Again, not that I am aware of, but that is a pretty specific question. We can get that level of detail for the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have been fracking in the Northwest Territories. There is vertical fracking and horizontal fracking. There has been fracking in the Cameron Hills in the ‘70s and we’ve been fracking in the Lone Pine Resources in Fort Liard. Imperial Oil actually has been doing some fracking under a different name.
I want to know from the Minister, through all these different fracks throughout the years, has the Minister, with his colleagues, seen any type of environmental issues that are raised by the anti-fracking groups?
Again, not that I am aware of. We have been seeing hydraulic fracturing for decades now, specifically in western Canada where there have been hundreds of thousands of wells drilled without incident, and it has happened here in the Northwest Territories without incident.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The time for oral questions has expired.
Colleagues, before we go on today, I’d like to wish one of my table officers a happy birthday, Ms. Gail Bennett. Happy Birthday to Gail. I won’t let you know her age, but it’s a very special one.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of a fracking moratorium pending a comprehensive regional review.
The petition contains 1,142 signatures of Northwest Territories residents and the petitioners request that the Government of the Northwest Territories put a moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing until a comprehensive, transparent and public review of the cumulative environmental, social and economic risks and benefits of the process is completed under Part 5.1 of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and the NWT public clearly indicates whether the risks and benefits are acceptable or not and that the Government of the Northwest Territories shift economic development away from the exploitation of fossil fuels and towards economic diversification based on renewable energy and conservation.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of the 2013-2014 Public Accounts and commends it to the House.
Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of the 2013-2014 Public Accounts and commends it to the House.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to present its third and final report on its review of the public accounts during the term of the 17th Legislative Assembly. The review of the 2013-2014 Public Accounts of the Northwest Territories took place in two parts this year:
1.
On January 22 and 23, 2015, the standing committee examined the public accounts of the GNWT, with the assistance of staff from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Office of the Comptroller General in the GNWT’s Department of Finance.
2.
On February 12, 2015, with the assistance of staff from NT Hydro, the standing committee reviewed the consolidated financial statements of the Northwest Territories Hydro Corporation (NT Hydro) and its subsidiary companies, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Northwest Territories Energy Corporation (03) Limited [NT Energy Corp. (03) Ltd.].
The standing committee thanks officials from the offices of the Auditor General of Canada, the Comptroller General in the GNWT’s Department of Finance and NT Hydro Corporation for appearing before the committee.
The standing committee wishes to acknowledge the dramatic improvement made by the Department of Finance and all GNWT departments, boards and agencies in the timely completion of the public accounts.
The practice of reviewing the public accounts fell out of favour with previous Assemblies owing, in part, to the late completion of the public accounts. The GNWT has improved the timeliness of completion of the public accounts to the point where it may not be practically feasible to complete the public accounts any earlier than they are now being done.
The standing committee encourages continued improvement for those public agencies still struggling to complete their public accounts on time and encourages the GNWT, as a whole, to keep up the good work in the years to come.
As a result of this year’s review of the 2013-2014 Public Accounts, the Standing Committee on Government Operations makes the following recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories:
1.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations again recommends that the Minister of Finance provide the committee with the interim public accounts by August 31st, in time for committee review of the government’s business plans.
2.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations again recommends that the Department of Finance continue to work with the Auditor General of Canada and GNWT departments, boards and agencies to complete the interim and final public accounts at the earliest possible date each year and in time for their respective statutory reporting deadlines.
3.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations again recommends that, as part of the standard reporting process, the comptroller general include a list of public agencies in the consolidated public accounts that did not meet the deadline for completion of their audits.
4.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations again recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories continue to provide updated timetables or schedules for the environmental assessment of all known potentially contaminated sites for which the GNWT is responsible, to be included annually in the public accounts.
5.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that, to enhance transparency, the Government of the Northwest Territories improve the quality-of-reporting in the public accounts, including providing a detailed explanation of how the government met the requirements of its Fiscal Responsibility Policy for the year in question.
6.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that, in the interests of transparency and accountability, the Department of Finance share the findings and recommendations of the Internal Audit Bureau with the committee in confidence, particularly where the Government of the Northwest Territories relies on those findings and recommendations as substantiation for actions taken.
7.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Finance require all public agencies to include a management discussion analysis in their year-end reports.
8.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days.
Mr. Speaker, that concludes the executive summary of Committee Report 16-17(5). Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its report in its entirety on the review of the 2013-2014 Public Accounts and commends it to the House.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Motion is on the floor. Motion is in order.
