108th Congress (2003 - 2004)
January 20 - December 20, 2004
Senate Committee Meetings by Date
Compiled from the Congressional Record's Daily Digests via Thomas at thomas.loc.gov
2004/01/20
Daily Digest - Tuesday, January 20, 2004; pages D1 - D6
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
OVERTIME PAY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine the Department
of Labor's proposed rule on overtime pay, after receiving testimony from
Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Labor; Jared Bernstein, Economic Policy
Institute, Ronald Bird, Employment Policy Foundation, Andrew J. McDevitt,
American Payroll Association, Patti Hefner, on behalf of the American Nurses
Association, Richard L. Trumka, AFL-CIO, and David S. Fortney, Fortney and
Scott, all of Washington, D.C.
NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENTS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on North Korean nuclear developments and the Six-Power Talks from
Siegfried Hecker, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico; and
Keith Luse and Frank Jannuzi, both of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/21
Daily Digest - Wednesday, January 21, 2004; pages D8 - D12
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENTS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing on North Korean
Nuclear Developments, after receiving testimony from Siegfried Hecker, Los
Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico.
[Page: D10]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/22
Daily Digest - Thursday, January 22, 2004; pages D14 - D15
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NIH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine avoiding
conflicts of interest at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focusing on
the executive branch ethics program and the role of the Office of Government
Ethics (OGE), OGE program reviews at NIH, and recusals and audits, policies
and procedures for avoiding conflicts of interest, after receiving testimony
from Elias A. Zerhouni, Director, Stephen I. Katz, Director, National
Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Edgar M.
Swindell, Associate General Counsel, Ethics Division, Ruth Kirschstein, Senior
Advisor to the Director, and John I. Gallin, Director, Warren G. Magnuson
Clinical Center, all of the National Institutes of Health, Department of
Health and Human Services; and Marilyn L. Glynn, Acting Director, Office of
Government Ethics.
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on ongoing military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan from Peter W.
Rodman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs;
Rear Admiral Robert B. Murrett, USN, Director for Intelligence, J-2, and
Lieutenant General Norton A. Schwartz, USAF, Director for Operations, J-3,
both of U.S. Joint Forces Command; and Reuben Jeffery III, Coalition
Provisional Authority.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Raymond W. Gruender, of Missouri, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Eighth Circuit, who was introduced by Senators Bond and Talent;
Ricardo S. Martinez, to be United States District Judge for the Western
District of Washington, who was introduced by Senator Murray; Gene E. K.
Pratter, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania, who was introduced by Senators Specter and Santorum; and Neil
Vincent Wake, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona,
who was introduced by Senator Kyl, after each nominee testified and answered
questions in their own behalf.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community. Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/23
Daily Digest - Friday, January 23, 2004; pages D17 - D20
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/26
Daily Digest - Monday, January 26, 2004; pages D21 - D24
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/27
Daily Digest - Tuesday, January 27, 2004; pages D26 - D30
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
FOOD SAFETY: BSE
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the current situation regarding the discovery of a case of
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow in Washington State as
it relates to food safety, livestock marketing and international trade, after
receiving testimony from Senators Durbin and Allard; Ann M. Veneman, Secretary
of Agriculture; Lester M. Crawford, Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs,
Department of Health and Human Services; and Alfonso Torres, Cornell
University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, New York.
[Page: D27]
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the budget
and economic outlook for fiscal years 2005 to 2014, after receiving testimony
from Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Office.
AFGHANISTAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to assess the
international effort to stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan, focusing on the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), after receiving testimony from
General James L. Jones, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Supreme
Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe, Mons, Belgium; and William B. Taylor, Jr.,
Coordinator for Afghanistan, Department of State.
MUTUAL FUNDS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial Management, the
Budget, and International Security concluded an oversight hearing to examine
the disclosure of mutual fund fees and the need for additional disclosures of
mutual fund practices, including how the fees and other costs that investors
pay as part of owning fund shares can affect their investment returns, after
receiving testimony from Richard J. Hillman, Director, Financial Markets and
Community Investment, General Accounting Office; New York Attorney General
Eliot L. Spitzer, Albany; Peter T. Scannell, Weymouth Landing, Massachusetts;
James Nesfield, Nesfield Capital, Engelhard, North Carolina; John C. Bogle,
Bogle Financial Markets Research Center/Vanguard Group, Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania; Jeffrey C. Keil, Lipper Inc., Travis Plunkett, Consumer
Federation of America, Paul S. Stevens, Dechert LLP, on behalf of the
Investment Company Institute, and Marc E. Lackritz, Securities Industry
Association, all of Washington, D.C.; and John P. Freeman, University of South
Carolina School of Law, Columbia.
U.S. GOVERNMENT CONTINUITY
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine a
proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee a functioning Congress, with
respect to ensuring the continuity of the United States government, after
receiving testimony from former Senator Alan Simpson, on behalf of the
Continuity of Government Commission; Sanford V. Levinson, University of Texas
Law School, Austin; and Howard M. Wasserman, Florida International University
College of Law, Miami.
SEAPORT SECURITY
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and
Homeland Security concluded a hearing to examine seaport security since
September 11, 2001, focusing on the National Targeting Center, the Automated
Targeting System, the Container Security Initiative, and non-intrusive
inspection and radiation detection technologies, after receiving testimony
from Rear Admiral Larry L. Hereth, Director of Port Security, U.S. Coast
Guard, and Robert M. Jacksta, Executive Director, Border Security and
Facilitation, Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection, both
of the Department of Homeland Security; and Gary M. Bald, Acting Assistant
Director, Counter-Terrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Department of Justice.
RETIREMENT PLANNING
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
retirement planning, including retirement reform proposals, after receiving
testimony from Jack L. VanDerhei, Temple University, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, on behalf of the Employee Benefit Research Institute; and
Jagadeesh Gokhale, CATO Institute, Washington, D.C.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/28
Daily Digest - Wednesday, January 28, 2004; pages D31 - D38
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
WMD
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine efforts
to determine the status of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and related
programs, after receiving testimony from David Kay, former Special Advisor to
the Director of Central Intelligence on Strategy Regarding Iraqi Weapons of
Mass Destruction Programs.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported 4,763
nominations in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Francis J. Harvey, of California, to be Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Networks and Information Integration, and Lawrence T. Di Rita, of
Michigan, to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs; and William
A. Chatfield, of Texas, to be Director of Selective Service, after each
nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
NASA
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the future space mission of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA), focusing on exploration activities in low Earth
orbit, the space shuttle, the International Space Station, the Moon, Mars and
other destinations, space transportation capabilities supporting exploration,
and international and commercial participation, after receiving testimony from
Sean O'Keefe, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
Louis D. Friedman, Planetary Society, Pasadena, California; Neal Lane, Rice
University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Houston, Texas; Howard E.
McCurdy, American University Department of Public Administration School of
Public Affairs, Washington, D.C.; and Richard Tumlinson, Space Frontier
Foundation, Nyack, New York.
PAKISTAN AND INDIA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing regarding steps toward rapprochement in relation to Pakistan and
India from members of the intelligence community.
PAKISTAN AND INDIA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine steps
toward rapprochement, focusing on the aversion of nuclear war, the status of
Kashmir, prospects for detente, and controls against arms proliferation, after
receiving testimony from Frank Wisner, American International Group, New York,
New York; Stephen P. Cohen, Brookings Institution, and Michael Krepon, Henry
L. Stimson Center, both of Washington, D.C.
HEALTH CARE COSTS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine health issues relating to health care costs and the
uninsured, focusing on inefficiencies in America's health care delivery
systems, after receiving testimony from Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director,
Congressional Budget Office; Arnold Milstein, Pacific Business Group on
Health, San Francisco, California; Karen Davis, The Commonwealth Fund, New
York, New York; Christopher J. Conover, Duke University, Terry Sanford
Institute of Public Policy, Durham, North Carolina; and Gail R. Wilensky,
Project HOPE, Bethesda, Maryland.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 1721, to
amend the Indian Land Consolidation Act to improve provisions relating to
probate of trust and restricted land, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
[Page: D33]
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Franklin S. Van Antwerpen, of Pennsylvania, to be United States
Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, after the nominee, who was introduced by
Senators Specter and Santorum, testified and answered questions in his own
behalf.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/29
Daily Digest - Thursday, January 29, 2004; pages D39 - D40
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
TREATY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine The
Protocol Additional to the Agreement Between the United States of America and
the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards in
the United States of America, with annexes, signed at Vienna June 12, 1998
(Treaty Doc. 107-7), after receiving testimony from Linton F. Brooks,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; Peter Lichtenbaum,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration; Susan F. Burk,
Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Non-proliferation; and Mark T. Esper,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/01/30
Daily Digest - Friday, January 30, 2003; pages D41 - D42
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/02
Daily Digest - Monday, February 2, 2004; pages D44 - D47
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
bills:
S. 882, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide improvements in
tax administration and taxpayer safe-guards, with an amendment in the nature
of a substitute;
An original bill entitled "National Employee Savings and Trust Equity
Guarantee Act"; and
An original bill entitled "Highway Reauthorization and Excise Tax
Simplification Act of 2004".
[Page: D46]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/03
Daily Digest - Tuesday, February 3, 2004; pages D50 - D54
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
No committee meetings were held.
[Page: D51]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/04
Daily Digest - Wednesday, February 4, 2004; pages D55 - D59
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005 and future years defense
program, after receiving testimony from Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of
Defense; and General Peter Pace, USMC, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nominations of Lawrence T. Di Rita, of Michigan, to be an Assistant Secretary
of Defense for Public Affairs, and Francis J. Harvey, of California, to be an
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration, and
438 military nominations in the Army, Navy and Air Force.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Committee ordered favorably
reported an original bill entitled Federal Public transportation Act of 2004.
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BUDGET
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Administration's Health and Human Services budget priorities for fiscal year
2005, after receiving testimony from Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
workforce issues relating to preserving a strong United States Postal Service,
after receiving testimony from Walter M. Olihovik, National Association of
Postmasters of the United States, Steve D. LeNoir, National League of
Postmasters, and Ted Keating, National Association of Postal Supervisors, all
of Alexandria, Virginia; John Calhoun Wells, San Antonio, Texas, former
Director of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; James L. Medoff,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Michael L. Wachter,
University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/05
Daily Digest - Thursday, February 5, 2004; pages D62 - D63
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of William Gerry Myers III, of Idaho, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Ninth Circuit, who was introduced by Senators Craig and Crapo,
William S. Duffey, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the Northern
District of Georgia, who was introduced by Senators Miller and Chambliss, and
Lawrence F. Stengel, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern
District of Pennsylvania, who was introduced by Senators Specter and Santorum,
after each nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
[Page: D63]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/06
Daily Digest - Friday, February 6, 2004; pages D66 - D70
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/09
Daily Digest - Monday, February 9, 2004; pages D72 - D74
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BUDGET
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for the
Department of Homeland Security, after receiving testimony from Tom Ridge,
Secretary of Homeland Security.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/10
Daily Digest - Tuesday, February 10, 2004; pages D75 - D80
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
Department of Homeland Security, after receiving testimony from Tom Ridge,
Secretary of Homeland Security.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
proposed Department of Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005 and
the Future Years Defense Program, after receiving testimony from General Peter
J. Schoomaker, USA, Chief of Staff, United States Army; Admiral Vernon E.
Clark, USN, Chief of Naval Operations; General Michael W. Hagee, USMC,
Commandant of the Marine Corps; and General John P. Jumper, USAF, Chief of
Staff, United States Air Force.
GSE'S
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine proposals for improving the regulatory regime of government
sponsored enterprises (GSE's) and oversight, focusing on the application of
federal securities law disclosure and reporting requirements to Fannie Mae,
Freddie Mac and the federal home lone bands, after receiving testimony from
David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States; Alan L. Beller,
Director, Division of Corporation Finance, U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, General Accounting Office; Richard S. Carnell, Fordham University
School of Law, New York, New York; and James R. Rayburn, Jackson, Mississippi,
on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY BUDGET
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for the
Department of Energy, after receiving testimony from Kyle E. McSlarrow, Deputy
Secretary of Energy.
NOMINATION
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nomination
of Samuel W. Bodman, to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, after the nominee
testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BUDGET
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
Veterans Affairs, after receiving testimony from Anthony J. Principi,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, who was accompanied by several of his
associates; Richard B. Jones, AMVETS, Lanham, Maryland; and Paul A. Hayden,
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Rick Surratt, Disabled American
Veterans, Richard B. Fuller, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Peter S.
Gaytan, American Legion, all of Washington, D.C.
ELDERCARE
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine tax
relief strategies for eldercare, focusing on Senior Elder Care Relief and
Empowerment (SECURE) Act, after receiving testimony from Sandra Markwood,
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Flora Green, The Senior's
Coalition, and Richard Teske, all of Washington, D.C.; Gail Gibson Hunt,
National Alliance for Caregiving, Bethesda, Maryland; and Trudy Elliott, Coer
d' Alene, Idaho.
[Page: D77]
Joint Meetings
PRESIDENT'S ECONOMIC REPORT
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
economic report of the President, after receiving testimony from N. Gregory
Mankiw, Chairman, and Harvey S. Rosen and Kristin J. Forbes, both members, all
of the Council of Economic Advisors.
2004/02/11
Daily Digest - Wednesday, February 11, 2004; pages D81 - D88
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
RECONSTRUCTION IN IRAQ
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on
International Trade and Finance concluded a hearing to examine economic and
financial reconstruction in Iraq, focusing on the development of Iraq's
financial sector, after receiving testimony from John B. Taylor, Under
Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs; Earl Anthony Wayne,
Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs; and Gordon
West, Acting Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Asia and the Near East,
United States Agency for International Development.
TELEVISION PROGRAMMING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine efforts to protect children from violent and indecent
programming, focusing on FCC's enforcement actions, the rise of public
concern, the television V-chip and program ratings legislation, and
family-friendly television programming, after receiving testimony from Senator
Graham (SC); Michael K. Powell, Chairman, and Kathleen Q. Abernathy, Michael
J. Copps, Kevin J. Martin, Jonathan S. Adelstein, each a Commissioner, all of
the Federal Communications Commission.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 213, to clear title to certain real property in New Mexico associated with
the Middle Rio Grande Project, with an amendment;
S. 524, to expand the boundaries of the Fort Donelson National Battlefield to
authorize the acquisition and interpretation of lands associated with the
campaign that resulted in the capture of the fort in 1862, with an amendment;
S. 943, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into 1 or more
contracts with the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, for the storage of water in the
Kendrick Project, Wyoming, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 960, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and
Facilities Act to authorize certain projects in the State of Hawaii and to
amend the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2000 to modify the water resources
study, with an amendment;
S. 1107, to enhance the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program for the
National Park Service, with an amendment;
S. 1516, to further the purposes of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and
Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the Secretary of the Interior, acting
through the commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out an assessment and
demonstration program to assess potential increases in water availability for
Bureau of Reclamation projects and other uses through control of salt cedar
and Russian olive, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1576, to revise the boundary of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park;
S. 1577, to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a
hydroelectric project in the State of Wyoming;
S. 1848, to amend the Bend Pine Nursery Land Conveyance Act to direct the
Secretary of Agriculture to sell the, Bend Pine Nursery Administration Site in
the State of Oregon, with an amendment;
H.R. 408, to provide for expansion of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore;
H.R. 417, to revoke a Public Land Order with respect to certain lands
erroneously included in the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, California;
H.R. 708, to require the conveyance of certain National Forest System lands in
Mendocino National Forest, California, to provide for the use of the proceeds
from such conveyance for National Forest purposes;
H.R. 856, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to revise a repayment
contract with the Tom Green County Water Control and Improvement District No.
1, San Angelo project, Texas;
H.R. 1598, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and
Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in
projects within the San Diego Creek Watershed, California;
S. 1167, to resolve the boundary conflicts in Barry and Stone Counties in the
State of Missouri, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
An original bill with statutes related to National Parks.
INDIAN PROGRAMS BUDGET
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee held a hearing to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for Indian Programs,
receiving testimony from Tex G. Hall, National Congress of American Indians,
H. Sally Smith, National Indian Health Board, Russell Sossamon, National
American Indian Housing, Council, and Gary L. Edwards, National Native Law
Enforcement Association, all of Washington, D.C.; Don Kashevaroff, Alaska
Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, Alaska; and Cindy La Marr,
National Indian Education Association, Alexandria, Virginia.
[Page: D83]
Hearings continue on Wednesday, February 25.
CABLE COMPETITION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and
Consumer Rights concluded a hearing to examine cable industry competition,
focusing on the state of competition in a multichannel video market, after
receiving testimony from Michael Willner, Insight Communications, New York,
New York; Rodger Johnson, Knology, Inc., West Point, Georgia, on behalf of the
Broadband Service Providers Association; Coralie Wilson, National Association
of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, Alexandria, Virginia; and Robert
Sachs, National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Scott Cleland,
Precursor Group, and Mark N. Cooper, Consumer Federation of America, all of
Washington, D.C.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Diane S. Sykes, of Wisconsin, to be United States Circuit Judge
for the Seventh Circuit, who was introduced by Senators Kohl and Feingold, and
Representative Sensebrenner; James L. Robart, to be United States District
Judge for the Western District of Washington, who was introduced by Senators
Murray and Cantwell; and Juan R. Sanchez, to be United States District Judge
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, who was introduced by Senators
Specter and Santorum.
2004/02/12
Daily Digest - Thursday, February 12, 2004; pages D90 - D96
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
MONETARY POLICY REPORT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the first monetary policy report to Congress for 2004,
after receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman, Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
Health and Human Services, after receiving testimony from Tommy G. Thompson,
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUDGET
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the President's proposed fiscal year 2005 budget for the Department of
the Interior, after receiving testimony from Gale A. Norton, Secretary of the
Interior.
PUBLIC LANDS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 1466, to facilitate the transfer of
land in the State of Alaska, S. 1421, to authorize the subdivision and
dedication of restricted land owned by Alaska Natives, S. 1649, to designate
the Ojito Wilderness Study Area as wilderness, to take certain land into trust
for the Pueblo of Zia, and S. 1910, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to
carry out an inventory and management program for forests derived from public
domain land, after receiving testimony from Senator Stevens; Kathleen Clarke,
Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; Peter M.
Pino, Pueblo of Zia, Zia Pueblo, New Mexico; Martin Heinrich, Albuquerque, New
Mexico; Marty Rutherford, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and Jack
Hession, Sierra Club, both of Anchorage, Alaska; James Mery, Doyon, Limited,
Fairbanks, Alaska; Russell Heath, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, and
Edward K. Thomas, Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska,
both of Juneau, Alaska.
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY BUDGET
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's
proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of the
Treasury, after receiving testimony from John W. Snow, Secretary of the
Treasury.
[Page: D93]
NOMINATION
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of
Samuel W. Bodman, of Massachusetts, to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.
STATE DEPARTMENT BUDGET
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
President's proposed fiscal year 2005 International Affairs budget for the
Department of State, focusing on foreign policy and programs in winning the
war on terrorism, global economic growth, and AIDS relief, after receiving
testimony from Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State.
U.S.-VIETNAMESE RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs
concluded a hearing to examine the future of U.S.-Vietnamese relations,
focusing on trade and human rights issues, after receiving testimony from John
V. Hanford III, Ambassador at Large, Office of International Religious
Freedom, and Matthew Daley, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian
and Pacific Affairs, both of the Department of State; Michael Young, Chair,
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; Bob Seiple,
Institute for Global Management, St. Davids, Pennsylvania; Virginia Foote,
U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council, and Viet D. Dinh, Georgetown University Law
Center, both of Washington, D.C.; Nguyen Dinh Thang, Boat People S.O.S., Inc.,
Falls Church, Virginia; and Rmahy Eban, Montagnard Refugee.
DOD CONTRACTORS AND TAX SYSTEM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
concluded a hearing to examine Department of Defense contractors abuse of the
federal tax system, focusing on the need to strengthen government financial
management procedures and assure that Department of Defense contractors meet
their federal tax obligations, after receiving testimony from Gregory D. Kutz
and Steven J. Sebastian, both Directors of Financial Management and Assurance,
and John J. Ryan, Assistant Director, Office of Special Investigations, all of
the General Accounting Office; Mark W. Everson, Commissioner, Internal Revenue
Service, and Richard L. Gregg, Commissioner, Financial Management Service,
both of the Department of the Treasury; and Lawrence J. Lanzillotta, Principal
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense for Management Reform.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee met to discuss certain committee
business, made no announcements, and recessed subject to the call.
GUEST WORKER PROPOSAL
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security
concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposal to create a new
temporary worker program, focusing on immigration reform issues, enforcement
of labor laws, labor demographics, and the Mexican Labor Program, after
receiving testimony from Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and
Transportation Security, and Eduardo, Aguirre, Director, U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, both of the Department of Homeland Ssecurity; Steven J.
Law, Deputy Secretary of Labor; Richard R. Birkman, Texas Roofing Company of
Austin, Austin, Texas, on behalf of the National Roofing Contractors
Association; Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Migration Policy Institute, and
Charles Cervantes, United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, both of
Washington, D.C.; and Vernon M. Briggs, Jr., Cornell University, Ithaca, New
York.
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUDGET
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year
2005 for the Small Business Administration, after receiving testimony from
Hector V. Barreto, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration; Anthony
R. Wilkinson, National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, Inc.,
Stillwater, Oklahoma; David M. Coit, North Atlantic Capital, Portland, Maine,
on behalf of the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies;
Mary Mathews, Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc., Virginia, Minnesota, on
behalf of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity; and Ellen Golden,
Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Wiscasset, Maine, on behalf of the Association of
Women's Business Centers.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters. Committee recessed subject to the call.
[Page: D94]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/23
Daily Digest - Monday, February 23, 2004; pages D97 - D102
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
[Page: D98]
2005 BUDGET: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Committee on the Budget: on Friday, February 13, Committee concluded a hearing
to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for
the Department of the Treasury, after receiving testimony from John W. Snow,
Secretary of the Treasury.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/24
Daily Digest - Tuesday, February 24, 2004; pages D103 - D110
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
MAD COW DISEASE
Committee on Appropriations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
federal government's response to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow
disease), focusing on how the finding of BSE has affected cattle and beef
markets and what the short-term outlook is for these markets in coming months,
including the Administration's efforts to normalize trade in certain U.S.
export markets, and the development of a national animal identification
program, after receiving testimony from Elsa A. Murano, Under Secretary for
Food Safety, Keith J. Collins, Chief Economist, and Ron DeHaven, Deputy
Administrator for Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service, all of the Department of Agriculture; Lester Crawford, Deputy
Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Julie Louise Gerberding, Director,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Anthony S. Fauci, Director,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of
Health, all of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Dennis C.
Wolff, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg.
[Page: D104]
GOVERNMENT SPONSORED ENTERPRISES
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
to examine proposals for improving the regulation of the housing-related
government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), specifically the Federal National
Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
(Freddie Mac), and the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs), and a proposal for the
GSE regulator with certain authority, after receiving testimony from Alan
Greenspan, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
INTERNET VOICE SERVICES
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine Internet voice services and the role of the Federal
Communications Commission to facilitate the growth and development of
voice-over-Internet-protocol, after receiving testimony from Senator
Alexander; Michael K. Powell, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission;
Jeffrey Citron, Vonage Holdings Corporation, Edison, New Jersey; Glen A.
Britt, Time Warner Cable, Stamford, Connecticut; Glen F. Post, CenturyTel
Incorporated, Monroe, Louisiana; Stan Wise, Georgia Public Service Commission,
Atlanta, on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners; and Kevin Werbach, Supernova Group LLC, Villanova,
Pennsylvania.
NATION'S ELECTRICITY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the current state of the nation's electricity transmission grid,
focusing on the reliability of the bulk electric systems in North America, and
the recommendations of the North American Reliability Council (NERC) to
prevent and mitigate future blackouts, after receiving testimony from James W.
Glotfelty, Director, Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution and U.S.
Director of the Power System Outage Task Force, Department of Energy; Michehl
R. Gent, North American Electric Reliability Council, Princeton, New Jersey;
Phillip G. Harris, PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Norristown, Pennsylvania;
James P. Torgerson, Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator,
Indianapolis, Indiana; and Louise McCarren, Western Energy Coordinating
Council, Salt Lake City, Utah.
HAITI
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on Haiti's political crisis from Roger Noriega, Assistant Secretary
of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
MIDDLE EAST
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
rethinking the road map regarding the Middle East, focusing on psychological
obstacles to diplomacy, the 1967 ceasefire lines, Israeli settlements in the
Gaza Strip, and Palestinian political reform, after receiving testimony from
Henry A. Kissinger, former Secretary of State, Dennis Ross, Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, Robert Malley, International Crisis Group, and
Martin Indyk, Brookings Institution, all of Washington, D.C.
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE WORKFORCE REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the Report of the President's Commission on the United States Postal Service,
focusing on the Commission's workforce recommendations, including
performance-based compensation systems, collective bargaining for pension and
retiree health benefits, and funding of accrued military service retirement
benefits for postal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System,
after receiving testimony from Dan G. Blair, Deputy Director, Office of
Personnel Management; William H. Young, National Association of Letter
Carriers, William Burrus, American Postal Workers Union (AFL-CIO), and John F.
Hegarty, National Postal Mail Handlers Union, all of Washington, D.C.; and
Dale A. Holton, National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, Alexandria,
Virginia.
CYBERTERRORISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and
Homeland Security concluded a hearing to examine the current threat of
cyberterrorism, focusing on federal, state and local efforts to secure
information networks, after receiving testimony from John G. Malcolm, Deputy
Assistant Attorney General, and Keith Lourdeau, Deputy Assistant Director,
Cyber Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, both of the Department of
Justice; Amit Yoran, Director, National Cyber Security Division, Department of
Homeland Security; Howard A. Schmidt, eBay Incorporated, San Jose, California;
and Dan Verton, Burke, Virginia.
[Page: D105]
NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
current and future worldwide threats to the national security of the United
States, focusing on global terrorism, Russia's nuclear weapons stockpile,
chemical and biological weapons, missiles, information operations, and
international crime, after receiving testimony George J. Tenet, Director,
Central Intelligence Agency; Robert S. Mueller III, Director, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, Department of Justice; and Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby,
U.S. Navy, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
PREDATORY LENDING
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine federal
and state government protection of older Americans from predatory financial
lenders, including the usefulness of consumer education, counseling, and
disclosures as a deterrence, after receiving testimony from David G. Wood,
Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, General Accounting
Office; John C. Weicher, Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner; Howard Beales, Director, Bureau of
Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission; Gavin M. Gee, Idaho Department
of Finance, Boise; Lavada E. DeSalles, American Association of Retired
Persons, Washington, D.C.; and Veronica Harding, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Joint Meetings
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to examine certain legislative
recommendations and concerns of wartime service-connected disabled veterans,
after receiving testimony from Alan W. Bowers, Disabled American Veterans,
Cold Spring, Kentucky.
2004/02/25
Daily Digest - Wednesday, February 25, 2004; pages D111 - D120
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the government of the District of Columbia, after receiving testimony from
Rufus G. King III, Chief Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia;
Annice M. Wagner, Chief Judge, D.C. Court of Appeals and Chair, Joint
Committee on Judicial Administration; and Frederick Lindstrom, U.S. Commission
of Fine Arts, Craig W. Floyd, National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, and
Patricia Gallagher, National Capital Planning Commission, all of Washington,
D.C.
SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a hearing to
examine policies and programs for preventing and responding to incidents of
sexual assault in the armed services, after receiving testimony from David
S.C. Chu, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; General
George W. Casey, Jr., USA, Vice Chief of Staff, United States Army; Admiral
Michael G. Mullen, USN, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, and Terri J. Rau,
Head, Policy and Prevention Section, Counseling, Advocacy and Prevention
Branch, Navy Personnel Command, Bureau of Naval Personnel, both of the United
States Navy; General William L. Nyland, USMC, Assistant Commandant, United
States Marine Corps; General T.Michael Moseley, USAF, Vice Chief of Staff,
United States Air Force; Susan H. Mather, Chief Officer, Office of Public
Health and Environmental Hazards, Veterans Health Administration, Department
of Veterans' Affairs; Christine Hansen, The Miles Foundation, Newtown,
Connecticut; and Deborah D. Tucker, National Center on Domestic and Sexual
Violence, Austin, Texas.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded a
hearing to examine the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental
Management, Office of Future Liabilities, and Office of Legacy Management, in
review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005, after
receiving testimony from Jessie H. Roberson, Assistant Secretary for
Environment Management, and Michael W. Owen, Director, Office of Legacy
Management, both of the Department of Energy.
MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine current investigations and regulatory actions regarding the
mutual fund industry, focusing on understanding the fund industry from the
investor's perspective, including the role of State Treasurers, financial
literacy Programs, management fee disclosure, and the recent scandals in the
industry, after receiving testimony from Gary Gensler, Brooklandville,
Maryland, former Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance; Tim
Berry, Indiana State Treasurer, Indianapolis, on behalf of the National
Association of State Treasurers; James S. Riepe, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.,
Baltimore, Maryland; Don Phillips, Morningstar, Inc., Chicago, Illinois; and
James K. Glassman, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.
HOUSING GSEs
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs : Committee concluded a
hearing to examine proposals for improving the regulation of the housing
government sponsored enterprises(GSEs), after receiving testimony from
Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae, Washington, D.C.;Richard F. Syron, Freddie
Mac, McLean, Virginia; and Norman B. Rice, Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle,
Seattle, Washington.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
Homeland Security, after receiving testimony from Tom Ridge, Secretary of
Homeland Security.
[Page: D113]
SEAFOOD PROCESSOR QUOTAS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the economic implications of seafood processor quotas,
focusing on the Alaska crabrationalization plan developed by North Pacific
Fishery Management Council, including effects on competition of the
rationalization plan and antitrust issues associated with the plan's price
arbitration system, after receiving testimony from J. Bruce McDonald, Deputy
Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, Department of Justice; Anu K.
Mittal, Director, National Resources and Environment, and Keith Oleson,
Assistant Director, both of the General Accounting Office; Robert Halvorsen,
University of Washington, and Joseph T. Plesha, Trident Seafoods Corporation,
both of Seattle; Scott C. Matulich, Washington State University, Pullman;
Richard D. Young, Crescent City, California, on behalf of the Fishermen's
Marketing Association; and Richard Powell, Kodiak, Alaska.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with Annexes, done at Montego
Bay, December 10, 1982 (the "Convention"), and the Agreement Relating to the
Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea of 10 December 1982, with Annex, adopted at New York, July 28, 1994 (the
"Agreement"), and signed by the United States, subject to ratification, on
July 29, 1994 (Treaty Doc. 103-39).
TAX TREATIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the
Government of Japan for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of
Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Washington on
November 6, 2003, together with a Protocol and an exchange of notes (the
"Convention") (Treaty Doc. 108-14), and the Protocol Amending the Convention
Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the Avoidance of Double
Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income
signed at Colombo on March 14, 1985, together with an exchange of notes,
signed at Washington on September 20, 2002 (the "Protocol") (Treaty Doc.
108-9), focusing on a zero-rate dividend provision, anti-conduit rules,
insurance excise tax, restructured financial institutions, and the U.S.
operating subsidiary, after receiving testimony from Barbara M. Angus,
International Tax Counsel, Department of the Treasury; George Yin, Chief of
Staff, Joint Committee on Taxation; William A. Reinsch, National Foreign Trade
Council, and James W. Fatheree, U.S.-Japan Business Council, both of
Washington, D.C.
USAID CONTRACTING POLICIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic Policy,
Export and Trade Promotion concluded a hearing to examine the United States
Agency for International Development's (USAID) contracting policies, focusing
on programs in Afghanistan and Iraq, after receiving testimony from Everett L.
Mosley, Inspector General, and Tim Beans, Director, Office of Procurement,
both of the United States Agency for International Development; Frederick D.
Barton, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Allan V. Burman,
Jefferson Solutions, and Marcus L. Stevenson, The Urban Institute, all of
Washington, D.C.
INDIAN PROGRAMS BUDGET
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for Indian Programs,
after receiving testimony from Ross Swimmer, Special Trustee for American
Indians, Department of the Interior; Gary J. Hartz, Acting Director, Office of
Public Health, Indian Health Service, and Douglas Black, Director, Office of
Tribal Programs, Indian Health Service, both of the Department of Health and
Human Services; Victoria Vasques, Deputy Under Secretary, and Director, Office
of Indian Education, and Lonna Jones, Acting Director, Elementary, Secondary
and Vocational Analysis Division, Budget Service, both of the Department of
Education; Michael Liu, Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
for Public and Indian Housing; David Garman, Assistant Secretary of Energy for
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and Tracy Henke, Deputy Associate
Attorney General, Department of Justice.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Roger T. Benitez, to be United States District Judge for the
Southern District of California, after the nominee, who was introduced by
Senator Feinstein, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
Testimony was also received from Marilyn L. Huff, Chief Judge, U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of California; and Thomas Z. Hayward, Jr.,
Chicago, Illinois, and Richard M. Macias, Los Angeles, California, both on
behalf of the Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary, American Bar
Association.
[Page: D114]
Joint Meetings
HEALTH CARE
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
performance and potential of consumer driven health care, focusing on new
health savings account options, employee choice, and health insurance risks,
after receiving testimony from Arnold Milstein, Pacific Business Group on
Health, San Francisco, California, on behalf of Mercer Human Resource
Consulting; John M. Bertko, Humana, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky; Howard Leach,
Logan Aluminum, Inc., Russellville, Kentucky; and Gail Shearer, Consumers
Union, Washington, D.C.
[Page: D118]
HOMELAND SECURITY: NEW HUMAN RESOURCES SYSTEM
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on
Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of
Columbia concluded a joint hearing with the House Committee on Government
Reform Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Reorganization to examine the
new personnel system of the Department of Homeland Security, after receiving
testimony from Admiral James M. Loy, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security;
Kay Coles James, Director, Office of Personnel Management; David M. Walker,
Comptroller General, General Accounting Office; and John Gage, American
Federation of Government Employees, Colleen M. Kelley, National Treasury
Employees Union, and Mike Randall, National Association of Agriculture
Employees, all of Washington, D.C.
2004/02/26
Daily Digest - Thursday, February 26, 2004; pages D121 - D127
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
Department of Homeland Security, focusing on emergency preparedness and
response, after receiving testimony from Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of
Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
APPROPRIATIONS: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION/OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
POLICY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the National Science Foundation and the Office of Science and Technology
Policy, after receiving testimony from Arden L. Bement, Jr., Acting Director,
National Science Foundation; Warren M. Washington, Chair, National Science
Board; and John H. Marburger III, Director, Office of Science and Technology
Policy.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of Kiron Kanina Skinner, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the
National Security Education Board, and 2,235 nominations in the Army, Marine
Corps and Air Force.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of Alphonso R. Jackson, of Texas, to be
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who was introduced by Senators
Bond, Hutchison, and Cornyn, Linda Mysliwy Conlin, of New Jersey, to be a
Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United
States, and Rhonda Keenum, of Mississippi, to be Assistant Secretary of
Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial
Services, who was introduced by Senator Cochran and Representative Wicker,
after each nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine current investigations and regulatory actions regarding the
mutual fund industry, focusing on fund operations and governance, focusing on
corporate governance reforms, a proposed mutual fund oversight board, the
practices of late trading and market timing, and prospectus disclosures, after
receiving testimony from David S. Ruder, Northwestern University School of
Law, former Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Mellody Hobson,
Ariel Capital Management, both of Chicago, Illinois; David S. Pottruck,
Charles Schwab Corporation, San Francisco, California; and John C. Bogle,
Vanguard Group, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for international
affairs of the Department of State, after receiving testimony from Colin L.
Powell, Secretary of State.
NOMINATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the nomination of Susan Johnson Grant, of Virginia, to be Chief
Financial Officer, Department of Energy, after the nominee testified and
answered questions in her own behalf.
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: INTERNATIONAL FREE PRESS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
American public diplomacy and the development of an independent media in
emerging democracies, and a related measure S. 2096, to promote a free press
and open media through the National Endowment for Democracy funding for the
National Endowment for Democracy (NED), after receiving testimony from
Margaret DeB. Tutwiler, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and
Public Affairs; Gene P. Mater, Freedom Forum, Arlington, Virginia; Adam
Clayton Powell III, University of Southern California Center on Public
Diplomacy, Los Angeles, California; and Kurt A. Wimmer, Covington and Burling,
Washington, D.C.
U.S.-LIBYA RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine next
steps in U.S. relations regarding Libya, focusing on Administration efforts to
halt state-sponsored support for international terrorism and proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, after receiving testimony from William J. Burns,
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; and Paula A. DeSutter,
Assistant Secretary of State for Verification and Compliance.
[Page: D124]
HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the quality and accountability of higher education
accreditation standards, after receiving testimony from Steven D. Crow, Higher
Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools,
Chicago, Illinois; Jeffrey D. Wallin, American Academy for Liberal Education,
and Jerry L. Martin, American Council of Trustees and Alumni, both of
Washington, D.C.; and Robert L. Potts, University of North Alabama, Florence.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee met to discuss certain committee
business, made no announcements, and recessed subject to the call.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/02/27
Daily Digest - Friday, February 27, 2004; pages D129 - D134
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/01
Daily Digest - Monday, March 1, 2004; pages D135 - D140
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
Defense, after receiving testimony from Dov Zakheim, Under Secretary of
Defense, Comptroller; and Lieutenant General James E. Cartwright, Director of
Force Structure, Resources and Assessment (J8), The Joint Staff.
THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial Management, the
Budget, and International Security concluded an oversight hearing to examine
the integrity of federal employee retirement savings relating to the thrift
savings plan, after receiving testimony from Alan D. Lebowitz, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Program Operations, Employee Benefits
Security Administration; Andrew M. Saul, Chairman, and Gary A. Amelio,
Executive Director, both of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board;
James M. Sauber, Chairman, Employee Thrift Advisory Council; and Blake R.
Grossman, Barclays Global Investors, San Francisco, California.
[Page: D137]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/02
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 2, 2004; pages D141 - D168
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the
Judiciary concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 2005 for the Department of Commerce, after receiving testimony from
Donald L. Evans, Secretary of Commerce.
APPROPRIATIONS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for science
and technology, and information analysis and infrastructure protection, after
receiving testimony from Charles E. McQueary, Under Secretary for Science and
Technology, and Frank Libutti, Under Secretary for Information Analysis and
Infrastructure Protection, both of the Department of Homeland Security.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
proposed Department of Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005 and
the Future Years Defense Program, after receiving testimony from Les Brownlee,
Acting Secretary of the Army; Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy; and
James G. Roche, Secretary of the Air Force.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a hearing to
examine active component, Reserve component and civilian personnel programs,
in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005, after
receiving testimony from David S.C. Chu, Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness; Reginald J. Brown, Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; William A. Navas, Jr., Assistant Secretary
of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; Michael L. Dominguez, Assistant
Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; Lieutenant
General Franklin L. Hagenbeck, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, United States
Army; Vice Admiral Gerald L. Hoewing, USN, Chief of Naval Personnel, Deputy
Chief of Naval Operations, Manpower and Personnel, United States Navy;
Lieutenant General Garry L. Parks, USMC, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and
Reserve Affairs, United States Marine Corps; and Lieutenant General Richard E.
Brown, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, United States Air Force.
MUTUAL FUNDS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
to examine current investigations and regulatory actions regarding the mutual
fund industry, focusing on fund operations and governance, after receiving
testimony from former Senator William L. Armstrong, Oppenheimer Funds, Denver,
Colorado; Vanessa C.L. Chang, New Perspective Fund, Los Angeles, California;
Marvin L. Mann, Fidelity Funds, Cary, North Carolina; Michael S. Miller,
Vanguard Group, Inc., Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Ann E. Bergin, National
Securities Clearing Corporation, New York, New York; William A. Bridy,
Financial Data Services, Inc./Merrill Lynch, Jacksonville, Florida, on behalf
of the Securities Industry Association; Raymond K. McCulloch, BB&T Trust,
Raleigh, North Carolina, on behalf of the American Bankers Association; and
David L. Wray, Profit Sharing/401K Council of America, Washington, D.C.
[Page: D143]
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Competition, Foreign Commerce and Infrastructure concluded a hearing to
examine the rise of obesity among children, focusing on health risks including
diabetes, the role of the media, and efforts to educate families on the issues
of nutrition and healthy lifestyles, after receiving testimony from Richard H.
Carmona, Surgeon General, Public Health Service, Office of Public Health and
Science, and William Dietz, Director, Division of Nutrition and Physical
Activity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both of the Department of Health
and Human Services; Victoria J. Rideout, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation,
Menlo Park, California; R. Lee Culpepper, National Restaurant Association,
Margo G. Wooten, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and C. Manly
Molpus, Grocery Manufacturers of America, all of Washington, D.C.; and Robert
D. Liodice, Association of National Advertisers, Inc., New York, New York.
FOREST SERVICE BUDGET
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the President's proposed fiscal year 2005 budget for the Forest
Service, focusing on protecting communities and natural resources in relation
to the implementation of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (P.L. 108-148),
after receiving testimony from Mark Rey, Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Natural Resources and Environment; and Dale N. Bosworth, Chief, Forest
Service, Department of Agriculture.
FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded oversight hearings to
examine certain U.S. foreign policy objectives and assistance programs
throughout the world, after receiving testimony from Christina B. Rocca,
Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs; William J. Burns,
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Donald W. Keyser,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific
Affairs; Roger F. Noriega, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs; Donald Y. Yamamoto, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African
Affairs; Elizabeth Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian
Affairs; and Gordon West, Acting Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Near
East, Adolfo A. Franco, Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the
Caribbean, Constance Berry Newman, Assistant Administrator for Africa, and
Kent R. Hill Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, all of the United
States Agency for International Development.
NORTH KOREA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine North
Korea's nuclear situation, including the Six-Party Talks in Beijing, an
appropriate verification model related to North Korea's nuclear program, and
the economic situation and human rights conditions in North Korea, after
receiving testimony from James Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State; Terence
Taylor, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Victor D. Cha,
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and Tom Malinowski, Human
Rights Watch, all of Washington, D.C.
