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Senate Floor Wrap Up for Thursday, March 29, 2012

ROLL CALL VOTE

1)      Motion to invoke cloture on S.2204, the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act; Not Invoked: 51-47

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Passed H.R.4281, the Surface Transportation Extension Act (90-day extension) by voice vote

Adopted S.Con.Res.38, to provide for the conditional adjournment of the Senate and House of Representatives over until April 16.

Passed H.R.2297, to promote the development of the Southwest waterfront in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes with a Lieberman amendment.

Adopted S.Res.80, a resolution condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'I minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights with a Paul amendment by voice vote

Adopted S.Res.356, a resolution expressing support for the people of Tibet with a Committee-reported amendment to the preamble by voice vote

Adopted S.Res.391, a resolution condemning violence by the Government of Syria against journalists, and expressing the sense of the Senate on freedom of the press in Syria with a Committee-reported amendment to the preamble by voice vote

Adopted S.Res.395, A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the NATO summit to be held in Chicago, IL from May 20-21, 2012 with a Committee-reported amendment to the preamble by voice vote

Adopted S.Res.397, a resolution promoting peace and stability in Sudan, and for other purposes with a Committee-reported amendment to the preamble by voice vote

Adopted S.Res.414, commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Adopted S.Res.415, designating April 4, 2012 as National Association of Junior Auxiliaries Day.

Adopted S.Res.416, supporting the designation of April as Parkinson's Awareness Month

Began the Rule 14 process of H.R.5, Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2011 (Republican request).

EXECUTIVE ITEMS

Discharged the Commerce Committee and confirmed:

COAST GUARD

PN 1134 - Coast Guard VADM John P. Currier to be Vice Commandant

PN 1135 - Coast Guard  RADM Paul F. Zukunft to the rank of Vice Admiral

PN 1136 - Coast Guard VADM Manson K. Brown to be Deputy Commandant for Mission Support

PN 1137 - Coast Guard RADM Peter V. Neffenger to the rank of Vice Admiral

PN 1312 - three Coast Guard officers to the rank of Captain.

Confirmed all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Foreign Service and the following:

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Executive Calendar #258 Phyllis Nichamoff Segal - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service

Executive Calendar #259 Lisa M. Quiroz -- to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and

Community Service

Executive Calendar #262 Marguerite W. Kondracke -- to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service

Executive Calendar #264 Richard Christman - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION

Executive Calendar #344 Martin J. Gruenberg - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Reappointment)

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Executive Calendar #346 Thomas J. Curry - to be Comptroller of the Currency

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Executive Calendar #422 Michael A. Hammer - to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Public Affairs)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Executive Calendar #493 Charles DeWitt McConnell - to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Fossil Energy)

Executive Calendar #494 David T. Danielson - to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

Executive Calendar #495 LaDoris Guess Harris - to be Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact, Department of Energy

Executive Calendar #496 Gregory Howard Woods - to be General Counsel of the Department of Energy

STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE

Executive Calendar #499 James R. Hannah - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute

Executive Calendar #500 Daniel J. Becker - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Executive Calendar #504 Roberta S. Jacobson - to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Western Hemisphere Affairs),

Executive Calendar #505 Elizabeth M. Cousens - to be Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador.

Executive Calendar #506 Elizabeth M. Cousens - to be an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during her tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Executive Calendar #507 Michael E. Horowitz - to be Inspector General

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Executive Calendar #511 Rebecca M. Blank - to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Executive Calendar #514 Jon D. Leibowitz - to be a FTC for a term of seven years from September 26, 2010

Executive Calendar #515 Maureen K. Ohlhausen - to be a FTC for a term of seven years from September 26, 2011

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Executive Calendar #516 Kathryn Keneally - to be an Assistant Attorney General

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Executive Calendar #517 Maurice A. Jones - to be Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION

Executive Calendar #520 Thomas Hoenig - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a term of six years

NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Executive Calendar #521 Deepa Gupta - to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts for a term expiring Sept. 3, 2016