Question.
Question has been called. Motion is carried
---Carried
Supplementary Financial Statements Boards
This section contains financial statements for the eight education boards and eight health and social services authorities.
All of these boards have had independent audits done by a variety of accounting firms. Of these 16 boards, 13 had “qualified” opinions, explaining that because salaries/wages and benefits are calculated for the boards by the GNWT, they are not subject to complete audit verification. This was also the case with last year’s public accounts.
Again this year, the opinion on the Sahtu DEC’s financial statement was additionally qualified on the basis that it was outside of the auditor’s scope to audit the transactions and balances of an accountable advance, the balance of which was $276,819 as at the June 30 fiscal year end (2013: $429,903).
As was also the case last year, the three agencies with clean audit opinions are: Yellowknife Catholic Schools, YK District No. 1 and the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority.
The standing committee paid particular attention to the financial statements for the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority and the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority. At their discretion, these authorities each included a “Management Discussion Analysis” providing additional detail related to the management challenges facing these authorities. Members found that the analysis was both interesting and enlightening and provided useful insight into the operations of each board.
The standing committee would like to commend these boards for the additional effort put into their financial statements. The committee appreciates that some boards and entities face capacity challenges. Nonetheless, the committee recommends that the Department of Finance require all public agencies to include a management discussion analysis in their year-end reports.
As the only NT Hydro subsidiary undertaking activities that are regulated by the Public Utilities Board, NTPC’s accounting policies differ from those of unregulated utilities. Regulatory assets represent future revenues associated with certain costs, incurred in the current or in prior periods, which are expected to be recovered from customers in future periods through the rate-setting process. Regulatory liabilities represent future reductions or limitations of increases in revenues associated with amounts that are expected to be refunded to customers as a result of the rate-setting process. These liabilities reduce the future rate impact of disposal and remediation costs to customers.
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity
NT Hydro’s total liabilities are made up of current liabilities (accounts payable and accrued liabilities, short-term debt, and current portion of long-term debt), long-term debt (long-term debt net of sinking fund investments, sinking fund investments presented as assets, net lease obligations, and LNG capital lease obligation), and other non-current liabilities (regulatory liabilities, asset retirement obligations, deferred government contributions, and employee future benefits).
NT Hydro’s current liabilities increased by $15.183 million (65.3 percent) from $23.239 million in 2012-13 to $38.422 million in 2013-2014.
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities increased $3.151 million (21 percent) to $18.113 million in 2013-2014 from $14.962 million in 2012-13.
Short-term debt increased $11.909 million (199.2 percent) to $17.888 million in 2013-2014 from $5.979 million in 2012-13.
The current portion of long-term debt increased $123,000 (5.4 percent) from $2.298 million in 2012-13 to $2.421 million in 2013-2014.
NT Hydro’s long-term debt decreased slightly, by a fraction of 1 percent, from $188.386 million in 2012-13 to $188.263 million in 2013-2014.
Long-term debt net of sinking fund investments decreased $3.157 million (1.7 percent) to $117.247 million in 2013-2014 from $180.404 million in 2012-13.
Sinking fund investments presented as assets increased $837,000 (14.7 percent) to $6.513 million in 2013-2014 from $5.676 million in 2012-13.
NT Hydro’s other non-current liabilities increased by $1.493 million (2.8 percent) from $52.521 million in 2012-13 to $54.014 million in 2013-2014.
Regulatory liabilities decreased $1.668 million (4.6 percent) from $36.262 million in 2012-13 to $34.594 million in 2013-2014.
Asset retirement obligations increased $1.253 million (10.3 percent) from $12.224 million in 2012-13 to $13.477 million in 2013-2014. Asset retirement obligations include costs related to the disposal of generating plants on leased land, storage tank systems, and the associated piping for petroleum products in all communities served by NTPC. Asset retirement obligations also include the costs associated with remediation of environmental liabilities. NY Hydro estimates that it would cost $20.727 million to clean up contamination at its 27 sites. The discounted present value of these obligations is $7.972 million. NT Hydro estimates that over 75 percent of the contamination occurred when the Northern Canada Power Commission was controlled by the federal government. There is no provision recorded in NT Hydro’s financial statements for a potential recovery from the federal government.
Deferred government contributions increased by $256,000 (9.6 percent) from $2.678 million in 2012-13 to $2.934 million in 2013-2014. Deferred government contributions include a capital contribution agreement with the GNWT for a photovoltaic preliminary design project in Colville Lake and funding from the Government of Canada for the same project through the ecoENERGY for Aboriginal and Northern Communities Program.