SUICIDE PREVENTION AND YOUTH
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services concluded a hearing to examine certain
measures to help prevent suicide among children and adolescents, after
receiving testimony from Senator Smith; Paul D. Tunkle, Episcopal Church of
the Redeemer, Baltimore, Maryland; Cheryl A. King, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor; Fran M. Gatlin, Robinson High School, Fairfax, Virginia, on behalf of
the National Association of School Psychologists; Joelle M. Reizes, Screening
for Mental Health, Inc., Loveland, Ohio; and Laurie Flynn, Columbia University
Carmel Hill Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment, New York, New York.
CARES COMMISSION
Committee on Veteran's Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
final report of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Capital Asset Realignment
for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission, after receiving testimony from
Everett Alvarez, Jr., Chairman, Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced
Services (CARES) Commission; Robert H. Roswell, Under Secretary of Veterans
Affairs for Health; Cathleen C. Wiblemo, American Legion, Dennis M. Cullinan,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Joy J. Ilem, Disabled American Veterans, and Fred
Cowell, Paralyzed Veterans of America, all of Washington, D.C.; and James W.
Doran, AMVETS, Lanham, Maryland.
[Page: D144]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/03
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 3, 2004; pages D170 - D180
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Energy,
Science and Technology, and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
after receiving testimony from David Garman, Assistant Secretary, Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Raymond L. Orbach, Director, Office of
Science, and William D. Magwood, IV, Director, Office of Nuclear Energy,
Science and Technology, all of the Department of Energy.
APPROPRIATIONS: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the government of the District of Columbia, focusing on Court Services,
Offender Supervision Agency, and the Public Defender Service, after receiving
testimony from Paul A. Quander, Jr., Director, Court Services and Offender
Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia; Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr.,
Director, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia; and Rev.
Donald Isaac, East of the River Clergy-Police-Community Partnership,
Washington, D.C.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
the Army, after receiving testimony from R. Les Brownlee, Acting Secretary of
the Army; and General Peter T. Schoomaker, Chief of Staff, Department of the
Army.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
concluded a hearing to examine the role of defense science and technology in
the global war on terrorism and in preparing for emerging threats in review of
the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005, after receiving
testimony from Dale G. Uhler, Acquisition Executive and Senior Procurement
Executive, Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics Center, United States
Special Operations Command; Brigadier General Thomas D. Waldhauser, USMC,
Commanding General, Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Vice Chief, Office of
Naval Research; Brigadier General Charles A. Cartwright, USA, Deputy
Commanding General for Systems of Systems Integration, United States Army
Research, Development and Engineering Command; Ronald M. Sega, Director,
Defense Research and Engineering; Thomas H. Killion, Acting Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology, Chief Scientist; Rear
Admiral Jay M. Cohen, USN, Chief of Naval Research; and James B. Engle, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology and Engineering.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Seapower concluded a hearing to
examine future Navy and Marine Corps capabilities and requirements in review
of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005 and the future years
defense program, after receiving testimony from John J. Young, Jr., Assistant
Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition; Vice Admiral
John B. Nathman, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare
Requirements and Programs; Vice Admiral J. Cutler Dawson, Jr., USN, Deputy
Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments;
Lieutenant General Robert Magnus, USMC, Deputy Commandant for Programs and
Resources, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps; and Lieutenant General
Edward Hanlon, Jr., USMC, Commanding General, Combat Development Command,
United States Marine Corps.
2005: BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee met to mark up a proposed concurrent
resolution setting forth the fiscal year 2005 budget for the Federal
Government, but did not complete consideration thereon, and will meet again
tomorrow.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the impact and consequences of climate change, focusing on
its implications for society, effects of burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil,
and natural gas), and climate variability and changes across the Arctic
region, including issues relative to UV radiation, after receiving testimony
from Senator Lieberman; Marvin A. Geller, Stony Brook University Institute for
Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres, Stonybrook, New York; Jerry Mahlman,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado; Robert W. Corell,
Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, Lee Hannah, Climate Change Biology, and Lara
Hansen, World Wildlife Fund Climate Change Program, all of Washington, D.C.
[Page: D172]
IMPACT OF ABORTION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology and Space concluded a hearing to examine the impact of abortion on
women, after receiving testimony from Georgette Forney, National Organization
of Episcopalians for Life (NOEL), Sewickley, Pennsylvania; Michaelene Jenkins,
Life Resource Network, San Diego, California; Roselyn Smith-Withers, The
Pavilion of God, Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Clergy Advisory Committee
of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC); Elizabeth
Shadigian, University of Michigan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ann
Arbor; and Nada L. Stotland, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois.
OUTFITTER POLICY ACT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 1420, to establish terms and
conditions for use of certain Federal land by outfitters and to facilitate
public opportunities for the recreational use and enjoyment of such land,
after receiving testimony from David Tenny, Deputy Under Secretary of
Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; Jim Hughes, Deputy
Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; Todd
Davidson, Oregon Tourism Commission, Salem, on behalf of the Western States
Tourism Policy Council; David L. Brown, America Outdoors, Knoxville,
Tennessee; and Dave Simon, Sierra Club, San Francisco, California.
EPA GRANTS MANAGEMENT
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded an oversight
hearing to examine grants management within the Environmental Protection
Agency, focusing on a comprehensive system of management controls and
initiatives to address grants management challenges, after receiving testimony
from David J. O'Connor, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of
Administration and Resources Management, and Melissa Heist, Assistant
Inspector General for Audit, both of the Environmental Protection Agency; John
B. Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and the Environment, General
Accounting Office; and Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Washington,
D.C.
HEALTH INSURANCE CHALLENGES
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine health
insurance challenges, focusing on insurance scams, and their effect on workers
and their families, and business owners who wish to provide health benefits,
after receiving testimony from Ann L. Combs, Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Employee Benefits Security; Kathryn G. Allen, Director, Health Care--Medicaid
and Private Health Insurance Issues, and Robert J. Cramer, Managing Director,
Office of Special Investigations, both of the General Accounting Office; Fred
Nepple, Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, Madison, on behalf
of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners ERISA Working Group;
and Jose Montemayor, Texas Department of Insurance, Austin; Mila Kofman,
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.; Marie Almond,
Albemarle, North Carolina; and Joan Piantadosi, Deerfield Beach, Florida.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AGENCIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S.
2127, to build operational readiness in civilian agencies, focusing on post
conflict stabilization and reconstruction requiring a broadly-based government
response, including Federal efforts to fulfill ongoing objectives in Iraq and
Afghanistan, after receiving testimony from James Dobbins, RAND International
Security and Defense Policy Center, John J. Hamre, Center for Strategic and
International Studies, and Hans Binnendijk, National Defense University, all
of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee met and approved the committee's views
and estimates with respect to the President's proposed budget request for
fiscal year 2005 for Indian programs.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the status of the completion of the Smithsonian Institution's National
Museum of the American Indian, after receiving testimony from W. Richard West,
Jr., Director, National Museum of the American Indian; and Jacqueline Johnson,
National Congress of American Indians, of Washington, D.C.
[Page: D173]
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM VS. DEMOCRACY
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and
Property Rights concluded a hearing to examine national implications of the
Massachusetts Goodridge decision and the judicial invalidation of traditional
marriage laws, after receiving testimony from Nebraska Attorney General Jon
Bruning, Lincoln; Richard Richardson, St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal
(AME) Church, Boston, Massachusetts, on behalf of the Black Ministerial
Alliance of Greater Boston; Daniel de Leon, Sr., Templo Calvario, Santa Ana,
California, on behalf of Associacion Evangelica de Ministerios Nacionales
(AMEN); Hilary Shelton, National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, and Chuck Muth, Citizen Outreach, both of Washington D.C.; R. Lea
Brilmayer, Yale University School of Law, New Haven, Connecticut; and Maggie
Gallagher, Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, New York, New York.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/04
Daily Digest - Thursday, March 4, 2004; pages D181 - D192
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Subcommittee on Marketing,
Inspection, and Product Promotion concluded an oversight hearing to examine
the development of a national animal identification plan, focusing on the
benefits and current status of animal identification systems and the plan of
the Department of Agriculture for implementation of a national identification
system, after receiving testimony from William Hawks, Under Secretary of
Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; Bret D. Marsh,
Indianapolis, Indiana, on behalf of the U.S. Animal Health Association; Fritz
Schmitz-Hsu, Ittigen, Switzerland, on behalf of the Animal Tracking
Corporation; Mike John, Columbia, Missouri, on behalf of the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association; Joy Philippi, Bruning, Nebraska, on behalf of
the National Pork Producers Council; Bob Lehfeldt, Montana Wool Growers
Association, Helena, on behalf of the American Sheep Industry Association; and
Ronald Ostberg, Montana Farmers Union, Great Falls, on behalf of the National
Farmers Union.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Department of Energy, after receiving testimony from Spencer Abraham,
Secretary of Energy.
APPROPRIATIONS: GAO/GPO/CBO
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
General Accounting Office (GAO), the Government Printing Office (GPO), and the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO), after receiving testimony from David M.
Walker, Comptroller General, Gene L. Dodaro, Chief Operating Officer, Stanley
Czerwinski, Associate Director, Housing and Community Development Issues, and
Sallyanne Harper, Chief Mission Support Office and Chief Financial Officer,
all of the General Accounting Office; Bruce James, Public Printer and William
H. Turri, Deputy Public Printer, both of the Government Printing Office; and
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, and Elizabeth M. Robinson, Deputy Director,
both of the Congressional Budget Office.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 2005 for the Department of Education, after receiving testimony
from Roderick Paige, Secretary of Education; Paul G. Vallas, School District
of Philadelphia, Sam Evans, American Foundation for Negro Affairs, and C.
Delores Tucker, Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Association for
Nonviolence, Inc., all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; James Weaver,
Pennsylvania State Education Association, Harrisburg; Melissa Jamula, Reading
School District, Reading, Pennsylvania; James R. Scanlon, Quakertown Community
School District, Quakertown, Pennsylvania; and Marie Slobojan,
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, Berwyn, Pennsylvania.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2005, focusing on military
strategy and operational requirements, after receiving testimony from General
James L. Jones, Jr., USMC, Commander, United States European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; and General John P. Abizaid, USA, Commander,
United States Central Command.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a hearing to
examine the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on
compensation, benefits, and health care for active and Reserve military
personnel and their families, after receiving testimony from Senators Daschle
and Graham (SC); Charles S. Abell, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for
Personnel and Readiness, and William Winkenwerder, Jr., Assistant Secretary
for Health Affairs, both of the Department of Defense; Joyce Wessel Raezer,
National Military Family Association, Sue Schwartz, Military Coalition Health
Care Committee, Master Sergeant Michael P. Cline, USA (Ret.), Enlisted
Association of the National Guard of the United States, all of Alexandria,
Virginia; Deirdre Parke Holleman, Retired Enlisted Association, Aurora,
Colorado; and Colonel Dennis M. Duggan, USA (Ret.), American Legion,
Washington, D.C.
[Page: D183]
2005 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee continued in evening session to mark up a
proposed concurrent resolution setting forth the fiscal year 2005 budget for
the Federal Government.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of Rhonda Keenum, of Mississippi, to be
Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and
Foreign Commercial Services, who was introduced by Senator Cochran and
Representative Wicker; Linda Morrison Combs, of North Carolina, to be an
Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial Officer,
Department of Transportation, who was introduced by Senator Dole; W. Douglas
Buttrey, of Tennessee, who was introduced by Representative Ford, and Francis
Mulvey, of Maryland, both to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board,
Department of Transportation, who was introduced by Representative Oberstar,
after each nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
ENERGY OUTLOOK 2004
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2004
forecast regarding the supply, demand, and price projections for oil, natural
gas, nuclear, coal and renewable resources, including commercial and market
perspectives on the state of oil and natural gas markets, after receiving
testimony from Guy F. Caruso, Administrator, Energy Information
Administration, Department of Energy; Richard J. Sharples, Anadarko Petroleum
Corporation, The Woodlands, Texas; Paul D. Koonce, Dominion Energy, Inc.,
Richmond, Virginia; and Jay Saunders, DeutscheBank, New York, New York.
NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy concluded a
hearing to examine new nuclear power generation in the United States, focusing
on Browns Ferry Unit 1, nuclear power plant license renewal, power uprates
(requests to raise the maximum power level at which a nuclear power plant may
be operated), and heightened security at U.S. commercial reactors, after
receiving testimony from Glenn L. McCullough, Jr., Chairman, Tennessee Valley
Authority; William D. Travers, Executive Director for Operations, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission; Marvin S. Fertel, Nuclear Energy Institute, Washington,
D.C.; James K. Asselstine, Lehman Brothers, Inc., New York, New York; and Jim
M. Bernhard, Shaw Group, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following items:
S. 2144, to authorize appropriations for the Department of State and
international broadcasting activities for fiscal year 2005, for the Peace
Corps for fiscal year 2005 through 2007, for foreign assistance programs for
fiscal year 2005, with amendments;
S. 2096, to promote a free press and open media through the National Endowment
for Democracy;
S. 2127, to build operational readiness in civilian agencies;
Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the
Government of Japan for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of
Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Washington on
November 6, 2003, together with a Protocol and an exchange of notes (the
"Convention") (Treaty Doc. 108-14);
The Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the
Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the Avoidance
of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes
on Income, Signed at Colombo on March 14, 1985. (Treaty Doc. 99-10);
Protocol Amending the Convention Between the Government of the United States
of America and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri
Lanka for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal
Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income signed at Colombo on March 14, 1985,
together with an exchange of notes, signed at Washington on September 20, 2002
(the "Protocol") (Treaty Doc. 108-9), with 1 understanding;
The Protocol Additional to the Agreement Between the United States of America
and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards
in the United States of America, with annexes, signed at Vienna June 12, 1998
(Treaty Doc. 107-7), with 2 conditions and 8 understandings; and
The nominations of Feliciano Foyo, of Florida, and Robert Hurley McKinney, of
Indiana, each to be a Member of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting,
Edward E. Kaufman, of Delaware, and Steven J. Simmons, of Connecticut, each to
be a Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Glyn T. Davies, of the
District of Columbia, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service
as the Political Director for the United States Presidency of the G-8, and
Sanford Gottesman, of Texas, Diane M. Ruebling, of California, and C. William
Swank, of Ohio, each to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas
Private Investment Corporation, and Richard S. Williamson, of Illinois, for
the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as Representative of the
United States of America on the Human Rights Commission of the Economic and
Social Council of the United Nations.
[Page: D184]
HONG KONG
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
concluded a hearing to examine the prospects for democratic development in
Hong Kong, focusing on the challenge of redefining Hong Kong's economic and
political structure, after receiving testimony from Randall G. Schriver,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Martin
Lee Chu-ming and James To, each a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council,
Lee Cheuk-yan, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, and Law Yuk-Kai, Human
Rights Monitor Director, all of Hong Kong; and James V. Feinerman, Georgetown
University Law Center, Ellen Bork, Project for the New American Century, and
John J. Tkacik, Jr., Heritage Foundation, all of Washington, D.C.
HIGHER EDUCATION ACT & THE WORKFORCE
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine issues for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act,
focusing on a knowledge-based economy, the relationship between postsecondary
education and the workforce, and financial aid, after receiving testimony from
Charles H. Bohlen, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyoming, on
behalf of the American Association of Community Colleges on the Higher
Education Act; James C. Votruba, Northern Kentucky University, Highland
Heights; Beth B. Buehlmann, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Workforce
Preparation, Washington, D.C.; Diana G. Oblinger, Microsoft Corporation,
Bellevue, Washington; and Ellen O'Brien Saunders, Washington State Workforce
Training and Education Coordinating Board, Olympia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nominations of Raymond W. Gruender, of Missouri, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Eighth Circuit, Franklin S. Van Antwerpen, of Pennsylvania, to
be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, Judith C. Herrera, to be
United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico, F. Dennis Saylor
IV, to be United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts,
Sandra L. Townes, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District
of New York, Louis Guirola, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the
Southern District of Mississippi, Virginia E. Hopkins, to be United States
District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama, Kenneth M. Karas, to be
United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, Ricardo S.
Martinez, of Washington, to be United States District Judge for the Western
District of Washington, Gene E. K. Pratter, to be United States District Judge
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Neil Vincent Wake, to be United
States District Judge for the District of Arizona, William S. Duffey, Jr., to
be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, and
Michele M. Leonhart, of California, to be Deputy Administrator of Drug
Enforcement, Domingo S. Herraiz, of Ohio, to be Director of the Bureau of
Justice Assistance, LaFayette Collins, to be United States Marshal for the
Western District of Texas, and Ronald J. Tenpas, of Illinois, to be United
States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, all of the Department
of Justice.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee concluded closed hearings on
intelligence matters after receiving testimony from officials of the
intelligence community.
MONEY LAUNDERING
United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: Caucus
concluded a hearing to examine the current status of federal efforts to
coordinate and combat money laundering and terrorist financing, after
receiving testimony from Loren Yager, Director, International Affairs and
Trade, General Accounting Office; Juan C. Zarate, Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury, Executive Office for Terrorist Financing and Financial
Crimes; Michael T. Dougherty, Director of Operations, U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security; and Gary M. Bald, Acting
Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and Karen P. Tandy, Administrator, Drug Enforcement
Administration, both of the Department of Justice; and Raymond W. Baker,
Center for International Policy, Washington, D.C.
[Page: D185]
Joint Meetings
LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATIONS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to examine legislative
presentations of certain veterans organizations, after receiving testimony
from Al Silvano, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Springfield, Virginia;
Joseph L. Fox, Sr., Paralyzed Veterans of America, Paul Bernstein, Jewish War
Veterans, and Neil Appleby, Blinded Veterans Association, all of Washington,
D.C.; and H. Gene Overstreet, Non Commissioned Officers Association, San
Antonio, Texas.
2004/03/08
Daily Digest - Monday, March 8, 2004; pages D193 - D196
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
2005 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: On Thursday, March 4, Committee ordered favorably
reported an original concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 95) setting forth the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2005 and
including the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2006 through 2009.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations
of Mark B. McClellan, of the District of Columbia, to be Administrator of the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human
Services, who was introduced by Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health and
Human Services; Brian Carlton Roseboro, of New Jersey, to be an Under
Secretary of the Treasury, Donald L. Korb, of Ohio, to be Chief Counsel for
the Internal Revenue Service and an Assistant General Counsel, Department of
the Treasury, and Mark J. Warshawsky, of Maryland, to be an Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury, after each nominee testified and answered questions
in their own behalf.
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
Joint Economic Committee: On Friday, March 5, Committee concluded hearings to
examine the employment situation for February 2004, focusing on economic
growth, business activity in the manufacturing and service industries, the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), job creation and loss, and discouraged
workers--those who have stopped seeking work because of discouragement over
their job prospects, after receiving testimony from Kathleen P. Utgoff,
Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.
2004/03/09
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 9, 2004; pages D198 - D206
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: BORDER AND TRANSPORTATION SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for border
and transportation security, after receiving testimony from Asa Hutchinson,
Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and
General Government concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates
for fiscal year 2005 for Department of Transportation, after receiving
testimony from Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary of Transportation.
WORLDWIDE THREATS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing in open and closed
sessions to examine current and future worldwide threats to the national
security of the United States, after receiving testimony from George J. Tenet,
Director, Cental Intelligence Agency; and Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby, USN,
Director, Defense Intelligence Agency.
[Page: D200]
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
concluded a hearing to examine the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal
Year 2005, focusing on military readiness programs, after receiving testimony
from General George W. Casey, Jr., USA, Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army;
Admiral Michael G. Mullen, USN, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, United States
Navy; General T. Michael Moseley, USAF, Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force;
and Lieutenant General Jan C. Huly, USMC, Deputy Commandant of the Marine
Corps, Plans, Policies, and Operations, U.S. Marine Corps.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the following business items:
S. 2056, to increase the penalties for violations by television and radio
broadcasters of the prohibitions against transmission of obscene, indecent,
and profane language, with amendments;
S. 1164, to provide for the development and coordination of a comprehensive
and integrated United States research program that assists the people of the
United States and the world to understand, assess, and predict human-induced
and natural processes of abrupt climate change; and
The nominations of Francis Mulvey, of Maryland, and W. Douglas Buttrey, of
Tennessee, both to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board, Department
of Transportation, Linda Morrison Combs, of North Carolina, to be an Assistant
Secretary of Transportation, Rhonda Keenum, of Mississippi, to be Assistant
Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign
Commercial Services, and sundry nominations in the Coast Guard.
WESTERN WATER SUPPLY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Power and Water
concluded a hearing to examine water supply issues in the arid West, focusing
on the role of the Federal Government in managing and enhancing water
resources, after receiving testimony from Bennett W. Raley, Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science; Floyd Gaibler, Deputy Under
Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services; Brigadier
General William T. Grisoli, USA, Commander, Northwestern Division, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers; Louis Uccellini, Director, National Centers for
Environmental Prediction, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Department of Commerce; Craig Bell, Western States Water Council, Midvale,
Utah; and Tex G. Hall, New Town, North Dakota, on behalf of the National
Congress of American Indians.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded a hearing to examine S. 1306 and H.R. 1446, bills to introduce the
efforts of the California Missions Foundation to restore and repair the
Spanish colonial and mission-era missions in the State of California and to
preserve the artworks and artifacts of these missions, H.R. 1521, to provide
for additional lands to be included within the boundary of the Johnstown Flood
National Memorial in the State of Pennsylvania, S. 1430, to direct the
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the Baranov Museum in Kodiak,
Alaska, for potential inclusion in the National Park System, and S.1687, to
direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the preservation
and interpretation of the historic sites of the Manhattan Project for
potential inclusion in the National Park System, after receiving testimony
from Senator Boxer; Representative Farr; P. Daniel Smith, Special Assistant,
National Park Service, Department of the Interior; Mayor Carolyn Floyd, City
of Kodiak, Alaska; Walter Costlow, South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
Historical Preservation Society, St. Michael, Pennsylvania; Barry W. Lynn,
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Cynthia C. Kelly,
Atomic Heritage Foundation, both of Washington, D.C.; and Stephen T. Hearst,
Board of the California Missions Foundation, San Francisco.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AGENDA
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Administration's international trade agenda, after receiving testimony from
Robert B. Zoellick, United States Trade Representative.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of
Mark B. McClellan, of the District of Columbia, to be Administrator of the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human
Services, Brian Carlton Roseboro, of New Jersey, to be an Under Secretary of
the Treasury, and Mark J. Warshawsky, of Maryland, to be an Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury.
IRAQ
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on the transition to sovereignty relating to Iraq from Marc I.
Grossman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Francis J. Ricciardone,
Ambassador to the Phillippines, Coordinator for Iraq Transition, and Major
General Charles E. Williams, USA (Ret.), Director, Overseas Buildings
Operations, all of the Department of State; and Lieutenant General Claude
Kicklighter, U.S. Army (Ret.), CPA Transition Chief, Baghdad, Iraq.
[Page: D201]
POSTAL REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee resumed hearings to examine U.S.
Postal Service reform issues, focusing on sustaining the 9 million jobs in the
$900 billion mailing industry, after receiving testimony from Ann S. Moore,
Time, Inc., New York, New York; Mark Angelson, RR Donnelley, Chicago,
Illinois; Christopher W. Bradley, Cuddledown, Inc., Portland, Maine; Max
Heath, Landmark Community Papers, Shelbyville, Kentucky, on behalf of the
National Newspaper Association; William J. Ihle, Bear Creek Corporation,
Medford, Oregon, on behalf of Harry and David and Jackson and Perkins; and
Shelley Dreifuss, Postal Rate Commission, Washington, D.C.
YEAR ROUND COLLEGE
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine advantages and impediments in relation to a year round
college calendar, focusing on the costs of higher education, financial aid,
Pell Grants, and Stafford Loans, after receiving testimony from Stephen Joel
Trachtenberg, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; India McKinney,
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Michael L. Lomas, Dillard
University, New Orleans, Louisiana, on behalf of the United Negro College
Fund; Virginia S. Hazen, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire; and
Margaret Heisel, University of California, Berkeley.
ERIC AND BRIAN SIMON ACT
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S.
1509, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a gratuity to
veterans, their spouses, and children who contract HIV or AIDS as a result of
a blood transfusion relating to a service-connected disability, after
receiving testimony Douglas B. Simon and Eric M. Simon, both of Veseli,
Minnesota.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE DRUG DISCOUNT CARD
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the new
Medicare drug discount card, focusing on consumer savings, beneficiary
education, implementation and outreach to low-income seniors, and how the new
cards will work with existing discount programs, after receiving testimony
from Dennis Smith, Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, Department of Health and Human Services; Craig L. Fuller, National
Association of Chain Drug Stores, Alexandria, Virginia; Forest Harper, Pfizer,
Inc., New York, New York; and James Firman, National Council on Aging, Karen
Ignagni, American Association of Health Plans, and Mark Merritt,
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, all of Washington, D.C.
Joint Meetings
PENSION FUNDING EQUITY ACT
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House passed
versions of H.R. 3108, to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to temporarily replace the 30-year
Treasury rate with a rate based on long-term corporate bonds for certain
pension plan funding requirements and other provisions, but did not complete
action thereon, and recessed subject to the call.
2004/03/10
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 10, 2004; pages D207 - D218
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the U.S. Navy and
U.S. Marine Corps, after receiving testimony from Gordon R. England, Secretary
of the Navy; Admiral Vern Clark, U.S. Navy, Chief of Naval Operations; and
General Michael W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, U.S. Marine Corps.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
concluded open and closed hearings to examine the Defense Authorization
Request for Fiscal Year 2005, focusing on the defense nuclear nonproliferation
programs of the Department of Energy and the Cooperative Threat Reduction
programs of the Department of Defense, after receiving testimony from Paul M.
Longsworth, Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation,
National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy; and Lisa
Bronson, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Technology Security Policy and
Counterproliferation.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Seapower concluded a hearing to
examine the proposed Department of Defense authorization request for fiscal
year 2005 and the Future Years Defense Program, focusing on the posture of the
U.S. Transportation Command, after receiving testimony from General John W.
Handy, USAF, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Air Force; Major
General Ann E. Dunwoody, USA, Commanding General, Surface Deployment and
Distribution Command, U.S. Army; and Vice Admiral David L. Brewer III, USN,
Commander, Military Sealift Command, U.S. Navy.
MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee held hearings to
examine current investigations and regulatory actions regarding the mutual
fund industry, receiving testimony from David M. Walker, Comptroller General
of the United States, General Accounting Office; Lori A. Richards, Director,
Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, and Paul F. Roye, Director,
Division of Investment Management, both of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission; and Mary L. Schapiro, NASD, Washington, D.C.
Hearing recessed subject to the call of the chair.
ARGENTINA
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on
International Trade and Finance concluded a hearing to examine Argentina's
current economic and political situation, focusing on the bilateral
relationship between the United States and Argentina, after receiving
testimony from Roger F. Noriega, Assistant Secretary of State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs; Randal K. Quarles, Assistant Secretary of Treasury for
International Affairs; Adam Lerrick, Carnegie Mellon University Graduate
School of Industrial Administration, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Michael
Mussa, Institute of International Economics, Washington, D.C.
STEROIDS AND SPORTS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the scope of steroid use in professional and amateur
sports, focusing on certain drug treatment and prevention programs, after
receiving testimony from Senator Biden; Representative Sweeney; Allan H.
Selig, Major League Baseball, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Donald M. Fehr, Major
League Baseball Players Association, and Paul J. Tagliabue, National Football
League, both of New York, New York; Eugene Upshaw, National Football League
Players Association, Washington, D.C.; and Terrance P. Madden, United States
Anti-Doping Agency, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
[Page: D209]
MARS EXPLORATION PROGRAM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology and Space concluded a hearing to examine NASA/Mars exploration
program, focusing on the information learned from the recent landings of twin
Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, after receiving testimony
from Edward J. Weiler, Associate Administrator for Space Science, Orlando
Figueroa, Director of Solar System Exploration, and James Garvin, Lead
Scientist for Mars and Lunar Exploration Programs, all of National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 1307, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau
of Reclamation, to assist in the implementation of fish passage and screening
facilities at non-Federal water projects, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute;
S. 1355, to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to participate in the
rehabilitation of the Wallowa Lake Dam in Oregon, with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute;
S. 1421, to authorize the subdivision and dedication of restricted land owned
by Alaska Natives, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 2696, to establish Institutes to demonstrate and promote the use of
adaptive ecosystem management to reduce the risk of wildfires, and restore the
health of fire-adapted forest and woodland ecosystems of the interior West;
and The nomination of Susan Johnson Grant, of Virginia, to be Chief Financial
Officer, Department of Energy.
PUBLIC LANDS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests to examine S. 1354, to resolve certain conveyances and provide for
alternative land selections under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
related to Cape Fox Corporation and Sealaska Corporation, S. 1575 and H.R.
1092, bills to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain parcels of
Federal land in Carson City and Douglas County, Nevada, S. 1778, to authorize
a land conveyance between the United States and the City of Craig, Alaska, S.
1819 and H.R. 272, bills to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey
certain land to Lander County, Nevada, and the Secretary of the Interior to
convey certain land to Eureka County, Nevada, for continued use as cemeteries,
and H.R. 3249, to extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee,
after receiving testimony from Mark Rey, Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Natural Resources and Environment; Tom Lonnie, Assistant Director, Minerals,
Realty and Resource Protection, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the
Interior; Mayor Dennis Watson, Craig, Alaska; Marilyn Blair, Cape Fox
Corporation, Ketchikan, Alaska; Buck Lindekugel, Southeast Alaska Conservation
Council, Juneau; and Dennis E. Wheeler, Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation, Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following bills:
S. 1904, to designate the United States courthouse located at 400 North Miami
Avenue in Miami, Florida, as the "Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States
Courthouse";
S. 2022, to designate the Federal building located at 250 West Cherry Street
in Carbondale, Illinois the "Senator Paul Simon Federal Building"; and
S. 2043, to designate a Federal building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the
"Ronald Reagan Federal Building".
EPA BUDGET
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the President's proposed fiscal year 2005 budget request for the
Environmental Protection Agency, after receiving testimony from Michael O.
Leavitt, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency.
U.S.-MIDDLE EAST ECONOMIC POLICY
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine United States
economic and trade policy in the Middle East, focusing on the impact of Free
Trade Agreements (FTA), commercial diplomacy, private sector development and
trade promotion, information technology for business development, financial
reform and the development of capital markets, the Generalized System of
Preferences (GSP), and promotion of good business practices and improving the
investment climate, after receiving testimony from Senator McCain; Grant D.
Aldonas, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; Alan P. Larson,
Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs;
David L. Mack, Middle East Institute, and William A. Maxwell, Hewlett-Packard
Company, both of Washington, D.C.; and Doug Boisen, National Corn Growers
Association, Minden, Nebraska.
[Page: D210]
NONPROLIFERATION AND ARMS CONTROL
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
nonproliferation and arms control issues, focusing on strategic choices,
weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,
after receiving testimony from William J. Perry, Stanford University Center
for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford, California, former
Secretary of Defense; Arnold Kanter, Scowcroft Group, Washington, D.C.; and
Ashton B. Carter, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
HAITI
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace
Corps, and Narcotics Affairs concluded a hearing to examine the future of
U.S.-Haitian relations, focusing on exit strategies and troop departure
deadlines, free elections, and economic reforms, after receiving testimony
from Senators DeWine and Graham (FL); Representatives Cummings, and Waters;
Roger Noriega, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs; Adolfo Franco, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and
the Caribbean, U.S. Agency for International Development; James Dobbins, RAND
Corporation, Lawrence Pezzullo, former U.S. Special Envoy to Haiti, Robert
Maguire, Trinity College, and Michael Heinl, all of Washington, D.C.
INDIAN TRUST REFORM
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the proposed reorganization of major agencies and functions related to
Indian trust reform matters within the Department of the Interior, after
receiving testimony from Senator Daschle; Dave Anderson, Assistant Secretary
of the Interior for Indian Affairs, and Ross O. Swimmer, Special Trustee for
American Indians, both of the Department of the Interior; Tex G. Hall,
National Congress of American Indians, Washington, D.C.; Joe Shirley, Jr.,
Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona; Edward K. Thomas, Central Council of the
Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Juneau; Harold Frazier, Cheyenne
River Sioux Tribe, Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on behalf of the Great Plains
Tribal Chairman's Association; and Clifford Lyle Marshall, Hoopa Valley Tribal
Council, Hoopa, California.
FLAG DESECRATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S.J. Res.
4, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States authorizing
Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United
States, after receiving testimony from Daniel J. Bryant, Assistant Attorney
General for Legal Policy, Department of Justice; Major General Patrick H.
Brady, USA (Ret.), Citizens Flag Alliance, Inc., Sumner, Washington; Lawrence
J. Korb, Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C., former Assistant
Secretary of Defense; John Andretti, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Mooresville,
North Carolina; Gary E. May, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville; and
Richard D. Parker, Harvard University Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Peter W. Hall, of Vermont, to be United States Circuit Judge
for the Second Circuit, who was introduced by Senators Leahy and Jeffords;
Jane J. Boyle, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of
Texas, who was introduced by Senators Hutchison and Cornyn; Marcia G. Cooke,
to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, who
was introduced by Senator Bill Nelson; and Walter D. Kelley, Jr., to be United
States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, who was introduced
by Senators Warner and Allen, after each nominee testified and answered
questions in their own behalf.
SECTION 527 ORGANIZATIONS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the scope and operation of certain tax-exempt organizations registered
under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, focusing on their impact on
campaign finance laws and federal elections, after receiving testimony from
Senators Feingold and Senator McCain; Lawrence Noble, Center for Responsive
Politics, Washington, D.C.; and Edward B. Foley, Ohio State University Moritz
College of Law, Columbus.
[Page: D211]
Joint Meetings
STRENGTHENING RETIREMENT SECURITY
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine issues
relative to helping Americans save, focusing on the Save More Tomorrow plan
(SmarT), Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), the Commission to Strengthen
Social Security, improving financial education, and promoting automatic
savings, after receiving testimony from Richard H. Thaler, University of
Chicago Graduate School of Business, Chicago, Illinois; Robert C. Pozen, MFS
Investment Management, Boston, Massachusetts; Ric Edelman, Edelman Financial
Services, Fairfax, Virginia; and Peter R. Orszag, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy
Center, Washington, D.C.
LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATIONS: VFW
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to examine the legislative
presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, after
receiving testimony from Edward S. Banas, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the
United States, Washington, D.C.
2004/03/11
Daily Digest - Thursday, March 11, 2004; pages D220 - D230
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: FOREST SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, after receiving
testimony from Dale N. Bosworth, Chief, Forest Service, and Mark E. Rey, Under
Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, both of the Department of
Agriculture.
APPROPRIATIONS: NASA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), after receiving
testimony from Sean O'Keefe, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
APPROPRIATIONS: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
Library of Congress, after receiving testimony from James H. Billington,
Librarian of Congress; and Donald L. Scott, Deputy Librarian of Congress.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on missile
defense after receiving testimony from Michael W. Wynne, Acting Under
Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; Admiral James
O. Ellis, Jr., USN, Commander, United States Strategic Command; Thomas P.
Christie, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation; Lieutenant General Ronald
T. Kadish, USAF, Director, Missile Defense Agency; and Lieutenant General
Larry J. Dodgen, USA, Commander, Space and Missile Defense Command.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland concluded a hearing to
examine the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005 and the future
years defense program, focusing on Army Transformation, after receiving
testimony from Claude M. Bolton, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Acquisition, Logistics and Technology; General George W. Casey, Jr., USA, Vice
Chief of Staff, United States Army; and Major General John M. Curran, USA,
Director, Future Centers, Headquarters, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine
Command.
PRESCRIPTION DRUG IMPORTATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine prescription drug importation and related matters, focusing
on reducing drug costs, safety concerns relating to importation, recent action
by the States, drug counterfeiting, and the Medicare importation study and
task force, after receiving testimony from Representatives Burton and Sanders;
and Mark B. McClellan, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Department
of Health and Human Services.
ABANDONED MINE LANDS PROGRAM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine S. 2086, to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977 to improve the reclamation of abandoned mines, and S.2049, to amend the
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to reauthorize collection
of reclamation fees, revise the abandoned mine reclamation program, promote
remining, authorize the Office of Surface Mining to collect the black lung
excise tax, and make sundry other changes, after receiving testimony from
Jeffrey D. Jarrett, Director, Office of Surface Mining, Department of the
Interior; Steve Hohmann, Director, Kentucky Department for Surface Mining and
Enforcement, Frankfort, on behalf of the Interstate Mining Compact Commission
and the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs; Evan J. Green,
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Cheyenne; Joe Shirley, Jr.,
Navajo Nation, Washington, D.C.; Charles Gauvin, Trout Unlimited, Arlington,
Virginia; and Micheal Buckner, United Mine Workers of America, Fairfax,
Virginia.
[Page: D225]
NOMINATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the nomination of Sue Ellen Wooldridge, of Virginia, to be Solicitor
of the Department of the Interior, after the nominee testified and answered
questions in her own behalf.
POSTAL REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee resumed hearings to examine U.S.
Postal Service reform issues, focusing on sustaining the 9 million jobs in the
$900 billion mailing industry, after receiving testimony from Frederick W.
Smith, FedEx Corporation, Memphis, Tennessee; Michael L. Eskew, United Parcel
Service, Atlanta, Georgia; Gary M. Mulloy, ADVO, Inc., Windsor, Connecticut;
Gary B. Pruitt, McClatchy Company, Sacramento, California, on behalf of the
Newspaper Association of America; and H. Robert Wientzen, Direct Marketing
Association, New York, New York.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nominations of William James Haynes II, of Virginia, to be United States
Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, Diane S. Sykes, of Wisconsin, to be
United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, James L. Robart, to be
United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington, and Juan
R. Sanchez and Lawrence F. Stengel, both to be a United States District Judge
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/12
Daily Digest - Friday, March 12, 2004; pages D231 - D236
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: On Thursday, March 11,
Committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of Linda Mysliwy Conlin,
of New Jersey, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import
Bank of the United States, and Rhonda Keenum, of Mississippi, to be Assistant
Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign
Commercial Services.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/16
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 16, 2004; pages D238 - D242
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/17
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 17, 2004; pages D244 - D250
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/18
Daily Digest - Thursday, March 18, 2004; pages D251 - D260
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
Joint Meetings
VETERANS PROGRAMS
Joint Hearings: Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and the House Committee
on Veterans Affairs concluded joint hearings to examine the legislative
presentations of the Air Force Sergeants Association, Retired Enlisted
Association, Gold Star Wives of America, and Fleet Reserve Association, after
receiving testimony from CMSgt. Jim Lekovic, USAF (Ret.), Air Force Sergeants
Association, Suitland, Maryland; Msgt. David L. Washington, USAF (Ret.),
Retired Enlisted Association, Aurora, Colorado; Rachel Clinkscale, Gold Star
Wives of America, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and Joseph L. Barnes, Fleet
Reserve Association, Alexandria, Virginia.
2004/03/22
Daily Digest - Monday, March 22, 2004; pages D262 - D266
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DEMENTIA
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine certain
criminal situations involving seniors with dementia, focusing on a recent
tragedy in Ocala, Florida, involving the death of a senior citizen suffering
from dementia and the killing of a local police officer, after receiving
testimony from Commander Gary Gotham, USN, Woodbridge, Virginia; Donna Cohen,
University of South Florida Department of Aging and Mental Health, Tampa; Max
B. Rothman, Florida International University College of Health and Urban
Affairs, Miami; and Constantine G. Lykesos, Johns Hopkins University and
Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/23
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 23, 2004; pages D267 - D274
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine Alzheimer's
disease support and research, focusing on the costs of care to families,
government, and business, the biology of the disease, medical history,
physical examinations, and mental status and neurological evaluations, after
receiving testimony from Richard J. Hodes, Director, National Institute on
Aging, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services;
Sheldon Goldberg, Chicago, Illinois, Shelly Fabares, Studio City, California,
and Dennis Kroucik, Cleveland, Ohio, all on behalf of the Alzheimer's
Association; David Snowden, University of Kentucky Department of Neurology,
Lexington; and Johnny Orr, West Des Moines, Iowa.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Coast Guard, after receiving
testimony from Admiral Thomas H. Collins, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, and
Admiral David Stone, Acting Administrator, Transportation Security
Administration, both of the Department of Homeland Security.
FBI
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the
Judiciary and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine the
transformation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, focusing on information
technology, management and training, after receiving testimony from Robert S.
Mueller III, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Glenn A. Fine,
Inspector General, both of the Department of Justice; Laurie E. Ekstrand,
Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, and Randolph C. Hite,
Director, Information Technology Architecture and Systems Issues, both of the
General Accounting Office.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for Department of Energy's Office of National Nuclear Security Administration,
after receiving testimony from Linton F. Brooks, Under Secretary for Nuclear
Security and Administrator, Admiral Frank L. Bowman, USN, Director, Naval
Reactors Program, U.S. Navy, Everet H. Beckner, Deputy Administrator, Office
of Defense Programs, Paul M. Longsworth, Deputy Administrator, Office of
Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, all of the National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Defense Authorization request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on atomic energy
defense activities of the Department of Energy, after receiving testimony from
Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
concluded a hearing to examine the Defense Authorization request for fiscal
year 2005, focusing on financial management, after receiving testimony from
Dov S. Zakheim, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); and David M. Walker,
Comptroller General of the United States, General Accounting Office.
MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine current investigations and regulatory actions regarding the
mutual fund industry, focusing on fund operations and governance, after
receiving testimony from Mercer E. Bullard, University of Mississippi School
of Law, Oxford, on behalf of Fund Democracy; William D. Lutz, Rutgers
University, Camden, New Jersey; Robert C. Pozen, Harvard Law School, Boston,
Massachusetts, on behalf of Massachusetts Financial Services Investment
Management; and Barbara Roper, Consumer Federation of America, Washington,
D.C.