Executive Calendar #522 Christopher Merrill - to be a Member of the National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring Jan. 26, 2016

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY

Executive Calendar #523 Stephanie Orlando - to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for the remainder of the term expiring Sept. 17, 2011

Executive Calendar #524 Stephanie Orlando - to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring Sept. 17, 2014

Executive Calendar #525 Gary Blumenthal - to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring Sept. 17, 2013

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Executive Calendar #526 Wendy M. Spencer - to be Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Executive Calendar #541 Mary John Miller - to be an Under Secretary of the Treasury

UNITED STATES TAX COURT

Executive Calendar #543 Kathleen Kerrigan - to be a Judge of the United States Tax Court for the term of fifteen years

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Executive Calendar #544 Alastair M. Fitzpayne - to  be a Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Executive Calendar #546 Margaret Ann Sherry - to be Chief Financial Officer, Department of Homeland Security

INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION

Executive Calendar #547 Eduardo Arriola - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for a term expiring Oct. 6, 2016

Executive Calendar #548 J. Kelly Ryan - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for the remainder of the term expiring Sept. 20, 2012

OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION

Executive Calendar #549 Michael James Warren - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation

SAINT LAWRENCE SEAWAY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Executive Calendar #550 David J. McMillan - to be a Member of the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Executive Calendar #551 Wenona Singel - to be a Member of the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Executive Calendar #553 Anuj Chang Desai - to be a Member of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States for the term expiring September 30, 2011

Executive Calendar #554 Anuj Chang Desai - to be a Member of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States for the term expiring September 30, 2014

Executive Calendar #555 Dennis J. Erby - to be United States Marshal for the Northern District of Mississippi for the term of four years

UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Executive Calendar #556 Earl W. Gast - to be an Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Executive Calendar #557 Anne Claire Richard - to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Population, Refugees, and Migration)

Executive Calendar #558 Tara D. Sonenshine - to be Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy

Executive Calendar #559 Robert E. Whitehead -to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Togolese Republic

Executive Calendar #560 Larry Leon Palmer - to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Barbados, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Granadines

Executive Calendar #561 Jonathan Don Farrar - to be a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Panama

Executive Calendar #562 Phyllis Marie Powers - to be a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Nicaragua

Executive Calendar #563 Nancy J. Powell - to be a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Personal Rank of Career Ambassador, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to India

FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION

Executive Calendar #564 Bruce J. Sherrick - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agriculture Mortgage Corporation

Executive Calendar #565 Chester John Culver - to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agriculture Mortgage Corporation

JAMES MADISON MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP FOUNDATION

Executive Calendar #608 Catherine Allgor - to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation for a term expiring Sept. 27, 2014

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Executive Calendar #614 Thomas M. Harrigan - to be Deputy Administrator of Drug Enforcement

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Executive Calendar #629 Gina K. Abercrombie-Winstanley-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Malta

Executive Calendar #630 Julissa Reynoso-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay

Executive Calendar #631 William E. Todd-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Cambodia

Executive Calendar #632 Jacob Walles-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Tunisian Republic

Executive Calendar #633 Pamela A. White-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Haiti

Executive Calendar #634 John Christopher Stevens-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Libya

Executive Calendar #635 Tracey Ann Jacobson-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Kosovo

Executive Calendar #636 Kenneth Merten-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Croatia

Executive Calendar #637 Mark A. Pekala-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Latvia

Executive Calendar #638 Richard B. Norland-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Georgia.

Executive Calendar #639 Jeffrey D. Levine-to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Estonia.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Executive Calendar #641 Frederick D. Barton-to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Conflict and Stabilization Operations), vice Bradford R. Higgins.

Executive Calendar #642 Frederick D. Barton-to be Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization

Executive Calendar #643 Linda Thomas-Greenfield-to be Director General of the Foreign Service

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION

Executive Calendar #648 Jeremiah O'Hear Norton-to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for the remainder of the term expiring July 15, 2013

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Executive Calendar #649 Gregory K. Davis-to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi for the term of four years