Employee future benefits increased $1.652 million (121.7 percent) from $1.357 million in 2012-13 to $3.009 million in 2013-2014.
Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income
NT Hydro’s total revenues were up $2.726 million (2.7 percent) from $101.171 million in 2012-13 to $103.897 million in 2013-2014.
NT Hydro’s revenues from the sale of power increased by $4.658 million (5.4 percent) from $86.947 million in 2012-13 to $91.605 million in 2013-2014.
GNWT power sales contributions – The GNWT provided $15.6 million to NTPC in 2012-13. $4 million paid down a receivable set up by NTPC as at March 31, 2012, to retire the balances in the territory-wide Rate Stabilization Fund. The remaining $11.6 million is recorded as revenues in 2012-13. In the second year of the agreement (2013-2014), NTPC recorded $9.4 million in revenues.
Other revenues include such things as contract work, pole rental, connection fees and heat revenues.
Other government contributions were up 19.6 percent and included a number of one-year contributions for things such as the recovery of costs related to the NWT Hydro Strategy, water monitoring activities, a combined heat and power feasibility study, implementing LNG in Inuvik, et cetera. These are detailed in Note 19 (NT Hydro Annual Report 2014, page 44).
NT Hydro’s total expenses were up $3.197 million (3.8 percent) from $84.698 million in 2012-13 to $87.895 million in 2013-2014.
Expenses include things such as fuels and lubricants (down 1.4 percent), salaries and wages (up 4 percent), amortization (up 5.9 percent), and supplies and services (up 9.5 percent).
The most notable increase was in travel and accommodation, which was up $433,000 (22.2 percent) from $1.953 million in 2012-13 to $2.386 million in 2013-2014.
The difference between revenues and expenses provides the earnings from operations. NT Hydro’s earnings from operations dropped $435,000 (2.6 percent) from $16.473 million in 2012-13 to $16.002 million in 2013-2014.
When interest income and expenses are factored into earnings from operations, this provides the figure for net income and comprehensive income. NT Hydro’s net income and comprehensive income dropped by $1.257 million (19.4 percent) to $5.233 million in 2013-2014.
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flow
Cash flows provided by operating activities were $7.647 million (61.5 percent) higher at the end of 2014 than the year before.
$6.217 million (26.3 percent) more cash was used in investing activities in 2014 than the year before.
Cash flows provided by financing activities decreased by $2.777 million (23.5 percent) from 2012-13 to 2013-2014.
Mr. Speaker, I move that Committee Report 16-17(5) be received by the House and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Motion is on the floor. Motion is in order.
Question.
Question has been called. Motion is carried.
---Carried
Committee Report 16-17(5) will be moved into committee for consideration later today. Thank you.
Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has reviewed Bill 44, Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, and Bill 47, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, and wishes to report that Bills 44 and 47 as amended and reprinted are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Bills 44 and 47 as amended and reprinted are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 75(5) to have Bill 44, Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, and Bill 47, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Unanimous consent granted
I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 12 on the Order Paper, reports of standing and special committees. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you. The Standing Committee on Social Programs is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of Bill 44: An Act to Amend the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, and commends it to the House.
Bill 44, An Act to Amend the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, will allow for the transformation of the health and social services system. It will require the Minister to establish a single strategic plan for the Northwest Territories and allow the Minister to establish an integrated territorial authority by amalgamating the regional health and social services authorities and Stanton Territorial Health Authority. The bill includes transitional provisions to bring the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority into the public service at a later date. It also includes provisions pertaining to critical incidents.
The committee congratulates the Minister for developing the bill. It is the product of sustained efforts by the Department of Health and Social Services and key stakeholders. In broad terms, system transformation is intended to address inefficiencies, correct inconsistencies in the management of financial and human resources, and create less fragmented experiences for patients and clients.
Bill 44 was referred to the committee on February 10, 2015. The public hearing with the Minister was held on April 20, 2015. The clause-by-clause review was held on June 1, 2015. During the clause-by-clause review, the committee passed nine motions to amend the bill, with the Minister’s agreement. These amendments are discussed below.
In its review of Bill 44, the committee heard from many stakeholders, including the Northwest Territories Information and Privacy Commissioner; the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) under the affiliation of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC); UNW Local 21, which represents employees at the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, the Tlicho Community Services Agency, the K’atlodeeche First Nation, the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society, the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission, and dozens of private residents who attended public meetings.
