||||||||| Catherwood re-enters the Waiting Room and explains "This is the main discussion room which is logged each night."
||||||||| Catherwood announces, "The time is 4:33 AM - I now declare Saturday's chat log for August 23, 2008 officially open!"... and then, he retires back to the vestibule...
||||||||| Catherwood trudges in at 6:54 AM, dragging By Joltin' Joe Biden 4 VP O,B? by one leg and asks "Can anyone vouch for this yo-yo?"
By Joltin' Joe Biden 4 VP O,B?: Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2008 (Introduced in Senate) S 3052 IS 70. S.3052 : A bill to provide for the transfer of naval vessels to certain foreign recipients. Sponsor: Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE] (introduced 5/22/2008) Cosponsors (1) Committees: Senate Foreign Relations Latest Major Action: 7/29/2008 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3052 To provide for the transfer of naval vessels to certain foreign recipients. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 22, 2008 Mr. BIDEN (for himself and Mr. LUGAR) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A BILL To provide for the transfer of naval vessels to certain foreign recipients. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2008'. SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF NAVAL VESSELS TO CERTAIN FOREIGN RECIPIENTS. (a) Transfers by Grant- The President is authorized to transfer vessels to foreign recipients on a grant basis under section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j), as follows: (1) PAKISTAN- To the Government of Pakistan, the OLIVER HAZARD PERRY class guided missile frigate MCINERNEY (FFG-8). (2) GREECE- To the Government of Greece, the OSPREY class minehunter coastal ships OSPREY (MHC-51) and ROBIN (MHC-54). (3) CHILE- To the Government of Chile, the KAISER class oiler ANDREW J. HIGGINS (AO-190). (4) PERU- To the Government of Peru, the NEWPORT class amphibious tank landing ships FRESNO (LST-1182) and RACINE (LST-1191). (b) Grants Not Counted in Annual Total of Transferred Excess Defense Articles- The value of a vessel transferred to a recipient on a grant basis pursuant to authority provided by subsection (a) shall not be counted against the aggregate value of excess defense articles transferred in any fiscal year under section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j). (c) Costs of Transfers- Any expense incurred by the United States in connection with a transfer authorized by this section shall be charged to the recipient (notwithstanding section 516(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j(e))). (d) Repair and Refurbishment in United States Shipyards- To the maximum extent practicable, the President shall require, as a condition of the transfer of a vessel under this section, that the recipient to which the vessel is transferred have such repair or refurbishment of the vessel as is needed, before the vessel joins the naval forces of the recipient, performed at a shipyard located in the United States, including a United States Navy shipyard. (e) Expiration of Authority- The authority to transfer a vessel under this section shall expire at the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 72. S.3103 : A bill to amend the Iran, North Korea, and Syria nonproliferation Act to allow certain extraordinary payments in connection with the International Space Station. Sponsor: Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE] (by request) (introduced 6/9/2008) Cosponsors (2) Committees: Senate Foreign Relations Latest Major Action: 6/9/2008 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. 80. S.3351 : A bill to enhance drug trafficking interdiction by creating a Federal felony for operating or embarking in a submersible or semi-submersible vessel without nationality and on an international voyage. Sponsor: Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE] (introduced 7/28/2008) Cosponsors (3) Committees: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Latest Major Action: 7/28/2008 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drug Trafficking Interdiction Assistance Act of 2008 (Introduced in Senate) S 3351 IS 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3351 To enhance drug trafficking interdiction by creating a Federal felony for operating or embarking in a submersible or semi-submersible vessel without nationality and on an international voyage. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 28, 2008 Mr. BIDEN (for himself, Mr. GRASSLEY, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A BILL To enhance drug trafficking interdiction by creating a Federal felony for operating or embarking in a submersible or semi-submersible vessel without nationality and on an international voyage. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Drug Trafficking Interdiction Assistance Act of 2008'. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds and declares that operating or embarking in a submersible or semi-submersible vessel without nationality and on an international voyage is a serious international problem, facilitates transnational crime, including drug trafficking, and terrorism, and presents a specific threat to the safety of maritime navigation and the security of the United States. SEC. 3. OPERATION OF SUBMERSIBLE OR SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE VESSEL WITHOUT NATIONALITY. (a) In General- Chapter 111 of title 18 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: `SEC. 2285. OPERATION OF SUBMERSIBLE OR SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE VESSEL WITHOUT NATIONALITY. `(a) Offenses- `(1) IN GENERAL- Whoever knowingly or intentionally operates by any means or embarks in any submersible or semi-submersible vessel that is without nationality and that is navigating or has navigated into, through, or from waters beyond the outer limit of the territorial sea of a single country or a lateral limit of that country's territorial sea with an adjacent country, with the intent to evade detection, shall be punished as prescribed in subsection (h). `(2) ATTEMPTS AND CONSPIRACIES- Whoever attempts or conspires to violate this section shall be punished as prescribed in subsection (h). `(b) Definitions- In this section: `(1) SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE VESSEL- The term `semi-submersible vessel' means any watercraft constructed or adapted to be capable of operating with most of its hull and bulk under the surface of the water, including both manned and unmanned watercraft. `(2) SUBMERSIBLE VESSEL- The term `submersible vessel' means a watercraft that is capable of operating completely below the surface of the water, including both manned and unmanned watercraft. `(3) VESSEL WITHOUT NATIONALITY- The term `vessel without nationality' has the same meaning as section 70502(d) of title 46, United States Code. `(4) EVADE DETECTION- The term `evade detection' includes the indicia in section 70507 (b)(1)(A), (E), (F), (G), (b)(4), (b)(5), and (b)(6) of title 46, United States Code. `(c) Extraterritorial Jurisdiction- There is extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over the offenses described in this section, including an attempt or conspiracy to commit such offense. `(d) Claim of Nationality or Registry- A claim of nationality or registry under this section includes only-- `(1) possession on board the vessel and production of documents evidencing the vessel's nationality as provided in article 5 of the 1958 Convention on the High Seas; `(2) flying its nation's ensign or flag; or `(3) a verbal claim of nationality or registry by the master or individual in charge of the vessel. `(e) Affirmative Defense- `(1) IN GENERAL- It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section, which the defendant shall prove by a preponderance of the evidence, that any submersible or semi-submersible vessel that the defendant operated by any means or embarked, at the time of the offense-- `(A) was a vessel of the United States or lawfully registered in a foreign nation as claimed by the master or individual in charge of the vessel when requested to make a claim by an officer of the United States authorized to enforce applicable provisions of United States law; `(B) was classed by and designed in accordance with the rules of a classification society; `(C) was lawfully operated in a government-regulated or -licensed activity, including commerce, research, or exploration; or `(D) was equipped with and using an operable automatic identification system vessel monitoring system, or long range identification and tracking system. `(2) PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS- The affirmative defenses provided by this subsection are proved conclusively by the production of-- `(A) government documents evidencing the vessel's nationality at the time of the offense as provided in article 5 of the 1958 Convention on the High Seas; `(B) a certificate of classification issued by the vessel's classification society upon completion of relevant classification surveys and valid at the time of the offense; or `(C) government documents evidencing licensure, regulation, or registration for research or exploration. `(f) Federal Activities- Nothing in this section applies to lawfully authorized activities carried out by, or at the direction of, the United States Government. `(g) Applicability of Other Provisions- Sections 70504 and 70505 of title 46, United States Code, apply to this section. `(h) Penalties- A person violating this section shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 15 years, or both.'. (b) Conforming Amendment- The table of sections for chapter 111 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: `Sec. 2285. Operation of submersible or semi-submersible vessel without nationality.'. SEC. 4. DIRECTIVE TO THE UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION. (a) In General- Pursuant to its authority under section 994(p) of title 28, United States Code, and in accordance with this section, the United States Sentencing Commission shall promulgate sentencing guidelines (including policy statements) or amend existing sentencing guidelines (including policy statements) to provide adequate penalties for persons convicted of knowingly or intentionally operating by any means or embarking in any submersible or semi-submersible vessel as defined in section 3. (b) Requirements- In carrying out this section, the United States Sentencing Commission shall-- (1) ensure that the sentencing guidelines and policy statements reflect the serious nature of the offenses described in section 3 and the need for deterrence to prevent such offenses; (2) account for any aggravating or mitigating circumstances that might justify exceptions, including-- (A) the use of a submersible or semi-submersible vessels described in section 3 to facilitate other felonies; (B) the repeated use of submersible or semi-submersible vessel described in section 3 to facilitate other felonies, including whether such use is part of an ongoing commercial organization or enterprise; (C) whether the use of submersible or semi-submersible vessel involves a pattern of continued and flagrant violations; (D) whether the persons operating or embarking in a submersible or semi-submersible vessel willfully caused, attempted to cause, or permitted the destruction or damage of such vessel or failed to heave to when directed by law enforcement officers; and (E) circumstances for which the sentencing guidelines (and policy statements) currently provide sentencing enhancements; (3) ensure reasonable consistency with other relevant directives, other sentencing guidelines and policy statements, and statutory provisions; (4) make any necessary and conforming changes to the sentencing guidelines and policy statements; and (5) ensure that the sentencing guidelines and policy statements adequately meet the purposes of sentencing set forth in section 3553(a)(2) of title 18, United States Code. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- International Space Station Payments Act of 2008 (Introduced in Senate) S 3103 IS 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3103 To amend the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act to allow certain extraordinary payments in connection with the International Space Station. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 9, 2008 Mr. BIDEN (for himself and Mr. LUGAR) (by request) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A BILL To amend the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act to allow certain extraordinary payments in connection with the International Space Station. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `International Space Station Payments Act of 2008'. SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO MAKE CERTAIN EXTRAORDINARY PAYMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. Section 7(1)(B) of the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (Public Law 106-178; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended-- (1) by striking `except that such term does not mean payments' and inserting the following: `except that such term does not mean-- `(i) payments'; (2) by striking `or contract related thereto.' and inserting `or contract related thereto; or'; and (3) by adding at the end the following new clause: `(ii) payments in cash or in kind made or to be made by the United States Government between January 1, 2012, and reentry into Earth's atmosphere of the International Space Station at its end of life, for work to be performed or services to be rendered during that period necessary to meet United States obligations under the Agreement Concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station, with annex, signed at Washington January 29, 1998, and entered into force March 27, 2001, or any protocol, agreement, memorandum of understanding, or contract related thereto, except that this clause does not allow for payments in cash or in kind to be made by the United States Government for-- `(I) any cargo services provided by a Progress vehicle; or `(II) any crew transportation or rescue services provided by a Soyuz vehicle after-- `(aa) the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle reaches full operational capability; or `(bb) a United States commercial provider of crew transportation and rescue services demonstrates the capability to meet mission requirements of the International Space Station.'. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- sourceTHOMAS .LOC.gov
By Joltin' Joe Biden 4 VP O,B?: Catherwood, swear me not responsible not in sane.
||||||||| Catherwood swears By Joltin' Joe Biden 4 VP O,B? not responsible not in sane.
||||||||| By Joltin' Joe Biden 4 VP O,B? leaves to catch the 6:57 AM train to Minnesota.
||||||||| Catherwood enters, and announces to all and sundry "It's 4:32 AM, time to change the log file and clean out unused rooms; please exit the chat room for a minute or two. Thank you for your patience."