Desalination Water Supply Shortage Prevention Act of 2005

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 20, 2005, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on ``Implementation of the Exon-Florio Amendment and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 10 a.m., on Domestic Passenger and Freight Rail Safety.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 2 p.m., on pending Committee business. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Co- Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, have rescheduled this week's Full Committee mark-up for Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 2 p.m., previously scheduled for Wednesday, October 19, 2005, at 2:30 p.m. The mark-up is open to the public. A location for this mark-up will be announced when available. Following is the agenda, not necessarily in order of

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 20 at 2:30 p.m. The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on S. 1016, to direct the Secretary of Energy to make incentive payments to the owners or operators of qualified desalination facilities to partially offset the cost of electrical energy required to operate the facilities, and for other purposes; and S. 1860, to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to improve energy production and reduce energy demand through improved use of reclaimed waters, and for other purposes.

committee on foreign relations

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. to hold a hearing on Nominations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 2 p.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. for a hearing titled, ``Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: A Flooded City, a Chaotic Response.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. in Senate Dirksen Office Building Room 226.

Agenda

I. Nominations

Susan Neilson to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit;

John Richard Smoak to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Florida;

Brian Edward Sandoval to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Nevada.

Harry Sandlin Mattice, Jr. to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee;

Margaret Mary Sweeney to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims;

Thomas Craig Wheeler to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims;

Wan Kim to be an Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division;

Steven G. Bradbury to be an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel;

Sue Ellen Wooldridge to be an Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division; and

Thomas O. Barnett to be an Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division.

II. Bills

S. 1088, Streamlined Procedures Act of 2005, Kyl, Cornyn, Grassley, Hatch;

S. 1789, Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2005, Specter, Leahy, Feinstein, Feingold;

S. 751, Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act, Feinstein, Kyl;

S. 1326, Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act, Sessions;

S. 1086, A Bill to Improve the National Program to Register and Monitor Individuals Who Commit Crimes Against Children or Sex Offenses, Hatch, Biden, Schumer;

S. 956, Jetseta Gage Prevention and Deterrence of Crimes Against Children Act of 2005, Grassley, Kyl, Cornyn;

S. 1699, Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act, Specter, Leahy, Hatch, DeWine, Cornyn, Brownback, Feingold;

S. 1095, Protecting American Goods and Services Act of 2005, Cornyn, Leahy;

H.R. 683, Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2005, Smith--TX;

S. 443, Antitrust Criminal Investigative Improvements Act of 2005, DeWine, Kohl, Leahy;

S. 1787, Relief to Victims of Hurricane Katrina and Other Natural Disasters Act of 2005, Vitter, Grassley, Cornyn, DeWine;

S. 1647, Hurricane Katrina Bankruptcy Relief and Community Protection Act of 2005, Feingold, Leahy, Durbin, Kennedy, Feinstein; and

S. , Budget Reconciliation [Chairman's Mark].

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 20, 2005, for a committee hearing titled ``IT Management by the VA: Is it Ready for the 21st Century?''

The hearing will take place in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 20, 2005 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed briefing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs be authorized to meeting during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on U.S. Foreign Policy, Petroleum, and the Middle East.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``An Examination of the Constitutional Amendment on Marriage'' on Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 2 p.m. in SD226.

Witness List:

Panel I: Scott FitzGibbon, Professor of Law, Boston College, Boston, MA; Christopher E. Harris, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN; Louis Michael Seidman, John Carroll Research Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC; Richard Wilkins, Professor of Law, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT; Christopher Wolfe, Professor of Political Science, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The hearing will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 2:30 p.m. in Room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is receive testimony on S. 1016, to direct the Secretary of Energy to make incentive payments to the owners or operators of qualified desalination facilities to partially offset the cost of electrical energy required to operate the facilities, and for other purposes; and S. 1860, to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to improve energy production and reduce energy demand through improved use of reclaimed waters, and for other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send two copies of their testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150.

For further information, please contact Nate Gentry (202) 224-2179 or Steve Waskiewicz at (202) 228-6195.