The committee held public meetings in Yellowknife, Ndilo, Hay River, K’atlodeeche First Nation (Hay River Reserve), Fort Simpson, Behchoko, Deline, Inuvik and Aklavik. Poor weather prevented the committee from flying to Fort Liard and Tuktoyaktuk as planned. During the two-week itinerary, Members also heard from residents about Bill 47, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act.
While Bill 44 generated some negative commentary, the feedback was generally positive. Where serious concerns were raised, the committee typically sought to address them through amendments. The remainder of this report outlines these key concerns and associated amendments. The concluding section includes recommendations for additional courses of action.
Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to turn the reading of the report over to my colleague Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Moses.
Bill 44 in its original form proposed to give substantial new powers to the Minister. The committee introduced two motions to amend the bill to narrow the Minister’s powers. The first amendment will ensure that the Minister can only disregard this act or another enactment for reasons of public safety or to address a pressing gap in service delivery. The second amendment places a restriction on the provision under the regulation-making authority. The original provision would have authorized an exemption through regulations from “any provision of this act.” However, the committee felt strongly that a subordinate form of legislation—a set of regulations—should not circumvent the wish of the Legislative Assembly as expressed in a statute. The Minister agreed to both of these motions at the clause-by-clause review.
The Union of Northern Workers presented a convincing case that Bill 44 in its original form violates workers’ rights to engage in collective bargaining. This right, the UNW argued, is enshrined under Section 2(d) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The UNW specifically took issue with the proposed subsection 17(2), which releases the government of any contractual obligations or liabilities pertaining to the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority except to the extent that it expressly agrees to assume them.
The committee agreed with the UNW’s analysis on this matter, including its claim that three recent cases have significantly altered the Canadian landscape with respect to workers’ rights to engage in collective bargaining. Each case hinges on Section 2(d) of the Charter and protects workers’ rights to advance workplace goals through collective bargaining. The committee further agreed that Bill 44 in its original form would leave the government vulnerable to a legal challenge and subsequently sought to ensure that the entitlements of employees belonging to UNW Local 21 would be handled through a clearly legislated succession of those entitlements.
It is worth nothing that, in the midst of the review, the committee asked the Minister if he would concur with an amendment to provide for mediation wherever the GNWT and Hay River employees were unable to reach agreement. The committee also asked about the status of negotiations between the GNWT and the union representing the Hay River employees and what assurance could be provided that Hay River employees will not lose seniority or pension benefits. Regrettably, there was no formal reply. In the absence of clear information, the committee prepared an amendment that would simultaneously align with the spirit of the bill and give peace of mind to Hay River employees. Specifically, this motion to amend Bill 44 ensures that the transitional provisions will not be brought into force until a contract negotiated through collective bargaining has come into force.
Other issues were raised by the UNW, including the matter of pension entitlements for employees transitioning from the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority to the GNWT. The committee concluded that this matter is outside the scope of the bill but is urging the government to give it careful consideration.
The UNW also expressed fear over the loss of regional positions, arguing that amalgamation will create economies of scale in procurement, records management and diagnostics, and may in turn create redundancies. The committee supports the UNW’s request for assurance that the government will provide retraining for any affected employees.
The committee commends the Minister for introducing provisions pertaining to critical incidents. However, the committee noted a number of concerns. First, the committee sought to clarify who will be eligible to report a critical incident, and prepared a motion to amend which would allow any patient or client, or any relative of a patient or client, or any staff member to report a critical incident. The motion was modeled on provisions in Manitoba’s Regional Health Authorities Act. The Minister concurred with this motion at the clause-by-clause review.
Second, the committee prepared a motion to amend which would compel the Minister to conduct a critical-incident investigation based on a motion of the Legislative Assembly. The Minister also concurred with this motion.
Third, the committee inquired about the proposed Section 25.2 which does not expressly stipulate that a legal guardian or substitute decision-maker must be notified in the case of a critical incident. The committee subsequently determined that provisions in the Health Information Act will apply, establishing a clear protocol for the sharing of medical information pertaining to a child or a person with diminished mental capacities.
Fourth, the committee expressed concern about how critical-incident investigations will be handled and whether the results of investigations will be communicated in a culturally sensitive manner.
