Friday business for the Senate

Looks like the manager's amendment is first up....Update from the office of Sen. Tom Harkin:

Friday, December 14, 2007

The Senate will convene at 10am.

· No morning business.

· The Senate immediately will resume consideration of the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419).

· Cloture has been invoked on the Harkin-Chambliss-Baucus-Grassley amendment in the nature of a substitute (#3500)

· The following amendments are pending to H.R. 2419:

· Harkin-Chambliss-Baucus-Grassley amendment in the nature of a substitute (#3500)

o Cornyn amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500 to prevent duplicative payments for agricultural disaster assistance already covered by the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund (#3687)

o Coburn amendment to Harkin-Chambliss #3500 to ensure the priority of the farm bill remains farmers by eliminating wasteful Department of Agriculture spending on casinos, golf courses, junkets, cheese centers, and aging barns (#3807, as modified)

o Salazar amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500 to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide incentives for the production of all cellulosic biofuels (#3616)

o McConnell amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500 to promote the nutritional health of school children, with an offset (#3821)

o Roberts amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to modify a provision relating to regulations (#3549)

o Domenici amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to reduce our nation's dependency on foreign oil by investing in clean, renewable, and alternative energy resources (#3614)

o Gregg amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude discharges of indebtedness on principal residences from gross income, and for other purposes (#3674)

o Gregg amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to provide nearly $1,000,000,000 in critical home heating assistance to low-income families and senior citizens for the 2007-2008 winter season, and reduce the Federal deficit by eliminating wasteful farm subsidies (#3822)

§ Sanders second-degree amendment to Gregg amendment #3822, to provide for payments under subsections (a) through (e) of section 2604 of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981, and restore supplemental agricultural disaster assistance from the Agriculture Disaster Relief Trust Fund (#3826)

o Grassley-Kohl amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to provide for the review of agricultural mergers and acquisition by the Department of Justice, and for other purposes (#3823)

o Stevens amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to make commercial fishermen eligible for certain operating loans (#3569)

o Bond amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to amend title 7, United States Code, to include provisions relating to rulemaking (#3771)

o Harkin-Murkowski amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to improve nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold in schools (#3639)

· Upon disposition of H.R. 2419, the Senate will proceed to consideration of the FHA Modernization Act of 2007 (S. 2338).

· The only amendments in order to the bill are the following:

o Dodd-Shelby amendment relating to a moratorium

o Coburn amendment relating to reverse mortgages

· There will be up to 60 minutes, equally divided, for debate on the Coburn amendment, and 30 minutes, equally divided, for general debate on the bill.

· Upon the use or yielding back of this time, the Senate will proceed to disposition of all amendments and passage of S. 2338, as amended if amended.

During Thursday’s Session

Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419)

The motion to invoke cloture on the Harkin-Chambliss-Baucus-Grassley amendment in the nature of a substitute (#3500) was agreed to by a roll call vote of 78-12.

Dorgan-Grassley amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to strengthen payment limitations and direct the savings to increase funding for certain programs (#3695, as modified), was withdrawn by unanimous consent after it failed to achieve 60 votes, as required by unanimous consent, following a roll call vote of 56-43.

Klobuchar amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to improve the adjusted gross income limitation and use the savings to provide additional funding for certain programs and reduce the Federal deficit (#3810), was withdrawn by unanimous consent after it failed to achieve 60 votes, as required by unanimous consent, following a roll call vote of 48-47.

Tester-Grassley amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to modify the provisions relating to unlawful practices under the Packers and Stockyards Act (#3666), was withdrawn by unanimous consent after it failed to achieve 60 votes, as required by unanimous consent, following a roll call vote of 40-55.

Brown-Sununu amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500 to increase funding for critical Farm Bill programs and improve crop insurance (#3819), was withdrawn by unanimous consent after it failed to achieve 60 votes, as required by unanimous consent, following a roll call vote of 32-63.

Craig amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to prohibit the involuntary acquisition of farmland and grazing land by Federal, State, and local governments for parks, open space, or similar purposes (#3640), was withdrawn by unanimous consent after it failed to achieve 60 votes, as required by unanimous consent, following a roll call vote of 37-58.

Coburn amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500 to limit the distribution to deceased individuals, and estates of those individuals, of certain agricultural payments (#3530, as modified), was agreed to by unanimous consent.

Harkin-Chambliss amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to promote legal certainty, enhance competition, and reduce systemic risk in markets for futures and over-the-counter derivatives, and for other purposes (#3851), was agreed to by voice vote.

Schumer amendment to the Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to improve crop insurance and use resulting savings to increase funding for certain conservation programs (#3720) was withdrawn by unanimous consent.

Harkin-Kennedy-Gregg amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, relative to public safety officers (#3830) was withdrawn by unanimous consent.

· Harkin second-degree amendment to Harkin-Kennedy-Gregg amendment #3830, relative to public safety officers (#3844), fell when the Harkin-Kennedy-Gregg amendment (#3830) was withdrawn.

· Wyden amendment to Harkin-Chambliss substitute #3500, to modify a provision relating to bioenergy crop transition assistance (#3736) was withdrawn by unanimous consent.