RAIL SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine rail and mass transit security, focusing on efforts by the
Federal, State and local governments and transit and rail operators to respond
to vulnerabilities in rail and transit systems to improve security against
further terrorist attacks, after receiving testimony from Senators Carper and
Biden; Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and
Transportation Security; Allan Rutter, Administrator, Federal Railroad
Administration, and Robert Jamison, Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit
Administration, both of the Department of Transportation; Peter F. Guerrero,
Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, General Accounting Office; Jack
Riley, RAND Corporation, Arlington, Virginia; Edward R. Hamberger, Association
of American Railroads, and William W. Millar, American Public Transportation
Association, both of Washington, D.C.; and John O'Connor, National Railroad
Passenger Corporation, New York, New York.
[Page: D269]
SPY BLOCK ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Communications concluded a hearing to examine S. 2145, to regulate the
unauthorized installation of computer software, to require clear disclosure to
computer users of certain computer software features that may pose a threat to
user privacy, after receiving testimony from Avi Z. Naider, WhenU.com Inc.,
New York, New York; Robert W. Holleyman II, Business Software Alliance, and
Jerry Berman, Center for Democracy and Technology, both of Washington, D.C.;
and John Levine, Taughannock Networks, Trumansburg, New York.
U.N. CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded an oversight
hearing to examine the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea (Treaty Doc. 103-39), after receiving testimony from Senator
Stevens; John F. Turner, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; Paul L. Kelly, Rowan
Companies, Inc., Houston, Texas, on behalf of the U.S. Commission on Ocean
Policy Bernard H. Oxman, University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables,
Florida; Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., Center for Security Policy, Washington, D.C.;
and Peter M. Leitner, Arlington, Virginia.
U.S.-MEXICO RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
current status of United States and Mexico relations, focusing on immigration
policy and the bilateral relationship, and related provisions of S. 1461, S.
2010, S. 1645, and S. 1545, after receiving testimony from Senators Hagel,
McCain, Craig, Durbin, and Cornyn; Roger F. Noriega, Assistant Secretary of
State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; C. Stewart Verdery, Assistant Secretary
for Border and Transportation Security Policy and Planning, and Eduardo
Aguirre, Jr., Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, both of the
Department of Homeland Security; and Stephen E. Flynn, Council on Foreign
Relations, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Migration Policy Institute, and Arturo
A. Valenzuela, Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign
Service, all of Washington, D.C.
CONSTITUTIONAL MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee held a hearing to examine S.J. Res. 26,
proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to
marriage, receiving testimony from Senator Allard; Representatives Frank,
Lewis (GA), and Musgrave; Phyllis G. Bossin, Cincinnati, Ohio, on behalf of
the American Bar Association; Teresa Stanton Collett, St. Thomas University
School of Law, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Richard Richardson, St. Paul African
Methodist Episcopal Church, Boston, Massachusetts, on behalf of the Black
Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston; Katherine S. Spaht, Louisiana State
University Law Center, Baton Rouge; and Cass R. Sunstein, University of
Chicago Law School and Department of Political Science, Chicago, Illinois.
Hearings recessed subject to the call.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
challenges and solutions involving the counterfeiting and theft of tangible
intellectual property, focusing on protecting U.S. intellectual property
owners' assets overseas, after receiving testimony from Jon W. Dudas, Acting
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of
the Patent and Trademark Office; Christopher A. Wray, Assistant Attorney
General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice; James Mendenhall, Assistant
United States Trade Representative for Intellectual Property, Office of the
United States Trade Representative; Earl Anthony Wayne, Assistant Secretary of
State for Economic and Business Affairs; Thomas J. Donohue, United States
Chamber of Commerce, Brad Buckles, Recording Industry Association, and Timothy
P. Trainer, International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, Inc., all of
Washington, D.C.; Richard K. Willard, The Gillette Company, Boston,
Massachusetts; and Vanessa Price, Burton Snowboards, Burlington, Vermont.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
INTERNET FRAUD AND SENIORS
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
impact of Internet fraud on seniors, focusing on congressional efforts to
ensure that federal and state enforcement agencies take the proper steps to
protect seniors and prosecute cybercriminals, after receiving testimony from
David E. Nahmias, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division,
Department of Justice; Lawrence E. Maxwell, Assistant Chief Inspector, U.S.
Postal Inspection Service; and J. Howard Beales III, Director, Bureau of
Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission; Tanya Solov, North American
Securities Administrators Association, Chicago, Illinois; David Jevans,
Anti-Phishing Working Group, Redwood City, California; and Jeffrey Groover,
Yazoo City, Mississippi.
[Page: D270]
Joint Meetings
POSTAL REFORM
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs concluded a joint
hearing with the House Committee on Government Reform to examine U.S. Postal
Service reform issues, focusing on revenue and cost allocation, after
receiving testimony from John W. Snow, Secretary, and Brian C. Roseboro,
Acting Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, both of the Department of the
Treasury; David Fineman, Chairman, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors; and
John E. Potter, Postmaster General, U.S. Postal Service.
2004/03/24
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 24, 2004; pages D276 - D286
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ANIMAS-LA PLATA PROJECT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
concluded a hearing to examine the cost estimate to complete the Bureau of
Reclamation's Animas-La Plata Project designed to divert, pump, store, and
convey water from the Animas River at Durango, Colorado to provide water for
both Indian and non-Indian municipal and industrial uses in Colorado and New
Mexico, after receiving testimony from Bennett W. Raley, Assistant Secretary
for Water and Science, and William E. Rinne, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of
Reclamation, both of the Department of the Interior; Howard Richards, Southern
Ute Indian Tribe, Ignacio, Colorado; Selwyn Whiteskunk, Ute Mountain Ute
Tribe, Towaoc, Colorado; Richard K. (Mike) Griswold, Animas-La Plata Water
Conservancy District, Durango, Colorado; and L. Randy Kirkpatrick, San Juan
Water Commission, Farmington, New Mexico.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
the Air Force, after receiving testimony from James G. Roche, Secretary of the
Air Force; and General John P. Jumper, USAF, Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded a
hearing to examine the proposed Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year
2005, focusing on strategic forces and capabilities, after receiving testimony
from Linton F. Brooks, Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; and Admiral James O.
Ellis, Jr., USN, Commander, United States Strategic Command.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland concluded a hearing to
examine the Defense Authorization request for fiscal year 2005 and future
years defense program, focusing on Navy and Air Force aviation programs, after
receiving testimony from John J. Young, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Navy
for Research, Development, and Acquisition; Marvin R. Sambur, Assistant
Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; Vice Admiral John B. Nathman, USN,
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs;
Lieutenant General Michael A. Hough, USMC, Deputy Commandant for Aviation,
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps; and Lieutenant General Ronald E. Keys, USAF,
Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Air
Force.
REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL REGULATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Housing and
Transportation concluded a hearing to examine the current status of the real
estate appraisal industry, and its Federal and State oversight and regulation,
focusing on certain private entities as outlined in Title XI of the Financial
Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, that establish
uniform rules for real estate appraisals and set minimum criteria for
certifying appraisers, after receiving testimony from David G. Wood, Director,
Financial Markets and Community Investment, General Accounting Office; Steven
D. Fritts, Associate Director Risk Management/Examination Support, Division of
Supervision and Consumer Protection, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, on
behalf of Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council; David S. Bunton,
The Appraisal Foundation, Washington, D.C.; Charles Clark, Georgia Real Estate
Commission, Atlanta, on behalf of Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board; Alan
E. Hummel, Iowa Residential Appraisal Company, Des Moines, on behalf of
Appraisal Institute; and Eugene G. Kaczkowski, American Appraisal Associates,
Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on behalf of American Society of Appraisers.
[Page: D278]
MARITIME SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the state of maritime security, focusing on the impact of
security efforts on maritime commerce, and the additional measures that may be
needed to further enhance maritime transportation security, after receiving
testimony from Admiral Thomas H. Collins, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Robert
C. Bonner, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Admiral David M.
Stone, USN (Ret), Acting Administrator, Transportation Security
Administration, all of the Department of Homeland Security; Christopher Koch,
World Shipping Council, and James J. Carafano, Heritage Foundation, both of
Washington, D.C.; Gary P. LaGrange, Board of Commissioners of the Port of New
Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Mike Mitre, International Longshore and
Warehouse Union, Wilmington, California.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 1910, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out an inventory and
management program for forests derived from public domain land;
H.R. 620, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide supplemental
funding and other services that are necessary to assist the State of
California or local educational agencies in California in providing
educational services for students attending schools located within the Park,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and The nomination of Sue
Ellen Wooldridge, of Virginia, to be Solicitor of the Department of the
Interior.
PUBLIC LANDS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 433, to provide for enhanced
collaborative forest stewardship management within the Clearwater and Nez
Perce National Forests in Idaho, S. 2180, to direct the Secretary of
Agriculture to exchange certain lands in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National
Forests in the State of Colorado, and H.R. 1964, to assist the States of
Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in conserving priority
lands and natural resources in the Highlands region, after receiving testimony
from Senator Corzine; Representative Frelinghuysen; David Tenny, Deputy Under
Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; Robert W.
McIntosh, Associate Regional Director for Planning and Partnerships, Northeast
Region, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; Thomas A. Gilbert,
Highlands Coalition, Titusville, New Jersey; Bonner R. Cohen, National Center
for Public Policy Research, Washington, D.C.; Rick Johnson, Idaho Conservation
League, Boise; and Susie Borowicz, Elk City, Idaho.
NATURAL GAS SUPPLY
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded an oversight
hearing to examine the environmental impacts of the United States natural gas
supply, focusing on the price outlook, and pipeline projects, after receiving
testimony from Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri, Providence; Marjorie
West, Sheridan, Wyoming, on behalf of the Powder River Basin Resource Council
and the Western Organization of Resource Councils; Joel Bluestein, Energy and
Environmental Analysis, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; Dennis M. Bailey, PPG
Industries, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Michael C. Caskey, Fidelity Exploration
and Production Company, and George Handley, Eclipse Exploration Corporation,
both of Denver, Colorado; Stephen H.M. Bloch, Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance, Salt Lake City; and Bob Drake, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on behalf of
the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation.
CREDIT COUNSELING INDUSTRY
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
concluded a hearing to examine the role and tax-exempt status of
not-for-profit credit counseling agencies, focusing on cases of misconduct
among credit card counseling agencies and their not-for-profit service
providers and what solutions may be available to repair the industry, after
receiving testimony from Mark W. Everson, Commissioner, Internal Revenue
Service, Department of the Treasury; Thomas B. Leary, Commissioner, Federal
Trade Commission; Chris Viale, Cambridge Credit Counseling Corporation,
Agawam, Massachusetts; Matthew Case, AmeriDebt, Inc., and Andris Pukke,
Debtworks, Inc., both of Germantown, Maryland; Cuba M. Craig, American
Financial Solutions, Seattle, Washington; James Kroening, FamilyMeans Consumer
Credit Counseling Service, Stillwater, Minnesota; Michael Malesardi, Ballenger
Group, LLC, Frederick, Maryland; Bernaldo Dancel, Ascend One
Corporation/Amerix Corporation, Columbia, Maryland; Raymond Schuck, Lima,
Ohio; John Pohlman, East Granby, Connecticut; Jolanta Troy, Carlisle,
Pennsylvania; and Johnpaul Allen, New Market, Maryland.
[Page: D279]
INDIAN GAMING REGULATORY ACT AMENDMENTS
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 1529,
to amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to include provisions relating to
the payment and administration of gaming fees, after receiving testimony from
George T. Skibine, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for
Policy and Economic Development; and Philip N. Hogen, National Indian Gaming
Commission, and Ernest L. Stevens, Jr. and Mark Van Norman, both of the
National Indian Gaming Association, all of Washington, D.C.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Paul S. Diamond, to be United States District Judge for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania, after the nominee, who was introduced by
Senators Specter and Santorum, testified and answered questions in his own
behalf.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/25
Daily Digest - Thursday, March 25, 2004; pages D288 - D296
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget
estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of Health and Human
Services, after receiving testimony from Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
the Interior, after receiving testimony from Gale A. Norton, Secretary, and
Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, both of
the Department of the Interior.
APPROPRIATIONS: EPA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Environmental Protection Agency, after receiving testimony from
Michael O. Leavitt, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, the
Judiciary and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget
estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of State, after receiving
testimony from Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development
and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates
for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of Agriculture, after receiving
testimony from Ann M. Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
proposed Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on the
role of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Special Operations Command in defending
the homeland and in the global war on terrorism, after receiving testimony
from Thomas W. O'Connell, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special
Operations and Low Intensity Conflict; Paul McHale, Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Homeland Defense; General Ralph E. Eberhart, USAF, Commander,
North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command,
U.S. Air Force; General Bryan D. Brown, USA, Commander, United States Special
Operations Command, U.S. Army.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded a
hearing to examine the proposed Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year
2005, focusing on national security space programs and management, after
receiving testimony from Peter B. Teets, Under Secretary of the Air Force,
Director, National Reconnaissance Office; Admiral James O. Ellis, Jr., USN,
Commander, United States Strategic Command, U.S. Navy; General Lance W. Lord,
USAF, Commander, Air Force Space Command, U.S. Air Force; and Vice Admiral
Arthur K. Cebrowski, USN (Ret.), Director, Office of Force Transformation,
U.S. Navy.
FLOOD INSURANCE
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic
Policy concluded a hearing to examine the National Flood Insurance Program,
focusing on certain measures to address repetitive loss properties, after
receiving testimony from Senator Mikulski; Representatives Bereuter and
Blumenauer; Anthony Lowe, Federal Insurance Administrator and Mitigation
Division Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland
Security; William O. Jenkins, Jr., Director, Homeland Security and Justice
Issues, General Accounting Office; William Stiglitz III, Hyland, Block, Hyland
Insurance, Louisville, Kentucky, on behalf of the Independent Insurance Agents
and Brokers of America and the National Association of Professional Insurance
Agents; Steven M. Feldmann, The Fischer Group, Crestview Hills, Kentucky, on
behalf of the National Association of Home Builders; Chad Berginnis,
Association of State Floodplain Managers, Inc., Columbus, Ohio; and Greg
Kosse, Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, Louisville, on behalf of
the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
[Page: D290]
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION BUDGET
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year
2005 for the Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation,
after receiving testimony from Jennifer L. Dorn, Administrator, Federal
Transit Administration, Department of Transportation; Timothy W. Martin,
Illinois Department of Transportation, Springfield, on behalf of American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; and William Millar,
American Public Transportation Association, Dale J. Marsico, Community
Transportation Association of America, and Rolf Th. Lundberg, Jr., United
States Chamber of Commerce, all of Washington, D.C.
CABLE RATES
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine causes and potential solutions regarding escalating cable
rates, after receiving testimony from Mark L. Goldstein, Director, Amy
Abramowitz, Assistant Director, and Michael Clements, Senior Analyst, all of
Physical Infrastructure Issues, General Accounting Office; James O. Robbins,
Cox Communications, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia; George Bodenheimer, ESPN, Inc. and
ABC Sports, New York, New York; Gene Kimmelman, Consumers Union, Washington,
D.C.; Marilyn Praisner, Montgomery County Council, Rockville, Maryland, on
behalf of National Association of Counties and Telecommunity; and Rodger L.
Johnson, Knology, Inc., West Point, Georgia, on behalf of Broadband Service
Providers Association.
RURAL WATER SUPPLY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power
concluded a hearing to examine S. 1085, to provide for a Bureau of Reclamation
program to assist states and local communities in evaluating and developing
rural and small community water supply systems, S. 1732, to direct the
Secretary of the Interior to establish a rural water supply program in the
Reclamation States to provide a clean, safe, affordable, and reliable water
supply to rural residents, S. 2218, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to
establish a rural water supply program in the Reclamation States for the
purpose of providing a clean, safe, affordable, and reliable water supply to
rural residents and for other purposes, to authorize the Secretary to conduct
appraisal and feasibility studies for rural water projects, and to establish
the guidelines for any projects authorized under this program, S. 1727, to
authorize additional appropriations for the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of
1978, and S. 1791, to amend the Lease Lot Conveyance Act of 2002 to provide
that the amounts received by the United States under that Act shall be
deposited in the reclamation fund, after receiving testimony from John W. Keys
III, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior; Mike
Keegan, National Rural Water Association, Duncan, Oklahoma; and David J.
Koland, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, Carrington, North Dakota.
UNITED STATES-AFRICA PARTNERSHIP
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
proposed legislation to amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to expand
certain trade benefits to eligible sub-Saharan African countries, after
receiving testimony from Alan P. Larson, Under Secretary of State for
Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs; Florizelle B. Liser, Assistant
United States Trade Representative for Africa; and Constance B. Newman,
Assistant Administrator for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Miles T. Bivins, of Texas, to be Ambassador to Sweden, who was
introduced by Senators Hutchison and Cornyn; Michael Christian Polt, of
Tennessee, to be Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, Thomas Bolling
Robertson, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Slovenia, John M. Ordway, of
California, to be Ambassador to Kazakhstan, and Earle I. Mack, of New York, to
be Ambassador to Finland, who was introduced by Senators Schumer and
Lautenberg, after each nominee testified and answered questions in their own
behalf.
HAZARD COMMUNICATION
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on
Employment, Safety, and Training concluded a hearing to examine hazard
communication in the 21st Century workplace, focusing on steps that the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is taking to improve
implementation of OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard, after receiving
testimony from John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational
Safety and Health; Thomas G. Grumbles, American Industrial Hygiene
Association, Fairfax, Virginia; Jon Hanson, Wyoming Medical Center, Casper;
Anne Jackson, Pepperidge Farm, Denver, Pennsylvania, on behalf of American
Bakers Association; Michele R. Sullivan, MRS Associates, Cherry Hill, New
Jersey, on behalf of Society for Chemical Hazard Communications; and Michael
J. Wright, United Steelworkers of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
[Page: D291]
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
Joint Meetings
VETERANS' LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATIONS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to examine legislative
presentations of certain veterans' organizations, after receiving testimony
from S. John Sisler, AMVETS, Lanham, Maryland; F. Paul Dallas, American
Ex-Prisoners of War, Arlington, Texas; Edward Chow, Jr., Vietnam Veterans of
America, Silver Spring, Maryland; Colonel Robert F. Norton, USA (Ret.),
Military Officers Association of America, Alexandria, Virginia; and Joey
Strickland, National Association of State Directors of Veterans' Affairs,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
2004/03/26
Daily Digest - Friday, March 26, 2004; pages D298 - D304
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
[Page: D299]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/29
Daily Digest - Monday, March 29, 2004; pages D306 - D310
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DEFENSE SCIENCE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on defense science and technology programs and capabilities from
Benjamin P. Riley III, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for
Advanced Systems and Concepts (Force Protection); Captain Michel Knollnann,
Military Deputy Operational Requirements, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary
of Defense (Advanced Systems and Concepts); and Colonel Joseph L. Votel,
Deputy Director Information Operations, Directorate for Operations Readiness
and Mobilization.
[Page: D307]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/30
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 30, 2004; pages D312 - D322
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DC YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on District of Columbia concluded a
hearing to examine the deficiencies at the District of Columbia's Youth
Services Administration, after receiving testimony from Austin A. Andersen,
Interim Inspector General; Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., Director, Public Defender
Service; Robert C. Bobb, City Administrator and Deputy Mayor; and Eugene N.
Hamilton, Chair, Blue Ribbon Commission on Youth Safety and Juvenile Justice
Reform, all of the government of the District of Columbia.
APPROPRIATIONS: MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for
Defense-wide and Air Force military construction programs, after receiving
testimony from Raymond F. Dubois, Jr., Deputy Under Secretary of Defense,
Installations and Environment; Nelson F. Gibbs, Assistant Secretary of the Air
Force, Installations, Environment, and Logistics; Major General L. Dean Fox,
USAF, Air Force Civil Engineer, U.S. Air Force; Brigadier General David A.
Brubaker, USAF, Deputy Director, Air National Guard, U.S. Air Force; Brigadier
General William M. Rajczak, USAF, Deputy to the Chief of Air Force Reserve,
U.S. Air Force.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for border
security and enforcement and immigration services, after receiving testimony
from Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection;
Michael J. Garcia, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement; and Eduardo Aguirre, Jr., Director, U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, all of the Department of Homeland Security.
IRAQ SURVEY GROUP
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a closed hearing to examine
the second interim report of the Iraq Survey Group, after receiving testimony
from Charles A. Duelfer, Special Advisor to the Director of Central
Intelligence for Strategy Regarding Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction
Programs; and Major General Keith W. Dayton, USA, Commander, Iraq Survey
Group.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland concluded a hearing to
examine the proposed Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005 and
the Future Years Defense Program, focusing on Army aviation programs, after
receiving testimony from Lieutenant General Richard A. Cody, USA, Deputy Chief
of Staff for Operations and Plans, U.S. Army; Major General Joseph L.
Bergantz, USA, Program Executive Officer for Aviation, U.S. Army; and
Brigadier General Edward J. Sinclair, USA, Commanding General, U.S. Army
Aviation Center and Fort Rucker.
MILITARY OPERATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on operations and intelligence from Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary
of Defense; and General Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items: S. 2238, to amend the National Flood
Insurance Act of 1968 to reduce loses to properties for which repetitive flood
insurance claim payments have been made; and
[Page: D314]
The nomination of Alphonso R. Jackson, of Texas, to be Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development.
AVIATION SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Aviation
concluded a closed hearing to examine aviation security issues, after
receiving testimony from Rear Admiral David Stone, USN, (Ret.), Acting
Administrator, Transportation Security Administration, and Clark Kent Ervin,
Inspector General, both of the Department of Homeland Security; and Norman J.
Rabkin, Managing Director, Homeland Security and Justice, General Accounting
Office.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of Theodore William Kassinger, of Maryland,
to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce; Deborah A.P. Hersman, of Virginia, to be a
Member of the National Transportation Safety Board, Department of
Transportation, who was introduced by Senator Hollings; Thomas Hill Moore, of
Florida, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who
was introduced by Senator Breaux; Alan Paul Anderson, of Florida, who was
introduced by Senator Nelson (FL) and Representative Mica, and Joseph E.
Brennan, of Maine, both to be a Federal Maritime Commissioner; and Jack Edwin
McGregor, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the Advisory Board of the Saint
Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, who was introduced by Representative
Shays, after each nominee testified and answered questions in their own
behalf.
ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS COMPENSATION PROGRAM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the implementation of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness
Compensation Program Act of 2000, focusing on improvements in processing
claims for compensation, after receiving testimony from Senator Grassley;
Robert G. Card, Under Secretary of Energy; Shelby Hallmark, Director, Office
of Workers' Compensation Programs, Department of Labor; Robert E. Robertson,
Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, General Accounting
Office; and John Howard, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health
and Human Services.
NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded an oversight hearing to examine National Heritage Areas, including
findings and recommendations of the General Accounting Office, the definition
of a National Heritage Area, the definition of national significance as it
relates to National Heritage Areas, recommendations for establishing National
Heritage Areas as units of the National Park System, recommendations for
prioritizing proposed studies and designations, and options for developing a
National Heritage Area Program within the National Park Service, after
receiving testimony from A. Durand Jones, Deputy Director, National Park
Service, Department of the Interior; Barry T. Hill, Director, Natural
Resources and Environment, General Accounting Office; August R. Carlino,
Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area/Steel Industry Heritage Corporation,
Homestead, Pennsylvania; Edward F. Sanderson, Rhode Island Historical
Preservation and Heritage Commission, Providence, on behalf of the National
Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers; Lisa Benton-Short, George
Washington University Center for Urban Environmental Research, Washington,
D.C.; Carol W. LaGrasse, Property Rights Foundation of America, Inc., Stony
Creek, New York; and Dennis Frenchman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Cambridge.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of
Donald Korb, of Ohio, to be Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service and
an Assistant General Counsel, Department of the Treasury.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of John J. Danilovich, of California, to be Ambassador to Brazil,
and Craig A. Kelly, of California, to be Ambassador to Chile, after each
nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
FINANCIAL LITERACY
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial Management, the
Budget, and International Security concluded a hearing to examine the Federal
government's role in empowering Americans to make informed financial
decisions, focusing on financial education programs that help Americans obtain
the knowledge to make informed financial choices throughout their lives, after
receiving testimony from Senators Sarbanes, Enzi, and Stabenow; Brian C.
Roseboro, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance; Nina S.
Rees, Deputy Under Secretary of Education for Innovation and Improvement;
Susan Ferris Wyderko, Director, Office of Investor Education and Assistance,
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Don M. Blandin, American Savings
Education Council, and Dara Duguay, Jump Start Coalition for Personal
Financial Literacy, both of Washington, D.C.; and Robert F. Duvall, National
Council on Economic Education, New York, New York.
[Page: D315]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee approved for
reporting the nominations of Edward R. McPherson, of Texas, to be Under
Secretary of Education, Lisa Kruska, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary
of Labor, David Wesley Fleming of California, Jay Phillip Greene, of Florida,
and John Richard Petrocik, of Missouri, each to be a Member of the Board of
Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, Juanita Alicia
Vasquez-Gardner, of Texas, and Patrick Lloyd McCrory, of North Carolina, each
to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship
Foundation, and Gerald Lee, of Pennsylvania, and Robert C. Granger, of New
Jersey, each to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Board
for Education Sciences, Department of Education.
INDIAN FOREST MANAGEMENT REPORT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine Inter-Tribal Timber Council's Indian Forest Management Assessment Team
report, focusing on its recommendations providing the Department of the
Interior with feedback to improve the delivery and management of forestry
services provided to federally recognized tribes and individual Indian owners,
after receiving testimony from Aurene M. Martin, Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Nolan C. Colegrove, Sr.,
Intertribal Timber Council, Portland, Oregon; and John C. Gordon, Interforest,
LLC, Branford, Connecticut, on behalf of the Second Indian Forest Management
Assessment Team.
INDIAN LAND RESTORATION
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 868,
to amend the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Restoration Act to provide for
the cultural restoration and economic self-sufficiency of the Confederation
Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians of Oregon, after receiving
testimony from Mark Rey, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources
and Environment; Cheryl Hoile, Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua,
and Siuslaw Indians, Coos Bay, Oregon; Peter M. Wakeland, Confederated Tribes
of the Grand Ronde, Grand Ronde, Oregon; and Jay Ward, Oregon Natural
Resources Council, Portland.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/03/31
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 31, 2004; pages D323 - D332
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management, Office of
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, and Office of Environment, Safety and
Health, after receiving testimony from Jessie Hill Roberson, Assistant
Secretary for Environmental Management, Margaret Chu, Director, Civilian
Radioactive Waste Management, and Beverly Cook, Assistant Secretary for
Environment, Safety and Health, all of the Department of Energy.
APPROPRIATIONS: INTELLIGENCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a closed
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for
intelligence and world wide threat assessment, after receiving testimony from
George Tenet, Director, Central Intelligence Agency.
APPROPRIATIONS: SAA/CAPITOL POLICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch concluded
hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, after receiving testimony
from Terrance W. Gainer, Chief, United States Capitol Police; and William H.
Pickle, Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper; and W. Wilson Livingood,
Chairman, United States Capitol Police Board.
DEFENSE: AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a hearing to
examine the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on
active and Reserve military and civilian personnel programs, after receiving
testimony from Thomas F. Hall, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve
Affairs; Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum, ARNG, Chief, National Guard
Bureau, Army National Guard; Lieutenant General Roger C. Schultz, ARNG,
Director, Army National Guard; Lieutenant General Daniel James III, ANG,
Director, Air National Guard; Lieutenant General James R. Helmly, USAR, Chief,
Army Reserve; Vice Admiral John G. Cotton, USNR, Chief, Naval Reserve;
Lieutenant General Dennis M. McCarthy, USMCR, Commander, Marine Forces
Reserve; and Lieutenant General James E. Sherrard III, USAFR, Chief, Air Force
Reserve.
TANKER AIRCRAFT
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on the acquisition of the Boeing KC-767A tanker aircraft from Joseph
E. Schmitz, Inspector General, Henry Kleinknecht, Program Director, Contract
Audits, John F. Meling, Program Director, Acquisition Audits, Francis E.
Reardon, Deputy Inspector General for Auditing, and David K. Steensma,
Director, Contract Management Directorate, all of the Office of the Inspector
General, Department of Defense.
MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee continued hearings
to examine the current investigations and regulatory actions regarding the
mutual fund industry, focusing on soft-dollar practices, after receiving
testimony from Harold S. Bradley, American Century Investments, Kansas City,
Missouri; Geoffrey I. Edelstein, Westcap Investors, Los Angeles, California,
on behalf of Investment Counsel Association of America, Inc.; Howard M.
Schilit, Center for Financial Research and Analysis, Rockville, Maryland;
Grady G. Thomas, Jr., The Interstate Group, Division of Morgan Keegan and
Company, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina; and Benn Steil, Council on Foreign
Relations, and Joseph M. Velli, The Bank of New York, both of New York, New
York.
MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee continued a
hearing to examine the current investigations and regulatory actions regarding
the mutual fund industry, focusing on fund costs and distribution practices,
receiving testimony from Senators Fitzgerald, Collins, Levin, and Akaka; Paul
G. Haaga, Jr., Capital Research and Management Company, Los Angeles,
California, on behalf of the Investment Company Institute; Mark Treanor,
Wachovia Corporation, Charlotte, North Carolina, on behalf of the Financial
Services Roundtable; Chet Helck, Raymond James Financial, Inc., St.
Petersburg, Florida; Thomas O. Putnam, Fenimore Asset Management, Inc.,
Cobleskill, New York; and Edward A.H. Siedle, Benchmark Financial Services,
Inc./Benchmark Companies, Ocean Ridge, Florida.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
[Page: D325]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the nominations of Stephen L. Johnson, of Maryland, to be Deputy
Administrator, Ann R. Klee, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Administrator,
Charles Johnson, of Utah, to be Chief Financial Officer, who was introduced by
Senator Bennett, and Benjamin Grumbles, of Virginia, to be an Assistant
Administrator, all of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Gary Lee
Visscher, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard
Investigation Board, after each nominee testified and answered questions in
their own behalf.
NATION'S WATER RESOURCE NEEDS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure concluded a hearing to examine the role of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers in meeting the nation's water resource needs in the 21st century,
including related provisions of the proposed Water Resources Development Act
of 2004, after receiving testimony from former Representative John T. Myers,
on behalf of the National Waterways Conference; John Paul Woodley, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Lieutenant General Robert
B. Flowers, Chief of Engineers, both of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
Steve Levy, Office of the Suffolk County Executive, Hauppauge, New York;
Michael A. Leone, American Association of Port Authorities, Alexandria,
Virginia; William G. Howland, Lake Champlain Basin Program, Grand Isle,
Vermont; Michael W. Cameron, The Nature Conservancy, Reno, Nevada; Derrick
Crandall, American Recreation Coalition, Dominic Izzo, American Society of
Civil Engineers, Raymond J. Poupore, National Heavy and Highway Alliance, and
Scott Faber Environmental Defense, all of Washington, D.C.; and Gregory A.
Zlotnick, Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Jose, California.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Paul V. Applegarth, of Connecticut, to be Chief Executive
Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Department of State, after the
nominee, who was introduced by Senator Schumer, testified and answered
questions in his own behalf.
MADRID TERRORIST ATTACKS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on European Affairs concluded a
hearing to examine the effects of the Madrid terrorist attacks on U.S.
European cooperation in the war on terrorism, after receiving testimony from
J. Cofer Black, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State; Robert
Kagan, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Robin Niblett, Center for
Strategic and International Studies, Philip H. Gordon, Brookings Institution,
and James Dobbins, RAND Corporation, all of Washington D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters. Committee recessed subject to the call.
Joint Meetings
2005 BUDGET
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House passed
versions of S. Con. Res. 95, setting forth the congressional budget for the
United States Government for fiscal year 2005 and including the appropriate
budgetary levels for fiscal years 2006 through 2009, but did not complete
action thereon, and recessed subject to the call.
2004/04/01
Daily Digest - Thursday, April 1, 2004; pages D334 - D344
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Related Agencies, and Education concluded a hearing to examine proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the National Institutes of Health,
after receiving testimony from Elias Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes
of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, who was accompanied by
several of his associates.
APPROPRIATIONS: INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, after
receiving testimony from Charles W. Grim, Assistant Surgeon General, and
Director, Indian Health Service, and Gary J. Hartz, Assistant Surgeon General,
Acting Director, Office of Public Health, both of the Department of Health and
Human Services.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, after receiving testimony
from John Weicher, Commissioner, Federal Housing Administration, Michael Liu,
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, Roy A. Benardi, Assistant
Secretary for Community Planning and Development, all of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and
General Government held a hearing to examine future challenges facing the
United States Postal Service, focusing on the Transformation Plan of both the
near-term and long-term efforts that will result in a continued ability to
fulfill the mission of the Postal Service--to deliver business and personal
mail affordably to everyone, everywhere, receiving testimony from John E.
Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Postal Service.
APPROPRIATIONS: AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates
for fiscal year 2005 for certain programs under its jurisdiction, after
receiving testimony from Eric M. Bost, Under Secretary for Food Nutrition and
Consumer Services, Elsa A. Murano, Under Secretary for Food Safety, and
William T. Hawks, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, all
of the Department of Agriculture; and Lester M. Crawford, Acting Commissioner,
Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
proposed Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on the
military strategy and operational requirements of the unified and regional
commands, after receiving testimony from Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, USN,
Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Navy; General Leon J. LaPorte, USA,
Commander, United Nations Command and Republic of Korea/United States Combined
Forces Command, and Commander, U.S. Forces Korea, U.S. Army; and General James
T. Hill, USA, Commander, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
concluded a hearing to examine the proposed Defense Authorization Request for
fiscal year 2005, focusing on military installation programs, after receiving
testimony from Raymond F. DuBois, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for
Installations and Environment; Major General Larry J. Lust, USA, Assistant
Chief of Staff for Installation Management, U.S. Army; Rear Admiral
Christopher Weaver, USN, Commander, Navy Installations Command; Brigadier
General Willie J. Williams, USMC, Assistant Deputy Commandant, Installations
and Logistics (Facilities), U.S. Marine Corps; and Major General L. Dean Fox,
USAF, Air Force Civil Engineer.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported S. 1508, to address regulation of secondary mortgage market
enterprises, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
NASA'S BUDGET
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the President's proposed fiscal year 2005 budget request
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), focusing on
goals set forth in the new U.S. space exploration policy, major implementation
elements and associated budget details, implications for NASA's organization,
and what the Nation's future in exploration and discovery will look like in
the coming years, after receiving testimony from Sean O'Keefe, Administrator,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
[Page: D336]
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate
Change and Nuclear Safety concluded an oversight hearing to examine the
implementation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate
matter and ozone, focusing on Federal and State governments meeting standards
to improve air quality, after receiving testimony from Michael O. Leavitt,
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Robert A. Eckels, County
Judge, Harris County, Texas; Michael Fisher, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of
Commerce, Cincinnati, Ohio; and George D. Thurston, New York University School
of Medicine, New York.
ECONOMIC TREATIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and Protocol to
Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific
to Aircraft Equipment, concluded at Cape Town, South Africa, on November 16,
2001 (Treaty Doc. 108-10), Additional Protocol Between the Government of the
United States of America and the Government of Romania Concerning the
Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investment of May 28, 1992, signed
at Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-13), Additional Protocol
Between the United States of America and the Republic of Bulgaria Amending the
Treaty Between the United States of America and the Republic of Bulgaria
Concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment of
September 23, 1992, signed at Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc.
108-15), Protocol Between the Government of the United States of America and
the Government of the Republic of Estonia to the Treaty for the Encouragement
and Reciprocal Protection of Investment of April 19, 1994, signed at Brussels
on October 24, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-17), Additional Protocol Between the
United States of America and the Czech Republic to the Treaty Between the
United States of America and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic Concerning
the Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investment of October 22, 1991,
signed at Brussels on December 10, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-18), Additional
Protocol Between the United States of America and the Slovak Republic to the
Treaty Between the United States of America and the Czech and Slovak Federal
Republic Concerning the Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investment
of October 22, 1991, signed at Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc.
108-19), Additional Protocol Between the Government of the United States of
America and the Government of the Republic of Latvia to the Treaty for the
Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment of January 13, 1995,
signed at Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-20), Additional
Protocol Between the Government of the United States of America and the
Government of the Republic of Lithuania to the Treaty for the Encouragement
and Reciprocal Protection of Investment of January 14, 1998, signed at
Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-21), and the Additional
Protocol Between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland to
the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland
Concerning Business and Economic Relations of March 21, 1990, signed at
Brussels on January 12, 2004 (Treaty Doc. 108-22), after receiving testimony
from Shaun E. Donnelly, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and
Business Affairs; and Jeffrey Rosen, General Counsel, Department of
Transportation.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nominations of Peter W. Hall, of Vermont, to be United States Circuit Judge
for the Second Circuit, William Gerry Myers III, of Idaho, to be United States
Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Roger T. Benitez, to be United States
District Judge for the Southern District of California, Jane J. Boyle, to be
United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, Marcia G.
Cooke, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of
Florida, Paul S. Diamond, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern
District of Pennsylvania, Walter D. Kelley, Jr., to be United States District
Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew G. Whitaker, to be
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, Department of
Justice.
TEMPORARY GUEST WORKER PROPOSAL
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security
concluded a hearing to examine the security of this nation's borders under the
proposed temporary guest worker program, after receiving testimony from Robert
Bonner, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and C. Stewart
Verdery, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Policy, Border and Transportation
Security Directorate, both of the Department of Homeland Security; Donna
Bucella, Director, Terrorist Screening Center, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Department of Justice; Daniel Griswald, Cato Institute,
Washington, D.C.; and Margaret D. Stock, U.S. Military Academy, West Point,
New York.
[Page: D337]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Robert N. Davis, to be a Judge of the United States Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims, who was introduced by Senators Cochran and Lott;
and Pamela M. Iovino, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Congressional Affairs, who was introduced by
Representative Murphy, after the nominees testified and answered questions in
their own behalf.
Joint Meetings
PENSION FUNDING EQUITY ACT
Conferees agreed to file a conference report on the differences between the
Senate and House passed versions of H.R. 3108, to amend the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
to temporarily replace the 30-year Treasury rate with a rate based on
long-term corporate bonds for certain pension plan funding requirements and
other provisions.
2004/04/02
Daily Digest - Friday, April 2, 2004; pages D345 - D350
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
concluded open and closed hearings to examine the proposed Defense
Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on the Department of
Defense Counternarcotics Program, after receiving testimony from Thomas W.
O'Connell, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low
Intensity Conflict; Rear Admiral Bruce W. Clingan, USN, Deputy Director of
Operations, U.S. Central Command; and Brigadier General Benjamin R. Mixon,
USA, Director for Operations, U.S. Southern Command.
[Page: D346]
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
employment-unemployment situation for March 2004, focusing on economic growth,
business activity in the manufacturing and service industries, the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), job creation and loss, after receiving testimony from
Kathleen P. Utgoff, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of
Labor.
2004/04/05
Daily Digest - Monday, April 5, 2004; pages D352 - D354
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/06
Daily Digest - Tuesday, April 6, 2004; pages D355 - D358
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Department of Veterans Affairs, after receiving testimony from Anthony
Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife
and Water concluded a hearing to examine S. 1366, to authorize the Secretary
of the Interior to make grants to State and tribal governments to assist State
and tribal efforts to manage and control the spread of chronic wasting disease
in deer and elk herds, after receiving testimony from John Clifford, Associate
Deputy Administrator for National Animal Health Policy and Programs,
Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Department
of Agriculture; Charles G. Groat, Director, U.S. Geological Survey, Department
of the Interior; Russell George, Colorado Department of Natural Resources,
Denver; Gary J. Taylor, International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies, Washington, D.C.; Jack Walther, Elko, Nevada, on behalf of the
American Veterinary Medical Association; and Gary J. Wolfe, Chronic Wasting
Disease Alliance, Missoula, Montana.
[Page: D356]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/07
Daily Digest - Wednesday, April 7, 2004; pages D359 - D364
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the National Guard
and Reserve, after receiving testimony from Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum,
ARNG, Chief, National Guard Bureau; Lieutenant General Roger C. Schultz, ARNG,
Director, Army National Guard; Lieutenant General Daniel James III, ANG,
Director, Air National Guard; Lieutenant General James R. Helmly, USAR, Chief,
Army Reserve; Vice Admiral John G. Cotton, USNR, Chief, Naval Reserve;
Lieutenant General Dennis M. McCarthy, USMCR, Commander, Marine Forces
Reserve; and Lieutenant General James E. Sherrard III, USAFR, Chief, Air Force
Reserve.
APPROPRIATIONS: IRS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and
General Government concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates
for fiscal year 2005 for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), focusing on tax
law enforcement and information technology challenges, after receiving
testimony from Mark W. Everson, Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service, and
Pamela J. Gardiner, Acting Inspector General for Tax Administration, both of
the Department of the Treasury.
APPROPRIATIONS: ARMY/NAVY MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for Army and
Navy military construction programs, after receiving testimony from Geoffrey
G. Prosch, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and
Environment); Major General Larry J. Lust, Assistant Chief of Staff for
Installation Management, Department of the Army; Major General Walter F.
Pudlowski, Jr., Special Assistant to the Director, Army National Guard;
Brigadier General Gary M. Profit, Deputy Chief, Army Reserve; Hansford T.
Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment); Rear
Admiral Michael Loose, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command; and
Brigadier General Willie Williams, Assistant Deputy Commandant for
Installations and Logistics (Facilities), U.S. Marine Corps.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates
for fiscal year 2005 for certain Department of Agriculture programs, after
receiving testimony from Keith Collins, Chief Economist, J.B. Penn, Under
Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services, Mark E. Rey, Under
Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Joseph Jen, Under Secretary
for Research, Education, and Economics, and Gilbert G. Gonzalez, Acting Under
Secretary for Rural Development, all of the Department of Agriculture.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded open
and closed hearings to examine the proposed Defense Authorization Request for
fiscal year 2005, focusing on defense intelligence programs and lessons
learned in recent military operations, after receiving testimony from Stephen
A. Cambone, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Lieutenant General
Keith B. Alexander, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, Department of the Army;
Rear Admiral Richard B. Porterfield, USN, Director of Naval Intelligence,
Headquarters, U.S. Navy; Major General Ronald F. Sams, USAF, Director of
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Department of the Air Force;
Michael H. Decker, Acting Director for Intelligence, Headquarters, U.S. Marine
Corps; and Brigadier General Donald C. Wurster, USAF, Director for
Intelligence and Information Operations, U.S. Special Operations Command.
[Page: D361]
NATIONAL BANK PREEMPTION RULES
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the National Bank Preemption Rules, focusing on Office of
the Comptroller of the Currency rulemakings pertaining to the applicability of
State laws to national banks, after receiving testimony from John D. Hawke,
Jr., Comptroller of the Currency, Administrator of National Bank, Department
of the Treasury; North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, Raleigh; Gavin M.
Gee, Idaho Department of Finance, Boise, on behalf of the Conference of State
Bank Supervisors; Martin Eakes, Self-Help and Center for Responsible Lending,
Durham, North Carolina; Joe Belew, Consumer Bankers Association, Arlington,
Virginia; William M. Isaac, Secura Group, Falls Church, Virginia; and Walter
T. McDonald, National Association of Realtors, Arthur E. Wilmarth, Jr., George
Washington University Law Center, and James D. McLaughlin, American Bankers
Association, all of Washington, D.C.
NEAR EARTH OBJECTS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded a hearing to examine the nature and origin of
Near Earth Objects (asteroids and periodic comets), including the potential
hazard they may pose, after receiving testimony from G.W. Van Citters,
Director, Division of Astronomical Sciences, National Science Foundation;
Lindley N. Johnson, Program Scientist, Near Earth Object Observation Program,
Office of Space Science, National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Grant
H. Stokes, Near-Earth Object Science Definition Team, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington; Michael D. Griffin, Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland; and Rusty Schweickart
and Edward Lu, both of B612 Foundation, Tiburon, California.
COAST GUARD OVERSIGHT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Oceans,
Fisheries and Coast Guard concluded an oversight hearing to examine U.S. Coast
Guard activities, readiness, mission balance, and the proposed budget request
for fiscal year 2005, after receiving testimony from Admiral Thomas H.
Collins, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security; and
Margaret T. Wrightson, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, General
Accounting Office.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 1814, to transfer federal lands between the Secretary of Agriculture and
the Secretary of the Interior;
S. 441, to direct the Administrator of General Services to convey to Fresno
County, California, the existing Federal courthouse in that county, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2286, to designate the Orville Wright Federal Building and the Wilbur
Wright Federal Building in Washington, District of Columbia; and
The nominations of Stephen L. Johnson, of Maryland, to be Deputy
Administrator, Ann R. Klee, of Virginia, and Benjamin Grumbles, of Virginia,
each to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,
Charles Johnson, of Utah, to be Chief Financial Officer, all of the
Environmental Protection Agency, and Gary Lee Visscher, of Maryland, to be a
Member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DRINKING WATER
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife
and Water concluded an oversight hearing to examine the detection of lead in
District of Columbia drinking water, focusing on needed improvements in public
communications and the status of short- and long-term solutions, after
receiving testimony from Benjamin H. Grumbles, Acting Assistant Administrator
for Water, and Donald S. Welsh, Administrator, Region III, both of the
Environmental Protection Agency; Thomas P. Jacobus, General Manager,
Washington Aqueduct, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Jerry
N. Johnson, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Daniel R. Lucey,
District of Columbia Department of Health, Gloria Borland, Dupont Circle
Parents, and Dana Best, Children's National Medical Center, all of Washington,
D.C.; and Jody Lanard, Princeton, New Jersey.
MEDICAID HOME AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine strategies to
improve access to Medicaid home and community based services, focusing on
giving older Americans and people with disabilities greater choices by
expanding access to community based services, including the President's New
Freedom Initiative and related measures S. 971 and S. 1394, after receiving
testimony from Senator Harkin; Dennis Smith, Director of the Center for
Medicaid and State Operations, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
Department of Health and Human Services; Carol Novak, Member, National Council
on Disability; Ray Gerke, Iowa Olmstead Real Choices Consumer Task Force,
Perry; Bruce E. Darling, Center for Disability Rights, Rochester, New York, on
behalf of the ADAPT Community; Di Findley, Iowa CareGivers Association, Des
Moines; and Jan Moss, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
[Page: D362]
OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
United Nations oil-for-food program to address the humanitarian needs of the
people of Iraq, focusing on recent allegations of possible mismanagement and
abuse with regard to the implementation of the program, after receiving
testimony from John D. Negroponte and Patrick F. Kennedy, each a United States
Representative to the United Nations, United States Mission to the United
Nations, New York, New York; Robin L. Raphel, Iraq Reconstruction Coordinator,
Department of State; Joseph A. Christoff, Director, International Affairs and
Trade, General Accounting Office; and Michael J. Thibault, Deputy Director,
Defense Contract Audit Agency, Department of Defense.
HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on African Affairs concluded a
hearing to examine a progress report on fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa, focusing
on funding for international health care initiatives HIV counseling and
testing, and antiretroviral therapy, after receiving testimony from Randall L.
Tobias, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Department of State; Jonathan H. Mermin,
Public Health Epidemiologist, Country Director for GAP Uganda, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services;
Ernest Darkoh, African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships, Gabarone,
Botswana; and Lulu Oguda, Doctors Without Borders, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Marc McGowan Wall, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Chad, John
Campbell, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Nigeria, and Scott H. DeLisi, of
Minnesota, to be Ambassador to Eritrea, after each nominee testified and
answered questions in their own behalf.
POSTAL REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee continued hearings to examine
U.S. Postal Service reform issues, focusing on the chairmen's perspective on
governance and rate-setting, including the ability of a modern system of
ratemaking to provide adequate public protection while affording management
the flexibility to easily and quickly adjust rates as circumstances and
customers needs require, after receiving testimony from George Omas, Chairman,
United States Postal Rate Commission; and S. David Fineman, Chairman, United
States Postal Service Board of Governors.
FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial Management, the
Budget, and International Security concluded a hearing to examine S. 346, to
amend the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to establish a
governmentwide policy requiring competition in certain executive agency
procurements, after receiving testimony from Senators Thomas and Stabenow;
Harley G. Lappin, Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and Chief Executive
Officer, Federal Prison Industries, Department of Justice; Jack R. Williams,
Jr., Assistant Regional Administrator, Federal Supply Service (Region 3),
General Services Administration; John M. Palatiello, Management Association
for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors, Reston, Virginia, on behalf of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce; Kurt Weiss, U.S. Business Interiors, Alexandria,
Virginia, on behalf of the Office Furniture Dealers Alliance; Andrew S.
Linder, Power Connector, Inc., Long Island, New York; and Philip W. Glover,
Council of Prison Locals, American Federation of Government Employees
(AFL-CIO), Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 1955, to
make technical corrections to laws relating to Native Americans, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
NINTH CIRCUIT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the
Courts concluded a hearing to examine a proposal to split the Ninth Circuit,
focusing on the administrative aspects of a split, with reference to the most
recent restructuring of a federal judicial circuit, including related measures
S. 562 and S. 2278, after receiving testimony from Senator Murkowski; Diarmuid
F. O'Scannlain, Mary M. Schroeder, Richard C. Tallman, and J. Clifford
Wallace, each a Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit; Gerald B. Tjoflat, Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Eleventh Circuit; and John C. Coughenour, Chief District Judge for the
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
[Page: D363]
GASOLINE PRICES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and
Consumer Rights concluded a hearing to examine crude oil relating to higher
gas prices, focusing on merger enforcement in the oil and gasoline industries,
gasoline monitoring and investigation initiative, the effects of market
concentration on gasoline prices, and "boutique fuels", after receiving
testimony from Senator Wyden; William E. Kovacic, General Counsel, Federal
Trade Commission; John Felmy, American Petroleum Institute, and Mark Cooper,
Consumer Federation of America, on behalf of Consumers Union, both of
Washington, D.C.; Justine S. Hastings, Yale University Department of
Economics, New Haven, Connecticut; and George A. Bermann, Columbia University
School of Law, New York, New York.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/08
Daily Digest - Thursday, April 8, 2004; pages D365 - D370
Committee Meetings
( Committees not listed did not meet )
APPROPRIATIONS: CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Corporation for National and Community Service, after receiving
testimony from David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National
and Community Service.
APPROPRIATIONS: LEGISLATIVE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch concluded
hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
Offices of the Secretary of the Senate and the Architect of the Capitol, after
receiving testimony from Emily J. Reynolds, Secretary of the Senate; and Alan
M. Hantman, Architect of the Capitol.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the
Department of State, focusing on foreign operations, after receiving testimony
from Colin Powell, Secretary of State.
CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded closed and open hearings to
examine military implications of the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea, after receiving testimony from Admiral Vernon E. Clark, USN, Chief of
Naval Operations; William H. Taft IV, Legal Advisor, Department of State;
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C., former
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; J. William Middendorf II, Little
Compton, Rhode Island, former Secretary of the Navy; John Norton Moore,
University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville; and Rear Admiral
William L. Schachte, Jr., JAGC, USN (Ret.), Charleston, South Carolina.
MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee continued hearings
to examine current investigations and regulatory actions regarding the mutual
fund industry, focusing on investor protection issues, including late trading,
market timing and selective disclosure abuses, after receiving testimony from
William H. Donaldson, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the following business items:
S. 2273, to provide increased rail transportation security, with amendments;
S. 2279, to amend title 46, United States Code, with respect to maritime
transportation security, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
The nominations of Louis S. Thompson, of Maryland, to be a Member of the
Reform Board (Amtrak), Kirk Van Tine, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of
Transportation, Theodore William Kassinger, of Maryland, to be Deputy
Secretary of Commerce, Deborah Hersman, of Virginia, to be a Member of the
National Transportation Safety Board, Thomas Hill Moore, of Florida, to be a
Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, A. Paul Anderson, of
Florida, and Joseph E. Brennan, of Maine, each to be a Federal Maritime
Commissioner, Jack Edwin McGregor, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the
Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Terry M.
Cross, to be Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and to the grade of Vice
Admiral, Vivien S. Crea, to be Commander, Atlantic Area of the U.S. Coast
Guard, and to the grade of Vice Admiral, Harvey E. Johnson, to be Commander,
Pacific Area of the U.S. Coast Guard, and to the grade of Vice Admiral, and
certain lists of nominations for promotion in the U.S. Coast Guard.
[Page: D368]
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CONCESSIONS PROGRAM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded an oversight hearing to examine National Park Service's
implementation of management policies and procedures for its concession
management program, after receiving testimony from A. Durand Jones, Deputy
Director, National Park Service, and Richard Allen Naille II, Chairperson,
National Park Service Concessions Management Advisory Board, both of the
Department of the Interior; Janet T. White, White Sands Concessions, Inc.,
Alamogordo, New Mexico; Michael F. Welch, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, Aurora,
Colorado, on behalf of the National Park Hospitality Association; and Susie
Verkamp, Verkamp's, El Prado, New Mexico.
ANTI-SEMITISM IN EUROPE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on European Affairs concluded a
hearing to examine anti-Semitism in Europe, focusing on Arab and Muslim
proponents of anti-Jewish hostility, recognition of the problem by European
leadership, and the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia,
and S. 2292, to require a report on acts of anti-Semitism around the world,
after receiving testimony from A. Elizabeth Jones, Assistant Secretary of
State, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; Caryl M. Stern,
Anti-Defamation League, Rabbi Andrew Baker, American Jewish Committeee, Mark
Levin, National Conference on Soviet Jewry, and Daniel S. Mariaschin, B'nai
B'rith International, all of Washington, D.C.
MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia concluded an
oversight hearing to examine the implementation of the Medicare Prescription
Drug Improvement, and Modernization Act (Public Law 108-173), focusing on the
new prescription drug discount card program, human resource issues, program
integrity, system changes, and beneficiary education, after receiving
testimony from Michael McMullan, Deputy Director, Center for Beneficiary
Choices, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and
Human Services; Gail R. Wilensky, Project HOPE, Bethesda, Maryland, former
Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration; and Nancy-Ann
DeParle, J.P. Morgan Partners, LLC, New York, New York, former Administrator
of the Health Care Financing Administration.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of William Duane Benton, of Missouri, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Eighth Circuit, who was introduced by Senators Bond and Talent;
Robert Bryan Harwell, to be United States District Judge for the District of
South Carolina, who was introduced by Senators Hollings and Graham (SC);
George P. Schiavelli, to be United States District Judge for the Central
District of California, who was introduced by Senator Boxer; and Curtis V.
Gomez, to be Judge for the District Court of the Virgin Islands, who was
introduced by Virgin Islands Delegate Christensen, after each nominee
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
MASS TRANSPORTATION SECURITY
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine safety
concerns of the mass transportation system in the United States, focusing on
S. 2289, to amend title 18, United States Code, to combat terrorism against
railroad carriers and mass transportation systems on land, on water, or
through the air, after receiving testimony from Harry S. Mattice, Jr., U.S.
Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Department of Justice; S. Mark
Lindsey, Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration, Department of
Transportation; Ernest R. Frazier, Sr., Chief, System Security and Safety,
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); and Brian Michael Jenkins,
Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose, California.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters.
[Page: D369]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/19
Daily Digest - Monday, April 19, 2004; pages D372 - D376
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
[Page: D373]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/20
Daily Digest - Tuesday, April 20, 2004; pages D377 - D382
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and
General Government concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates
for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of the Treasury, after receiving
testimony from John W. Snow, Secretary of the Treasury.
[Page: D378]
APPROPRIATIONS: BUREAU OF RECLAMATION/ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers, after receiving
testimony from John W. Keys III, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation; John P.
Woodley, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); and Lieutenant
General Robert B. Flowers, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded open and closed hearings to
examine United States policy and military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,
after receiving testimony from Paul D. Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense;
General Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Mark I.
Grossman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
BANKING AND CREDIT UNION INDUSTRIES
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine current conditions of the banking and credit union
industries, focusing on improved risk-management practices of banks, the
current status and direction of regulatory efforts to revise capital standards
for internationally active banks, deposit insurance, and consolidation within
the domestic banking industry, after receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan,
Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; John D. Hawke,
Jr., Comptroller of the Currency, and James E. Gilleran, Director, Office of
Thrift Supervision, both of the Department of the Treasury; Donald E. Powell,
Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Dennis Dollar, National
Credit Union Administration, Alexandria, Virginia; and Kevin P. Lavender,
Tennessee State Bank Commissioner, Nashville, on behalf of the Conference of
State Bank Supervisors.
IRAQ TRANSITION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
current state of society in Iraq, focusing on moving the Iraqi people toward a
secure, independent state, after receiving testimony from James R.
Schlesinger, Lehman Brothers, Samuel R. Berger, Stonebridge International,
LLC, and Richard N. Perle, American Enterprise Institute, all of Washington,
D.C.; Benjamin T. Dodge, International Institute for Strategic Studies,
London, United Kingdom; and Juan Cole, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
BLACK MARKET
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia concluded a
hearing to examine the effectiveness of the federal government's current
efforts to enforce existing intellectual property rights and how current U.S.
intellectual property enforcement policies relate to the loss of manufacturing
jobs, after receiving testimony from Jon W. Dudas, ActingUnder Secretary of
Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office; Francis Gary White, Unit Chief, Commercial Fraud Division,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security; Jeff
Gorman, Gorman-Rupp Company, Mansfield, Ohio; Phillip A. Rotman II, Dana
Corporation, Toledo, Ohio; and Daniel C.K. Chow, The Ohio State University
College of Law, Columbus.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/21
Daily Digest - Wednesday, April 21, 2004; pages D383 - D390
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Missile Defense
Agency, after receiving testimony from Lieutenant General Ronald T. Kadish,
USAF, Director, Missile Defense Agency, Department of Defense.
APPROPRIATIONS: FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for foreign
assistance, including counterterrorism programs, after receiving testimony
from Ambassador J. Cofer Black, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department
of State; and Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International
Development.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of Romolo A. Bernardi, of New York, to be
Deputy Secretary, who was introduced by Senator Schumer and Representative
Walsh, Dennis C. Shea, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary for Policy
Development and Research, who was introduced by Senator Warner and former
Senator Dole, and Cathy M. MacFarlane, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary
for Public Policy, who was introduced by Senator Warner, all of the Department
of Housing and Urban Development.
[Page: D384]
RECREATION FEE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded an oversight hearing to examine the implementation of the
Recreation Fee Demonstration Program by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management, and on policies related to the program, after receiving testimony
from P. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy,
Management, and Budget; Mark Rey, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural
Resources and Environment; Carl Wilgus, Idaho Department of Commerce, Boise,
on behalf of the Western States Tourism Policy Council; Ted Anderson, Skagit
County Board of Commissioners of Mount Vernon, Washington, on behalf of the
National Association of Counties and the Washington State Association of
Counties; Sue Bray, Good Sam Club, Ventura, California, on behalf of the
American Recreation Coalition; Robert Raney, Montana State Parks Foundation,
Livingston; and Edwin Phillips, Americans for Forest Access, Big Bear City,
California.
NAFTA
Committee on Foreign Relations: on Tuesday, April 20, Subcommittee on
International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion concluded a hearing
to examine a ten year perspective and implications for the future regarding
NAFTA, focusing on the economic impact on the economy, impact on Mexico's
economy and politics and the implications for relations with Mexico,
commerce's role in enhancing economic opportunities for exporters, and NAFTA's
next decade and the need to focus on economic competitiveness in a global
economy, after receiving testimony from Grant D. Aldonas, Under Secretary of
Commerce for International Trade; E. Anthony Wayne, Assistant Secretary of
State for Economic and Business Affairs; A. Ellen Terpstra, Administrator,
Foreign Agricultural Service, Department of Agriculture; Hector V. Barreto,
Administrator, Small Business Administration; and Franklin J. Vargo, National
Association of Manufacturers, C. Fred Bergsten, Institute for International
Economics, and Thea Lee, AFL-CIO, all of Washington, D.C.
IRAQ TRANSITION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee continued hearings to examine the
current state of society in Iraq, focusing on preparations for a transition to
Iraqi sovereignty on June 30 and what steps are required to fill out a
comprehensive transition plan, after receiving testimony from Kenneth M.
Pollack and Michael E. O'Hanlon, both of the Brookings Institution, and
General George A. Joulwan (Ret.), former NATO SACEAUR, all of Washington,
D.C.; Michael Sheehan, New York Police Department, New York, New York; and
Ahmed S. Hashim, United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
STOCK OPTIONS ACCOUNTING POLICY
Committee on Governmental Affairs: on Tuesday, April 20, Subcommittee on
Financial Management, the Budget, and International Security concluded an
oversight hearing to examine supporting and strengthening the independence of
the Financial Accounting Standards Board, focusing on the importance of FASB's
independence in setting financial reporting and accounting standards,
evaluating FASB's proposal to require mandatory expensing of stock options,
and determining the economic and accounting/financial reporting impact of
expensing stock options, after receiving testimony from Senators Boxer and
Enzi; Robert H. Herz, Financial Accounting Standards Board, Norwalk,
Connecticut; Paul A. Volcker, International Accounting Standards Committee
Foundation, London, United Kingdom, former Chairman, Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System; Jack T. Ciesielski, R.G. Associates, Inc., Baltimore,
Maryland; James K. Glassman, American Enterprise Institute, and Damon Silvers,
AFL-CIO, both of Washington, D.C.; Donald P. Delves, Delves Group, Chicago,
Illinois; and Mark G. Heesen, National Venture Capital Association, Arlington,
Virginia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
S. 344, expressing the policy of the United States regarding the United States
relationship with Native Hawaiians and to provide a process for the
recognition by the United States of the Native Hawaiian governing entity, with
an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
S. 1721, to amend the Indian Land Consolidation Act to improve provisions
relating to probate of trust and restricted land, with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute.
FEDERAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT PROCESS REFORM ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 297,
to provide reforms and resources to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to improve
the Federal acknowledgment process, after receiving testimony from Aurene
Martin, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian
Affairs; Edward Roybal II, Piro/Manso/Tiwa Indian Tribe, Pueblo of San Juan de
Guadalupe, Las Cruces, New Mexico; Neal McCaleb, Chickasaw Nation Industries,
Edmond, Oklahoma, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian
Affairs; and Kevin Gover, Arizona State University College of Law, Tempe.
[Page: D385]
Joint Meetings
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the outlook
for the U.S. economy, after receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman,
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
2004/04/22
Daily Digest - Thursday, April 22, 2004; pages D392 - D400
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: FAA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and
General Government concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates
for fiscal year 2005 for the Federal Aviation Administration, after receiving
testimony from Marion C. Blakey, Administrator, Federal Aviation
Administration, and Kenneth M. Mead, Inspector General, both of the Department
of Transportation.
OCEAN POLICY REPORT
Committee on Appropriations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the U.S.
Commission on Ocean Policy Report, which provides a blueprint for a
coordinated, comprehensive national ocean policy for the 21st century,
including 200 action-oriented recommendations concerning ocean and
coastal-related issues, after receiving testimony from Admiral James D.
Watkins, USN (Ret.), Chairman, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, who was
accompanied by several of his associates.
OCEAN POLICY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Report, focusing on broad
range ocean and coastal-related issues for the 21st Century, after receiving
testimony from Representatives Farr and Ehlers; and Admiral James D. Watkins,
USN (Ret.), Chairman, and Robert Ballard, Marc J. Hershman, Christopher Koch,
Edward B. Rasmuson, Andrew A. Rosenberg, and Paul A. Sandifer, each a
Commissioner, all of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
IRAQ TRANSITION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine
obstacles and opportunities regarding the Iraq transition, focusing on the
Administration's plans for the transition to Iraqi sovereignty, after
receiving testimony from Marc Grossman, Under Secretary of State for Political
Affairs, and Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., Coordinator, Iraq Transition Team,
both of the Department of State; Peter W. Rodman, Assistant Secretary for
International Security Affairs, and Lieutenant General Claude Kicklighter
(Ret.), Transition Chief, Coalition Provisional Authority, both of the
Department of Defense; and Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, United States
Agency for International Development.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Lauren Moriarty, of Hawaii, to be Ambassador during her tenure
of service as United States Senior Official to the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation Forum, Christopher R. Hill, of Rhode Island, to be Ambassador to
the Republic of Korea, Michael W. Marine, of Vermont, to be Ambassador to
Vietnam, and Patricia M. Haslach, of Oregon, to be Ambassador to Laos, after
each nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
concluded a hearing to examine U.S.-China relations and the status of reforms
in China, focusing on human rights conditions and the prospects for democracy
in China, after receiving testimony from Lorne W. Craner, Assistant Secretary
of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Richard Lawless, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense; Arthur Waldron, University of Pennsylvania
Department of History, Philadelphia; and Thea Lee, AFL-CIO, Pieter Bottelier,
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and Roger
W. Robinson, Jr., U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, all of
Washington, D.C.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Jendayi Elizabeth Frazer, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to
South Africa, who was introduced by Senator Warner; Jack Dyer Crouch II, of
Missouri, to be Ambassador to Romania, who was introduced by Senator Bond; and
Victor Henderson Ashe, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador to Poland, who was
introduced by Senator Alexander, after each nominee testified and answered
questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING (REVISION)
Committee on Indian Affairs: On Wednesday, April 21, Committee approved a
revised amendment in the nature of a substitute, which will be offered as a
Floor amendment to S. 344, expressing the policy of the United States
regarding the United States relationship with Native Hawaiians and to provide
a process for the recognition by the United States of the Native Hawaiian
governing entity (pending on Senate calendar).
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
bills:
[Page: D394]
S. Res. 310, commemorating and acknowledging the dedication and sacrifice made
by the men and women who have lost their lives while serving as law
enforcement officers;
H. Con. Res. 328, recognizing and honoring the United States Armed Forces and
supporting the goals and objectives of a National Military Appreciation Month;
and
S. 2270, to amend the Sherman Act to make oil-producing and exporting cartels
illegal.
IMMIGRATION LAW ENFORCEMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and
Citizenship concluded a hearing to examine the assistance of state and local
authority to enforce immigration laws, focusing on an approach for stopping
terrorists, the inherent arrest authority possessed by States, and the absence
of Congressional preemption, after receiving testimony from Kris W. Kobach,
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Kansas City; E.J. Picolo,
Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Fort Myers; David A. Harris, University
of Toledo College of Law, Toledo, Ohio; and Michelle Malkin, Bethesda,
Maryland.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters. Committee recessed subject to the call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/26
Daily Digest - Monday, April 26, 2004; pages D401 - D404
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/27
Daily Digest - Tuesday, April 27, 2004; pages D406 - D412
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Tina Westby Jonas, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of
Defense (Comptroller), Dionel M. Aviles, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of
the Navy, and Jerald S. Paul, of Florida, to be Principal Deputy Administrator
for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration, who was
introduced by Senator Nelson (FL), after each nominee testified and answered
questions in their own behalf.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held a hearing
to examine telecommunications policy, focusing on lessons learned from the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, including opening the telephone exchange
market to competition, after receiving testimony from David Dorman, AT&T
Corporation, Bedminster, New Jersey; Richard C. Notebaert, Qwest
Communications, Denver, Colorado; and James Geiger, Cbeyond Communications,
Atlanta, Georgia, on behalf of the Association for Local Telecommunications
Services. Hearings recessed subject to the call.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE EXPLORATION PROGRAM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space held a hearing to examine International Space
Exploration Program, focusing on competition and cooperation in the space
exploration arena globally, receiving testimony from Marcia S. Smith,
Specialist in Aerospace and Telecommunications Policy, Congressional Research
Service, Library of Congress; Sven Grahn, Swedish Space Corporation, Solna,
Sweden; John M. Logsdon, George Washington University Elliot School of
International Affairs, Washington, D.C.; and James Oberg, Soaring Hawk
Productions, Dickinson, Texas.
Hearings recessed subject to the call.
ELECTRICITY GENERATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded an oversight
hearing to examine sustainable, low emission, electricity generation, focusing
on clean coal, wind, geothermal, and solar energy technologies, biomass, and
nuclear waste management, after receiving testimony from David K. Garman,
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy;
Richard E. Smalley, Rice University, Houston, Texas; Ernest J. Moniz,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory for Energy and the
Environment, Cambridge; Francis P. Burke, CONSOL Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, on behalf of the National Mining Association.
NATIONAL PARKS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded a hearing to examine S. 1064, to establish a commission to
commemorate the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, S. 1092, to
authorize the establishment of a national database for purposes of
identifying, locating, and cataloging the many memorials and permanent
tributes to America's veterans, S. 1748, to establish a program to award
grants to improve and maintain sites honoring Presidents of the United States,
S. 2046, to authorize the exchange of certain land in Everglades National
Park, S. 2052, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino
Real de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail, and S. 2319, to authorize and
facilitate hydroelectric power licensing of the Tapoco Project, after
receiving testimony from Senators DeWine and Hutchison; Paul Hoffman, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks; J. Mark
Robinson, Director, Office of Energy Projects, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission; Kathy Copeland, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm
Beach; Brian Rooney, Remembering Veterans Who Earned Their Stripes,
Northridge, California; Richard Moe, National Trust for Historic Preservation,
Washington, D.C.; Randall M. Overbey, Alcoa, Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee; Faye
Phillips, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; John L. Nau III, Texas
Historical Commission, Houston, Texas on behalf of the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND PHARMACEUTICALS
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on International Trade and Subcommittee on
Health Care held a joint hearing to examine international trade and
pharmaceuticals, focusing on name-brand prescription drug prices, trade
initiatives that promote innovation and ensure access to lifesaving medicines,
importation of prescription drugs, drug counterfeiting, the Medicare
Importation Study and Task Force, and making greater use of generics,
receiving testimony from Grant D. Aldonas, Under Secretary of Commerce for
International Trade; Josette Sheeran Shiner, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative;
William K. Hubbard, Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning, Public
Health Service, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human
Services; John E. Calfee, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.; and
Gerard Anderson, Johns Hopkins University School of Bloomberg of Public
Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
[Page: D408]
Hearings recessed subject to the call of the chair.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of John D. Negroponte, of the District of Columbia, to be
Ambassador to Iraq, after the nominee testified and answered questions in his
own behalf.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be a United States Circuit
Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, after the nominee, who was
introduced by Senator Cornyn, testified and answered questions in his own
behalf.
INDEPENDENT AGING
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
opportunities and challenges relating to assistive technologies for
independent aging, focusing on how to accelerate and amplify the development
of these technologies crucial to the nation's future security and economic
well-being, after receiving testimony from Eric Dishman, Intel Corporation,
Hillsboro, Oregon, on behalf of the Center for Aging Services Technologies;
Martha E. Pollack, University of Michigan Department of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science, Ann Arbor; Lydia Lundberg, Elite Care-Oatfield Estates,
Milwaukie, Oregon; Joseph F. Coughlin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Age Lab & New England University Transportation Center, Cambridge; Stephen
McConnell, Alzheimer's Association, Washington, D.C.; and Ronald Seiler,
University of Idaho Center on Disabilities and Human Development, Moscow.
2004/04/28
Daily Digest - Wednesday, April 28, 2004; pages D413 - D422
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
MEDICAL PROGRAMS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine the state of medical programs in the armed services, focusing on the
military system of teaching centers, research and development organizations,
health clinics, and field hospitals, including the Force Health Protection,
which is a continuum of services designed to create and maintain a healthy and
fit military force, after receiving testimony from Lieutenant General James B.
Peake, Surgeon General of the Army; Vice Admiral Michael L. Cowan, Surgeon
General of the Navy; Lieutenant General George Peach Taylor, Jr., Air Force
Surgeon General; Colonel Deborah A. Gutske, Assistant Chief, Army Nurse Corps;
Rear Admiral Nancy J. Lescavage, Nurse Corps, U.S. Navy; and Major General
Barbara C. Brannon, Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Nursing Services, and
Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Medical Force Development.
MILITARY FORCE PROTECTION EQUIPMENT
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing to discuss the performance of force protection equipment for ground
forces in Iraq, including the Up-Armored HMMWV, and potential alternatives to
meet force protection needs of the Combatant Commander from General George W.
Casey, Jr., USA, Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; and Lieutenant General
Richard A. Cody, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, G-3.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee resumed hearings
to examine telecommunications policy, focusing on the future of telecom
reform, after receiving testimony from Reed E. Hundt, former Chairman, Federal
Communications Commission, Adam D. Thierer, Cato Institute, Charles Freguson,
Brookings Institution, and Raymond L. Gifford, Progress and Freedom
Foundation, all of Washington, D.C.; and George Gilder, Discovery Institute,
Seattle, Washington.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably the
following bills:
S. 1071, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of
Reclamation, to conduct a feasibility study on a water conservation project
within the Arch Hurley Conservancy District in the State of New Mexico, with
an amendment;
S. 1097, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to implement the Calfed
Bay-Delta Program, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1582, to amend the Valles Preservation Act to improve the preservation of
the Valles Caldera, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1687, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the
preservation and interpretation of the historic sites of the Manhattan Project
for potential inclusion in the National Park System, with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute;
S. 1778, to authorize a land conveyance between the United States and the City
of Craig, Alaska, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1791, to amend the Lease Lot Conveyance Act of 2002 to provide that the
amounts received by the United States under that Act shall be deposited in the
reclamation fund;
S. Res. 321, recognizing the loyal service and outstanding contributions of J.
Robert Oppenheimer to the United States and calling on the Secretary of Energy
to observe the 100th anniversary of Dr. Oppenheimer's birth with appropriate
programs at the Department of Energy and the Los Alamos National Laboratory;
H.R. 1521, to provide for additional lands to be included within the boundary
of the Johnstown Flood National Memorial in the State of Pennsylvania; and
H.R. 3249, to extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine S. 1134, to reauthorize and improve the programs authorized by the
Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, after receiving testimony
from David A. Sampson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic
Development, Economic Development Administration; James J. Saudade, Vermont
Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Montpelier; Gary Gorshing, South
Western Oklahoma Development Authority, Burns Flats, on behalf of the National
Association of Development Organizations; R. Charles Gatson, Swope Community
Builders, Kansas City, Missouri; and Phillip A. Singerman, Maryland Technology
Development Corporation, Rockville, on behalf of the International Economic
Development Council.
[Page: D415]
POWER WHEELCHAIR PROGRAM
Committee on Finance: Committee held a hearing to examine fraud and abuse in
Medicare's power wheelchair program, focusing on fraudulent schemes and costly
and abusive practices that are taking place in the sale of motorized
wheelchairs to Medicare and Medicaid recipients, receiving testimony from Dara
Corrigan, Acting Principal Deputy Inspector General, and Herbert Kuhn,
Director, Center for Medicare Management, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, both of the Department of Health and Human Services; Leslie G.
Aronovitz, Director, Health Care, Program Administration and Integrity Issues,
General Accounting Office; Laura Cohen, TriWest region of TRICARE, Tucson,
Arizona; Henry Claypool, Advancing Independence, Washington, D.C.; Kay Cox,
American Association for Homecare, Alexandria, Virginia; and Rebecca
Lewandowski, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Hearings recessed subject to the call.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Jeffrey D. Feltman, of Ohio, to be Ambassador to Lebanon,
Thomas Charles Krajeski, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of
Yemen, Richard LeBaron, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Kuwait, James Francis
Moriarty, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Nepal, Michele J. Sison, of
Maryland, to be Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and David Michael
Satterfield, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Jordan, after each nominee
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Constance Berry Newman, to be an Assistant Secretary of State
for African Affairs, who was introduced by Senator Stevens and Delegate Holmes
Norton; Aubrey Hooks, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Cote
d'Ivoire, Thomas Neil Hull III, of New Hampshire, to be Ambassador to Sierra
Leone, and Roger A. Meece, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Congo, after
each nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
GOVERNMENT PURCHASE CARDS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the use and prevention of abuse of government purchase cards, focusing on
efforts to streamline the federal acquisition processes, limited disciplinary
actions taken by the Department of Defense relative to the cards, and a
continuous monitoring system to limit fraudulent and improper usage, after
receiving testimony from Gregory D. Kutz, Director, Financial Management and
Assurance, and John J. Ryan, Assistant Director, Office of Special
Investigations, both of the General Accounting Office; David K. Steensma,
Assistant Inspector General, Contract Management, and Colonel William J.
Kelley, Program Director, Data Mining Division, both of the Office of the
Inspector General, Department of Defense; and Neal I. Fox, Assistant
Commissioner for Commercial Acquisition, Federal Supply Service, General
Services Administration.
CHILDREN AND WORKING PARENTS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: On Thursday, April 22,
Subcommittee on Children and Families concluded a hearing to examine working
parents and their children, focusing on early childhood education, elder care
programs, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and workplace flexibility,
after receiving testimony from Ellen Galinsky, Families and Work Institute,
Joy Bunson, JPMorgan Chase, and Carol Evans, Working Mother Media, all of New
York, New York; Michael Shum, IBM, White Plains, New York, and Donna M. Klein,
Washington, D.C., both on behalf of Corporate Voices for Working Families;
Karen Kornbluh, New America Foundation, and Zoila Martinez and Manuel
Martinez, all of Washington, D.C.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services concluded a hearing to examine mental health
in children and youth, focusing on issues throughout the developmental
process, and S. 1704, to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a
State family support grant program to end the practice of parents giving legal
custody of their seriously emotionally disturbed children to State agencies
for the purpose of obtaining mental health services for those children, after
receiving testimony from Joy D. Osofsky, Louisiana State University Health
Sciences Center, New Orleans, on behalf of ZERO TO THREE; Marleen Li Chen
Wong, Los Angeles Unified School District, and the National Center for Child
Traumatic Stress, Van Nuys, California; Louise A. Douce, The Ohio State
University, Sunbury; Maryann Davis, University of Massachusetts Medical
School, Worcester; Linda Champion, Montgomery, Alabama, on behalf of the
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill; Barbara Altenburger, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, on behalf of the Parents Involved Network, and the Mental Health
Association of Southern Pennsylvania.
[Page: D416]
HEALTHY MARRIAGE
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Children
and Families concluded a hearing to examine how to promote a healthy marriage,
focusing on the Healthy Marriage Initiative, the Temporary Assistance to Needy
Families program, and discouraging teen pregnancy, after receiving testimony
from Wade F. Horn, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Service for
Children and Families; Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Rutgers University National
Marriage Project, Amherst, Massachusetts; Roland C. Warren, National
Fatherhood Initiative, Germantown, Maryland; Frank Keating, American Council
of Life Insurers, McLean, Virginia; Stan E. Weed, Institute for Research and
Evaluation, Salt Lake City, Utah.
TRIBAL CONTRACT SUPPORT COST
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2172,
to make technical amendments to the provisions of the Indian Self
Determination and Education Assistance Act relating to contract support costs,
after receiving testimony from William A. Sinclair, Director, Office of
Self-Governance and Self-Determination, Department of the Interior; Charles W.
Grim, Assistant Surgeon General, Director, Indian Health Service, Department
of Health and Human Services; W. Ron Allen, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Sequim,
Washington, on behalf of the National Congress of American Indians; Chadwick
Smith, Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Oklahoma; Herbert L. Fenster, McKenna,
Long, and Aldridge, LLP, Denver, Colorado; and Lloyd B. Miller, Sonosky,
Chambers, Sachse, Miller and Munson, LLP, Anchorage, Alaska.
PLAYWRIGHTS LICENSING ANTITRUST INITIATIVE ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2349,
to modify the application of the antitrust laws to permit collective
development and implementation of a standard contract form for playwrights for
the licensing of their plays, focusing on safeguarding the future of American
live theater, after receiving testimony from Gerald Schoenfeld, Shubert
Organization, Inc., on behalf of League of American Theatres and Producers,
Inc., Roger S. Berlind, Berlind Productions, Inc., Stephen Sondheim, and Wendy
Wasserstein, all of New York, New York; and Arthur Miller, Roxbury,
Connecticut.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
Joint Meetings
CONSUMER-DIRECTED DOCTORING
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
consumer-directed doctoring, focusing on alternatives to the traditional
third-party payer health care system, innovative and entrepreneurial doctors
who respond to gaps in the current medical care system, and reducing medical
liability pressures, after receiving testimony from Robert S. Berry, PATMOS
EmergiClinic, Inc., Greeneville, Tennessee; Alieta Eck, Zarephath Health
Center, Zarephath, New Jersey; Bernard Kaminetsky, Colton and Kaminetsky, Boca
Raton, Florida; and Robert A. Berenson, Urban Institute, Washington, D.C.
2004/04/29
Daily Digest - Thursday, April 29, 2004; pages D424 - D432
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary held a hearing to examine intellectual property rights, focusing on
the problems of counterfeiting and piracy, receiving testimony from Jack
Valenti, Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., Douglas Lowenstein,
Entertainment Software Association, Robert W. Holleyman, II, Business Software
Alliance, and Mitch Bainwol, Recording Industry Association of America, all of
Washington, D.C. Hearings recessed subject to the call of the Chair.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported 3,379
nominations in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
TERRORIST FINANCING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee held a hearing to
examine the Treasury Department's role in the international war against
terrorist financing and financial crime, focusing on money laundering and
counter-terrorist financing policies, sharing financial information with law
enforcement and foreign counterparts, implementing economic sanctions, and
enforcing relevant regulations and laws related to these missions, receiving
testimony from Samuel W. Bodman, Deputy Secretary, William J. Fox, Director,
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, R. Richard Newcomb, Director, Office of
Foreign Assets Control, and Nancy J. Jardini, Chief of Criminal Investigation,
Internal Revenue Service, all of the Department of the Treasury.
Hearing recessed subject to the call of the Chair.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nominations of Romolo A. Bernardi, of New York, to be Deputy
Secretary, Dennis C. Shea, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary for Policy
Development and Research, and Cathy M. MacFarlane, of Virginia, to be
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, all of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
NOAA: BUDGET
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Oceans,
Fisheries, and Coast Guard concluded an oversight hearing to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2005 for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), after receiving testimony from
Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.), Under Secretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Administrator, NOAA.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. Con. Res. 100, celebrating 10 years of majority rule in the Republic of
South Africa and recognizing the momentous social and economic achievements of
South Africa since the institution of democracy in that country;
S. 2264, to require a report on the conflict in Uganda;
S. Res. 332, observing the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994;
S. Res. 344, welcoming the Prime Minister of Singapore, His Excellency Goh
Chok Tong, on the occasion of his visit to the United States, expressing
gratitude to the Government of Singapore for its strong cooperation with the
United States in the campaign against terrorism, its support in the
reconstruction of Iraq and reaffirming the commitment of Congress to the
continued expansion of friendship and cooperation between the United States
and Singapore;
[Page: D427]
S. 2092, to address the participation of Taiwan in the World Health
Organization, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S.J. Res. 33, expressing support for freedom in Hong Kong, with an amendment
in the nature of a substitute;
S. Con. Res. 99, condemning the Government of the Republic of the Sudan for
its participation and complicity in the attacks against innocent civilians in
the impoverished Darfur region of western Sudan, with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute;
S. 2292, to require a report on acts of anti-Semitism around the world, with
amendments; Additional Protocol to Investment Treaty with Romania (Treaty
Doc. 108-13);
Additional Protocol Amending Investment Treaty with Bulgaria (Treaty Doc.