Fifth, the UNW noted that clause 9 of Bill 44 would impose a duty on employees to cooperate in any investigation and, further, that investigations could result in disciplinary action or discharge on account of employee misconduct. The UNW sought an amendment to provide for union representation for employees during any investigation, inspection or audit. The committee determined that collective agreements already provide adequate provisions and protections.
Sixth, the Information and Privacy Commissioner noted some privacy implications pertaining to critical-incident investigations, inspections and reporting. She recommended including a general provision stating that personal health information should be protected to the greatest extent possible. However, the committee concluded that the new Health Information Act will establish adequate safeguards pertaining to the use, collection and disclosure of information. In addition, Members noted that reports will have limited circulation.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner raised several privacy concerns. First, a general concern was raised about the combined effect of the proposed amalgamation and the new Health Information Act. The Commissioner noted that these changes will significantly expand the “circle” within which personal health information can be shared without the patient’s express consent. The Commissioner recommended that the Department of Health and Social Services undertake a privacy impact assessment for the proposed amalgamation. The committee agrees with this recommendation.
Second, the Commissioner’s submission alerted the committee to a pair of provisions that would permit a board of management to close a meeting, or a portion of a meeting, if privacy issues warrant it. The Commissioner noted that any meeting should be closed to the public if personal health information is being discussed. Upon reviewing this concern, the Minister agreed and two motions to amend the bill were passed at the clause-by-clause review.
Third, the Commissioner noted that Bill 44 does include a duty to inform a patient if their personal health information is used in the course of an investigation, inspection or audit. The committee determined that the Health Information Act will place appropriate limits in such circumstances. While the use of information for an investigation, inspection or inquiry is a permitted use under the Health Information Act, there are limits and obligations placed on anyone who receives the information. Moreover, the disclosure of information must be recorded by the person disclosing it.
With respect to regional involvement in the new system, some concerns were raised. A handful of stakeholders indicated that regional influence may be unduly diminished under the new system. This viewpoint was also expressed by the public administrator of the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority, who spoke on behalf of a number of Deh Cho residents.
As well, because Bill 44 is silent on the role envisioned for the Tlicho Community Services Agency under the new system, Members are seeking clarity about how this board of management, or any others which might come into existence as a result of self-government agreements, will be accommodated. For their part, the Tlicho Community Services Agency expects things to be business as usual under the new system, although in some areas they intend to seek greater autonomy from the GNWT. One example is housing. The GNWT does not currently permit the Tlicho Community Services Agency to guarantee its staff long-term security of tenure which has a negative impact on staff retention.
K'atlodeeche First Nation is looking for greater clarity with respect to how its unique interests will be represented under the new system. Similarly, Hay River employees seek clarity as to how their needs and interests will be represented on the Territorial Health and Social Services Authority in the absence of an agreement with the GNWT. Once again, the committee invited the Minister to reply to these queries but no reply was given.
The Standing Committee on Social Programs recommends the following courses of action:
that the Department of Health and Social Services conduct a privacy impact assessment pertaining to the proposed amalgamation and the new Health Information Act;
that the Government of the Northwest Territories move swiftly to complete negotiations for a new contract with UNW Local 21;
that the Department of Health and Social Services give careful consideration to the matter of pension entitlements for employees of UNW Local 21;
that the Department of Health and Social Services take reasonable steps to retrain employees if regional positions are lost or threatened as a result of system transformation;
that the Department of Health and Social Services ensure that inspections, investigations and reporting pertaining to critical incidents be conducted in careful adherence to privacy legislation;
that the Department of Health and Social Services ensure that critical incident investigations, and the communication of their results, get handled in a culturally-sensitive manner;
that the Department of Health and Social Services establish rules in the regulations around the taking of samples for the purposes of an investigation;
that the Department of Health and Social Services ensure that clear terms of reference are in place for each regional council;
that the Minister of Health and Social Services ensure that the chairs of regional councils have a sound base of experience in the delivery of health and social services;
10)
that the Department of Health and Social Services give due care to information shared between the Territorial Health and Social Services Authority and charitable foundations; and
11)
that the Department of Health and Social Services communicate effectively with stakeholders regarding its change-management plan.
That the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days.
Mr. Speaker, I now turn the report over to Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Standing Committee on Social Programs thanks all stakeholders who provided written submissions on Bill 44 or attended public meetings.
The committee advises that it supports Bill 44 as amended and reprinted and presents it for consideration to Committee of the Whole.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Committee Report 17-17(5) is received and moved into Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Moses.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 100(4) to have Committee Report 17-17(5), Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Review of Bill 44: Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration later today.
---Unanimous consent granted
