Monday, September 11, 2006

5:15 Senator Stevens Speaks on DeMint Amendment Senator Stevens offered a second-degree amendment to Senator DeMint's amendment.  Senator Stevens explained that the purpose of this amendment is to move the emergency alert system from being based in broadcast radio and television systems to being based in a wireless system.  He argued that this amendment will provide a tool to emergency management at all levels of government so that they can quickly and effectively reach all effected individuals with specific life-saving instructions.  Senator Stevens explained that $106 million has already been allocated to this program in last year's budget reconciliation bill. 5:22:17 PM

4:45 Second-Degree Amendment Added To Address Rail Worker Security The Senate is now debating the port security bill and will be on this issue for the remainder of today's session.  Senator Stevens, along with Senators Inouye, McCain, Clinton, and Lautenberg, offered a second-degree amendment to the McCain amendment that addresses rail worker security training.  This second-degree amendment was just passed with a voice vote. 4:51:29 PM

3:00 Senator Collins Speaks on Homeland Security Weaknesses Senator Collins gave a statement on the anniversary of 9/11 and argued that the emerging threat to our country is from homegrown terrorists that are far harder to detect.  Therefore our efforts to protect our cargo, chemical plants, public water, electric grid, and information technology networks could be futile in the face of such as attack.  She cited the evidence that infection is being spread within our state and federal prisons and said that the committee she chairs, the Homeland Security Committee, will hold a hearing on this issue next week.     3:22:18 PM

2:45 Senators Give Statements on Events of 9/11 Today, on the five-year anniversary of September 11, the Senate convened to consider national security issues and give statements on the events of that day.  The Senate will be in morning business until 4:00 PM, before it turns to port security.  At 5:40 p.m., Senators who are here will meet in the chamber to proceed as a group to the east front of the capitol for an event to mark the anniversary. 3:03:00 PM

2:00 Senate To Resume Debate on Port Security Bill The Senate will convene at 2:00 p.m. today and resume consideration of the port security bill.  This bill would authorize $400 million to be spent in the fiscal years 2007-2011 for a port security grant program and an additional $213 million for the fiscal years 2007-2010 for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.  The bill was passed by the House in May by a vote of 421-2. The first amendment up for debate this afternoon will be a rail security proposal offered by Senator McCain on Friday.  The amendment would authorize an additional $1.2 billion for rail security improvements with more than half of this funding designated specifically for NYC’s Penn Station.  This amendment is supported by the managers of the bill, Senators Stevens and Collins, and includes provisions already passed as part of a separate transportation security bill by the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last November.    The Senate is also expected to debate an amendment to the bill offered by Senator DeMint on Friday that would create a national alert system for use during emergencies.  No votes are expected on the floor today and a series of stacked roll call votes on these amendments, and possibly others, are expected to begin on Tuesday.   In Committee work, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will markup several bills including S.1848, a bill related to abandoned mines, and S.3630, a bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to extend, until 2011, the EPA’s Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program in Louisiana and Mississippi.  On Tuesday, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on the confirmation of Kevin Martin to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.  The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on several bills relating to surveillance including Senator Specter’s National Security Surveillance Act and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Improvement and Enhancement Act.   DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff is scheduled to testify on the future of homeland security in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday.  The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hear testimony on Thursday on employment-based permanent immigration.  In addition, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on situation regarding the BP oil pipline in Alaska. 1:49:45 PM