108-15);
Investment Protocol with Estonia (Treaty Doc. 108-17);
Additional Investment Protocol with the Czech Republic (Treaty Doc. 108-18);
Additional Investment Protocol with the Slovak Republic (Treaty Doc. 108-19);
Additional Investment Protocol with Latvia (Treaty Doc. 108-20);
Additional Investment Protocol with Lithuania (Treaty Doc. 108-21);
Additional Protocol Concerning Business and Economic Relations with Poland
(Treaty Doc. 108-22); and
The nominations of Paul V. Applegarth, of Connecticut, to be Chief Executive
Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Victor Henderson Ashe, of
Tennessee, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Poland, Miles T. Bivins, of
Texas, to be Ambassador to Sweden, John Campbell, of Virginia, a Career Member
of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador
to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Jack Dyer Crouch II, of Missouri, to be
Ambassador to Romania, John J. Danilovich, of California, to be Ambassador to
the Federative Republic of Brazil, Scott H. DeLisi, of Minnesota, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to
the State of Eritrea, Jendayi Elizabeth Frazer, of Virginia, to be Ambassador
to the Republic of South Africa, Patricia M. Haslach, of Oregon, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to
the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Christopher R. Hill, of Rhode Island, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to
be Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Craig A. Kelly, of California, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister Counselor, to
be Ambassador to the Republic of Chile, Earle I. Mack, of New York, to be
Ambassador to the Republic of Finland, Michael W. Marine, of Vermont, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Lauren Moriarty, of Hawaii, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, for
the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service as United States Senior
Official to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, Constance Berry
Newman, Assistant Secretary of State (African Affairs), to be a Member of the
Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation, Roger Francisco
Noriega, of Kansas, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the
Inter-American Foundation, John M. Ordway, of California, a Career Member of
the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to
the Republic of Kazakhstan, Michael Christian Polt, of Tennessee, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, Mitchell B. Reiss, of Virginia, for the
rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as Special Envoy for Northern
Ireland, Thomas Bolling Robertson, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior
Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Republic of
Slovenia, Fayza Veronique Boulad Rodman, of the District of Columbia, to be a
Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Marc McGowan Wall, of Virginia,
a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to
be Ambassador to the Republic of Chad, James Francis Moriarty, of Virginia, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to
be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal, Thomas Charles Krajeski, of Virginia, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be
Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen, Michele J. Sison, of Maryland, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Richard LeBaron, of Virginia, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, Jeffrey D. Feltman, of Ohio, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to
the Republic of Lebanon, David Michael Satterfield, of Virginia, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, John D. Negroponte, of New
York, to be Ambassador to Iraq, and Constance Berry Newman, of Illinois, to be
an Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Aubrey Hooks, of
Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of
Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, Thomas
Neil Hull III, of New Hampshire, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign
Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Republic of
Sierra Leone, and Roger A. Meece, of Washington, a Career Member of the Senior
Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, and certain Foreign Service Officer
Promotion lists.
[Page: D428]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the nomination of Dawn A. Tisdale, of Texas, to be a Commissioner of the
Postal Rate Commission, who was introduced by Representative Eddie Bernice
Johnson, after the nominee testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the nomination of David Safavian, of Michigan, to be Administrator for Federal
Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget, who was introduced by
Representatives Conyers and Cannon, after the nominee testified and answered
questions in his own behalf.
NATIVE AMERICAN FISH AND WILDLIFE
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2301,
to improve the management of Indian fish and wildlife and gathering resources,
after receiving testimony from Billy Frank, Jr., Northwest Indian Fisheries
Commission, Olympia, Washington; Olney Patt, Jr., Columbia River Inter-Tribal
Fish Commission, Portland, Oregon; Millard J. (Sonny) Myers, 1854 Authority,
Duluth, Minnesota; James E. Zorn, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife
Commission, Odanah, Wisconsin; Ira New Breast, Native American Fish and
Wildlife Society, Broomfield, Colorado; Randy Mayo, Stevens Village IRA
Council, Stevens Village, Alaska; Gordon Jackson, Central Council Tlingit
Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Juneau; and Ervin Carlson, Inter Tribal Bison
Cooperative, Rapid City, South Dakota.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 2107, to authorize an annual appropriations of $10,000,000 for mental
health courts through fiscal year 2009,
S. 2192, to amend title 35, United States Code, to promote cooperative
research involving universities, the public sector, and private enterprises;
S. 2237, to amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, to authorize
civil copyright enforcement by the Attorney General;
S. 1932, to provide criminal penalties for unauthorized recording of motion
pictures in a motion picture exhibition facility, to provide criminal and
civil penalties for unauthorized distribution of commercial prerelease
copyrighted works, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 1561, to amend title 35, United States Code, with respect to patent fees;
S. Res. 334, designating May 2004 as National Electrical Safety Month; and
The nominations of William Duane Benton, of Missouri, to be United States
Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit, Robert Bryan Harwell, to be United
States District Judge for the District of South Carolina, George P.
Schiavelli, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of
California, and Curtis V. Gomez, to be Judge for the District Court of the
Virgin Islands.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to mark up
proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 2005 for the
intelligence community, but did not complete consideration thereon, and will
meet again on Tuesday, May 4, 2004.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/04/30
Daily Digest - Friday, April 30, 2004; pages D433 - D434
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/03
Daily Digest - Monday, May 3, 2004; pages D436 - D442
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/04
Daily Digest - Tuesday, May 4, 2004; pages D444 - D450
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
OVERTIME PAY RULE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education held a hearing to examine the final rule on overtime pay,
setting forth the criteria for determining who is exempted from the Fair Labor
Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime requirements as an executive,
administrative, or professional employee, also known as the "white-collar"
exemptions to the Act, receiving testimony from Tammy D. McCutchen,
Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, Employment Standards Administration,
Department of Labor; and Craig Becker, AFL-CIO, David S. Fortney, Fortney and
Scott, Ross E. Eisenbrey, Economic Policy Institute, and Ronald Bird,
Employment Policy Foundation, all of Washington, D.C. Hearing recessed
subject to the call of the Chair.
D.C. CHARTER SCHOOLS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on District of Columbia concluded a
hearing to examine public charter schools in the District of Columbia,
focusing on challenges facing D.C. charter schools, and best practices in D.C.
charter school education, after receiving testimony from Peggy Cooper Cafritz,
President, District of Columbia Board of Education; Thomas Louglin, Chairman,
District of Columbia Public Charter School Board; Eric Adler, Co-Founder and
Managing Director, School for Educational Evolution and Development (SEED)
School; Joshua Kern, President and Chief Executive Officer, Thurgood Marshall
Academy; David Domenici, Executive Director, See Forever Foundation; Joe
Nathan, University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey Institute, Minneapolis; and
Ariana Quinones, District of Columbia Public Charter School Association,
Washington, D.C.
[Page: D446]
IRAQI PRISONERS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing regarding allegations of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners from General
George W. Casey, Jr., USA, Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Lieutenant General
Paul T. Mikolashek, USA, Army Inspector General; and Major General Michael J.
Marchand, USA, Assistant Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland met in closed session and
approved for full committee consideration, those provisions which fall within
the jurisdiction of the subcommittee, of proposed legislation authorizing
appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military activities of the Department
of Defense.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on SeaPower met in closed session
and approved for full committee consideration, those provisions which fall
within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee, of proposed legislation
authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military activities of the
Department of Defense.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
met in closed session and approved for full committee consideration, those
provisions which fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee, of proposed
legislation authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military
activities of the Department of Defense.
SATELLITE HOME VIEWER IMPROVEMENT ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to reauthorize the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999,
focusing on preserving and extending pro-competitive measures in the current
Act, as well as improving regulatory parity between cable and satellite TV
providers, after receiving testimony from Charles W. Ergen, EchoStar
Communications Corporation, Englewood, Colorado; Jim Yager, Barrington
Broadcasting Company, Hoffman Estates, Illinois; Eddy Hartenstein, DirecTV, El
Segundo, California; Araceli De Leon, Telemundo Communications Group, Phoenix,
Arizona; and Gigi B. Sohn, Public Knowledge, Washington, D.C.
OLYMPIC SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Competition, Foreign Commerce, and Infrastructure concluded a hearing to
examine lessons learned from security at past Olympic Games, focusing on
having a security team selected with complementary skills and the
institutional experience to tackle an event of this proportion, after
receiving testimony from Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Boston; Mark
Camillo, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Arlington, Virginia; David G. Maples,
Johnson, Maples, and Associates, Atlanta, Georgia; Carl Lewis, Beaverton,
Oregon; and Steven Lopez, Sugar Land, Texas.
INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee ordered favorably reported an
original bill authorizing funds for fiscal year 2005 for intelligence and
intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community
Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and
Disability System.
[Page: D447]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/05
Daily Digest - Wednesday, May 5, 2004; pages D451 - D458
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for defense-related
programs, after receiving testimony from numerous public witnesses.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel met in closed session
and approved for full committee consideration, those provisions which fall
within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee, of proposed legislation
authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military activities of the
Department of Defense.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
met in closed session and approved for full committee consideration, those
provisions which fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee, of proposed
legislation authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military
activities of the Department of Defense.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces met in closed
session and approved for full committee consideration, those provisions which
fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee, of proposed legislation
authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military activities of the
Department of Defense.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to mark up
proposed legislation authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, but did not complete action
thereon, and will meet again on tomorrow.
STEROID USE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held a closed
hearing to examine the use of steroids by United States Olympic Athletes,
receiving testimony from Terrence P. Madden, United States Anti-Doping Agency,
and William C. Martin, United States Olympic Committee, both of Colorado
Springs, Colorado; and Donald Catlin, University of California, Los Angeles
School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology, Los Angeles.
Hearing recessed subject to the call of the chair.
SPACE LAUNCH CAPABILITIES
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded a hearing to examine the space shuttle and the
future of space launch, focusing on the International Space Station, defense
launch systems, the civil and commercial perspectives, expendable versus
reusable launch vehicles, and ensuring fairness in contracting, after
receiving testimony from William F. Readdy, Associate Administrator for Space
Flight, and Rear Admiral Craig E. Steidle, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Associate
Administrator for Exploration Systems, both of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration; Michael Kahn, ATK Thiokol Inc., Brigham City, Utah; John
C. Karas, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Denver, Colorado; Robert A.
Hickman, Aerospace Corporation, Arlington, Virginia; and Elon Musk, Space
Exploration Technologies Corporation, El Segundo, California.
[Page: D453]
PUBLIC LANDS CONVEYANCES
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 155, to convey to the town of
Frannie, Wyoming, certain land withdrawn by the Commissioner of Reclamation,
S. 2285, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real
property to Beaver County, Utah, S. 1521, to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to convey certain land to the Edward H. McDaniel American Legion Post
No. 22 in Pahrump, Nevada, for the construction of a post building and
memorial park for use by the American Legion, other veterans' groups, and the
local community, S. 1826, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey
certain land in Washoe County, Nevada, to the Board of Regents of the
University and Community College System of Nevada, S. 2085, to modify the
requirements of the land conveyance to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas
Research Foundation, and H.R. 1658, to amend the Railroad Right-of-Way
Conveyance Validation Act to validate additional conveyances of certain lands
in the State of California that form part of the right-of-way granted by the
United States to facilitate the construction of the transcontinental railway,
after receiving testimony from Senators Hatch and Reid; Bob Anderson, Deputy
Assistant Director, Minerals, Realty and Resource Protection, Bureau of Land
Management, Department of the Interior; Mark Whitney, Beaver County
Commission, Beaver, Utah; Stephen G. Wells, Desert Research Institute, Reno,
Nevada; and John F. Gallagher, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
HEALTHY MARRIAGE
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy held a
hearing to examine the benefits of a healthy marriage, focusing on the impact
of divorce, drug use and poverty on children and marriage, receiving testimony
from Julie Baumgardner, First Things First, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Dwayne
Grimes, Dominick Walker, and Joseph T. Jones, all on behalf of the Center for
Fathers, Families, and Workforce Development, Baltimore, Maryland; Kathryn J.
Edin, Northwestern University Department of Sociology, Evanston, Illinois; Ron
Haskins, Brookings Institution, and Theodora Ooms, Center for Law and Social
Policy, both of Washington, D.C.; and Scott M. Stanley, University of Denver
Center for Marital and Family Studies, Denver, Colorado.
Hearing recessed subject to the call of the Chair.
TERRORISM: MATERIAL SUPPORT STATUTE
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the material support statute relating to aiding terrorists, focusing
on how material support statutes have been crucial in efforts in the
investigation and prosecution of terrorists, and in the protection from future
terrorist attacks, after receiving testimony from Christopher A. Wray,
Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Daniel J. Bryant, Assistant
Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, and Gary M. Bald, Assistant
Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, all of
the Department of Justice; and David Cole, Georgetown University Law Center,
and Paul Rosenzweig, Heritage Foundation, both of Washington, D.C.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
Joint Meetings
NORTHERN IRELAND MURDER CASES
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission concluded a hearing to examine the impact in Northern Ireland of
recently published reports on collusion in prominent murder cases, after
receiving testimony from Peter Cory, former Canadian Supreme Court Justice,
Ottawa; Geraldine Finucane, Northern Ireland; and Elisa Massimino, Human
Rights First, Washington, D.C.
2004/05/06
Daily Digest - Thursday, May 6, 2004; pages D459 - D466
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ENERGY PRODUCTION: BIOMASS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine new opportunities for agriculture, focusing on the use of
biomass, which is any living matter that can be converted into usable energy
through biological or chemical processes, and encompasses feedstocks such as
agricultural crops and their residues, animal wastes, wood, wood residues and
grasses, and municipal wastes use in energy production, after receiving
testimony from former Representative Thomas Ewing, on behalf of the Biomass
Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee; Mark E. Rey, Under
Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; David Garman,
Acting Under Secretary of Energy for Energy, Science and Environment, and
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; R.
James Woolsey, McLean, Virginia, former Director of Central Intelligence; C.
Boyden Gray, Energy Future Coalition, Washington, D.C.; Mark E. Zappi,
Mississippi State University Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering,
Mississippi State; Tom L. Richard, Iowa State University, Ames; Lee R. Lynd,
Dartmouth College Thayer School of Engineering, Hanover, New Hampshire; and
Samuel B. McLaughlin, University of Tennessee Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
Oak Ridge.
[Page: D461]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
H.R. 3104, to provide for the establishment of separate campaign medals to be
awarded to members of the uniformed services who participate in Operation
Enduring Freedom and to members of the uniformed services who participate in
Operation Iraqi Freedom;
An original bill entitled "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2005";
An original bill entitled "Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2005";
An original bill entitled "Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2005"; and
An original bill entitled "Department of Energy National Security Act for
Fiscal Year 2005".
Also, committee received a report from the Select Committee on Intelligence on
the proposed Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported an original bill to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to
award grants to public transportation agencies to improve security.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held a hearing
to examine impacts of climate change and states' actions, focusing on public
health, forests, heatwaves, geological records, recent changes in the ocean,
temperatures, sea ice and glacial ice, and ecological responses, receiving
testimony from Ken Colburn, Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use
Management, and Paul R. Epstein, Harvard Medical School Center for Health and
the Global Environment, both of Boston, Massachusetts; William B. Curry, Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts; William R. Fraser,
Polar Oceans Research Group, Sheridan, Montana; and Philip Mote, University of
Washington, Seattle.
Hearing recessed subject to call.
CARFA ACT
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia concluded a
hearing to examine S. 1668, to establish a commission to conduct a
comprehensive review of Federal agencies and programs and to recommend the
elimination or realignment of duplicative, wasteful, or outdated functions,
after receiving testimony from Senator Brownback; former Representative Dick
Armey, on behalf of Citizens for a Sound Economy; Clay Johnson III, Deputy
Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget; and Paul Weinstein,
Jr., Progressive Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Jonathan W. Dudas, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of
Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent
and Trademark Office, after the nominee, who was introduced by Representative
Hyde, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
[Page: D462]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/07
Daily Digest - Friday, May 7, 2004; pages D467 - D472
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
IRAQI PRISONERS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
allegations of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners, after receiving testimony from
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense; Stephen A. Cambone, Under Secretary
of Defense for Intelligence; General Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint
Chiefs of Staff; Les Brownlee, Acting Secretary of the Army; General Peter J.
Schoomaker, USA, Chief of Staff of the Army; and Lieutenant General Lance L.
Smith, USAF, Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command.
[Page: D468]
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
employment-unemployment situation for April 2004, focusing on economic growth,
business activity in the manufacturing and service industries, the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), job creation and loss, after receiving testimony from
Kathleen P. Utgoff, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of
Labor.
2004/05/10
Daily Digest - Monday, May 10, 2004; pages D474 - D476
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/11
Daily Digest - Tuesday, May 11, 2004; pages D478 - D486
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS OVERSIGHT
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Subcommittee on Forestry,
Conservation, and Rural Revitalization concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the implementation conservation programs of the 2002 Farm Bill,
including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Ground and
Surface Water Conservation Program, the Wetlands Reserve Program, the
Grassland Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, and the Farm
and Ranch Lands Protection Program, after receiving testimony from Bruce I.
Knight, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and James R. Little,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency, both of the Department of Agriculture; Al
Christopherson, Minnesota Farm Bureau, Pennock, on behalf of the American Farm
Bureau Federation; John K. Hansen, Nebraska Farmers Union, Lincoln, on behalf
of the National Farmers Union; Bill Wilson, Haskell County Conservation
District, Kinta, Oklahoma, on behalf of the National Association of
Conservation Districts; Gordon Gallup, Idaho Grain Producers, Ririe, on behalf
of the National Association of Wheat Growers, and other organizations; Jeffrey
W. Nelson, Ducks Unlimited, Bismarck, North Dakota, on behalf of the
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, and other organizations; David Petty,
Eldora, Iowa, on behalf of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association; and
Francis Thicke, Fairfield, Iowa, on behalf of the Sustainable Agriculture
Coalition.
[Page: D480]
IRAQI PRISONERS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee resumed hearings to examine allegations
of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners, receiving testimony from Major General
Antonio M. Taguba, USA, Deputy Commanding General for Support, Coalition
Forces Land Component Command; Lieutenant General Lance L. Smith, USAF, Deputy
Commander, U.S. Central Command; Stephen A. Cambone, Under Secretary of
Defense for Intelligence; Lieutenant General Keith B. Alexander, USA, Deputy
Chief of Staff, G-2, U.S. Army; Major General Ronald L. Burgess, Jr., USA,
Director for Intelligence, J-2, The Joint Staff; and Major General Thomas J.
Romig, USA, Judge Advocate General.
SMOKING IN MOVIES
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the impact of smoking in the movies on children, focusing
on tobacco litigation and the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, after
receiving testimony from Maryland State Attorney General J. Joseph Curran,
Jr., Baltimore; Jack Valenti, Motion Picture Association of America,
Washington, D.C.; Madeline A. Dalton, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New
Hampshire; LeVar Burton, Directors Guild of America, Los Angeles, California;
Stanton Glantz, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco;
and C. Steven Yerrid, Bank of America, Tampa, Florida.
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the impacts and costs of the 2003 fire season, focusing on the
problems faced last year and what problems agencies and the land they oversee
may face next season, including aerial fire fighting assests and crew, and
overhead availability, after receiving testimony from Mark Rey, Under
Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; and P. Lynn
Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Management and
Budget.
AIDS AND HUNGER
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
deadly intersection of AIDS and hunger, focusing on overseeing international
food assistance and the implementation of the United States Leadership Against
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, after receiving testimony
from James T. Morris, Executive Director, World Food Program, United Nations,
New York, New York; Randall L. Tobias, Global AIDS Coordinator, Department of
State; and Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International
Development.
DIPLOMA MILLS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held a hearing to examine
allegations relevant to the issuance of bogus degrees, focusing on tax payer
dollars subsidizing diploma mills, and the development of a government-wide
policy to identify and discourage the use of bogus degrees, receiving
testimony from Representative Tom Davis; Robert J. Cramer, Managing Director,
and Paul DeSaulniers, Senior Special Agent, both of the Office of Special
Investigations, General Accounting Office; Alan Contreras, Oregon Student
Assistance Commission Office of Degree Authorization, Eugene; and Laurie
Gerald, Aliso Viejo, California.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Aging
held a hearing to examine breakthroughs in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) research,
focusing on risk factors for developing AD, developing safe, effective
preventions and treatments for AD, and "The Maintain Your Brain" campaign,
receiving testimony from Richard J. Hodes, Director, National Institute on
Aging, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services;
John C. Morris, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri;
Peter V. Rabins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore,
Maryland; and Stephen McConnell, Alzheimer's Association, Washington, D.C.
Hearing recessed subject to the call of the chair.
BIO-TERRORISM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and
Homeland Security concluded a hearing to examine rapid bio-terrorism detection
and response, focusing on point-of-care diagnostic devices, forensic work,
emergency room facilities, and the medical care system's capability and
capacity to respond to future terrorist attacks in the United States, after
receiving testimony from Paul S. Keim, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff,
and Jeffrey Trent, Phoenix, Arizona, both of the Translational Genomics
Research Institute; Harvey W. Meislin, University of Arizona Health Science
Center, Tucson; and David A. Relman, Stanford University, Palo Alto,
California.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/12
Daily Digest - Wednesday, May 12, 2004; pages D488 - D496
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded hearings to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of
Defense, after receiving testimony from Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary, and
Larry Lanzillotta, Acting Under Secretary (Comptroller), both of the
Department of Defense; and General Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: On Tuesday, May 11, Committee ordered favorably
reported the nominations of William A. Chatfield, of Texas, to be Director of
Selective Service, Jerald S. Paul, of Florida, to be Principal Deputy
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Mark Falcoff, of
California, to be a Member of the National Security Education Board, Dionel M.
Aviles, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of the Navy, and Tina Westby Jonas,
of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller).
TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the future of telecommunications policy, focusing on a view
from the industry relating to mobility and broadband networks, after receiving
testimony from Ivan Seidenberg, Verizon Communications, Washington, D.C.;
Brian L. Roberts, Comcast Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Scott Ford,
ALLTEL Corporation, Little Rock, Arkansas; C. Garry Betty, EarthLink, Inc.,
Atlanta, Georgia; and Delbert Wilson, Central Texas Telephone Cooperative,
Goldthwaite, Texas, on behalf of the National Telecommunications Cooperative
Association.
GASOLINE
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the environmental regulatory framework affecting oil refining and
gasoline policy, focusing on domestic refining capacity, the fuel supply,
reformulated gasoline, low-sulfur fuels, and reducing incentives for market
manipulation, after receiving testimony from Bob Slaughter, on behalf of the
National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, and the American Petroleum
Institute, A. Blakeman Early, American Lung Association, and Mark Cooper,
Consumer Federation of America, on behalf of the Consumers Union, all of
Washington, D.C.; Michael Ports, Ports Petroleum Company, Inc, Wooster, Ohio,
on behalf of the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America and the
National Association of Convenience Stores, and John R. Dosher, Jacobs
Consultancy, Houston, Texas.
AFGHANISTAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
continuing challenges in Afghanistan, focusing on allied efforts to defeat
Al-Qaeda and to assist Afghanistan in building democracy and rebuilding its
economy, after receiving testimony from Mark L. Schneider, International
Crisis Group, Robert M. Perito, United States Institute of Peace, and David C.
Isby, all of Washington, D.C.; and Thomas E. Gouttierre, University of
Nebraska Center for Afghanistan Studies, Omaha.
[Page: D490]
DIPLOMA MILLS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded hearings to examine
allegations relevant to the issuance of bogus degrees, focusing on tax payer
dollars subsidizing diploma mills, and the development of a government-wide
policy to identify and discourage the use of bogus degrees, after receiving
testimony from Sally L. Stroup, Assistant Secretary of Education for
Postsecondary Education; Stephen C. Benowitz, Associate Director, Human
Resources Products and Services, Office of Personnel Management; Alan
Contreras, Administrator, Oregon Student Assistance Commission Office of
Degree Authorization, Eugene; Lieutenant Commander Claudia Gelzer, U.S. Coast
Guard Detaille, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs; and Andrew Coulombe,
Ventura, California.
TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNANCE ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 1715,
to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide
further self-governance by Indian tribes, after receiving testimony from David
W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, and William Sinclair,
Director, Office of Self-Governance and Self-Determination, both of the
Department of the Interior; D. Fred Matt, Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes, Pablo, Montana; Philip Baker-Shenk, Holland and Knight, Washington,
D.C.; and Geoffrey Strommer, Hobbs, Strauss, Dean, and Walker, Portland,
Oregon.
SATELLITE HOME VIEWER EXTENSION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2013,
to amend section 119 of title 17, United States Code, to extend satellite home
viewer provisions, focusing on the statutory licensing regimes for
over-the-air broadcast signals, royalty rates, and the transition to digital
television, after receiving testimony from David O. Carson, General Counsel,
Copyright Office, Library of Congress; Charles W. Ergen, EchoStar
Communications Corporation, Littlewood, Colorado; Bruce T. Reese, Bonneville
International Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, on behalf of the National
Association of Broadcasters; Eddy W. Hartenstein, DIRECTV Group, Inc., El
Segundo, California; Fritz Attaway, Motion Picture Association of America,
Inc., Washington, D.C.; and John King, Vermont Public Television, Colchester.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/13
Daily Digest - Thursday, May 13, 2004; pages D497 - D504
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION REGULATORY ISSUES
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulatory issues,
focusing on how the markets have evolved in response to the Commodity Futures
Modernization Act of 2000, after receiving testimony from James E. Newsome,
Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
CONTINGENCY RESERVE FUND
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
contingency reserve fund request for fiscal year 2005, after receiving
testimony from Paul D. Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary, and Larry Lanzillotta,
Acting Under Secretary (Comptroller), both of the Department of Defense;
General Peter Pace, USMC, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Joel
D. Kaplan, Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget.
CONTRACTING IN IRAQ
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
concluded a hearing to examine acquisition policy issues in review of the
Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, after receiving testimony
from Michael W. Wynne, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,
Technology and Logistics; Tina Ballard, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Policy and Procurement; Major General Carl Strock, USA, Director of Civil
Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Major General Wade H. McManus, Jr.,
USA, Commanding General, U.S. Army Field Support Command.
DOD TASK FORCE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on the Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on Care for
Victims of Sexual Assault from Ellen P. Embrey, Deputy Assistant for Force
Health Protection and Readiness, and David S.C. Chu, Under Secretary for
Personnel and Readiness, both of the Department of Defense.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of Major General David H. Petraeus, USA, to be lieutenant general
and Chief, Office of Security Transition--Iraq.
IMPACT OF MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded a hearing to examine social science data on
the impact of marriage and divorce on children, focusing on marital education,
trends in cohabitation, and out-of-wedlock births, after receiving testimony
from Gordon Berlin, MDRC, Inc., New York, New York; Steven L. Nock, University
of Virginia Department of Sociology, Charlottesville; Nicholas Zill, Westat,
Inc., Rockville, Maryland; Gerald L. Campbell, Impact Group, Inc., Oakton,
Virginia; and Patrick F. Fagan, Heritage Foundation, and Margy Waller,
Brookings Institute, both of Washington, D.C.
[Page: D499]
MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANK CORRUPTION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
combating corruption in the multilateral development banks, focusing on
improving governance, increasing transparency and combating corruption, after
receiving testimony from Carole Brookins, The World Bank, Hector Morales,
Inter-American Development Bank, Manish Bapna, Bank Information Center, Nancy
Zucker Boswell, Transparency International--USA, and Jerome I. Levinson,
American University Washington College of Law, all of Washington, D.C.; and
Jeffrey A. Winters, Northwestern University Department of Politics, Evanston,
Illinois.
TRADE AND TOURISM IN A TIME OF TERRORISM
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on European Affairs concluded a
hearing to examine challenges and accomplishments as the European Union and
the United States promote trade and tourism in a terrorism environment, after
receiving testimony from Stewart Verdery, Assistant Secretary of Homeland
Security for Border and Transportation Security; Jonathan Faull, Director
General, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium; Bill Connors, National
Business Travel Association, Alexandria, Virginia; and Christopher L. Koch,
World Shipping Council, Washington, D.C.
RAISING PREMATURE BABIES
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Children
and Families concluded a hearing to examine causes, research and prevention of
premature births, after receiving testimony from Duane F. Alexander, Director,
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes
of Health, Peter C. Van Dyck, Associate Administrator for Child and Maternal
Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Eve Lackritz, Chief,
Maternal and Infant Health Branch, Division of Reproductive Health, National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, all of the Department of Health and Human
Services; Jennifer L. Howse, March of Dimes, White Plains, New York; Charles
J. Lockwood, Yale University Medical School Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, New Haven, Connecticut; and Kelly
Bolton Jordon, Memphis, Tennessee.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights,
and Property Rights ordered favorably reported to the full Committee, S.J.
Res. 23, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States
providing for the event that one-fourth of the members of either the House of
Representatives or the Senate are killed or incapacitated, with an amendment.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 1609, to make aliens ineligible to receive visas and exclude aliens from
admission into the United States for nonpayment of child support, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. Res. 331, designating June 2004 as "National Safety Month".
Also, Committee began consideration of S. 1735, to increase and enhance law
enforcement resources committed to investigation and prosecution of violent
gangs, to deter and punish violent gang crime, to protect law abiding citizens
and communities from violent criminals, to revise and enhance criminal
penalties for violent crimes, to reform and facilitate prosecution of juvenile
gang members who commit violent crimes, to expand and improve gang prevention
programs, but did not complete action thereon.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
[Page: D500]
Joint Meetings
HEALTH SERVICES REGULATION
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the costs
of health services regulations, focusing on quality and accessibility to
health care insurance, the uninsured, and ways that health care coverage can
be made more affordable, after receiving testimony from David A. Hyman,
University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore; Daniel Mulholland, Horty,
Springer, and Mattern, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Vicki Gottlich, Center for
Medicare Advocacy, Inc., Washington, D.C.; and Christopher J. Conover, Durham,
North Carolina.
COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION ACT
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House passed
versions of H.R. 2443, to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for
fiscal year 2004, to amend various laws administered by the Coast Guard, but
did not complete action thereon, and will meet again.
2004/05/14
Daily Digest - Friday, May 14, 2004; pages D506 - D510
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/17
Daily Digest - Monday, May 17, 2004; pages D512 - D518
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
RETIREE HEALTH BENEFITS
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine how the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent rule affects retiree health
benefits, focusing on the Commission's decision to permit employers to remain
in compliance with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) when
coordinating retiree health benefits provided with Medicare eligibility, after
receiving testimony from Leslie E. Silverman, Commissioner, U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission; Patricia Neuman, Henry J. Kaiser Family
Foundation, Erik D. Olsen, AARP, Andrew J. Imparato, American Association of
People with Disabilities, and James A. Klein, American Benefits Council, all
of Washington, D.C.; and Bruce Meredith, Wisconsin in Education Association
Council, Madison.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/18
Daily Digest - Tuesday, May 18, 2004; pages D519 - D528
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: HIV/AIDS FUNDING
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations concluded a
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for foreign
assistance, focusing on HIV/AIDS, after receiving testimony from Randall L.
Tobias, Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Department of State; and Bono, DATA,
Washington, D.C.
TERRORISM RISK INSURANCE PROGRAM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded an
oversight hearing to examine the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, which
established a temporary Federal program of shared public and private
compensation for insured commercial property and casualty losses resulting
from acts of terrorism covered by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, after
receiving testimony from Brian C. Roseboro, Under Secretary of the Treasury
for Domestic Finance; Richard J. Hillman, Director, Financial Markets and
Community Investment, General Accounting Office; Donna Lee Williams, Delaware
Department of Insurance, Dover, on behalf of the National Association of
Insurance Commissioners; J. Robert Hunter, Consumer Federation of America,
Washington, D.C.; John J. Degnan, Chubb Corporation, Warren, New Jersey, on
behalf of sundry organizations; Christopher Nassetta, Host Marriott
Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland, on behalf of the Coalition to Insure Against
Terrorism; and Jacques E. Dubois, Swiss Re America Holding Corporation,
Armonk, New York.
FAA OVERSIGHT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded an
oversight hearing to examine the Federal Aviation Administration, focusing on
airline flight operations, congestion caused by regional jets, low-cost
carrier expansion, and new airport security screening procedures, the aviation
trust fund, and establishing a new air traffic organization, after receiving
testimony from Kenneth M. Mead, Inspector General, and Marion Blakey,
Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, both of the Department of
Transportation; and JayEtta Z. Hecker, Director, Physical Infrastructure
Issues, General Accounting Office.
DOE CONTRACTING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine implications of a 1999 change in reporting of small business contracts
by the Department of Energy (DOE), focusing on the potential benefits and
risks of the change, and the efforts of the Office of Small Disadvantaged
Utilization to reach out to small businesses and encourage them to do business
with DOE, after receiving testimony from Kyle E. McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary
of Energy; Robin M. Nazzaro, Director, Natural Resources and Environment,
General Accounting Office; Ann Sullivan, Women Impacting Public Policy,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Joan B. Woodard, Sandia National Laboratories,
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Robert Thompson, Energy Communities Alliance,
Richland, Washington.
[Page: D521]
IRAQ'S TRANSITION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee held a hearing to examine the way
ahead in Iraq, focusing on the transition to sovereignty and democracy and
securing a stable, peaceful, and economically vital region, receiving
testimony from Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Lieutenant
General Walter L. Sharp, Director, Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Chiefs of
Staff, both of the Department of Defense; and Richard L. Armitage, Deputy
Secretary of State.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of William R. Brownfield, of Texas, to be Ambassador to Venezuela,
and John D. Rood, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Bahamas, after each
nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
ANIMAL RIGHTS TERRORISM
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
threat of animal rights extremism and eco-terrorism, focusing on law
enforcement needs to pursue and prosecute those who commit violent acts
against institutions that conduct animal research, after receiving testimony
from McGregor W. Scott, U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of California; John E.
Lewis, Deputy Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Department of Justice; William Green, Chiron Corporation,
Emeryville, California; Jonathan Blum, Yum! Brands Inc., Louisville, Kentucky
and Stuart M. Zola, Emory University Yerkes National Primate Research
Laboratory, Atlanta, Georgia, on behalf of the National Association for
Biomedical Research.
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine social
security reform issues, and comparing the U.S. social security system with
other nations', focusing on pension systems in Japan, Germany, the United
Kingdom, and Chile, demographic factors, taxes, scheduled benefits, and
investment returns, after receiving testimony from James B. Lockhart III,
Deputy Commissioner, Social Security Administration; Yoshinori Ohno, Member,
Japan's House of Representatives, Tokyo; Vincent J. Truglia, Moody's Investors
Service, New York, New York; Axel Boersch-Supan, University of Mannheim
Research Institute for the Economics of Aging, Mannheim, Germany; David O.
Harris, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, London, England; and L. Jacobo Rodriguez, CATO
Institute, Washington, D.C.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/19
Daily Digest - Wednesday, May 19, 2004; pages D529 - D538
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee ordered favorably
reported an original bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School
Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to provide children with
increased access to food and nutrition assistance, to simplify program
operations and improve program management, and to reauthorize child nutrition
programs.
[Page: D532]
APPROPRIATIONS--DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005
for the government of the District of Columbia, after receiving testimony from
Mayor Anthony A. Williams, Linda W. Cropp, Chair, City Council, and Natwar M.
Gandhi, Chief Financial Officer, all of Washington, D.C.
IRAQI PRISONER ABUSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee resumed open and closed hearings to
examine allegations of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners, receiving testimony
from General John P. Abizaid, USA, Commander, United States Central Command;
and Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, USA, Commander, and Major General
Geoffrey D. Miller, USA, Deputy Commander for Detainee Operations, both of
Multi-National Force-Iraq.
Hearings recessed subject to the Call.
IMF AND WORLD BANK
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded an
oversight hearing to examine proposals to reform the International Monetary
Fund and World Bank, including the costs and budgetary treatment of
multilateral financial institutions' activities, after receiving testimony
from John B. Taylor, Under Secretary of the Treasury for International
Affairs; Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Office; Allan H.
Meltzer, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on behalf of
American Enterprise Institute; and C. Fred Bergsten, Institute for
International Economics, Washington, D.C.
WATER AND POWER PROJECTS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power
concluded a hearing to examine S. 900, to convey the Lower Yellowstone
Irrigation Project, the Savage Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program,
and the Intake Irrigation Project to the pertinent irrigation districts; S.
1876, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain lands and
facilities of the Provo River Project; S. 1957, to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to cooperate with the States on the border with Mexico and other
appropriate entities in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping,
and modeling program for priority transboundary aquifers; S. 2304 and H.R.
3209, bills to amend the Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972 to
clarify the acreage for which the North Loup division is authorized to provide
irrigation water under the Missouri River Basin project; S. 2243, to extend
the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in
the State of Alaska; H.R. 1648, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
convey certain water distribution systems of the Cachuma Project, California,
to the Carpinteria Valley Water District and the Montecito Water District; and
H.R. 1732, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and
Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in
the Williamson County, Texas, Water Recycling and Reuse Project, after
receiving testimony from John W. Keys III, Commissioner, Bureau of
Reclamation, and Charles G. Groat, Director, U.S. Geological Survey, both of
the Department of the Interior; Jerry Nypen, Lower Yellowstone Irrigation
Project, Sidney, Montana; Andrew B. Core, New Mexico Office of the State
Engineer, Santa Fe; John Robert Carman, Metropolitan Water District of Salt
Lake and Sandy, Sandy, Utah; Thomas P. Graves, Mid-West Electric Consumers
Association, Wheat Ridge, Colorado; and C. Allan Jones, Texas Water Resources
Institute, College Station.
TERRORISM FINANCING
Committee on Finance: Committee held a hearing to examine terrorism financing,
focusing on efforts to build domestic and international policies and systems
to combat money-laundering and terrorist financing, charities as a means of
raising and moving funds and logistical support for terrorists, compliance
from Saudi Arabia, and the designation of major foreign financial institutions
and businesses as terrorist financiers, receiving testimony from Joseph M.
Myers, Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman, former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury for Enforcement, and Jonathan M. Winer, Alston and Bird,
former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Law Enforcement,
both of Washington, D.C.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations
of Juan Carlos Zarate, of California, to be Assistant Secretary for Terrorist
Financing, and Stuart Levey, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary for
Enforcement, both of the Department of the Treasury, and John O. Colvin, of
Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Tax Court, after each nominee
testified and answered questions in their own behalf. Testimony was also
received on the nominations of Mr. Zarate and Mr. Levey from Joseph M. Myers,
Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman, former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury for Enforcement, and Jonathan M. Winer, Alston and Bird, former
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Law Enforcement, both of
Washington, D.C.
[Page: D533]
IRAQ'S TRANSITION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
way ahead in Iraq, focusing on the Administration's plans for the transition
to Iraqi sovereignty, after receiving testimony from Anthony H. Cordesman,
Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Phebe Marr, National
Defense University, both of Washington, D.C.; General Joseph P. Hoar, USMC
(Ret.), former Commander in Chief, United States Central Command, Del Mar,
California; and Larry Diamond, Stanford University Hoover Institution,
Stanford, California.
TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNANCE AMENDMENTS
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 1696,
to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide
further self-governance by Indian tribes, after receiving testimony from Don
Kashevaroff, Seldovia Village Tribe, Anchorage, Alaska, on behalf of the
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Alvin Windy Boy, Sr., Chippewa Cree
Tribe of Rocky Boy's Reservation, Box Elder, Montana, on behalf of the Indian
Health Service's Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee; W. Ron Allen,
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Sequim, Washington, on behalf of the Title VI Study
Team; and Mickey Peercy, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Durant.
HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
benefits and risks of Health Savings Accounts as provided for in the Medicare
Law, focusing on the future of health care, reducing insurance costs, and
enabling more employers to begin or retain health insurance benefits for
employees, after receiving testimony from John W. Snow, Secretary of the
Treasury; John C. Goodman, National Center for Policy Analysis, Dallas, Texas;
Ronald A. Williams, Aetna, Hartford, Connecticut; Kate Sullivan, U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, and Robert Greenstein, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
both of Washington, D.C.; and Edward L. Langston, Lafayette, Indiana, on
behalf of the American Medical Association.
Joint Meetings
2005 BUDGET
Conferees: On Tuesday, May 18, 2004, agreed to file a conference report on S.
Con. Res. 95, setting forth the congressional budget for the United States
Government for fiscal year 2005 and including the appropriate budgetary levels
for fiscal years 2006 through 2009.
2004/05/20
Daily Digest - Thursday, May 20, 2004; pages D539 - D548
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
EXTENDED CUSTODIAL INVENTORY PROGRAM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded an
oversight hearing to examine the Federal Reserve's Extended Custodial
Inventory Program (ECI), focusing on recent events involving the Union Bank of
Switzerland-Zurich which violated its ECI Agreement with the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York by engaging in U.S. dollar banknote transactions with
countries subject to sanctions by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of
Foreign Assets Control, which administers and enforces economic sanctions
against targeted foreign countries, after receiving testimony from R. Richard
Newcomb, Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the
Treasury; and Thomas C. Baxter, Jr., Executive Vice President and General
Counsel, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, New York City.
CAN-SPAM ACT REVIEW
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the implementation of the Controlling the Assault of
Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM Act) (P.L. 108-187),
focusing on new federal efforts to address unsolicited commercial email
("spam") to better protect consumers and businesses, after receiving testimony
from Timothy Muris, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission; Jana D. Monroe,
Assistant Director, Cyber Division, and Dan Larkin, Unit Chief, Internet Crime
Complaint Center, both of Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of
Justice; Ted Leonsis, America Online, Inc., Dulles, Virginia; Shinya Akamine,
Postini, Inc., Redwood City, California; Hans Peter Brondmo, Digital Impact,
Inc., San Mateo, California; James Guest, Consumers Union, Yonkers, New York;
and Ronald Scelson, MicroEvolutions.com, Montgomery, Texas.
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded a hearing to examine S. 1672, to expand the Timucuan Ecological and
Historic Preserve, Florida, S. 1789 and H.R. 1616, bills to authorize the
exchange of certain lands within the Martin Luther King, Junior, National
Historic Site for lands owned by the City of Atlanta, Georgia, S. 2167, to
establish the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in the States of
Washington and Oregon, and S. 2173, to further the purposes of the Sand Creek
Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000, after receiving
testimony from Paul Hoffman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for
Fish and Wildlife and Parks; Steve Brady, Sr., Northern Cheyenne Sand Creek
Descendants, Lame Deer, Montana; Carol J. Alexander, Ritz Theatre & LaVilla
Museum, Jacksonville, Florida; and Rex Ziak, Naselle, Washington.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate
Change, and Nuclear Safety resumed oversight hearing to examine the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, focusing on how the NRC and the industry will move
forward with credibility and safety to ensure that nuclear power continues to
be an important part of meeting economic, energy, and environment needs in the
United States, after receiving testimony from Nils J. Diaz, Chairman, Edward
McGaffigan, Jr., Commissioner, and Jeffrey S. Merrifield, Commissioner, all of
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Marvin S. Fertel, Nuclear Energy
Institute, and David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists, both of
Washington, D.C.; Marilyn C. Kray, Exelon Nuclear, Kimberton, Pennsylvania, on
behalf of NuStart Energy Development LLC; and Barclay G. Jones, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Nuclear and Radiological
Engineering, Urbana.
[Page: D542]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of
Juan Carlos Zarate, of California, to be Assistant Secretary for Terrorist
Financing, and Stuart Levey, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary for
Enforcement, both of the Department of the Treasury, and John O. Colvin, of
Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Tax Court.
PRESCRIPTION DRUG REIMPORTATION
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine prescription drug reimportation, focusing on efforts to
reduce drug costs, patient safety concerns, recent state action, fraudulent
and counterfeit drugs, an international comparison of rising prescription drug
expenditures, and S. 2328, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
with respect to the importation of prescription drugs, after receiving
testimony from John M. Taylor, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs,
and William Hubbard, Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning, both of
the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services;
John A. Vernon, University of Connecticut Center for Healthcare and Insurance
Studies, Storrs; Philip Lee, Stanford University, Stanford, California; and
Tim Malone, Livermore, California.
NATIVE AMERICAN CONNECTIVITY ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee held a hearing to examine S. 2382, to
establish grant programs for the development of telecommunications capacities
in Indian country, receiving testimony from J.D. Williams, National Congress
of American Indians, Washington, D.C.; and Kade L. Twist, Native Networking
Policy Center, Reston, Virginia.
Hearing recessed subject to the call of the Chair.
FBI OVERSIGHT OF TERRORISM
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the FBI, counterterrorism, and intelligence arenas, focusing on steps
the FBI has taken to put critical capabilities in place by reforming
counterterrorism and intelligence programs, as well as overhauling information
technology, after receiving testimony from Robert S. Mueller III, Director,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 1933, to promote effective enforcement of copyrights, with amendments;
S. Res. 362, expressing the sense of the Senate on the dedication of the
National World War II Memorial on May 29, 2004, in recognition of the duty,
sacrifices, and valor of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States
who served in World War II;
H. Con. Res. 409, recognizing with humble gratitude the more than 16,000,000
veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II and
the Americans who supported the war effort on the home front and celebrating
the completion of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in
the District of Columbia; and
The nomination of Jonathan W. Dudas, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of
Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent
and Trademark Office.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported Pamela M.
Iovino, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans
Affairs for Congressional Affairs.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/05/21
Daily Digest - Friday, May 21, 2004; pages D549 - D552
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
[Page: D551]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/01
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 1, 2004; pages D554 - D560
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/02
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 2, 2004; pages D561 - D568
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN)
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a hearing to
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Iraq and
Afghanistan Contingent Emergency Reserve Fund, after receiving testimony from
Joel D. Kaplan, Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget; Larry J.
Lanzillotta, Acting Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); and General
Peter Pace, USMC, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on certain national security issues from Condoleezza Rice, National
Security Advisor.
SECURITIES INVESTMENT PROTECTION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the role of State securities regulators in protecting
investors, focusing on efforts to enforce securities laws, investment adviser
registration and licensing, State investigations into mutual fund industry
abuses, and investor education programs, after receiving testimony from New
Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, Trenton; Ralph A. Lambiase,
Connecticut Department of Banking, Hartford, and Joseph P. Borg, Alabama
Securities Commission, Montgomery, both on behalf of the North American
Securities Administrators Association; Charles Leven, AARP, Washington, D.C.;
and Juanita Periman, Butte, Montana.
FIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFT SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the status of fire fighting aircraft, focusing on the
respective roles the Federal Aviation Administration, the Forest Service, and
the Department of the Interior play in the safety oversight of firefighting
operations conducted on behalf of the Forest Service and the Department of the
Interior, after receiving testimony from Ellen Engleman Conners, Chairman,
National Transportation Safety Board; Nicholas A. Sabatini, Associate
Administrator, Regulation and Certification, Federal Aviation Administration,
Department of Transportation; Mark E. Rey, Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Natural Resources and Environment; Mark Timmons, Neptune Aviation Services,
Missoula International Airport, Missoula, Montana; and William W. Grantham,
International Air Response Inc., Chandler, Arizona.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of Jon D. Leibowitz, of Maryland, who was
introduced by Senators Kohl and DeWine, and Deborah P. Majoras, of Virginia,
who was introduced by Senator DeWine, each to be a Federal Trade Commissioner,
Brett T. Palmer, of New York, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Benjamin H. Wu, of Maryland, to be
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy, who was introduced by
Representative Boehlert, Enrique J. Sosa, of Florida, to be a Member of the
Reform Board (Amtrak), and Scott Kevin Walker, of Wisconsin, to be a Member of
the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, who
was introduced by Representative Paul Ryan, after each nominee testified and
answered questions in their own behalf.
GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Administration's proposed Greater Middle East Initiative, focusing on
economic, social and political reform in the G8 Broader Middle East and North
Africa, after receiving testimony from Alan P. Larson, Under Secretary of
State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs; His Royal Highness
Prince El Hassan bin Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Amman, Jordan;
Patrick M. Cronin, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington,
D.C.; and Alan R. Richards, University of California, Santa Cruz.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. 2468, to reform the postal laws of the United States, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute;
S. 346, to amend the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to establish a
governmentwide policy requiring competition in certain executive agency
procurements, with an amendment;
[Page: D563]
S. 1292, to establish a servitude and emancipation archival research
clearinghouse in the National Archives, with an amendment;
S. 2249, to amend the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to provide
for emergency food and shelter;
S. 2322, to amend chapter 90 of title 5, United States Code, to include
employees of the District of Columbia courts as participants in long term care
insurance for Federal employees;
S. 2351, to establish a Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical
Services and a Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services
Advisory Council;
S. 2479, to amend chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code, to provide for
Federal employees to make elections to make, modify, and terminate
contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund at any time;
H.R. 1303, to amend the E-Government Act of 2002 with respect to rulemaking
authority of the Judicial Conference;
S. 2017 and H.R. 3742, bills to designate the United States courthouse and
post office building located at 93 Atocha Street in Ponce, Puerto Rico, as the
"Luis A. Ferre United States Courthouse and Post Office Building";
S. 2214, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 3150 Great Northern Avenue in Missoula, Montana, as the "Mike Mansfield
Post Office";
S. 2415, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 4141 Postmark Drive, Anchorage, Alaska, as the "Robert J. Opinsky Post
Office Building";
H.R. 1822, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 3751 West 6th Street in Los Angeles, California, as the "Dosan Ahn
Chang Ho Post Office";
H.R. 2130, to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 121 Kinderkamack Road in River Edge, New Jersey, as the "New Bridge
Landing Post Office";
H.R. 2438, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 115 West Pine Street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as the "Major
Henry A. Commiskey, Sr. Post Office Building";
H.R. 3029 and S. 1596, bills to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 255 North Main Street in Jonesboro, Georgia, as the
"S. Truett Cathy Post Office Building";
H.R. 3059, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 304 West Michigan Street in Stuttgart, Arkansas, as the "Lloyd L.
Burke Post Office";
H.R. 3068, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 2055 Siesta Drive in Sarasota, Florida, as the "Brigadier General
(AUS-Ret.) John H. McLain Post Office";
H.R. 3234 and S. 1763, bills to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 14 Chestnut Street in Liberty, New York, as the "Ben
R. Gerow Post Office Building";
H.R. 3300, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 15500 Pearl Road in Strongsville, Ohio, as the "Walter F. Ehrnfelt,
Jr. Post Office Building";
H.R. 3353, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 525 Main Street in Tarboro, North Carolina, as the "George Henry
White Post Office Building";
H.R. 3536, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 210 Main Street in Malden, Illinois, as the "Army Staff Sgt.
Lincoln Hollinsaid Malden Post Office";
H.R. 3537, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 185 State Street in Manhattan, Illinois, as the "Army Pvt. Shawn
Pahnke Manhattan Post Office";
H.R. 3538, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 201 South Chicago Avenue in Saint Anne, Illinois, as the "Marine
Capt. Ryan Beaupre Saint Anne Post Office";
H.R. 3690 and S. 2104, bills to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 2 West Main Street in Batavia, New York, as the
"Barber Conable Post Office Building";
H.R. 3733, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 410 Huston Street in Altamont, Kansas, as the "Myron V. George Post
Office";
H.R. 3740 and S. 2153, bills to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 223 South Main Street in Roxboro, North Carolina, as
the "Oscar Scott Woody Post Office Building";
H.R. 3769, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 137 East Young High Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the "Ben
Atchley Post Office Building";
H.R. 3855 and S. 2441, bills to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 607 Pershing Drive in Laclede, Missouri, as the
"General John J. Pershing Post Office";
H.R. 3917 and S. 2255, bills to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 695 Marconi Boulevard in Copiague, New York, as the
"Maxine S. Postal United States Post Office";
H.R. 3939 and S. 2291, bills to redesignate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 14-24 Abbott Road in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, as the
"Mary Ann Collura Post Office Building";
H.R. 3942, to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 7 Commercial Boulevard in Middletown, Rhode Island, as the "Rhode
Island Veterans Post Office Building";
[Page: D564]
H.R. 4037 and S. 2442, bills to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 475 Kell Farm Drive in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as
the "Richard G. Wilson Processing and Distribution Facility";
H.R. 4176, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 122 West Elwood Avenue in Raeford, North Carolina, as the "Bobby
Marshall Gentry Post Office Building";
H.R. 4299, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 410 South Jackson Road in Edinburg, Texas, as the "Dr. Miguel A.
Nevarez Post Office Building"; and
The nominations of Albert Casey, of Texas, and James C. Miller III, of
Virginia, each to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service, David
Safavian, of Michigan, to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy,
Office of Management and Budget, and Dawn A. Tisdale, of Texas, to be a
Commissioner of the Postal Rate Commission.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and
Property Rights approved for full Committee consideration S.J. Res. 4,
proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States authorizing
Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United
States.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/03
Daily Digest - Thursday, June 3, 2004; pages D569 - D576
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BANK SECRECY ACT ENFORCEMENT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine efforts to ensure compliance and enforcement of the Bank
Secrecy Act, enacted in 1970, which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury
to issue regulations requiring that financial institutions keep records and
file reports on certain financial transactions, focusing on anti-money
laundering and issues concerning depository institution regulatory oversight,
after receiving testimony from Susan S. Bies, Member, Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System; John D. Hawke, Jr., Comptroller of the Currency,
James E. Gilleran, Director, Office of Thrift Supervision, William J. Fox,
Director, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, all of the Department of the
Treasury; Donald E. Powell, Chairman, and Gaston L. Gianni, Jr., Inspector
General, both of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Davi M.
D'Agostino, Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, General
Accounting Office; and JoAnn M. Johnson, Chairman, National Credit Union
Administration.
[Page: D571]
TREAD ACT: MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the National Highway Safety Administration's implementation
of the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation
(TREAD) Act and various motor vehicle safety issues, after receiving testimony
from Jeffrey W. Runge, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Department of Transportation; Oregon State Senator Bruce
Starr, Hillsboro; and Robert Strassburger, Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, Donald B. Shea, Rubber Manufacturers Association, and Joan
Claybrook, Public Citizen, former Administrator, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 1129, to provide for the protection of unaccompanied alien children, with
an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1887, to amend the Controlled Substances Act to lift the patient limitation
on prescribing drug addiction treatments by medical practitioners in group
practices;
S. 2363, to revise and extend the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; and
S. Con. Res. 5, expressing support for the celebration in 2004 of the 150th
anniversary of the Grand Excursion of 1854.
CHILD CUSTODY PROTECTION ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 851,
to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking minors across State
lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in
abortion decisions, after receiving testimony from Senator Ensign; John C.
Harrison, University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville; Peter J.
Rubin, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.; Teresa Stanton
Collett, University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, Minnesota;
Reverend Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, St. David's Episcopal Church, Pepperell,
Massachusetts, on behalf of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Religious
Coalition for Reproductive Choice; and Joyce Farley and Crystal Lane, both of
Dushore, Pennsylvania.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/04
Daily Digest - Friday, June 4, 2004; pages D578 - D582
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Michael H. Watson, to be United States District Judge for the
Southern District of Ohio, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senator
DeWine, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
employment situation for May 2004, focusing on economic growth, business
activity in the manufacturing and service industries, the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP), job creation and loss, and discouraged workers--those who have
stopped seeking work because of discouragement over their job prospects, after
receiving testimony from Kathleen P. Utgoff, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Department of Labor.
2004/06/07
Daily Digest - Monday, June 7, 2004; pages D583 - D586
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/08
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 8, 2004; pages D588 - D592
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the nomination of Suedeen G. Kelly, of New Mexico, to be a Member of
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, after the nominee, who was
introduced by Senator Bingaman, testified and answered questions in her own
behalf.
NATIONAL PARKS/HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded a hearing to examine S. 931, to direct the Secretary of the Interior
to undertake a program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of
avalanches on visitors to units of the National Park System and on other
recreational users of public land, S. 1678, to provide for the establishment
of the Uintah Research and Curatorial Center for Dinosaur National Monument in
the States of Colorado and Utah, S. 2140, to expand the boundary of the Mount
Rainier National Park, S. 2287, to adjust the boundary of the Barataria
Preserve Unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in the
State of Louisiana, and S. 2469, to amend the National Historic Preservation
Act to provide appropriation authorization and improve the operations of the
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, after receiving testimony from
Senators Stevens and Bennett; Tom L. Thompson, Deputy Chief, National Forest
System, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; Janet Snyder Matthews,
Associate Director, Cultural Resources, National Park Service, Department of
the Interior; John L. Nau III, Chairman, Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation; Karen Krieger, Utah Division of Parks and Recreation, Salt Lake
City; and David Hamre, Alaska Railroad Corporation, Anchorage.
[Page: D589]
MEDICARE DRUG CARD
Committee on Finance: Committee held a hearing to examine the implementation
of the Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card and the Transitional Assistance
Program, enacted into law as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug,
Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, focusing on how to deliver savings
to participating beneficiaries, including mail order services, price shopping
and negotiating power, card monitoring, and prescription drug cost
comparisons, receiving testimony from Mark B. McClellan, Administrator,
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human
Services; Thomas Snedden, Pennsylvania Department of Aging, Harrisburg; Kris
Gross, Iowa Senior Health Insurance Information Program, Des Moines; Robert M.
Hayes, Medicare Rights Center, New York, New York; and Mark Merritt,
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, and James B. Firman, National
Council on Aging, both of Washington, D.C.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
DIETARY SUPPLEMENT SAFETY ACT
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia concluded a hearing to
examine the challenges and successes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
experienced since the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education
Act of 1994, after receiving testimony from Robert E. Brackett, Director,
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration,
Department of Health and Human Services; Alice M. Clark, University of
Mississippi, University, Mississippi; Ronald M. Davis, Henry Ford Health
System Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Detroit, Michigan,
on behalf of the American Medical Association; Charles W.F. Bell, Consumers
Union, Bruce Silverglade, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and
Annette Dickinson, Council for Responsible Nutrition, all of Washington, D.C.;
and Anthony L. Young, Kleinfeld, Kaplan, and Becker, LLP, Silver Spring,
Maryland, on behalf of the American Herbal Products Association.
ARTHRITIS EPIDEMIC
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions : Subcommittee on Aging
concluded a hearing to examine the current and future impact of arthritis,
focusing on preventing, controlling and curing arthritis and the opportunities
public health has to make a difference in reducing the pain and disability
associated with arthritis, including S. 2338, to amend the Public Health
Service Act to provide for arthritis research and public health, after
receiving testimony from Joe Sniezek, Director, Arthritis Program, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and Susana Serrate-Sztein, Chief, Rheumatic
Diseases Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
Diseases, National Institutes of Health, both of the Department of Health and
Human Services; Deborah Rothman, Shriners Hospital for Children, Springfield,
Massachusetts, on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology; John H.
Klippel, Arthritis Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia; KaLea Kunkel, Oregon,
Missouri, and Virg Jones, Kansas City, Kansas.
NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS ACT AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2436,
to reauthorize the Native American Programs Act of 1974, after receiving
testimony from Quanah Crossland Stamps, Commissioner, Administration for
Native Americans, Department of Health and Human Services; John E. Echohawk,
Native American Rights Fund, Boulder, Colorado; and Leonard J. Smith, Jr., A &
S. Tribal Industries, Poplar, Montana.
DOJ TERRORISM OVERSIGHT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine activities of the Department of Justice, relating to the department's
strategic plan and its ongoing implementation to prevent terrorism, after
receiving testimony from John Ashcroft, Attorney General, Department of
Justice.
[Page: D590]
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and
Property Rights concluded a hearing to examine the place of religion in civil
society, and the protections the U.S. Constitution guarantees to religious
expression in the public square, after receiving testimony from Senators
Shelby and Landrieu, and Representative Edwards; William "Barney" Clark, Balch
Springs Senior Center, Balch Springs, Texas; J. Brent Walker, Baptist Joint
Committee on Public Affairs, and Vincent Phillip MunAE6oz, American Enterprise
Institute, both of Washington, D.C.; Roy S. Moore, former Chief Justice,
Supreme Court of Alabama, Birmingham; Kelly Shackelford, Liberty Legal
Institute, Plano, Texas; Richard W. Garnett, Notre Dame Law School, South
Bend, Indiana; Melissa Rogers, Wake Forest University Divinity School,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Nashala Hearn, Muskogee, Oklahoma, and Steven
Rosenauer, Bradenton, Florida.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/09
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 9, 2004; pages D593 - D598
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the completion process of the digital television
transition, focusing its impact on consumers and the constitutional and
statutory compliance requirements, after receiving testimony from
Representative Harman; W. Kenneth Ferree, Chief, Media Bureau, Federal
Communications Commission; Patrick P. Gelsinger, Intel Corporation, Santa
Clara, California; Thomas W. Hazlett, Center for a Digital Economy, New York,
New York; and John M. Lawson, Association of Public Television Stations, and
Michael Calabrese, New America Foundation, both of Washington, D.C.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PIRACY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
scope of intellectual property piracy, focusing on the economic worth of
copyright industries, piracy protection issues regarding China, Russia,
Brazil, and Pakistan, counterfeiting, internet piracy, and activating United
States law enforcement agencies against overseas piracy, after receiving
testimony from Jack Valenti, Motion Picture Association of America, Mitch
Bainwol, Recording Industry Association of America, Robert W. Holleyman II,
Business Software Alliance, and Douglas Lowenstein, Entertainment Software
Association, all of Washington, D.C.
DOD UNUSED AIRLINE TICKETS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the amount the Department of Defense spends on unused airline tickets,
focusing on whether DOD paid for airline tickets that it did not use and did
not process for refund, improperly reimbursed travelers for the cost of
airline tickets paid for with centrally billed accounts, and adequately
secured access to centrally billed accounts against improper and fraudulent
use, after receiving testimony from Senator Grassley and Representative
Schakowsky; Gregory D. Kutz, Director, Financial Management and Assurance, and
John J. Ryan, Assistant Director, Office of Special Investigations, both of
the General Accounting Office; and JoAnn R. Boutelle, Deputy Chief Financial
Officer, and Jerry Hinton, Director of Finance, Defense Finance and Accounting
Service, both of the Department of Defense.
HOMELAND SECURITY TERRORISM OVERSIGHT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
efforts and progress of the Department of Homeland Security in combating
global terrorism, after receiving testimony from Tom Ridge, Secretary of
Homeland Security.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/14
Daily Digest - Monday, June 14, 2004; pages D600 - D610
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Thomas Fingar, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of State
for Intelligence and Research, Ralph Leo Boyce, Jr., of Virginia, to be
Ambassador to Thailand, James R. Kunder, of Virginia, to be an Assistant
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and
Suzanne Hale, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Micronesia, after each nominee
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/15
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 15, 2004; pages D612 - D622
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nomination of Alan Greenspan, of New York, to be
Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, after the
nominee testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
PIPELINE SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded an
oversight hearing to examine long term prospects for improved safety and
reliability of the Nation's pipeline infrastructure, focusing on responses to
mandates set forth in the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 including
specific implementation and results, after receiving testimony from Senator
Murray; Samuel G. Bonasso, Deputy Administrator, Research and Special Programs
Administration, Stacey Gerard, Associate Administrator, Office of Pipeline
Safety, and Kenneth Mead, Inspector General, all of the Department of
Transportation; Katherine Siggerud, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues,
General Accounting Office; James L. Connaughton, Council on Environmental
Quality, Washington, D.C.; Marc Spitzer, Arizona Corporation Commission,
Phoenix; Lois N. Epstein, Cook Inlet Keeper, Anchorage, Alaska; Barry Pearl,
TEPPCO Partners, L.P., Houston, Texas, on behalf of the Association Oil Pipe
Lines and the American Petroleum Institute; Earl Fischer, Atmos Energy
Corporation, Dallas, Texas, on behalf of the American Gas Association and the
American Public Gas Association; and Robert T. Howard, Gas Transmission
Northwest Corporation, Portland, Oregon, on behalf of the Interstate Natural
Gas Association of America.
ENERGY SUPPLY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine crude oil supply, gasoline demands and the effects on prices, focusing
on the causes and solution to the current fuel situation, including concerns
over ability of petroleum markets to rebalance, boutique diesel fuels,
proposed renewable fuel mandate, refinery capacity, after receiving testimony
from Guy F. Caruso, Administrator, Energy Information Administration,
Department of Energy; Red Cavaney, American Petroleum Institute, and Dave
Berry, Swift Transportation Company, on behalf of the American Trucking
Associations, both of Washington, D.C.; and John P. Kilduff, Fimat USA Inc.,
New York, New York.
FREE TRADE
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine U.S.-Australia
and U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreements, focusing on economic, social, and
political challenges facing the region and U.S. interests in the Middle East,
after receiving testimony from Peter F. Allgeier, and Josette Sheeran Shiner,
each a Deputy United States Trade Representative; Allen Johnson, Chief
Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; Harold
McGraw III, The McGraw-Hill Companies, New York, New York, on behalf of the
Business Roundtable; Jon Kneen, Al-Jon, Inc., Ottumwa, Iowa, on behalf of the
National Association of Manufacturers; Lynn Cornwell, Montana Stockgrowers
Association, Glasgow; Jeffrey W. Ruffner, MSE Technology Applications, Inc.,
Butte, Montana; John Schulman, Warner Brothers Entertainment, Burbank,
California, on behalf of the Entertainment Industry Coalition for Free Trade;
David G. Mengebier, CMS Energy Corporation, Jackson, Michigan, on behalf of
the U.S.- Morocco FTA Coalition; Ron Heck, Perry, Iowa, on behalf of the
American Soybean Association; and Lochiel Edwards, Montana Grain Growers
Association, Big Sandy, on behalf of the Wheat Export Trade Education
Committee, the National Association of Wheat Growers, and U.S. Wheat
Associates.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported S.J. Res. 39,
approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom
and Democracy Act of 2003.
SUDAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
current situation in Sudan, focusing on genocide, violence and ethnic
cleansing in Darfur, Sudan, humanitarian assistance and development of the
infrastructure in southern Sudan, and the potential for famine, after
receiving testimony from Charles R. Snyder, Acting Assistant Secretary of
State for African Affairs; Roger P. Winter, Assistant Administrator for
Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International
Development; John Prendergast, Special Advisor to the President, International
Crisis Group; and Julie Flint, Human Rights Watch, London, United Kingdom.
[Page: D615]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Joseph D. Stafford III, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the
Republic of The Gambia, Lewis W. Lucke, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the
Kingdom of Swaziland, who was introduced by Senators Hutchison and Cornyn, and
R. Niels Marquardt, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of
Cameroon, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as
Ambassador to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, after each nominee testified
and answered questions in their own behalf.
TERRORISM FINANCING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
current efforts to combat terrorism financing, focusing on U.S.-Saudi
relations, including the Saudi regime strengthening its efforts to reduce the
flow of funds from within Saudi Arabia to terrorists, after receiving
testimony from Lee S. Wolosky, Boies, Schiller, and Flexner, LLP, Washington,
D.C., and Mallory Factor, Mallory Factor, Inc., New York, New York, both on
behalf of the Independent Task Force on Terrorist Financing, Council on
Foreign Relations; and David D. Aufhauser, Williams and Connolly, LLP,
Washington, D.C., former General Counsel, Department of the Treasury.
ADOLESCENT TREATMENT SERVICES
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Substance
Abuse, and Mental Health Services concluded a hearing to examine substance
abuse prevention and treatment services for adolescents, focusing on the
effects of binge drinking, and monthly cigarette, beer, and marijuana usage,
and the development of the Juvenile Treatment Network, after receiving
testimony from Charles G. Curie, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services;
Sandra A. Brown, University of California Department of Psychology, San Diego;
Roger P. Weissberg, University of Illinois at Chicago; Rhonda Ramsey-Molina,
Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio; Ronald P.
Anton, Day One, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, on behalf of the Maine Association of
Substance Abuse Programs, and the State Associations of Addiction Services;
and Kris Shipley, Pasadena, Maryland, on behalf of the Therapeutic Communities
of America.
TRIBAL PARITY ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 1530,
to provide compensation to the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Sioux Tribes of
South Dakota for damage to tribal land caused by Pick-Sloan projects along the
Missouri River, after receiving testimony from Senator Daschle; Ross Mooney,
Acting Deputy Director of Trust Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department
of the Interior; Michael J. Jandreau, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule,
South Dakota; Duane Big Eagle, Sr., Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Fort Thompson,
South Dakota; and Michael L. Lawson, Morgan, Angel and Associates, Washington,
D.C.
BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2324,
to extend the deadline on the use of technology standards for the passports of
visa waiver participants, focusing on appropriate security checks, freezing
the identity of travelers, matching traveler identities and documents,
documenting arrivals and departures, and determining overstays, after
receiving testimony from Senator Cantwell; Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary of
Homeland Secretary for Border and Transportation Security; and Maura Harty,
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine certain
measures to strengthen social security, focusing on what personal retirement
accounts do for low-income workers, including reform proposals that could have
a variety of effects on the distribution of benefits and payroll taxes, after
receiving testimony from David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United
States, General Accounting Office; Jeffrey R. Brown, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign College of Business, Champaign; Peter J. Ferrara, Institute
for Policy Innovation, and the Club for Growth, Jeff Lemieux, Centrists.Org,
and Christian E. Weller, Center for American Progress, all of Washington, D.C.
[Page: D616]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/16
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 16, 2004; pages D623 - D634
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security approved for
full Committee consideration an original bill making appropriations for the
Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
VOIP REGULATORY FREEDOM ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine S. 2281, to provide a clear and unambiguous structure for
the jurisdictional and regulatory treatment for the offering or provision of
voice-over-Internet-protocol applications, after receiving testimony from
Laura H. Parsky, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division,
Department of Justice; James X. Dempsey, Center for Democracy and Technology,
Washington, D.C.; Thomas Rutledge, Cablevision Systems Corporation, Bethpage,
New York; David F. Jones, Spartanburg County Communications, Spartanburg,
South Carolina, on behalf of the National Emergency Number Association; Stan
Wise, Georgia Public Service Commission, Atlanta, on behalf of the National
Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners; Jeff Pulver, pulver.com,
Melville, New York; and Arturo "Archie" Macias, Wheat State Telephone Company,
Udall, Kansas, on behalf of the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement
of Small Telecommunications Companies.
[Page: D625]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 155, to convey to the town of Frannie, Wyoming, certain land withdrawn by
the Commissioner of Reclamation, with an amendment;
S. 180, to establish the National Aviation Heritage Area, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute;
S. 211, to establish the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area in the
State of New Mexico;
S. 323, to establish the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, Louisiana, with
an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1241, to establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site in the State of
New York, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1467, to establish the Rio Grande Outstanding Natural Area in the State of
Colorado, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1521, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to the
Edward H. McDaniel American Legion Post No. 22 in Pahrump, Nevada, for the
construction of a post building and memorial park for use by the American
Legion, other veterans' groups, and the local community, with an amendment;
S. 1727, to authorize additional appropriations for the Reclamation Safety of
Dams Act of 1978, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1957, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the
States on the border with Mexico and other appropriate entities in conducting
a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, and modeling program for priority
transboundary aquifers, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2046, to authorize the exchange of certain land in Everglades National
Park, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2180, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain lands in
the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2243, to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a
hydroelectric project in the State of Alaska;
S. 2319, to authorize and facilitate hydroelectric power licensing of the
Tapoco Project, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 1648, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water
distribution systems of the Cachuma Project, California, to the Carpinteria
Valley Water District and the Montecito Water District;
H.R. 1658, to amend the Railroad Right-of-Way Conveyance Validation Act to
validate additional conveyances of certain lands in the State of California
that form part of the right-of-way granted by the United States to facilitate
the construction of the transcontinental railway, with an amendment;
H.R. 1732, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and
Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in
the Williamson County, Texas, Water Recycling and Reuse Project;
H.R. 3209, to amend the Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972 to
clarify the acreage for which the North Loup division is authorized to provide
irrigation water under the Missouri River Basin project; and
The nomination of Suedeen G. Kelly, of New Mexico, to be a Member of the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
AGRICULTURE FINANCING INTEGRITY
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine measures to
strengthen regulations and oversight to better ensure agriculture financing
integrity, focusing on a GAO report that evaluated qualifications and
oversight associated with farm entity financing, specifically unlimited farm
payments that have placed upward pressure on land prices leading to
overproduction and lower commodity prices, after receiving testimony from
Lawrence J. Dyckman, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, General
Accounting Office.
U.S. NONPROLIFERATION POLICY
Committee on Foreign Relations: on Tuesday, June 15, Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the Sea Island G8 Summit status report on the global
partnership against weapons of mass destruction, focusing on the Nunn-Lugar
program and related programs at the Departments of State and Energy to improve
the United States' nonproliferation agenda, after receiving testimony from
Senator Domenici; John R. Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control
and International Security; and Linton F. Brooks, Administrator, National
Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Charles P. Ries, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador
to Greece, Tom C. Korologos, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to
Belgium, who was introduced by Senators Hatch, Bennett, McCain, Byrd, and
Stevens, and John Marshall Evans, of the District of Columbia, to be
Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, after each nominee testified and
answered questions in their own behalf.
[Page: D626]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. 297, to provide reforms and resources to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to
improve the Federal acknowledgement process, with an amendment in the nature
of a substitute;
S. 1696, to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act
to provide further self-governance by Indian tribes, with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute;
S. 1715, to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act
to provide further self-governance by Indian tribes, with amendments;
S. 2172, to make technical amendments to the provisions of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act relating to contract support
costs, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2277, to amend the Act of November 2, 1966 (80 Stat. 1112), to allow
binding arbitration clauses to be included in all contracts affecting the land
within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, and motion to
authorize the chairman to issue subpoenas in regards to tribal lobbying
matters; to be followed by an oversight hearing to examine the No Child Left
Behind Act (Public Law 107-110); and
S. 2436, to reauthorize the Native American Programs Act of 1974.
Also, Committee met in closed session to discuss the issuance of subpoenas, in
regard to tribal lobbying matters.
OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE ANGOSTURA IRRIGATION PROJECT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 1996,
to enhance and provide to the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Angostura Irrigation
Project certain benefits of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River basin program, after
receiving testimony from Senator Daschle; Ross Mooney, Acting Director of
Trust Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior; and John
Yellow Bird Steele, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and Valerie Janis, The Red Shirt
District, both of Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the No Child Left Behind Act (Public Law 107-110), focusing on the
implementation of the Act in Indian communities, after receiving testimony
from Theresa Rosier, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs,
and Edward Parisian, Director, Office of Indian Education Programs, both of
the Department of the Interior; Victoria Vasques, Deputy Under Secretary and
Director of the Office of Indian Education, and Darla Marberger, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, both of the
Department of Education; Lillian Sparks, National Indian Education
Association, Alexandria, Virginia; Carmen Cornelius Taylor, National Indian
School Board Association, Polson, Montana; Roger Bordeaux, Tiospa Zina Tribal
School, Agency Village, South Dakota, on behalf of the Association of
Community Tribal Schools, Inc.; Terry Ben, Mississippi Band of Choctaw
Indians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Leland Leonard, Navajo Nation, Window
Rock, Arizona.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Richard A. Griffin, of Michigan, who was introduced by
Representative Camp, and David W. McKeague, of Michigan, who was introduced by
Representative Mike Rogers (MI), each to be a United States Circuit Judge for
the Sixth Circuit, and Virginia Maria Hernandez Covington, to be United States
District Judge for the Middle District of Florida, who was introduced by
Senator Nelson (FL), after each nominee testified and answered questions in
their own behalf. Testimony was also received from Senators Levin and Stabenow
on the nominations of Messrs. Griffin and McKeague.
[Page: D627]
Joint Meetings
THE MIDDLE EAST
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission): on
Tuesday, June 15, Commission concluded a hearing to examine the advancing of
democracy and human rights in the Middle East focusing on the possibility of
using the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and related institutions as models for
reform in the region, after receiving testimony from H.E. Natan Sharansky,
Israeli Minister of Disapora Affairs, Jerusalem; Ambassador Max M. Kampelman,
Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Ambassador Mark Palmer,
both of Freedom House, and Ambassador (retired) Craig Dunkerley, and Michael
Yaffe, both of the National Defense University Near East-South Asia Center for
Strategic Studies, all of Washington, D.C.; and Peter Jones, University of
Toronto Munk Centre for International Studies, and Privy Council, Ottawa,
Canada.
ANTI-SEMITISM IN EUROPE
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission concluded a hearing to examine the April 2003 Berlin Conference on
Anti-Semitism and consider appropriate steps to following up on the
conference, after receiving testimony from Representative Lantos; Natan
Sharansky, Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs, and Head of the Israeli
Delegation to the Berlin OSCE Conference on Anti Semitism, Jerusalem; Betty
Ehrenberg, Institute for Public Affairs, and the Orthodox Union of Jewish
Congregations, James S. Tisch, Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, and Mark Weitzman, Simon Wiesenthal Center, all of New
York, New York; Paul Goldenberg, American Jewish Committee, Howell, New
Jersey; Fred Zeidman, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, Houston, Texas; and Jay
Lefkowitz, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, Stacy Burdett, Anti-Defamation League, Dan
Mariaschin, B'nai B'rith International, and Shai Franklin, NCSJ, all of
Washington, D.C.
2004/06/17
Daily Digest - Thursday, June 17, 2004; pages D635 - D643
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
bill (S. 2537) making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
BOND MARKETS REGULATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the regulation of the bond markets, focusing on
fixed-income market transparency, Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine
(TRACE) enabling investors to access current price information for U.S.
corporate bonds, and State, local, and Internal Revenue Service regulation of
municipal issuers, after receiving testimony from Annette L. Nazareth,
Director, Division of Market Regulation, U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission; Doug Shulman, National Association of Securities Dealers, New
York, New York; Christopher A. Taylor, Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board,
Alexandria, Virginia; Micah S. Green, Bond Market Association, Washington,
D.C.; Christopher M. Ryon, Vanguard Group, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Arthur
Warga, University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business, Houston, Texas.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 894, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in
commemoration of the 230th Anniversary of the United States Marine Corps, and
to support construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center;
S. 976, to provide for the issuance of a coin to commemorate the 400th
anniversary of the Jamestown settlement; and
The nomination of Alan Greenspan, of New York, to be Chairman of the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
BORDER SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine federal efforts to enhance border security, focusing on
technological advancements and national border control and cross-agency law
enforcement initiatives, after receiving testimony from Senator Kyl;
Representative Kolbe; Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and
Transportation Security, Charles E. McQueary, Under Secretary for Science and
Technology, and Mary Delaquis, Port Director, Customs and Border Protection,
all of the Department of Homeland Security; Roger Di Rosa, Refuge Manager,
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Department of the Interior; George Happ, Alaska EPSCoR, University of
Alaska-Fairbanks; and Ned Norris, Jr., Tohono O'Odham Nation, Sells, Arizona.
[Page: D638]
U.S. SPACE EXPLORATION POLICY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the final report of the President's Commission on
Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, focusing on a
transformation of NASA, building an international space industry, a
discovery-based science agenda, and educational initiatives to support youth
and teachers inspired by space exploration, after receiving testimony from
Edward C. Aldridge, Jr., Chairman, President's Commission on Implementation of
United States Space Exploration Policy; Paul D. Spudis, Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland; Marie T. Zuber,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Earth Atmospheric and
Planetary Sciences, Cambridge; Laurie A. Leshin, Arizona State University
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tempe; and Lester L. Lyles, Columbus,
Ohio.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the Environmental Management Program of the Department of Energy and
issues associated with accelerated cleanup, focusing on concerns over
activities at the Hanford Site involving occupational medical services and
potential exposures to tank farm vapors, development of risk-based end states,
and waste incidental to reprocessing, after receiving testimony from Jessie H.
Roberson, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, Glenn S. Podonsky,
Director, Office of Security and Safety Performance Assurance, and Gregory H.
Friedman, Inspector General, all of the Department of Energy.
WATER MANAGEMENT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power
concluded a hearing to examine S. 1211, to further the purposes of title XVI
of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992, the
"Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act", by
directing the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a demonstration program
for water reclamation in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico; S. 2460, to provide
assistance to the State of New Mexico for the development of comprehensive
State water plans; S. 2508, to redesignate the Ridges Basin Reservoir,
Colorado, as Lake Nighthorse; S. 2511, to direct the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct a feasibility study of a Chimayo water supply system, to provide
for the planning, design, and construction of a water supply, reclamation, and
filtration facility for Espanola, New Mexico; and S. 2513, to authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the Eastern New
Mexico Rural Water Authority for the planning, design, and construction of the
Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, after receiving testimony from John W.
Keys III, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior;
Mayor David M. Lansford, Clovis, New Mexico; and John R. D'Antonio, Jr., New
Mexico State Engineer, Santa Fe.
LAW ENFORCEMENT TREATIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (the "Cybercrime Convention" or the
"Convention"), which was signed by the United States on November 23, 2001
(Treaty Doc. 108-11), United Nations Convention Against Transnational
Organized Crime (the "Convention"), as well as two supplementary protocols:
(1) the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children, and (2) the Protocol Against Smuggling of
Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, which were adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly on November 15, 2000. The Convention and Protocols were
signed by the United States on December 13, 2000, at Palermo, Italy (Treaty
Doc. 108-16), Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism ("Convention")
adopted at the Thirty-second Regular Session of the General Assembly of the
Organization of American States ("OAS") Meeting in Bridgetown, Barbados, and
signed by thirty countries, including the United States, on June 3, 2002
(Treaty Doc. 107-18), and Protocol of Amendment to the International
Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures done
at Brussels on June 26, 1999 (Treaty Doc. 108-6), after receiving testimony
from Michael T. Schmitz, Acting Assistant Commissioner for International
Affairs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security;
Bruce Swartz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department
of Justice; and Samuel M. Witten, Deputy Legal Adviser, Department of State.
INTERNET PHARMACIES
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
held a hearing to examine the danger of purchasing pharmaceuticals over the
Internet, focusing on the extent to which consumers can purchase
pharmaceuticals over the Internet without a medical prescription, the
importation of pharmaceuticals into the United States, and whether
pharmaceuticals from foreign services are counterfeit, expired, unsafe, or
illegitimate, receiving testimony from Marcia Crosse, Director, Health
Care--Public Health and Military Healthcare Issues, and Robert J. Cramer,
Managing Director, Office of Special Investigations, both of the General
Accounting Office; Rudolph W. Giuliani, Giuliani Partners, LLC, New York, New
York; Marvin D. Shepherd, University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy;
Francine H. Haight, Orange County, California; and Elizabeth Carr, Sacramento,
California.
[Page: D639]
Hearings continue on Thursday, June 24.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 2013, to amend section 119 of title 17, United States Code, to extend
satellite home viewer provisions, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute; and
The nomination of Henry W. Saad, of Michigan, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Sixth Circuit.
Also, committee failed to approve the issuance of a subpoena to Attorney
General John Ashcroft to obtain certain documents.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/18
Daily Digest - Friday, June 18, 2004; pages D645 - D652
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/21
Daily Digest - Monday, June 21, 2004; pages D654 - D660
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: On Thursday, June 17, Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of Anne W. Patterson, of Virginia, to be
U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations, with the rank and status of
Ambassador, and the U.S. Deputy Representative in the Security Council of the
United Nations, and to be a U.S. Representative to the Sessions of the General
Assembly of the United Nations, and James B. Cunningham, of Pennsylvania, to
be U.S. Representative to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with the
rank of Ambassador, and to be U.S. Representative to the International Atomic
Energy Agency, with the rank of Ambassador, after each nominee testified and
answered questions in their own behalf.
[Page: D656]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: On Thursday, June 17, Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nomination of John C. Danforth, of Missouri, to be U.S.
Representative to the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador; and to be
U.S. Representative in the Security Council of the United Nations; and to be
U.S. Representative to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United
Nations during his tenure of service as U.S. Representative to the United
Nations, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Bond and Talent,
and former Senator Eagleton, testified and answered questions in his own
behalf.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Douglas L. McElhaney, of Florida, to be Ambassador to Bosnia
and Herzegovina, and Aldona Wos, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador to the
Republic of Estonia, who was introduced by Senator Dole, after each nominee
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Charles Graves Untermeyer, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the
State of Qatar, who was introduced by Senators Hutchison and Cornyn, and
William T. Monroe, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain,
after each nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/22
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 22, 2004; pages D662 - D674
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DC STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on District of Columbia concluded a
hearing to examine the structural imbalance of the District of Columbia,
focusing on the gap between the ability of the government of the District of
Columbia to raise revenue at reasonable tax rates and its ability to provide
services of reasonable quality to its residents, after receiving testimony
from Representative Tom Davis; District of Columbia Delegate Norton; former
Senator Fred Thompson, on behalf of the Federal City Council, Patricia Dalton,
Associate Director, General Accounting Office; Mayor Anthony A. Williams,
Alice Rivlin, Brookings Institution, Ted Trabue, Greater Washington Board of
Trade, and Stephen Trachtenberg, D.C. Chamber of Commerce, all of Washington,
D.C.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
bill (S. 2559), making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense approved for full
Committee consideration an original bill making appropriations for the
Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
REGULATORY REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine regulatory reform proposals, after receiving testimony from
Senators Landrieu and Lincoln; Donald L. Kohn, Member, Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System; John M. Reich, Vice Chairman, Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation; JoAnn Johnson, Chairman, National Credit Union
Administration; Julie L. Williams, First Senior Deputy Comptroller and Chief
Counsel, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, John E. Bowman, Chief
Counsel, Office of Thrift Supervision, both of the Department of the Treasury;
John S. Allison, Mississippi Commissioner of Banking and Consumer Finance,
Jackson, on behalf of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Roger W.
