D.C. Daily: June 19, 2012

Senate
Yesterday's Action:
During business yesterday, the Senate took the following actions:

• Passed S. Res. 470, designating July 28, 2012, as "National Day of the American Cowboy".
• Passed S. Res. 495, designating the period beginning on June 17, 2012, and ending on June 23, 2012, as "Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week".
• Began consideration of the motion to proceed to consideration of S. 1940, to amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, to restore the financial solvency of the flood insurance fund.
• Agreed to a unanimous-consent-time agreement for consideration of S. 3240, the "Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act".
• Agreed to a unanimous-consent-time agreement for consideration of the motion to proceed to consideration of S.J. Res. 37, to disapprove a rule promulgated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency relating to emission standards for certain steam generating units.
• Passed S. Res. 488, commending the efforts of the firefighters and emergency response personnel of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, who came together to extinguish the May 23, 2012, fire at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
• Confirmed the nomination of Mary Geiger Lewis to be District Judge for the District of South Carolina, by a vote of 64 yeas to 27 nays.

Today's Schedule:
The Senate will meet at 10:00 AM today. The Senate will resume consideration of S. 3240, the "Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act" and will begin consideration of the motion to proceed to consideration of S.J. Res. 37, to disapprove a rule promulgated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency relating to emission standards for certain steam generating units.


House
Yesterday's Action:
During business yesterday, the House took the following actions:

• Suspended the rules and passed H.R. 1556, to amend the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act to allow certain land to be used to generate income to provide funding for academic programs, and for other purposes.
• Suspended the rules and passed H.R. 4027, to clarify authority granted under the Act entitled "An Act to define the exterior boundary of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation in the State of Utah, and for other purposes.
• Suspended the rules and passed S. 684, to provide for the conveyance of certain parcels of land to the town of Alta, Utah, by a vote of 383 yeas to 3 nays.
• Suspended the rules and passed S. 404, to modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior, by a unanimous vote of 380 yeas.
• Suspended the rules and passed S. 997, the "East Bench Irrigation District Water Contract Extension Act".
• Suspended the rules and passed H. Res. 683, expressing the regret of the House of Representatives for the passage of laws that adversely affected the Chinese in the United States, including the Chinese Exclusion Act.
• Suspended the rules and passed H.R. 3668, the "Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act of 2011".
• Suspended the rules and passed H.R. 1272, the "Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2012".
• Debated H.R. 2938, the "Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Clarification Act" under suspension of the rules.

Today's Schedule:
The House will meet today at 10:00 AM. The House is expected to consider H.R. 2578, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act related to a segment of the Lower Merced River in California, and for other purposes, subject to a rule.


Executive Agencies
Significant Proposed Rules:
There were no significant proposed rules printed today.

Significant Final Rules:
There were no significant final rules printed today.

Presidential Documents:

• Presidential Determination No. 2012-09: determining that there is a sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products from countries other than Iran to permit a significant reduction in the volume of petroleum and petroleum products purchased from Iran by or through foreign financial institutions.

Supreme Court
The court has concluded scheduled oral arguments for the October 2011 term. However, the court is still meeting to finalize decisions on cases it heard during the preceeding term. The court's next session of oral arguments is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 1, 2012.

Yesterday, the court issued the following opinions:

• Williams v. Illinois: The court affirmed a decision by the Illinois Supreme Court which stated that admission of testimony regarding DNA analysis by an expert who did not conduct the analysis did not violate the Confrontation Clause. Justice Alito wrote the opinion. Justice Breyer issued a concurring opinion, and Justice Thomas filed an opinion in which he concurred with the judgment only. Justice Kagan wrote a dissenting opinion which was joined by Justices Scalia, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor.
• Christopher v. SmithKline Beecham Corp.: The court affirmed a decision by the Ninth Circuit which stated that pharmaceutical sales representatives qualify as outside salesmen under the Department of Labor's regulations, and are therefore not subject to overtime regulations. Justice Alito wrote the opinion. Justice Breyer wrote a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan.
• Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter: The court affirmed a decision by the Tenth Circuit ruling that Congress must allocate sufficient funding to honor its promises under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Justice Sotomayor wrote the opinion. Chief Justice Roberts wrote a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, and Alito.
• Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians v. Patchak: The court affirmed a decision by the D.C. Circuit which stated that a neighbor could sue to stop construction of a casino on land taken by the federal government and given to an Indian reservation. Justice Kagan wrote the opinion. Justice Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion.