Senate work on security bill to spill over to next week

The Senate voted 69-26 Friday morning to cut off debate on the bill that would implement unfulfilled recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, but continuing disputes over how to dispose of amendments forced senators to put off a final vote until Tuesday.

Republicans and Democrats were working to reach agreement on a list of amendments that could be passed by unanimous consent and a list of germane amendments that would be voted Tuesday.

One of the biggest disputes concerned whether to include an amendment from Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., that would waive a law requiring Louisiana communities to match 10 percent of the cost for disaster recovery projects associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Landrieu said the requirement was "choking" recovery and redevelopment in her state.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has objected to allowing her amendment, aides said. Signaling a possible agreement, however, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., indicated at presstime that Landrieu's amendment would not be included in the bill. Instead, Reid called on President Bush to waive the requirement.

If Bush does not waive the requirement, Reid said he will push to have Landrieu's amendment attached to the emergency supplemental funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "If we can't do it on this bill and the president won't do it, then we'll have to do it on the supplemental," Reid said.

Landrieu succeeded in getting another one of her amendments included in the package that would be voted on Tuesday, aides said. That amendment would require the Homeland Security Department to include levees in the list of critical infrastructure sectors.

Other amendments slated for action Tuesday, according to aides, would sunset every provision in the bill at the end of 2012 to ensure Congress reviews them; create a national Internet protocol-enabled emergency communications network; ensure the fiscal integrity of grants awarded by Homeland Security; prohibit the use of peer review processes in determining allocation of grants for high-risk urban areas; allow state and local public safety agencies to use state homeland security grants to cover personnel costs; alter data-mining requirements in the bill; require the Homeland Security Department to create a program and regulations for vehicles transporting hazardous waste; and require the Senate Homeland Security and Intelligence committees to report on intelligence reform and congressional intelligence oversight.

In another floor vote Friday, Democrats defeated a Republican-backed package of amendments by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that would have increased the government's authority to punish, detain or deport foreigners or people suspected of supporting terrorist acts.

But Republicans continued Friday to object to a provision in the bill that would grant federal airport screeners collective bargaining rights. The White House has threatened to veto the bill if it includes that provision. "At some level, you're looking at a bill that's got a fatal flaw," a GOP aide said. "At some level, there needs to be significant alterations at the conference level."