Little, Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services, Lansing, on
behalf of the National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors; Mark E.
Macomber, Litchfield Bancorp, Litchfield, Connecticut, on behalf of America's
Community Bankers; Edward Pinto, Lenders Residential Asset Company, LLC,
Bethesda, Maryland, on behalf of the National Federation of Independent
Business; Dale L. Leighty, First National Bank of Las Animas, Las Animas,
Colorado, on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America; Bradley
E. Rock, Bank of Smithtown, Smithtown, New York, on behalf of the American
Bankers Association; Eugene F. Maloney, Federated Investors, Inc., Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania; Marilyn F. James, NEPCO Federal Credit Union, Pueblo, Colorado,
on behalf of the Credit Union National Association; Margot Saunders, National
Consumer Law Center, and Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. Public Interest Research Group,
both of Washington, D.C., both on behalf of sundry organizations; William
Cheney, Xerox Federal Credit Union, El Segundo, California, on behalf of the
National Association of Federal Credit Unions; and William A. Longbrake,
Washington Mutual Incorporated, Seattle, Washington, on behalf of the
Financial Services Roundtable.
AVIATION SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded an
oversight hearing to examine aviation security, focusing on Border and
Transportation Security Directorate efforts to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of passenger aviation security operations, after receiving
testimony from Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border
and Transportation Security; Thomas J. Kinton, Jr., Massachusetts Port
Authority, Boston; and James May, Air Transport Association of America, Inc.,
and Patricia Friend, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, both of Washington,
D.C.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine the Department of Energy's High Performance Computing research and
development activities in both the National Nuclear Security Administration
and the Office of Science, and S. 2176, to require the Secretary of Energy to
carry out a program of research and development to advance high-end computing
through the Office of Science, after receiving testimony from James F. Decker,
Principal Deputy Director, Office of Science, Jeffrey Wadsworth, Director, Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, and Dimitri Kusnezov, Director, Office of Advanced
Simulation and Computing, National Nuclear Security Administration, all of the
Department of Energy; David Turek, IBM Corporation, Poughkeepsie, New York;
Daniel A. Reed, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Renaissance
Computing Institute; and Vincent Scarafino, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn,
Michigan.
[Page: D667]
CHARITY OVERSIGHT
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the governance
and accountability of tax-exempt organizations, focusing on best practices of
charities, charities accommodating tax shelters, and current problems and
issues in the charitable community, after receiving testimony from Mark W.
Everson, Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury;
New York Assistant Attorney General-in-Charge William Josephson, New York;
Mark Pacella, National Association of State Charity Officials, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania; Jay D. Adkisson, Quatloos.com and Select Portfolio Management,
Inc., Aliso Viejo, California; J. J. MacNab, Insurance Barometer, LLC,
Bethesda, Maryland; Diana Aviv, Independent Sector, and Rick Cohen, National
Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, both of Washington, D.C.; Derek Bok,
Harvard University Hauser Center on Non-profits and Philanthropy, Cambridge,
Massachusetts; Willard L. Boyd, University of Iowa, Iowa City, on behalf of
the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center, and the Iowa Governor's Task Force on the
Role of Nonprofit Organizations in Iowa; H. Art Taylor, BBB Wise Giving
Alliance, Arlington, Virginia; Rock Ringling, Montana Land Reliance, Helena;
and certain confidential witnesses.
PEACE CORPS SAFETY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
safety and security framework that has been designed to protect Peace Corps
volunteers around the world, focusing on trends in crime against volunteers
and the Peace Corps' system for generating information, the agency's field
implementation of its safety and security framework, and the underlying
factors contributing to the quality of these practices, after receiving
testimony from Gaddi H. Vasquez, Director, and Cynthia Threlkeld, Guatemala
Country Director, both of The Peace Corps; Jess T. Ford, Director,
International Affairs and Trade, General Accounting Office; and Kevin Quigley,
National Peace Corps Association, and Gladys M. Maloy, both of Washington,
D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and Protocol to
Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific
to Aircraft Equipment, concluded at Cape Town, South Africa, on November 16,
2001 (Treaty Doc. 108-10); and
The nominations of John Marshall Evans, of the District of Columbia, to be
Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, Tom C. Korologos, of the District of
Columbia, to be Ambassador to Belgium, Charles P. Ries, of the District of
Columbia, to be Ambassador to Greece, James B. Cunningham, of Pennsylvania, to
be U.S. Representative to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with the
rank of Ambassador, and U.S. Representative to the International Atomic Energy
Agency, with the rank of Ambassador, Anne W. Patterson, of Virginia, to be a
U.S. Representative to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United
Nations during her tenure of service as U.S. Deputy Representative to the
United Nations, and to be U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations,
with the rank and status of Ambassador, and the U.S. Deputy Representative in
the Security Council of the United Nations, John C. Danforth, of Missouri, to
be a U.S. Representative to the United Nations, with the rank and status of
Ambassador, and the U.S. Representative in the Security Council of the United
Nations, and to be U.S. Representative to the Sessions of the General Assembly
of the United Nations during his tenure of service as U.S. Representative to
the United Nations, Joseph D. Stafford III, of Florida, to be Ambassador to
the Republic of The Gambia, Lewis W. Lucke, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the
Kingdom of Swaziland, R. Niels Marquardt, of California, to be Ambassador to
the Republic of Cameroon, and to serve concurrently and without additional
compensation as Ambassador to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Ann M.
Corkery, of Virginia, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States
of America to the Fifty-eighth Session of the General Assembly of the United
Nations, Benjamin A. Gilman, of New York, to be a U.S. Representative to the
Fifty-Eighth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Walid
Maalouf, of Virginia, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States
of America to the Fifty-eighth Session of the General Assembly of the United
Nations, John D. Rood, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The
Bahamas, William R. Brownfield, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela, Thomas Fingar, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary
of State for Intelligence and Research, Suzanne Hale, of Virginia, to be
Ambassador to Micronesia, Ralph Leo Boyce, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to
Thailand, James R. Kunder, of Virginia, to be Assistant Administrator of the
USAID for Asia and the Near East, Edward Brehm, of Minnesota, to be a Member
of the African Development Foundation Board of Directors, Adam M. Lindemann,
of New York, to be a Member of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting, a
Foreign Service Officer Promotion List, Charles Graves Untermeyer, of Texas,
to be Ambassador to Qatar, William T. Monroe, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to
the Kingdom of Bahrain, Douglas L. McElhaney, of Florida, to be Ambassador to
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Aldona Wos, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador to
the Republic of Estonia.
[Page: D668]
MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine issues
relative to preserving traditional marriage, focusing on States' perspective,
after receiving testimony from Representative Musgrave; former Representative
Barr; and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Boston.
FlGHTING TERRORISM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland
Security concluded a hearing to examine the use of subpoena authority and
pretrial detention of terrorists in fighting terrorism, focusing on providing
law enforcement with important new counter-terrorism tools that could make a
critical difference in certain cases, after receiving testimony from Rachel
Brand, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy,
and Michael A. Battle, United States Attorney for the Western District of New
York, Buffalo, and James K. Robinson, former Assistant Attorney General for
the Criminal Division, all of the Department of Justice.
VETERANS BENEFITS
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 50,
relating to funding of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care; S.
1014, requiring VA to place certain low-income veterans in a higher health
care priority category; S. 1153, the "Veterans Prescription Drugs Assistance
Act;" S. 1509, the "Eric and Brian Simon Act of 2003;" S. 1745, the "Prisoner
of War/Missing in Action National Memorial Act;" S. 2063, proposed
demonstration project on priorities in the scheduling of appointments for
veterans health care; S. 2099, relating to educational assistance benefits for
certain members of the Selected Reserve; S. 2133, to name the Bronx VA Medical
Center the James T. Peters VA Medical Center; S. 2296, relating to the
conveyance, lease or disposal of the Louisville VA Medical Center; S. 2327,
the proposed coordination of VA per diem and Medicaid payments for care of
veterans in State homes; S. 2417, care for newborn children of veterans
receiving maternity care; S. 2483, the "Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living
Adjustment Act of 2004;" S. 2484, the "Department of Veterans Affairs Health
Care Personnel Enhancement Act of 2003;" S. 2485, the "Department of Veterans
Affairs Real Property and Facilities Management Improvement Act of 2004; S.
2486, the Veterans Benefits Improvements Act of 2004;" S. 2522, to increase
the maximum amount of VA home loan guaranty benefits; S. 2524, relating to
Blast Injury Research and Clinical Care Centers (BIRECCs); and S. 2534,
relating to various education and home loan benefits, after receiving
testimony from Senators Conrad and Corzine; Gordon H. Mansfield, Deputy
Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Donald L. Mooney, American Legion, Paul A.
Hayden, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Adrian M. Atizado, Disabled American
Veterans, and Carl Blake, Paralyzed Veterans of America, all of Washington,
D.C.; and Richard Jones, AMVETS, Lanham, Maryland.
LONG-TERM CARE
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine long-term
care services as provided for under the Medicaid programs, focusing on related
provisions of S. 2077, to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to permit
additional States to enter into long-term care partnerships under the Medicaid
Program in order to promote the use of long-term care insurance, after
receiving testimony from Michael O'Grady, Assistant Secretary of Health and
Human Services for Planning and Evaluation; Raymond Scheppach, National
Governors Association, Washington, D.C.; Mark R. Meiners, University of
Maryland Center on Aging, College Park; Melanie M. Bella, Indiana Family and
Social Services Administration, Indianapolis; Kevin P. Corcoran, National
Association of Health Underwriters, Arlington, Virginia; Steven Chies,
Benedictine Health Systems, Cambridge, Minnesota, on behalf of the American
Health Care Association; and Robert Bishop, Carmel, Indiana.
[Page: D669]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/23
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 23, 2004; pages D676 - D688
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
PESTICIDE AND PRICE COMPETITIVENESS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Subcommittee on Production
and Price Competitiveness concluded a hearing to examine S. 1406, to amend the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to permit the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to register a Canadian
pesticide, after receiving testimony from Senator Dorgan; Adam Sharp,
Associate Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic
Substances, Environmental Protection Agency; Jim Gray, North Dakota Department
of Agriculture, Bismarck, on behalf of the National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture; Mark Gage, Page, North Dakota, on behalf of the
National Association of Wheat Growers; and Jay Vroom, CropLife America,
Washington, D.C.
[Page: D680]
PEER-TO-PEER TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Competition, Foreign Commerce, and Infrastructure concluded a hearing to
examine the potential benefits and detriments to both consumers and content
providers from the anticipated uses of internet peer-to-peer file distribution
technology in the future, focusing on "filesharing" of film and music, after
receiving testimony from Howard Beales III, Director, Bureau of Consumer
Protection, Federal Trade Commission; John Rose, EMI Group and EMI Music, New
York, New York; Michael Weiss, StreamCast Networks, Inc., Woodland Hills,
California; Les Ottolenghi, INTENT MediaWorks, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia; and Curt
Pederson, Oregon State University Corvallis.
GRAZING REGULATIONS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded a hearing to examine the grazing programs of the Bureau of
Land Management and the Forest Service, including permit renewals, recent and
proposed changes to grazing regulations, and the Wild Horse and Burro program,
as it relates to grazing, and the Administration's proposal for sagegrouse
habitat conservation, after receiving testimony from Jim Hughes, Deputy
Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; Tom L.
Thompson, Deputy Chief, National Forest System, Department of Agriculture;
Peter Andrew Groseta, Cottonwood, Arizona, on behalf of the Public Lands
Council and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association; Mike G. Casabonne, New
Mexico Public Lands Council, Hope; and Bob M. Skinner, Oregon Cattlemen's
Association, Jordon Valley.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following bills:
S. 2550, to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Safe
Drinking Water Act to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in the
United States, with amendments;
S. 2495, to strike limitations on funding and extend the period of
authorization for certain coastal wetland conservation projects;
H.R. 2408, to amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize volunteer
programs and community partnerships for national wildlife refuges;
S. 2547, to amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to exclude non-native
migratory bird species from the application of that Act;
S. 2554, to provide for the consideration and development of water and related
resources, to authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various
projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1134, to reauthorize and improve the programs authorized by the Public
Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, with amendments;
H.R. 1572, to designate the United States courthouse located at 100 North
Palafox Street in Pensacola, Florida, as the "Winston E. Arnow United States
Courthouse";
S. 2385, to designate the United States courthouse at South Federal Place in
Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the "Santiago E. Campos United States Courthouse";
and
S. 2398, to designate the Federal building located at 324 Twenty-Fifth Street
in Ogden, Utah, as the James V. Hansen Federal Building.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of June Carter Perry, of the District of Columbia, to be
Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho, Joyce A. Barr, of Washington, to be
Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia, R. Barrie Walkley, of California, to be
Ambassador to the Gabonese Republic, and to serve concurrently and without
additional compensation as Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome
and Principe, James D. McGee, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of
Madagascar, Cynthia G. Efird, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to
the Republic of Angola, Jackson McDonald, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the
Republic of Guinea, and Christopher William Dell, of New Jersey, to be
Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe, after the nominees testified and
answered questions in their own behalf.
NOMINATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the nomination of David M. Stone, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of
Homeland Security, after the nominee testified and answered questions in his
own behalf.
WMD SMUGGLING NETWORKS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial Management, the
Budget, and International Security concluded a hearing to examine U.S. efforts
to address the threat posed by the international smuggling weapons of mass
destruction technologies, and U.S. programs and initiatives, including the
Proliferation Security Initiative, to counter these proliferation threats,
after receiving testimony from Peter Lichtenbaum, Assistant Secretary of
Commerce for Export Administration; Mark T. Fitzpatrick, Acting Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation Controls; David Albright,
Institute for Science and International Security, Michael Moodie, Chemical and
Biological Arms Control Institute, and Baker Spring, Heritage Foundation, all
of Washington, D.C.; and Leonard S. Spector, Monterey Institute of
International Studies Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey,
California.
[Page: D681]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
S.J. Res. 37, to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and
ill-conceived policies by the United States Government regarding Indian Tribes
and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
S. 1996, to enhance and provide to the Oglada Sioux Tribe and Angostura
Irrigation Project certain benefits of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River basin
program, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
INDIAN TRIBAL DETENTION FACILITIES
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine issues and problems related to Bureau of Indian Affairs' tribal
detention facilities, focusing on prison deaths and suicides, prisoner
escapes, and police officer safety, after receiving testimony from Earl E.
Devaney, Inspector General, David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary for Indian
Affairs, both of the Department of the Interior; Tracy Henke, Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice; Howard D. Richards, Sr.,
Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ignacio, Colorado; Vivian Juan-Saunders, Hope
MacDonald-Lonetree, Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona; Tohono O'odham
Nation, Sells, Arizona; Darrel Martin, Fort Belknap Indian Community Council,
Harlem, Montana; and Fred Guardipee, Blackfeet Tribal Business Council,
Browning, Montana.
BIOLOGIC MEDICINE
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the law
of biologic medicine, focusing on scientific and legal limitations of the use
of biologics which are drugs derived from living material, after receiving
testimony from Lester M. Crawford, Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and
Daniel Troy, Associate General Counsel, both of the Food and Drug
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; David Beier, Amgen
Inc., and William B. Schultz, Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, on behalf of the Generic
Pharmaceutical Association, both of Washington, D.C.; Carole Ben-Maimon, Barr
Research, Inc., Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania; and William Hancock, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Joint Meetings
HIGHWAY TRUST FUND ACT
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House passed
versions of H.R. 3550, to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway
safety programs, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet again on
Wednesday, July 7, 2004.
2004/06/24
Daily Digest - Thursday, June 24, 2004; pages D690 - D701
Committee Meetings
( Committees not listed did not meet )
HEALTHY FORESTS RESTORATION ACT
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Subcommittee on Forestry,
Conservation, and Rural Revitalization concluded a hearing to examine the
implementation of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (P.L. 108-148), after
receiving testimony from Mark Rey, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural
Resources and the Environment; Chad Calvert, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the
Interior for Land and Minerals Management; James L. Sledge, Mississippi
Forestry Commission, Jackson, on behalf of the National Association of State
Foresters; Robert Cope, Lemhi County Board of Commissioners, Salmon, Idaho, on
behalf of the National Association of Counties and the Idaho Association of
Counties; Carol Daly, Communities Committee of the Seventh American Forest
Congress, Columbia Falls, Montana, on behalf of the Society of American
Foresters; James R. Crouch, Jim Crouch and Associates, Russellville, Arkansas,
on behalf of sundry organizations; Tom Partin, American Forest Resource
Council, Portland, Oregon; and James Earl Kennamer, National Wild Turkey
Federation, Edgefield, South Carolina.
AIRLINE DENIAL AUTHORITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and
General Government concluded an oversight hearing to examine passenger
screening and airline authority to deny plane boarding, after receiving
testimony from Jeff Rosen, General Counsel, Department of Transportation; Tom
Blank, Assistant Administrator, Office of Transportation Security Policy,
Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security;
Michael Smerconish, WPHT-AM, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Peggy Sterling,
American Airlines, Dallas, Texas; and Christy E. Lopez, Relman and Associates,
Washington, D.C.
[Page: D695]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of General George W. Casey, Jr., USA, for reappointment to the
grade of general and to be Commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq, and 2,249
nominations in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
Prior to this action, committee concluded hearings on the nomination of
General George W. Casey, Jr. (listed above), after the nominee testified and
answered questions in his own behalf.
CRC REPORTS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing regarding ICRC Reports on U.S. military detainee operations from
officials of the Department of Defense.
AVIATION SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Aviation
concluded a hearing to examine security screening options for airports,
focusing on the status of the private screening pilot (PP5) program and TSA's
plans to implement the Federal screening opt-out provisions of the Aviation
and Transportation Security Act, after receiving testimony from Thomas Blank,
Assistant Administrator for Transportation Security Policy, Transportation
Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security; Patrick Pacious,
BearingPoint, Inc., McLean, Virginia; Terry Anderson, Tupelo Regional Airport,
Tupelo, Mississippi; and Richard A. Atkinson, III, Central West Virginia
Regional Airport Authority, Charleston.
EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded a hearing to examine H.R. 2608, to reauthorize
the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, after receiving testimony
from David Applegate, Senior Science Advisor for Earthquake and Geologic
Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior; Archibald C.
Reid, III, Acting Deputy Director, Mitigation Division, Emergency Preparedness
and Response Directorate, Department of Homeland Security; Sivaraj
Shyam-Sunder, Acting Deputy Director, Building and Fire Research Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Technology Administration,
Department of Commerce; and A. Galip Ulsoy, Director, Division of Civil and
Mechanical Systems, National Science Foundation.
NATIONAL HERITAGE PARTNERSHIP ACT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded a hearing to examine S. 2543, to establish a program and criteria
for National Heritage Areas in the United States, after receiving testimony
from A. Durand Jones, Deputy Director, National Park Service, Department of
the Interior; Barry T. Hill, Director, Natural Resources and Environment,
General Accounting Office; Daniel M. Rice, Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition,
Akron, Ohio, on behalf of the Advocacy Committee of the Alliance of National
Heritage Areas; and Robert J. Smith, Center for Private Conservation, and
Craig D. Obey, National Parks Conservation Association, both of Washington,
D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee failed to approve the Committee's
recommendation, as amended, to the proposed legislation implementing the
U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
IRAQ
Committee on Foreign Relations: on Wednesday, June 23, Committee met in
closed session to receive a briefing on the situation in Iraq with regard to
the June 30, 2004 transition from Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 1735, to
increase and enhance law enforcement resources committed to investigation and
prosecution of violent gangs, to deter and punish violent gang crime, to
protect law abiding citizens and communities from violent criminals, to revise
and enhance criminal penalties for violent crimes, to reform and facilitate
prosecution of juvenile gang members who commit violent crimes, to expand and
improve gang prevention programs, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
[Page: D696]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/06/25
Daily Digest - Friday, June 25, 2004; pages D703 - D708
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
IRAQ
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
transition to sovereignty in Iraq, focusing on U.S. policy, ongoing military
operations, and status of U.S. Armed Forces, after receiving testimony from
Paul D. Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense; Richard L. Armitage, Deputy
Secretary of State; and General Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs
of Staff.
DEMOCRACY IN VENEZUELA
Committee on Foreign Relations: On Thursday, June 24, Subcommittee on Western
Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs concluded a hearing to examine
the state of democracy in Venezuela, focusing on Organization of American
States (OAS) Permanent Council Resolution 833, to strengthen Venezuelan
democracy and bring an end to political conflict, after receiving testimony
from Roger F. Noriega, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs; John F. Maisto, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of
American States; Jennifer McCoy, Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia; and Jose
Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Watch, Miguel Diaz, Center for Strategic and
International Studies, Roger Tissot, PFC Energy, and Mark Weisbrot, Center for
Economic and Policy Research, all of Washington, D.C.
PERKINS VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: On Thursday, June 24,
Committee concluded a hearing to examine the reauthorization of the Carl D.
Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, focusing on community
colleges, the challenges of serving rural populations, and "Project Lead the
Way", after receiving testimony from Michael Rush, Idaho Division of
Professional-Technical Education, Boise; Frank Blankenship, Columbiana County
Career and Technical Center, Lisbon, Ohio; Jo Anne McFarland, Central Wyoming
College, Riverton; Harry Lightsey, BellSouth, Columbia, South Carolina; and
Angela Olszewski, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), New York, New
York.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/06
Daily Digest - Tuesday, July 6, 2004; pages D710 - D718
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of David M. Stone, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of
Homeland Security.
Joint Meetings
UZBEKISTAN
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission): On
Thursday, June 24, Commission concluded a hearing to examine democratization
and human rights in Uzbekistan in light of the impending decision by the
Department of State whether to certify Uzbekistan to continue receiving
assistance from the United States, after receiving testimony from Lorne W.
Craner, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Lynn
Pascoe, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia, both of the
Department of State; H.E. Abdulaziz Komilov, Republic of Uzbekistan Ambassador
to the United States; Fred Starr, Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze
School of International Studies (SAIS) Caucasus-Central Asia Institute, and
Martha Olcott, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, both of Washington,
D.C.; Abdurahim Polat, Birlik Party, Springfield, Virginia; and Veronika Leila
Szente Goldston, Human Rights Watch, New York, New York.
2004/07/07
Daily Digest - Wednesday, July 7, 2004; pages D720 - D728
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations
of Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr., of Maryland, to be Inspector General, Social
Security Administration, who was introduced by Senator Sununu, and J. Russell
George, of Virginia, to be Inspector General for Tax Administration, Timothy
S. Bitsberger, of Massachusetts, to be an Assistant Secretary, and Paul Jones,
of Colorado, to be a Member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board,
all of the Department of the Treasury, after each nominee testified and
answered questions in their own behalf.
JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
juvenile detention centers, focusing on unnecessary incarceration of youth who
are waiting for community mental health services, after receiving testimony
from Representative Waxman; Carol Carothers, National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill, Augusta, Maine; Tammy Seltzer, Bazelon Center for Mental Health
Law, Washington, D.C.; Leonard B. Dixon, Wayne County Juvenile Detention
Facility, Detroit, Michigan, on behalf of the National Juvenile Detention
Association; Ernestine S. Gray, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, New Orleans,
Louisiana; and Kenneth J. Martinez, Director, New Mexico Children, Youth and
Families Department, Santa Fe.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nomination of Michael H. Schneider, Sr., to be United States District Judge
for the Eastern District of Texas, after the nominee, who was introduced by
Senator Hutchison, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights,
and Property Rights concluded a hearing to examine United States efforts to
combat human trafficking and slavery, after receiving testimony from Johnny K.
Stutton, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, and Michael
T. Shelby, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, both of
Department of Justice; Mary Ellen Doughtery, United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, Joseph Mettimano, World Vision, and Mohamed Y. Mattar, Johns
Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and
Sr. Wendy Patten, Human Rights Watch, all of Washington, D.C.; and Charles
Song, Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Los Angeles, California.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending intelligence matters.
Committee recessed subject to the call.
Joint Meetings
SAFE ACCOUNTABLE FLEXIBLE AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION ACT
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House passed
versions of H.R. 3550, to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway
safety programs, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet again on
Tuesday, July 13.
2004/07/08
Daily Digest - Thursday, July 8, 2004; pages D729 - D736
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. 2386, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for intelligence and
intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the
Intelligence Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency
Retirement and Disability System, with amendments; and
The nominations of Admiral Vernon E. Clark, USN, for reappointment to the
grade of admiral and to be Chief of Naval Operations, and Lieutenant General
James E. Cartwright, USMC, for appointment to the grade of general and to be
Commander, United States Strategic Command.
Prior to this action, committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations
of Admiral Vernon E. Clark, and Lieutenant General James E. Cartwright, (both
listed above), after each nominee testified and answered questions in their
own behalf.
ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine S. 2411, to amend the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 to provide financial assistance for the improvement of the health
and safety of firefighters, promote the use of life saving technologies,
achieve greater equity for departments serving large jurisdictions, after
receiving testimony from Senators DeWine and Dodd; C. Suzanne Mencer,
Director, Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness,
and R. David Paulison, Director, Preparedness Division and United States Fire
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, both of the Department of
Homeland Security; Ernest Mitchell, International Association of Fire Chiefs,
Fairfax, Virginia; E. James Monihan, Lewes Fire Department, Lewes, Delaware,
on behalf of the National Volunteer Fire Council; Billy E. Shields,
Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, Phoenix, on behalf of the International
Association of Fire Fighters; and James M. Shannon, National Fire Protection
Association, Quincy, Massachusetts.
TAXPAYERS' DOLLARS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial Management, the
Budget, and International Security concluded a hearing to examine the federal
government's financial statement and accountability of taxpayer dollars at the
Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, focusing on financial accounting
and reporting, and audit challenges, after receiving testimony from David M.
Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, Gregory D. Kutz, Director,
Financial Management and Assurance, and McCoy Williams, Director, Financial
Management and Assurance, all of the Government Accountability Office; Linda
M. Springer, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of
Management and Budget; Donald V. Hammond, Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury; Lawrence J. Lanzillotta, Acting Under Secretary (Comptroller), and
Francis E. Reardon, Deputy Inspector General for Auditing, Office of the
Inspector General, both of the Department of Defense; and Andrew B. Maner,
Chief Financial Officer, and Clark Kent Ervin, Inspector General, both of the
Department of Homeland Security.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nominations of Michael H. Watson, to be United States District Judge for the
Southern District of Ohio, and Isaac Fulwood, Jr., of the District of
Columbia, to be a Commissioner of the United States Parole Commission.
Also, Committee met and began consideration of the nomination of Claude A.
Allen, of Virginia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, but did
not take final action thereon, and recessed subject to call.
[Page: D731]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/09
Daily Digest - Friday, July 9, 2004; pages D738 - D744
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/12
Daily Digest - Monday, July 12, 2004; pages D746 - D750
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
[Page: D747]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/13
Daily Digest - Tuesday, July 13, 2004; pages D752 - D760
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
GRAMM-LEACH-BLILEY ACT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (P.L. 106-102), to enhance
competition in the financial services industry by providing a prudential
framework for the affiliation of banks, securities firms, and other financial
service providers, after receiving testimony from Harry P. Doherty,
Independence Community Bank Corporation, Brooklyn, New York, on behalf of
America's Community Bankers; Terry Jorde, CountryBank USA, Cando, North
Dakota, on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America; Ronnie
Turbertini, SouthGroup Insurance and Financial Services, Jackson, Mississippi,
on behalf of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, Inc.;
and Travis B. Plunkett, Consumer Federation of America, Steve Bartlett,
Financial Services Roundtable, James D. McLaughlin, American Bankers
Association, John Taylor, National Community Reinvestment Coalition, and J.
Steven Judge, Securities Industry Association, all of Washington, D.C.
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the proposed reauthorization of the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, after receiving testimony from Kathleen A. Cox, President and
CEO, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Carl Matthusen, KJZZ-FM, KBAQ-FM,
Sun Sounds Radio Reading Services, Tempe, Arizona; Ken Burns, Florentine
Films, Walpole, New Hampshire, on behalf of PBS; Loris Ann Vincente-Taylor,
KUYI 88.1 FM, Keams Canyon, Arizona, on behalf of the Hopi Foundation; and
Peter A. Frid, New Hampshire Public Television, University of New Hampshire,
Durham, on behalf of the Association of Public Television Stations.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of David M. Stone, of Virginia, to be an
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Transportation Security
Administration, and Albert A. Frink, Jr., of California, to be Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services, after each nominee
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
NUCLEAR POWER
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded an oversight
hearing to examine the role of nuclear power in national energy policy,
focusing on the high-level nuclear waste repository at the Yucca Mountain,
Nevada site, the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), the Nuclear Energy
Research Advisory Committee (NERAC), and enhancing nuclear technology
education, after receiving testimony from Kyle E. McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary
of Energy.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
concluded a hearing to examine human trafficking issues, focusing on mail
order bride abuses, including exploitation and physical abuse, forced
motherhood, threats of deportation, marketing of extremely vulnerable
populations, underage children on marriage agency websites, and informational,
economic, cultural, and legal vulnerability, after receiving testimony from
Senator Cantwell; John R. Miller, Director, Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking in Persons, Department of State; Michele A. Clark, Johns Hopkins
University School of International Studies Foreign Policy Institute, and
Suzanne Jackson, George Washington University Law School, both of Washington,
D.C.; and Donna M. Hughes, University of Rhode Island Women's Studies Program,
Kingston.
OLYMPIC GAMES SECURITY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on security preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games from Thomas J.
Miller, U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
FEDERAL SENTENCING REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Blakely v. Washington on the
current and future operation of the federal sentencing guidelines, focusing on
concerns regarding the validity of the federal guideline system, after
receiving testimony from William W. Mercer, United States Attorney for the
District of Montana, Helena, Department of Justice; John R. Steer, and William
K. Sessions, III, Chief United States District Judge for the District of
Vermont, both a Vice Chair and Commissioner, United States Sentencing
Commission; Lawrence L. Piersol, Chief United States District Judge for the
District of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, on behalf of the Federal Judges
Association; Paul G. Cassell, United States District Judge for the District of
Utah, Salt Lake City; Frank O. Bowman, III, Indiana University School of Law,
Indianapolis; Rachel E. Barkow, New York University School of Law, and Alan
Vinegrad, Covington and Burling, both of New York, New York; and Ronald Weich,
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, Washington, D.C.
[Page: D754]
PROPERTY RIGHTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine section
211 of the Department of Commerce Appropriations Act, of 1999, as included in
the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1999
(Public Law 105-277), focusing on intellectual property rights relating to
Cuba, after receiving testimony from Nancie G. Marzulla, Defenders of Property
Rights, William A. Reinsch, National Foreign Trade Council, Inc., and Bruce A.
Lehman, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and
Trademarks, all of Washington, D.C.; Kenneth B. Germain, University of
Cincinnati College of Law, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Ramon Arechabala, Miami,
Florida.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
STEROID ABUSE
United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: Caucus
concluded a hearing to examine the abuse of anabolic steroids and their
precursors by adolescent amateur athletes, after receiving testimony from
Joseph T. Rannazzisi, Deputy Director, Office of Diversion Control, Drug
Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice; Terry Madden, United States
Anti-Doping Agency, Colorado Springs, Colorado; William C. Martin, University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Don H. Catlin, University of California at Los Angeles
Olympic Analytical Laboratory; Curtis A. Wenzlaff, Flint, Michigan; Don
Hooten, Plano, Texas; and an anonymous witness.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/14
Daily Digest - Wednesday, July 14, 2004; pages D762 - D772
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AMERICAN HOME FIRE SAFETY ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine home products fire safety issues, including a related
measure, S. 1798, to provide for comprehensive fire safety standards for
upholstered furniture, mattresses, bedclothing, and candles, after receiving
testimony from Hal Stratton, Chairman, U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission; John Dean, Maine State Fire Marshal, Augusta, on behalf of the
National Association of State Fire Marshals; Norman Chapman, Inman Mills,
Inman, South Carolina; Andy S. Counts, American Furniture Manufacturers
Association, High Point, North Carolina; Robert Higgins, Candle-Lite, Inc.,
Columbus, Ohio, on behalf of the National Candle Association; and Al Klancnik,
Serta, Inc., Itasca, Illinois.
ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded a hearing to examine adult stem cell research
issues, focusing on ethical, medical, and political implications, therapeutic
and human cloning, and neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's
Disease, after receiving testimony from Michel F. Levesque, University of
California at Los Angeles School of Medicine; Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson,
University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physiological Optics; Irving
Weissman, Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Pathology,
Stanford, California; Robert A. Goldstein, Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation International, New York, New York; Laura Dominguez, San Antonio,
Texas; Susan Fajt, Austin, Texas; and Dennis Turner, San Clemente, California.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following bills:
S. 203, to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, Wyoming, to
locatable mineral development for bentonite mining, with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute;
S. 931, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to
reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on visitors to
units of the National Park System and on other recreational users of public
land, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1211, to further the purposes of title XVI of the Reclamation Projects
Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the Secretary of the
Interior to undertake a demonstration program for water reclamation in the
Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2052, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real
de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail, with an amendment in the nature of
a substitute;
H.R. 265, to expand the boundary of the Mount Rainier National Park;
S. 2167, to establish the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in the
States of Washington and Oregon, with an amendment;
S. 2173, to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic
Site Establishment Act of 2000, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute;
[Page: D764]
S. 2285, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real
property to Beaver County, Utah, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute;
S. 2287, to adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of Jean Lafitte
National Historical Park and Preserve in the State of Louisiana, with an
amendment;
S. 2460, to provide assistance to the State of New Mexico for the development
of comprehensive State water plans, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute;
S. 2508, to redesignate the Ridges Basin Reservoir, Colorado, as Lake
Nighthorse, with an amendment;
S. 2511, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility
study of a Chimayo water supply system, to provide for the planning, design,
and construction of a water supply, reclamation, and filtration facility for
Espanola, New Mexico, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2543, to establish a program and criteria for National Heritage Areas in
the United States, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 1284, to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act
of 1992 to increase the Federal share of the costs of the San Gabriel Basin
demonstration project, with an amendment.
H.R. 1616, to authorize the exchange of certain lands within the Martin Luther
King, Junior, National Historic Site for lands owned by the City of Atlanta,
Georgia; and
H.R. 3768, to expand the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Florida.
FEDERAL LANDS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 2317, to limit the royalty on soda
ash; S. 2353, to reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of
1992; H.R. 1189; to increase the waiver requirement for certain local matching
requirements for grants provided to American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands,
or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and H.R. 2010, to protect
the voting rights of members of the Armed Services in elections for the
Delegate representing American Samoa in the United States House of
Representatives, after receiving testimony from David B. Cohen, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs, and P. Patrick Leahy, Associate
Director for Geology, U.S. Geological Survey, both of the Department of the
Interior; Robert G. Marvinney, Maine State Geologist, Augusta on behalf of the
Association of American State Geologists; James C. Cobb, Kentucky State
Geologist, and University of Kentucky, Lexington; Michael K. Burd, United
Steelworkers Union Local 13214 FMC Wyoming Alkali Plant and Mine, Green River,
Wyoming; John F. McDermid, American Natural Soda Ash Corporation, Washington,
D.C.; and Marion Loomis, Wyoming Mining Association, Cheyenne.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 2610, to
implement the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Also, committee approved their recommendation for proposed legislation to
implement the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement.
PAKISTAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
balancing reform and counterterrorism in Pakistan, focusing on U.S.-Pakistan
relations and assess the Pakistan government's efforts to combat terrorism and
implement reform, after receiving testimony from Teresita C. Shaffer, Center
for Strategic and International Studies, and Marvin G. Weinbaum, Middle East
Institute, both of Washington, D.C.; and Vali R. Nasr, Naval Postgraduate
School, Monterey, California.
BALKANS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine U.S.
policy toward Southeast Europe, focusing on efforts by countries in the
Balkans to normalize their military relations with the U.S. and NATO, and to
ensure regional stability, after receiving testimony from D. Kathleen
Stephens, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Central Europe; Mira
R. Ricardel, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security
Policy; James Dobbins, RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center,
Arlington, Virginia; James C. O'Brien, The Albright Group LLC, Washington,
D.C.; Ivan Vejvoda, Balkan Trust for Democracy, German Marshall Fund of the
United States, Serbia and Montenegro; and Veton Surroi, KOHA Ditore, Pristina,
Kosovo.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S.J. Res. 41, commemorating the opening of the National Museum of the American
Indian, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1529, to amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to include provisions
relating to the payment and administration of gaming fees, with an amendment
in the nature of a substitute;
[Page: D765]
S. 1530, to provide compensation to the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Sioux
Tribes of South Dakota for damage to tribal land caused by Pick-Sloan projects
along the Missouri River, with amendments; and
H.R. 2912, to reaffirm the inherent sovereign rights of the Osage Tribe to
determine its membership and form of government.
AMERICAN INDIAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-341), after
receiving testimony from Brian Pogue, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Department of the Interior; Joel Holtrop, Deputy Chief, State and Private
Forestry, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; Suzan Shown Harjo, The
Morning Star Institute, Washington, D.C.; Walter Echo-Hawk, Native American
Rights Fund, Boulder, Colorado; Bernard Red Cherries, Jr., Northern Cheyenne
Elk Society and Sundance Arrow, Valley, Washington; and Paul Bender, Arizona
State University College of Law, Tempe.
DRUG IMPORTATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
implications of drug importation, focusing on the Prescription Drug Marketing
Act of 1988, and on ways to make prescription drugs more affordable without
jeopardizing patient safety or undermining incentives for the discovery of the
next generation of therapies, and a related measure S. 2328, to amend the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of
prescription drugs, after receiving testimony from Representative Sanders;
Senators Nickles, Breaux, and Dorgan; William K. Hubbard, Associate
Commissioner for Policy and Planning, and John Taylor, III, Associate
Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, both of the Food and Drug Administration,
Department of Health and Human Services; Elizabeth G. Durant, Executive
Director, Trade Compliance and Facilitation, Office of Field Operations at the
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security;
Rudolph W. Giuliani, Giuliani Partners LLC, New York, New York; Carmen A.
Catizone, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Park Ridge, Illinois;
Elizabeth A. Wennar, HealthInova, Manchester, Vermont, on behalf of United
Health Alliance; Joanne Disch, AARP, Washington, D.C.; Stephen W.
Schondelmeyer, University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, Minneapolis; and
Kathleen D. Jaeger, Generic Pharmaceutical Association, Arlington, Virginia.
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded an oversight
hearing to examine the Federal Election Commission, focusing on their
enforcement and disclosure process relative to campaign finance, after
receiving testimony from Senators McCain and Feingold; Bradley A. Smith,
Chairman, Ellen L. Weintraub, Vice Chair, both of the Federal Election
Commission; and Trevor Pott, Caplin and Drysdale, Benjamin L. Ginsburg, Patton
Boggs LLP, and Robert F. Bauer, Perkins Coie LLP, all of Washington, D.C.
Joint Meetings
COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION ACT
Conferees agreed to file a conference report on the differences between the
Senate and House passed versions of H.R. 2443, to authorize appropriations for
the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2004, and to amend various laws administered
by the Coast Guard.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Conferees agreed to file a conference report on the differences between the
Senate and House passed versions of H.R. 4613, making appropriations for the
Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
2004/07/15
Daily Digest - Thursday, July 15, 2004; pages D774 - D782
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine preventing
chronic disease through healthy lifestyles, focusing on obesity, coronary
heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and diet and weight loss, after receiving
testimony from Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services; Kenneth
L. Gladish, YMCA of the USA, and Karen Silberman, National Coalition for
Promoting Physical Activity, both of Washington, D.C.; Vernon E. Delpesce,
YMCA of Greater Des Moines, Iowa; Eric K. Mann, Pittsburgh Metropolitan YMCA
of the USA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Dean Ornish, University of California
School of Medicine, San Francisco; and Jack Rule, incentaHEALTH, Denver,
Colorado.
APPROPRIATIONS: MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
An original bill (S. 2674) making appropriations for making appropriations for
military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for
the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005; and
An original bill (S. 2666) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
ICRC REPORTS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing regarding International Committee of the Red Cross reports on U.S.
military detainee operations in Iraq from official of the Department of
Defense.
HEDGE FUND INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine regulation of the hedge fund industry, focusing on a
proposed regulation that would address violations of the federal securities
laws, including fraudulent activity, by hedge funds, after receiving testimony
from William H. Donaldson, Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission;
Patrick J. McCarty, General Counsel, Commodity Futures Trading Commission;
Mark Anson, California Public Employees Retirement System, Sacramento; James
Chanos, Kynikos Associates, LP, and Charles J. Gradante, Hennessee Group, LLC,
both of New York, New York; and Adam C. Cooper, Citadel Investment Group, LLC,
Chicago, Illinois, on behalf of the Managed Funds Association.
[Page: D776]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the nominations of Stuart Levey, of Maryland, to be Under
Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, Juan Carlos Zarate, of California,
to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and
Financial Crimes, and Carin M. Barth, of Texas, to be Chief Financial Officer,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, who was introduced by Senator
Cornyn, after each nominee testified and answered questions in their own
behalf.
TELEVISION RATING SYSTEM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Communications concluded a hearing to examine implementation of the Nielsen
local people meter TV rating system, focusing on the accuracy and reliability
of our country's television ratings system, after receiving testimony from
Representative Waters; Thomas Herwitz, FOX Television Stations, Inc.,
Washington, D.C.; Tom Arnost, Univision Television Group, Los Angeles,
California; and Susan D. Whiting, Nielsen Media Research; George Ivie, Media
Rating Council, Inc.; and Robert Barocci, The Advertising Research Foundation,
all of New York, New York.
