Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I have two requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 3316 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Grassley substitute amendment be considered and agreed to and the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

I further ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 3092.

The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives:

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 3092) entitled

``An Act to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and

Emergency Assistance Act to improve the provision of certain

disaster assistance, and for other purposes.'', do pass with

an amendment.

Motion to Concur

I move to concur in the House amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 502, S. 4577.

Mr. President, I further ask that the committee-reported amendments be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

The committee reported amendments were agreed to.

The bill (S. 4577), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 754.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; the Shaheen amendment at the desk to the preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 851.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 863, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 11 a.m. on Thursday, December 8, and that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Hopkins nomination postcloture; further, that at 11:30 a.m., the Senate vote on the Hopkins nomination and cloture on the Montgomery-Reeves nomination; further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 1:45 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Douglas nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motions with respect to the Perez and Murphy nominations be withdrawn and that notwithstanding rule XXII, tomorrow at 11:30 a.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of the Perez nomination and cloture on the Scott nomination; that if cloture is invoked on the Scott nomination, at 1:30 p.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of the Scott and Murphy nominations; and that at 5 p.m., the Senate vote on cloture on the Hopkins nomination and confirmation of the Blackwell nomination; further, that the cloture motions with respect to the Montgomery-Reeves and Douglas nominations ripen following disposition of the Hopkins nomination; and finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session of the Senate, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 1202, Juan Eduardo Sanchez, of Texas, to be Federal Cochairperson of the Southwest Border Regional Commission; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 1188, 1196 through 1199, and 1247 through 1252; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Madam President, I understand that the Chair has an announcement to make.