural Health Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 909, designating
November 21, 2024, as “National Rural Health Day”.
Page S6707
Autism CARES Act: Senate passed H.R. 7213, to amend the Public Health
Service Act to enhance and reauthorize activities and programs relating
to autism spectrum disorder, after agreeing to the following amendment
proposed thereto:
Page S6733
Helmy (for Lujan/Collins) Amendment No. 3305, in the nature of a
substitute.
Page S6733
Coastal Habitat Conservation Act: Senate passed H.R. 2950, to
authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program of
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing
partners and provide support to efforts to assess, protect, restore,
and enhance important coastal landscapes that provide fish and wildlife
habitat on which certain Federal trust species depend.
Page S6733
James R. Dominguez Border Patrol Checkpoint: Senate passed H.R. 5799,
to designate the checkpoint of the United States Border Patrol located
on United States Highway 90 West in Uvalde County, Texas, as the
“James R. Dominguez Border Patrol Checkpoint”.
Pages S6733-34
Public Radio Music Day: Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation was discharged from further consideration of S. Res.
865, expressing the support of the Senate for the designation of
October 23, 2024, as “Public Radio Music Day” and deep appreciation
for the role of public radio music stations in serving listeners,
musicians, and hundreds of communities in the United States, and the
resolution was then agreed to.
Page S6734
Drive Safer Sunday: Senate agreed to S. Res. 911, designating
December 1, 2024, as “Drive Safer Sunday”.
Page S6734
National Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Senate agreed to S. Res. 912,
designating November 2024 as “National Lung Cancer Awareness Month”
and expressing support for early detection and treatment of lung
cancer.
Page S6734
National Move Over Law Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 913, supporting
the goals and ideals of a National Move Over Law Day.
Page S6734
National Adoption Day and Month: Senate agreed to S. Res. 914,
expressing support for the goals of National Adoption Day and National
Adoption Month by promoting national awareness of adoption and the
children awaiting families, celebrating children and families involved
in adoption, and encouraging the people of the United States to secure
safety, permanency, and well-being for all children.
Page S6734
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: Senate agreed to S. Res.
915, designating September 2024 as “National Prostate Cancer Awareness
Month”.
Page S6734
Congratulating the Los Angeles Dodgers: Senate agreed to S. Res. 916,
congratulating the Los Angeles Dodgers for winning the 2024 Major
League Baseball World Series.
Page S6734
Michel O. Maceda Marine Unit: Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R.
5302, to designate the Air and Marine Operations Marine Unit of the
U.S. Customs and Border Protection located at 101 Km 18.5 in Cabo Rojo,
Puerto Rico, as the “Michel O. Maceda Marine Unit”, and the bill was
then passed.
Page S6734
Strengthening Child Exploitation Enforcement Act: Committee on the
Judiciary was discharged from further consideration of S. 4708, to
amend title 18, United States Code, to modify provisions relating to
kidnapping, sexual abuse, and illicit sexual conduct with respect to
minors, and the bill was then passed, after agreeing to the following
amendment proposed thereto:
Pages S6734-35
Helmy (for Cornyn) Amendment No. 3306, to make a technical amendment.
Pages S6734-35
Beagle Brigade Act: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
was discharged from further consideration of S. 759, to authorize the
National Detector Dog Training Center, and the bill was then passed.
Page S6735
[[Page D1065]]
Pro Forma Sessions--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was
reached providing that the Senate adjourn, to then convene for pro
forma sessions only, with no business being conducted, on the following
dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate
adjourn until the next pro forma session: Friday, November 22, 2024, at
12 noon; Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 10 a.m.; and Friday, November
29, 2024, at 9 a.m.; and that when the Senate adjourns on Friday,
November 29, 2024, it next convene at 3 p.m., on Monday, December 2,
2024.
Page S6735
Wise Nomination: Senate resumed consideration of the nomination of Noel
Wise, of California, to be United States District Judge for the
Northern District of California.
Pages S6699-S6702
During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the
following action:
By 50 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. EX. 301), Senate agreed to the motion
to close further debate on the nomination.
Page S6702
Weilheimer Nomination: Senate resumed consideration of the nomination
of Gail A. Weilheimer, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District
Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Pages S6702-03
During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the
following action:
By 51 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. EX. 302), Senate agreed to the motion
to close further debate on the nomination.
Pages S6702-03
Hwang Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached
providing that Senate resume consideration of the nomination of Anne
Hwang, of California, to be United States District Judge for the
Central District of California, at approximately 3 p.m., on Monday,
December 2, 2024; and that the vote on confirmation of the nomination
be at 5:30 p.m.
Page S6735
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
By 82 yeas to 12 nays (Vote No. EX. 303), Sharad Harshad Desai, of
Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of
Arizona.
Pages S6707-14, S6736
5 Air Force nominations in the rank of general.
33 Army nominations in the rank of general.
13 Marine Corps nominations in the rank of general.
Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space
Force.
Pages S6714-16, S6736
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
Beth H. Harwell, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term expiring May 18,
2029.
Brian Noland, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors
of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term expiring May 18, 2029.
James Bernard Coughlan, of Illinois, to be a Member of the United
States International Trade Commission for a term expiring December 16,
2030.
Halie L. Craig, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the United States
International Trade Commission for the remainder of the term expiring
June 16, 2026.
Loida Nicolas Lewis, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation for a term of three
years.
Pages S6735-36
Nomination Withdrawn: Senate received notification of withdrawal of the
following nomination:
Loida Nicolas Lewis, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation for a term of three
years, which was sent to the Senate on November 14, 2024.
Page S6736
Messages from the House:
Pages S6720-21
Measures Referred:
Page S6721
Executive Reports of Committees:
Page S6723
Additional Cosponsors:
Pages S6724-26
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
Pages S6726-31
Additional Statements:
Pages S6719-20
Amendments Submitted:
Pages S6731-33
Authorities for Committees to Meet:
Page S6733
Privileges of the Floor:
Page S6733
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--303)
Pages S6702-03, S6708
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 4:48 p.m.,
until 12 noon on Friday, November 22, 2024. (For Senate's program, see
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page
S6735.)