Friday, September 29, 2006

2:45 Senators Leahy and Cornyn Speak on "Love Field" Compromise By unanimous consent, the Senate passed S.3661, a bill to amend the International Air Transportation Competition Act relating to air transportation to and from Love Field, Texas.  Senator Cornyn explained that this bill will repeal the Wright amendment, a law designed to reflect a compromise with respect to flights coming into and out of Love Field in Dallas, Texas allowing more competition among airlines, lower fares for travelers, and allow the city of Dallas to address local considerations such as noise, air pollution, congestion, and safety.  Senator Leahy said that this is a complicated issue involving competition law and was glad to work with the Senator from Texas to change the original bill, which Senator Leahy argued went beyond a simple repeal by insulating from competition review private agreements among competitors.  He argued that such insulation is inappropriate, unprecedented, and is bad for consumers.  Both Senators were pleased that a compromise was found and agreed to by the Senate. 2:50:39 PM

10:45 Senate Passes Defense conference report By a vote of 100-0, the Senate passed the FY07 Defense Appropriations conference report. 10:45:57 AM

10:00 Senate Voting on FY07 Defense Appropriations Conference Report The Senate is now voting on the FY07 Defense Appropriations Conference Report. 10:17:10 AM

9:30 Senate Convenes The Senate convened at 9:30 a.m. this morning with an ambitious schedule to complete before recessing for the next month. At 10:00 a.m., a vote on the FY07 Defense Appropriations conference report is expected.  Conferees just completed work on the $532.8 billion measure, which includes $70 billion to support ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Following this vote, the Senate will continue debate on the Secure Fence bill, a bill that would authorize 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexican border.  A cloture vote was held on this bill yesterday and final passage is expected today.  The Majority Leader said that he would like to complete work on this piece of legislation early in the day and then will ask for a cloture vote a child abortion notification bill passed yesterday by the House.  The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act would make it a federal crime to take a minor across state lines for an abortion without notifying the minor’s parents, if the state has a state parental notification law.  As soon as it becomes available, final passage of the $34.8 billion FY07 homeland security spending bill could occur today.  Senator Frist also said several treaties and nominations need to be considered including the nominee for the position of Secretary of the Department of Transportation. 10:15:27 AM