The Senate is convened at 9:45 AM.

  
Senator Reid: (9:48 AM)

• Today --
  • We will have no votes, the next vote will be at 5:30 PM on Monday, July 7th.
  • We will have morning business.
  • We will try to clear some nominations and UC agreements today.
• Sent to the desk the Gas Relief Bill (S. 3202) and the ADA Restoration Bill (H.R. 3195).

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (HR 6331).
  • SUMMARY "when you consider what's at stake here -- i mean, we listened to the arguments from the other side. but when you talk about making sure physicians are -- we're treating them fairly so they can treat older citizens in pennsylvania and ohio and across the country, when you talk about reimbursement -- in the case of hospitals in northeastern pennsylvania where they're competing for skilled personnel and we're not going to move something forward that can help them on their wages, so they can have the best possible care for older citizens."

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (HR 6331).
  • SUMMARY "this has some ramifications that goes beyond common sense in that the equipment that a rural hospital needs to utilize may be utilized less often, and, therefore, is more expensive per procedure than what would be utilized in a wealthier hospital in a wealthier area. so i think this is a big issue. i just would, in response to the concern about the bill, to say that i understand that there's a firm view of members on this side and the president that the medicare advantage not be eliminated in this bill. and that's basically what's happened. and so we want to see the many, if not all the reforms in here, or most of these reforms"

• Propounded a UC that the Senate proceed to and pass Lantos-Hyde AIDS Relief (S. 2731). (Session objected)
  • SUMMARY "this strongly bipartisan effort to create this legislation has already helped tens of millions of africans affected by hiv-aids. it's been five years since we passed that legislation, and now it's time to reauthorize the global aids program"
• Propounded a UC that the Senate proceed to Lantos-Hyde (S. 2731) at a time to be determined and that the only amendments in order be the committee substitute, four specified amendments, and germane second degree amendments to the four amendments. (Sessions objected).

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "senator kyl and some others who have concern about this are not here at this time. i am not at liberty, therefore, to agree to a plausible scenario for moving this bill forward that the majority leader has proposed without their consent. i would note that the house has gone out of session, so the bill would not clear and become law in any case before we get back"

• Spoke on Lantos-Hyde AIDS Relief (S. 2731).
  • SUMMARY "we're going to finish this bill sometime during the next work period, or certainly give at that real try. the democrats have listened to the concerns of every senator, especially a small group of republicans standing in the way of international aids as assistance. we've compromised. we've negotiated for months. the unanimous consent agreements that i've offered is more than fair, and we're bringing forward a strong bipartisan bill"

• Spoke on oil futures markets.
  • SUMMARY "many of my colleagues -- and myself -- have concerns about the fact that much of this tr trading -- at least chunk of it done on the intercontinental exchange -- is done in a dark market. so we don't know what kinds of positions people hold. we don't have the same requirements for excessive tr trading that we do on nymex and on the chicago mercantile exchange. and so we have a lot of anxiety that there's a lot of trading going on in the dark, that people don't understand, and that this situation, while we're out on recess, could be exacerbated"
• Propounded a UC proceed to and pass the Oil Speculation Bill (HR 6377). (Sessions objected on behalf of leadership)
• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "i am obviously disappointed that my colleague or the other side of the aisle is objecting to this, because this legislation today passed by us could go to the president's desk, and we would be sending a very strong message today while we are gone that this is a serious crisis and that we expect the federal regulator, the policeman on the beat, to be doing their job while we are gone"

• Spoke on the removal of North Korea from the list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism".
  • SUMMARY "does anybody believe that north korea should actually be taken off the state sponsor of terrorism list when they've provided missile technology to iran, a nuclear reactor to syria"
  • SUMMARY "that today's announcement is saddening. i say saddening because no progress is made on human rights despite all the concessions we handed over. no progress made on human rights in spite of 10% of the population being killed in the last a 15 years in north korea. no problem made on human rights, not a part of the agreement, not a part of delisting them, not a part of the specific items mentioned by the administration in order for north korea to regain its inclusion"

• Spoke on Iraqi provencial elections.
  • SUMMARY "the administration's silence on the iraqi government's failure to adoption election laws that were promised in february and which set a date of october 1 for those elections is disturbing and it is the exact wrong way to send a message to the iraqi leaders"
• Cleared wrap up items (at 1:32 PM).
• Propounded UC that the Senate proceed to Executive session and consider nominations en bloc and pass them. (without objection).
• We will have a pro forma session Monday, June 30th.
• Monday July 7th --
  • We will convene at 2:00 PM
  • We will have one hour of Morning Business.
  • We resume consideration of the motion to proceed to HR 3221.
  • We will have a cloture vote on the motion to concur with HR 3221.
  • Tuesday we will have a cloture vote on HR 6304.

The Senate stands adjourned until Monday June 30th at 10:00 AM

and then will stand adjourned until Monday July 7th at 2:00 PM.