LAND BILLS/MEMORIALS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded a hearing to examine S. 1852, to provide financial assistance for
the rehabilitation of the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and the development of an exhibit to commemorate the 300th
anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin; S. 2142, to authorize
appropriations for the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route; S. 2181, to
adjust the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park in the State of Colorado;
S. 2374, to provide for the conveyance of certain land to the United States
and to revise the boundary of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma; S.
2397 and H.R. 3706, bills to adjust the boundary of the John Muir National
Historic Site; S. 2432, to expand the boundaries of Wilson's Creek Battlefield
National Park; S. 2567, to adjust the boundary of Redwood National Park in the
State of California; H.R. 1113, to authorize an exchange of land at Fort
Frederica National Monument; and S. Con. Res. 121, supporting the goals and
ideals of the World Year of Physics, after receiving testimony from Senator
Lautenberg; former Senator Mack Mattingly; A. Durand Jones, Deputy Director,
National Park Service, Department of the Interior; and Charles W. Blackwell,
Chickasaw Nation, Washington, D.C.
NORTH KOREA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
current conditions in a report on the latest round of six-way talks regarding
nuclear weapons in North Korea, focusing on events in Beijing and efforts of
the United States and like-minded countries to deal with the threat of North
Korea's nuclear ambitions, after receiving testimony from James A. Kelly,
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Joseph R. DeTrani,
Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks, both of the Department of State; Ashton B.
Carter, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge,
Massachusetts; and Charles L. Pritchard, The Brookings Institution,
Washington, D.C.
U.S. ENERGY POLICY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic Policy,
Export and Trade Promotion concluded a hearing to examine current conditions
in the Gulf of Guinea and U.S. strategic energy policy, focusing on the role
of West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea relative to United States energy
security interests, imported oil and natural gas, and political and economic
stability in Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome, Chad, and Cameroon,
after receiving testimony from Paul Simons, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for Energy, Sanctions, and Commodity Policy, Economic and Business
Affairs Bureau; John R. Brodman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for
International Energy Policy, Office of Policy and International Affairs; and
David L. Goldwyn, Goldwyn International Strategies, and J. Stephen Morrison,
Center for Strategic and International Studies, both of Washington, D.C.
IRAQ
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on Iraq from Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor, National
Security Council.
MONEY LAUNDERING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
concluded a hearing to examine current enforcement of key provisions in the
Patriot Act combating money laundering and foreign corruption, using a single
case study involving Riggs Bank, focusing on Riggs' anti-money laundering
program, administration of accounts associated with senior foreign political
figures and their family members, and efforts to combat money-laundering in
the United States financial system by the Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency, and other financial institution regulators, after receiving
testimony from Jennifer C. Kelly, Deputy Comptroller, Mid-Size and Credit Bank
Supervision, John Noonan, former Assistant Deputy Comptroller, Daniel P.
Stipano, Deputy Chief Counsel, and Lester Miller, Examiner-In-Charge (Riggs
Bank), all of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Department of the
Treasury; Lawrence I. Hebert, Raymond M. Lund, and R. Ashley Lee, all of Riggs
Bank, N.A., Washington, D.C.; Andrew P. Swiger, ExxonMobil Production Company,
and Steven P. Guidry, Marathon Oil Company, both of Houston, Texas; and Albert
J. Marchettti, Amerada Hess Corporation, New York, New York.
[Page: D777]
PELL GRANT FOR KIDS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Children
and Families concluded a hearing to examine the use of Pell Grants for primary
school education, focusing on school choice and voucher programs, after
receiving testimony from Michael Bell, Miami-Dade County Public Schools,
Miami, Florida; Robert G. Smith, Arlington Public Schools, Arlington,
Virginia, on behalf of the American Association of School Administrators, and
the Virginia Association of School Superintendents; Catherine Hill, DC Parents
for School Choice, Darlene T. Allen, District of Columbia PTA, on behalf of
the National PTA, both of Washington, D.C.; Paul E. Peterson, Harvard
University Department of Government, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Ellen B.
Goldring, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Robert C. Enlow,
Friedman Foundation, Indianapolis, Indiana; and John Kirtley, Alliance for
School Choice, Tampa, Florida.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
MEDICAL LIABILITY
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine medical
liability in long-term care, focusing on demographic challenges, home health
care, assisted living settings, hospice care, nursing homes, and "quality of
life" issues, after receiving testimony from J. Norman Estes, NHS Management,
Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Theresa Bourdon, Aon Risk Consultants, Columbia,
Maryland; David G. Stevenson, Harvard University School of Medicine,
Cambridge, Massachusetts; Marshall B. Kapp, Southern Illinois University
School of Law, Carbondale; Lawrence M. Cutchin, North Carolina Medical
Society, Raleigh; and James E. Lett II, American Medical Directors
Association, Carmichael, California.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/16
Daily Digest - Friday, July 16, 2004; pages D784 - D790
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
[Page: D785]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/19
Daily Digest - Monday, July 19, 2004; pages D792 - D798
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
the nominations of Neil McPhie, of Virginia, to be Chairman, and Barbara J.
Sapin, of Maryland, to be a Member, both of the Merit Systems Protection
Board, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own
behalf.
MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine certain
aspects of the new Medicare law aimed at assisting seniors of modest and low
incomes, including principally the full drug benefit scheduled for 2006, and
the ongoing prescription drug card transitional assistance, after receiving
testimony from Mark McClellan, Administrator, Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services; Gail R. Wilensky,
Project HOPE, Bethesda, Maryland, former Administrator, Health Care Financing
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; and Thomas Byron
Thames, AARP, Jane L. Delgado, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, and
Patricia B. Nemore, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc., all of Washington,
D.C.
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/07/20
Daily Digest - Tuesday, July 20, 2004; pages D799 - D810
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
IRAQ SURVEY GROUP
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing regarding the activities of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) in Iraq from
Major General Keith W. Dayton, USA, former Commander of the ISG.
COMMITTEE MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nominations of Juan Carlos Zarate, of California, to be an
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Stuart Levey, of Maryland, to be Under
Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, and Carin M. Barth, of Texas, to be
Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development.
MONETARY POLICY REPORT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded an
oversight hearing to examine the Semi-Annual Monetary Policy Report of the
Federal Reserve, after receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman,
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
[Page: D801]
AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to
examine S. 2590, to provide a conservation royalty from Outer Continental
Shelf revenues to establish the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, to provide
assistance to States under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965,
to ensure adequate funding for conserving and restoring wildlife, to assist
local governments in improving local park and recreation systems, after
receiving testimony from P. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of the Interior
for Policy, Management, and Budget; Scott A. Angelle, Louisiana Department of
Natural Resources, Baton Rouge; Charles Jordan, Conservation Fund, Portland,
Oregon; and John Baughman, International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies, Henry L. Diamond, Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation, Nancie
G. Marzulla, Defenders of Property Rights, and Daniel M. Clifton, Americans
for Tax Reform, all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 2677, to implement the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement;
H.R. 982, to clarify the tax treatment of bonds and other obligations issued
by the Government of American Samoa; and
The nominations of Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr., of Maryland, to be Inspector
General, Social Security Administration, and Paul Jones, of Colorado, and
Charles L. Kolbe, of Iowa, both to be Members of the Internal Revenue Service
Oversight Board, and Timothy S. Bitsberger, of Massachusetts, to be an
Assistant Secretary, all of the Department of the Treasury.
MIDDLE EAST ROAD MAP TO PEACE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
detours and disengagements regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process,
focusing on world-wide terrorist recruitment efforts, the economic impact of
the infitada, Israel's plan for unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,
after receiving testimony from David M. Satterfield, Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; and Dennis Ross,
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Abdel Monem Said Aly, Brookings
Institution, and Aaron David Miller, Seeds of Peace, all of Washington, D.C.
FEDERAL WORKFORCE
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia concluded a
hearing to examine governmentwide workforce flexibilities available to federal
agencies, focusing on those enacted in the Homeland Security Act, specifically
their implementation, use by agencies, and training and education related to
using the new flexibilities, after receiving testimony from Clay Johnson III,
Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget; Dan G. Blair,
Deputy Director, Office of Personnel Management; J. Christopher Mihm, Managing
Director, Strategic Issues, Government Accountability Office; Ed Sontag,
Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Administration and
Management; Joanne W. Simms, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Human
Resources and Administration, and Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of
Justice; and Vicki A. Novak, Assistant Administrator for Human Resources, and
Chief Human Capital Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAMS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services concluded a hearing to examine performance
and outcome measurement in substance abuse and mental health programs,
focusing on the mission of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration to build resilience and facilitate recovery, after receiving
testimony from Charles G. Curie, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; A.
Thomas McLellan, Treatment Research Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Howard H. Goldman, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; Gary
Q. Tester, Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Columbus;
and Marsha Medalie, Riverside Community Care, Dedham, Massachusetts.
NEZ PERCE-SNAKE RIVER WATER RIGHTS ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2605,
to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the heads of other Federal
agencies to carry out an agreement resolving major issues relating to the
adjudication of water rights in the Snake River Basin, Idaho, after receiving
testimony from Senator Craig; Michael D. Olsen, Counselor to the Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Anthony D. Johnson, Nez Perce
Tribal Executive Committee, Lapwai, Idaho; Michael Bogert, Office of Idaho
Governor Kempthorne, Boise; Roger D. Ling, Ling, Robinson, and Walker, Rupert,
Idaho, on behalf of the Federal Claims Coalition Upper Snake River Water
Users; and James S. Riley, Intermountain Forest Association, Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho.
[Page: D802]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S.J. Res. 4, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States
authorizing Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the
United States;
S. Res. 401, designating the week of November 7 through November 13, 2004, as
"National Veterans Awareness Week" to emphasize the need to develop
educational programs regarding the contributions of veterans to the country;
S. Con. Res. 109, commending the United States Institute of Peace on the
occasion of its 20th anniversary and recognizing the Institute for its
contribution to international conflict resolution;
S. Res. 404, designating August 9, 2004, as "Smokey Bear's 60th Anniversary";
S. Res. 407, designating October 15, 2004, as "National Mammography Day"; and
The nominations of David W. McKeague, of Michigan, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Sixth Circuit, Richard A. Griffin, of Michigan, to be United
States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, Virginia Maria Hernandez
Covington, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of
Florida, Michael H. Schneider, Sr., of Texas, to be United States District
Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, and Robert Clark Corrente, of Rhode
Island, to be United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. 1153, to amend title 38, United States Code, to permit medicare-eligible
veterans to receive an out-patient medication benefit, to provide that certain
veterans who receive such benefit are not otherwise eligible for medical care
and services from the Department of Veterans Affairs;
S. 2483, to increase, effective as of December 1, 2004, the rates of
compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of
dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled
veterans;
S. 2484, to amend title 38, United States Code, to simplify and improve pay
provisions for physicians and dentists, to authorize alternate work schedules
and executive pay for nurses, with amendments;
S. 2485, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and enhance the
authorities of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to the management
and disposal of real property and facilities, with amendments; and
S. 2486, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and enhance
education, housing, employment, medical, and other benefits for veterans and
to improve and extend certain authorities relating to the administration or
benefits for veterans, with amendments.
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
reform and reorganization of the intelligence community of the United States,
focusing on the report of the 9/11 Commission, and prospective legislation to
create a Director of National Intelligence, after receiving testimony from
Senator Feinstein; and Lieutenant General William E. Odom, USA (Ret.), Hudson
Institute, John J. Hamre, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and
James R. Woolsey, Booz Allen Hamilton, all of Washington, D.C.
Joint Meetings
DEMOCRACY IN ALBANIA
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission concluded a hearing to examine the prospects for advancing
democracy in Albania, after receiving testimony from Osmo Lipponen,
Organization For Security and Co-operation In Europe, Erion Veliaj, MJAFT!
("Enough!")/Balkans Youth Link, Kreshnik Spahiu, Albanian Coalition Against
Corruption, and Fatmir Mediu, Albanian Republican Party, all of Tirana,
Albania; Nicholas C. Pano, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois;
Fatos Tarifa, Republic of Albania Ambassador, Washington, D.C.; Edward Selami,
Former Member Albanian Parliament, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
2004/07/21
Daily Digest - Wednesday, July 21, 2004; pages D811 - D822
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS:
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Vice Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN, for appointment to the
grade of admiral and to be Commander, United States Northern
Command/Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command; Lieutenant
General Bantz J. Craddock, USA, for appointment to the grade of general and to
be Commander, United States Southern Command; Peter Cyril Wyche Flory, of
Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security
Policy, and Valerie Lynn Baldwin, of Kansas, to be an Assistant Secretary of
the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller, who was introduced by
Senator Roberts, and Representatives Hobson, and Jerry Lewis, after the
nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
NMS AND MARKET STRUCTURE
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine regulation of the national market system and developments
in market structure, focusing on proposals to modernize the national market
system to improve the regulatory structure of U.S. equity markets, after
receiving testimony from William H. Donaldson, Chairman, U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission; Robert Greifeld, NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc., David F.
Harris, American Stock Exchange, LLC, Edward J. Nicoll, Instinet Group, Inc.,
and John Thain, New York Stock Exchange, Inc., all of New York, New York; and
Gerald D. Putnam, Archipelago Holdings, LLC, Chicago, Illinois.
PUBLIC LANDS/NATIONAL FORESTS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and
Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 738, to designate certain public
lands in Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino, Lake, Napa, and Yolo Counties in the
State of California as wilderness, to designate certain segments of the Black
Butte River in Mendocino County, California as a wild or scenic river, S.
1614, to designate a portion of White Salmon River as a component of the
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, S. 2221, to authorize the Secretary of
Agriculture to sell or exchange certain National Forest System land in the
State of Oregon, S. 2253, to permit young adults to perform projects to
prevent fire and suppress fires, and provide disaster relief, on public land
through a Healthy Forest Youth Conservation Corps, S. 2334, to designate
certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as
components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S. 2408, to adjust
the boundaries of the Helena, Lolo, and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests
in the State of Montana, and S. 2622, to provide for the exchange of certain
Federal land in the Santa Fe National Forest and certain non-Federal land in
the Pecos National Historical Park in the State of New Mexico, after receiving
testimony from Senator Boxer; Representative Thomas; Mark Rey, Under Secretary
of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Minerals; Chad Calvert,
Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals Management; Art
Pope, Northwest Youth Corps, Eugene, Oregon; John Woolley, Humboldt County
Supervisor, Eureka, California; and Don Amador, BlueRibbon Coalition, Inc.,
Oakley, California.
[Page: D813]
TAX GAP
Committee on Finance: Committee held a hearing to examine bridging the
difference between what taxpayers pay voluntarily and what they are supposed
to pay, focusing on increasing the effectiveness of the Internal Revenue
Service, simplifying the tax administration system, the "underground economy",
tax shelters, and ways that data sharing and analysis may enhance tax
compliance and improve immigration eligibility decisions, receiving testimony
from Raymond T. Wagner Jr., Member, Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board,
Pamela J. Gardiner, Acting Inspector General for Tax Administration, Mark W.
Everson, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Nina E. Olson, National Taxpayer
Advocate, Taxpayer Advocate Service, Internal Revenue Service, all of the
Department of the Treasury; Michael Brostek, Director, Strategic Issues,
Government Accountability Office; Nicholas P. Godici, Commissioner for
Patents, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce; Robert M.
Morgenthau, District Attorney of New York County, New York, New York; Debbie
Langsea, California Franchise Tax Board, Sacramento; Joseph Bankman, Stanford
Law School, Stanford, California; Dale Brown, Incline Village, Nevada; and an
anonymous witness.
Hearings recessed subject to the call.
MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANK
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine
United States efforts to prevent, detect, and punish corruption associated
with development assistance provided by the Multilateral Development Banks,
focusing on the United States Department of Treasury's role and internal
efforts, after receiving testimony from John B. Taylor, Under Secretary of the
Treasury for International Affairs; Richard Thornburgh, Kirkpatrick and
Lockhart, former United States Attorney General, and Kimberly Ann Elliott,
Institute for International Economics, all of Washington, DC; and Guido
Penzhorn; Durban Bar, Durban, South Africa.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. 1230, to provide for additional responsibilities for the Chief Information
Officer of the Department of Homeland Security relating to geospatial
information, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2347, to amend the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999 to
permanently authorize the public school and private school tuition assistance
programs established under the Act, with an amendment;
H.R. 4012, to amend the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999 to
reauthorize for five additional years the public school and private school
tuition assistance programs established under the Act;
S. 2409, to provide for continued health benefits coverage for certain Federal
employees, with an amendment;
S. 2628, to amend chapter 23 of title 5, United States Code, to clarify the
disclosures of information protected from prohibited personnel practices,
require a statement in nondisclosure policies, forms, and agreements that such
policies, forms, and agreements conform with certain disclosure protections,
provide certain authority for the Special Counsel;
S. 2536, to enumerate the responsibilities of the Officer for Civil Rights and
Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland Security, to require the
Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security to designate a senior
official to investigate civil rights complaints, with an amendment;
S. 2635, to establish an intergovernmental grant program to identify and
develop homeland security information, equipment, capabilities, technologies,
and services to further the homeland security of the United States and to
address the homeland security needs of Federal, State, and local governments,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
[Page: D814]
S. 2657, to amend part III of title 5, United States Code, to provide for the
establishment of programs under which supplemental dental and vision benefits
are made available to Federal employees, retirees, and their dependents, to
expand the contracting authority of the Office of Personnel Management;
S. 2639, to reauthorize the Congressional Award Act;
S. 2275, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) to
provide for homeland security assistance for high-risk nonprofit
organizations, with amendments;
S. 593, to ensure that a Federal employee who takes leave without pay in order
to perform service as a member of the uniformed services or member of the
National Guard shall continue to receive pay in an amount which, when taken
together with the pay and allowances such individual is receiving for such
service, will be no less than the basic pay such individual would then be
receiving if no interruption in employment had occurred, with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 3797, to authorize improvements in the operations of the government of
the District of Columbia;
S. 2688, to provide for a report of Federal entities without annually audited
financial statements;
S. 2501, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 73 South Euclid Avenue in Montauk, New York, as the "Perry B. Duryea, Jr.
Post Office";
H.R. 4427, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 73 South Euclid Avenue in Montauk, New York, as the "Perry B.
Duryea, Jr. Post Office";
S. 2640, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 1050 North Hills Boulevard in Reno, Nevada, as the "Guardians of Freedom
Memorial Post Office Building" and to authorize the installation of a plaque
at such site;
S. 2673, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 1001 Williams Street, Ignacio, Colorado, as the "Leonard C. Burch Post
Office Building";
S. 2682, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 222 West 8th Street, Durango, Colorado, as the "Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Post Office Building";
H.R. 3340, to redesignate the facilities of the United States Postal Service
located at 7715 and 7748 S. Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, as the
"James E. Worsham Post Office" and the "James E. Worsham Carrier Annex
Building", respectively;
H.R. 4222, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 550 Nebraska Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, as the "Newell George
Post Office Building";
H.R. 4327, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 7450 Natural Bridge Road in St. Louis, Missouri, as the "Vitilas
`Veto' Reid Post Office Building"; and
The nominations of Neil McPhie, of Virginia, to be Chairman, and Barbara J.
Sapin, of Maryland, to be a Member, both of the Merit Systems Protection
Board.
NATIVE AMERICAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 519,
to establish a Native American-owned financial entity to provide financial
services to Indian tribes, Native American organizations, and Native
Americans, after receiving testimony from David W. Anderson, Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Mark F. Brown, Mohegan Indian
Tribe, Uncasville, Connecticut; Julie Kitka, Alaska Federation of Natives,
Anchorage, Alaska; Chester Carl, National American Indian Housing Council,
Washington, D.C.; Haunani Apoliona, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Honolulu,
Hawaii; and Katherine A. Spilde, Harvard University Project on American Indian
Economic Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
S. 2301, to improve the management of Indian fish and wildlife and gathering
resources, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
S. 2382, to establish grant programs for the development of telecommunications
capacities in Indian country, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
Also, committee approved the motion to authorize the issuance of subpoenas by
the Chairman and grant the Chairman and Vice Chairman the authority to issue
additional subpoenas during the period of July 23, 2004 through September 7,
2004, pursuant to In re Tribal Lobbying Matters, et al. inquiry.
INDIAN HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENT ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the proposed reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement
Act, after receiving testimony from Representative Hayworth; Tommy G.
Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Charles Grim, Director
of the Indian Health Service, each of the Department of Health and Human
Services.
[Page: D815]
RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to
examine the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program, focusing on compensation
to individuals, or their surviving beneficiaries, who contracted certain
specified cancers or other specified serious diseases as a possible result of
their exposure to radiation, after receiving testimony from Jeffrey S.
Bucholtz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, and Dianne
Spellberg, Acting Director, Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Program, both
of the Department of Justice; Rita Torres, Surprise, Arizona; Jeffrey
Thompson, Jacksonville, Arkansas; and Helen Bandley Houghton, San Antonio,
Texas.
Joint Meetings
CAUCASUS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission met to receive a briefing on the current state of religious freedom
in the Caucasus due to recent events in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia from
Paul Crego, Cataloging Specialist, Library of Congress; Eric Rassbach, Becket
Fund for Religious Liberty, Washington, D.C.; Andre Carbonneau, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Montreal, Canada.
2004/07/22
Daily Digest - Thursday, July 22, 2004; pages D824 - D838
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPALACHIAN COUNCIL/WORKING FOR AMERICA INSTITUTE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine contract renewal
issues relative to the Appalachian Council and future funding issues relative
to the Working for America Institute, focusing on vocational training, job
placement and career transition services to Job Corps students and graduates,
after receiving testimony from Thomas M. Dowd, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Labor for Employment and Training Administration; Mayor Bobby Baker,
Batesville, Mississippi; Richard C. Trigg, Job Corps, and Nancy Mills, Working
for America Institute, both of Washington, D.C.; Jim Bowen, West Virginia
AFL-CIO, Gary Darlington and Herb Mabry, both of the Appalachian Council, all
of Charleston, West Virginia; Bill George, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Harrisburg;
and William Burga, Ohio AFL-CIO, Columbus.
ARMY INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
Department of the Army Inspector General Report on detention operation
doctrine and training, after receiving testimony from Les Brownlee, Acting
Secretary of the Army; General Peter J. Schoomaker, USA, Chief of Staff of the
Army; Lieutenant General Paul T. Mikolashek, USA, Inspector General of the
Army; and Lieutenant General Keith B. Alexander, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff,
G-2.
SEC PROPOSED RULEMAKING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the proposed Regulation NMS (National Market System)
relative to trade-throughs, intermarket access, sub-penny pricing, and market
data, and market structure developments, after receiving testimony from Davi
M. D'Agostino, Director, Financial Markets and Community Investments,
Government Accountability Office; David Colker, National Stock Exchange,
Chicago, Illinois; Kevin Cronin, AIM Investments, Houston, Texas; Scott
DeSano, Fidelity Investments, Boston, Massachusetts; Phylis M. Esposito,
Ameritrade Holding Corporation, Omaha, Nebraska; Charles Leven, AARP,
Washington, D.C.; and Bernard L. Madoff, Bernard L. Madoff Investment
Securities, Robert H. McCooey Jr., Griswold Company, Inc., Kim Bang, Bloomberg
Tradebook, LLC, Robert B. Fagenson, Van der Moolen Specialists, John C.
Giesea, Security Traders Association, all of New York, New York.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the following business items:
S. 2295, to authorize appropriations for the Homeland Security Department's
Directorate of Science and Technology, establish a program for the use of
advanced technology to meet homeland security needs;
H.R. 2608, to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program;
S. 2603, to amend section 227 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
227) relating to the prohibition on junk fax transmissions;
S. 2644, to amend the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to the carriage
of direct broadcast satellite television signals by satellite carriers to
consumers in rural areas, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 2281, to provide a clear and unambiguous structure for the jurisdictional
and regulatory treatment for the offering or provision of
voice-over-Internet-protocol applications, with an amendment in the nature of
a substitute;
S. 2505, to implement the recommendations of the Federal Communications
Commission report to the Congress regarding low power FM service, with an
amendment;
[Page: D830]
S. 2645, to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize appropriations
for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting;
S. 2488, to establish a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the United States Coast Guard to help identify, assess,
reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine
environment and navigation safety, in coordination with non-Federal entities;
S. 2280, to establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program within
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
The nominations of David M. Stone, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary
of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration), Albert A.
Frink, Jr., of California, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Brett T. Palmer, of New York, to be
an Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Benjamin H. Wu, of Maryland, to be
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy, Scott Kevin Walker, of
Wisconsin, to be a Member of the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
Development Corporation, Enrique J. Sosa, of Florida, to be a Member of the
Reform Board (Amtrak), Captain Richard R. Behn, NOAA, for appointment to the
grade of Rear Admiral (O-7), while serving in a position of importance and
responsibility as Director, Marine and Aviation Operations Centers, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Captain Samuel P. De Bow, Jr.,
NOAA, for appointment to the grade of Rear Admiral (O-8), while serving in a
position of importance and responsibility as Director, NOAA Corps and
Director, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and sundry nominations for promotion in the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard.
SATURN
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, focusing on the
planet's rings, and its moon Titan, after receiving testimony from Orlando
Figueroa, Solar System Exploration Division Director, Office of Space Science,
and Denis Bogan, Scientist, and Mark Dahl, Executive, both of the Cassini
Program, all of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NATIONAL PARKS AIR TOUR MANAGEMENT ACT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks
concluded an oversight hearing to examine the implementation of the National
Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 (Title VIII, Public Law 106-181), after
receiving testimony from William C. Withycombe, Regional Administrator
(Western Pacific Region), Federal Aviation Administration, Department of
Transportation; Paul Hoffman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for
Fish and Wildlife and Parks; Roy Resavage, Helicopter Association
International, Alexandria, Virginia; David J. Chevalier, Blue Hawaiian
Helicopters, Kahului, Hawaii; Charles W. Maynard, Friends of Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, Jonesboro, Tennessee; and Don Barger, National Parks
Conservation Association (Southeast Region), Knoxville, Tennessee.
HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCING
Committee on Finance: Committee held a hearing to examine the role of higher
education financing in strengthening United States competitiveness in a global
economy, receiving testimony from Randall Edwards, Oregon State Treasurer,
Salem; Susan Dynarski, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government,
Cambridge, Massachusetts; Peter B. Corr, Pfizer, New York, New York; Watson
Scott Swail, Education Policy Institute, Stafford, Virginia; Robert Paxton,
Iowa Central Community College, Fort Dodge; David Forbes, University of
Montana School of Pharmacy, Missoula; Chuck Toth, Merrill Lynch and Company,
Princeton, New Jersey; and James Fadule, UPromise Investments, Needham,
Massachusetts.
Hearing recessed subject to the call.
IRAQ--POST-TRANSITION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
current situation in Iraq post-transition, focusing on U.S. activities in Iraq
since the transfer of sovereignty to the new Interim Iraqi Government,
including increasing security in Iraq, improving the economy, affirming the
place of Iraq as a member of the international community, and laying the
groundwork for national elections in Iraq, after receiving testimony from
Ronald L. Schlicher, Iraq Coordinator, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs,
Department of State; and David C. Gompert, National Defense University Center
for Technology and National Security Policy, Washington, D.C.
INTERNET PHARMACIES
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
resumed hearings to examine the extent to which consumers can purchase
pharmaceuticals over the Internet without a medical prescription, the
importation of pharmaceuticals into the United States, and whether
pharmaceuticals from foreign sources are counterfeit, expired, unsafe, or
illegitimate, focusing on the extent to which U.S. consumers can purchase
dangerous and often addictive controlled substances from Internet pharmacy
websites and the procedures utilized by the Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal
Service, and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as the private sector
to address these issues, after receiving testimony from Richard M. Stana,
Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, Government Accountability
Office; Karen P. Tandy, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration,
Department of Justice; Lee R. Heath, Chief Postal Inspector, United States
Postal Service; Jayson P. Ahern, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field
Operations, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland
Security; John M. Taylor, III, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs,
and William K. Hubbard, Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning, both
of the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services;
John Scheibel, Yahoo! Inc., Washington, D.C.; Sheryl Sandberg, Google, Inc.,
Mountain View, California; Joshua L. Peirez, Mastercard International
Incorporated, Purchase, New York; Steve Ruwe, Visa U.S.A. Inc., Foster City,
California; Robert A. Bryden, FedEx Corporation, Memphis, Tennessee; and
Daniel J. Silva, United Parcel Service, Atlanta, Georgia.
[Page: D831]
NOMINATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing examine the
nomination of Allen Weinstein, of Maryland, to be Archivist of the United
States, National Archives and Records Administration, after the nominee, who
was introduced by Senator Lugar, testified and answered questions in his own
behalf.
MILITARY FAMILIES
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: On Wednesday, July 21,
Subcommittee on Children and Families held a joint hearing with the Committee
on Armed Services' Subcommittee on Personnel to examine how states have
responded to military families' unique challenges during military deployments
and what the Federal Government can do to support states in this important
work, receiving testimony from Charles S. Abell, Principal Deputy Under
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Florida Governor John Ellis
Bush, Tallahassee; Indiana Governor Joseph E. Kernan, Indianapolis; Nolan
Jones, National Governors Association, Washington, D.C.; General Dennis J.
Reimer, USA, (Ret.), Edmond, Oklahoma, on behalf of the Military Child
Education Coalition; and Hollister K. Petraeus, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Hearing recessed subject to the call.
TERRORISM PREPAREDNESS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine preparations for possible future terrorist attacks,
focusing on a concept of operations plan, tailored to each National Special
Security Event, which establishes a framework for managing federal public
health and medical assets and coordinating with state and local governments in
an emergency, after receiving testimony from Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of
Health and Human Services; Eric Tolbert, Director, Response Division, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, and Andrew T. Mitchell, Deputy Director, Office
for Domestic Preparedness, both of the Department of Homeland Security; Susan
C. Waltman, Greater New York Hospital Association, New York; Michael Sellitto,
District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department,
Washington, D.C.; Ricardo Martinez, Medical Sports Group, Atlanta, Georgia, on
behalf of the National Football League; and George E. Thibault, Partners
Healthcare, Boston, Massachusetts.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee began mark up of S. 1700, to eliminate
the substantial backlog of DNA samples collected from crime scenes and
convicted offenders, to improve and expand the DNA testing capacity of
Federal, State, and local crime laboratories, to increase research and
development of new DNA testing technologies, to develop new training programs
regarding the collection and use of DNA evidence, to provide post-conviction
testing of DNA evidence to exonerate the innocent, to improve the performance
of counsel in State capital cases, but did not take final action thereon, and
recessed subject to call.
COPYRIGHT PROTECTION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2560,
to amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, relating to inducement of
copyright infringement, after receiving testimony from Marybeth Peters,
Register of Copyrights, U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress; Gary J.
Shapiro, Consumer Electronics Association, Arlington, Virginia; Robert
Holleyman, Business Software Alliance, Kevin S. McGuiness, NetCoalition, and
Mitch Bainwol, Recording Industry Association of America, Washington, D.C.;
and Andrew C. Greenberg, Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers-USA, New York, New York.
[Page: D832]
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
Joint Meetings
POSTPONEMENT OF ILLNESS
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine long-term
trends in the health status and health spending levels of elderly Americans,
focusing on evidence regarding declining rates of chronic disability and
assess the best opportunities for further health promotion, after receiving
testimony from James Lubitz, Acting Chief, Aging and Chronic Diseases,
Statistics Branch, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services; Kenneth G.
Manton, Duke University Center for Demographic Studies, Durham, North
Carolina; James F. Fries, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford,
California; and Judith Feder, Georgetown University Public Policy Institute,
Washington, D.C.
2004/09/07
Daily Digest - Tuesday, September 7, 2004; pages D850 - D854
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Committee on Armed Services: On Monday, August 16, Committee concluded a
hearing to examine implications for the Department of Defense and military
operations of proposals to reorganize the United States Intelligence
Community, after receiving testimony from James R. Schlesinger, Mitre
Corporation, McLean, Virginia, former Secretary of Defense; Frank C. Carlucci,
Carlisle Group, Scranton, Pennsylvania, former Secretary of Defense; and John
J. Hamre, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C.,
former Deputy Secretary of Defense.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Committee on Armed Services: On Tuesday, August 17, Committee concluded
hearings to examine implications for the Department of Defense and military
operations of proposals to reorganize the United States Intelligence
Community, after receiving testimony from Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of
Defense, Stephen A. Cambone, Under Secretary for Intelligence, and Gen.
Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, all of the Department
of Defense; and John E. McLaughlin, Acting Director of Central Intelligence.
JONES-FAY INVESTIGATION RESULTS
Committee on Armed Services: On Wednesday, August 25, committee met in closed
session to receive a briefing on the results of the Jones-Fay investigation of
the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade of Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq from Gen.
Paul J. Kern, USA, Commanding General, United States Army Materiel Command;
Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Jones, USA, Deputy Commanding General, Chief of Staff,
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command; and Maj. Gen. George R. Fay,
USA, Deputy Commander, United States Army Intelligence and Security Command.
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY REFORM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: On Monday, August 16,
Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 9/11 Commission recommendations,
focusing on areas within the committee's jurisdiction, including
transportation security, communications and technology, after receiving
testimony from Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border
and Transportation Security; and Thomas H. Kean, Chair, and Lee H. Hamilton,
Vice Chair, both of National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United
States.
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: On Friday, July 30, Committee held hearings
to examine the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission relating, focusing on
the restructuring of the national intelligence community, receiving testimony
from Thomas H. Kean, Chair, and Lee H. Hamilton, Vice Chair, both of the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11
Commission).
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, August 3.
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: On Tuesday, August 3, Committee resumed
hearings to examine the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, focusing on
the reorganization of the Executive Branch, including the creation of the
National Counterterrorism Center, a centralized organization to integrate
terrorist threat information, receiving testimony from John O. Brennan,
Director, Terrorist Threat Integration Center; John S. Pistole, Executive
Assistant Director, Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Department of Justice; Lt. Gen. Patrick M. Hughes, USA (Ret.),
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Information Analysis; Philip
Mudd, Deputy Director, Counterterrorism Center, Central Intelligence Agency;
and Philip Zelikow, Executive Director, and Christopher Kojm, Deputy Executive
Director, both of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United
States (9/11 Commission).
[Page: D843]
Committee will meet again on Monday, August 16.
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: On Monday, August 16, Committee resumed
hearings to examine the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, focusing on
the restructuring of the intelligence community, receiving testimony from
William H. Webster, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, & McCloy, LLP, and R. James
Woolsey, Booz Allen Hamilton, both of Washington, DC, and Stansfield Turner,
University of Maryland School of Public Policy, College Park, Maryland, each a
former Director of Central Intelligence.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: On Tuesday, August 17, Committee continued
hearings to examine the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, focusing on
the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
receiving testimony from Mary Fetchet, 9/11 Family Steering Committee and the
Voices of September 11th, New Canaan, Connecticut; Stephen Push, Families of
September 11, New York, New York; and Kristin Breitweiser, September 11th
Advocates, Middletown Township, New Jersey.
Committee will meet again on Thursday, August 26.
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: On Thursday, August 26, Committee resumed
hearings in closed session to examine the recommendations of the 9/11
Commission, focusing on certain intelligence reform issues, receiving
testimony from Stephen A. Cambone, Under Secretary for Intelligence, and Lt.
Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Director for Operations, J-3, Joint Staff, both of
the Department of Defense; Larry C. Kindsvater, Deputy Director of Central
Intelligence for Community Management; Arthur Cummings, Section Chief,
International Terrorism Operations Section I, Counterterrorism Division,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; and a certain
classified official of the intelligence community.
Committee will meet again on Wednesday, September 8.
FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND BORDER SECURITY
Committee on the Judiciary: On Thursday, August 19, Committee concluded
hearings to examine the 9/11 Commission recommendations, focusing on law
enforcement, border security and the USA PATRIOT Act, after receiving
testimony from Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border
and Transportation Security; Maureen A. Baginski, Executive Assistant
Director, Intelligence, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of
Justice; and Lee Hamilton, Vice Chair, and Slade Gorton, Commissioner, both of
the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11
Commission).
INTELLIGENCE REFORM
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held hearings to examine ways to
implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations for intelligence reform,
receiving testimony from Thomas H. Kean, Chair, Lee H. Hamilton, Vice Chair,
and John F. Lehman, Member, all of the National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission).
[Page: D844]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/09/08
Daily Digest - Wednesday, September 8, 2004; pages D855 - D862
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: 302(b) ALLOCATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Committee approved the fiscal year 2005 302(b)
subcommittee allocations of budget outlays and new budget authority allocated
to the committee.
APPROPRIATIONS: AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies approved for full Committee consideration an original
bill making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2005.
NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the status of NASA's space shuttle program and the safe
return of the Space Shuttle to flight, focusing on completion of the
International Space Station, focus Station research on supporting exploration
goals, and fulfill the commitment to international partners, after receiving
testimony from Sean O'Keefe, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration; Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford, USAF (Ret.), Return to
Flight Task Group, Houston, Texas; and Joe Cuzzupoli, Kistler Aerospace
Corporation, Kirkland, Washington.
9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held a hearing
to examine the implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations to
provide spectrum for public safety users, focusing on private sector
readiness, public safety communications, and completing the transition to
digital television, receiving testimony from Representative Curt Weldon;
Michael K. Powell, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission; Robert
LeGrande, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Government of the District of
Columbia; Stephen T. Devine, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jefferson City;
Gary Grube, Motorola, Schaumburg, Illinois; David L. Donovan, Association for
Maximum Service Television, Washington, D.C.; and Lowell W. Paxson, Paxson
Communications Corporation, West Palm Beach, Florida.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY REFORMS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held a hearing to examine
proposals to build an agile intelligence community to fight terrorism and
emerging threats, focusing on reforms recommended by the 9/11 Commission,
providing Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency
analysts with transparency into intelligence sources, the operational chain of
command, protecting civil liberties, and the USA Patriot Act, receiving
testimony from Robert S. Mueller III, Director, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Department of Justice; and John E. McLaughlin, Acting Director,
Central Intelligence Agency.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Susan Bieke Neilson, of Michigan, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Sixth Circuit, who was introduced by Representative McCotter,
Micaela Alvarez, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District
of Texas, who was introduced by Senators Hutchison and Cornyn, Keith Starrett,
to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi,
who was introduced by Senators Cochran and Lott, and Raymond L. Finch, to be
Judge for the District Court of the Virgin Islands, who was introduced by
Virgin Islands Delegate Christensen, after each nominee testified and answered
questions in their own behalf.
[Page: D857]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/09/09
Daily Digest - Thursday, September 9, 2004; pages D864 - D869
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and
General Government approved for full Committee consideration an original bill
making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and Treasury, the
Executive Office of the President, and certain independent agencies for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
IRAQI PRISONER ABUSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
investigation of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade at Abu Ghraib Prison,
Iraq, after receiving testimony from General Paul J. Kern, USA, Commanding
General, United States Army Materiel Command; Lieutenant General Anthony R.
Jones, USA, Deputy Commanding General, Chief of Staff, United States Army
Training and Doctrine Command; Major General R. Steven Whitcomb, USA, Special
Assistant to the Commander, United States Central Command; Major General
George R. Fay, USA, Deputy Commander, United States Army Intelligence and
Security Command; and Major General Antonio M. Taguba, USA, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Readiness, Training and
Mobilization.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DETENTION OPERATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
report of the Independent Panel to Review Department of Defense Detention
Operations, focusing on why prisoner abuse occurred, how they occurred and
lessons learned, after receiving testimony from James R. Schlesinger,
Chairman, and Harold Brown, Member, both of the Independent Panel to Review
Department of Defense Detention Operations.
[Page: D866]
IMPACT OF SARBANES-OXLEY ACT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a
hearing to examine the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and developments
concerning international convergence, focusing on regulations in the United
Kingdom and Hong Kong, strengthening corporate governance and internal
controls, concerns of small companies, and the changed behavior of audit
committees, management, and auditors, after receiving testimony from Paul
Boyle, Financial Reporting Council, Sir David Tweedie, International
Accounting Standards Board, and Douglas Flint, HSBC Holdings, all of London,
United Kingdom; Andrew Sheng, Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission;
Greg Bentley, Bentley Systems, Inc., Exton, Pennsylvania; Arnold C. Hanish,
Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, on behalf of Financial
Executives International; Leonard Moodispaw, Essex Corporation, Columbia,
Maryland; and James S. Turley, Ernst and Young, LLP, New York, New York.
SUDAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
current situation in Sudan and prospects for peace, focusing on the State
Department's investigation of the Darfur crisis, after receiving testimony
from Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State.
BUSINESS MEETING
[The Daily Digest of 9/10 reported that this entry "contained erroneous data"
and stated that the permanent Record would carry a different entry for the
Judiciary's business meeting. See the entry at 9/10 for the corrected text.]
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 1635, to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to ensure the integrity
of the L-1 visa for intracompany transferees;
S. 1700, to eliminate the substantial backlog of DNA samples collected from
crime scenes and convicted offenders, to improve and expand the DNA testing
capacity of Federal, State, and local crime laboratories, to increase research
and development of new DNA testing technologies, to develop new training
programs regarding the collection and use of DNA evidence, to provide
post-conviction testing of DNA evidence to exonerate the innocent, to improve
the performance of counsel in State capital cases;
S. 2396, to make improvements in the operations and administration of the
Federal courts;
H.R. 1417, to amend title 17, United States Code, to replace copyright
arbitration royalty panels with Copyright Royalty Judges;
S. 2204, to provide criminal penalties for false information and hoaxes
relating to terrorism;
S. 1860, to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy;
S. 2195, to amend the Controlled Substances Act to clarify the definition of
anabolic steroids and to provide for research and education activities
relating to steroids and steroid precursors;
S.J. Res. 23, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States
providing for the event that one-fourth of the members of either the House of
Representatives or the Senate are killed or incapacitated, proposed
legislation authorizing funds for the Department of Justice; and
The nominations of Claude A. Allen, of Virginia, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Fourth Circuit, David E. Nahmias, to be United States Attorney
for the Northern District of Georgia, and William Sanchez, of Florida, to be
Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, both of
the Department of Justice, Ricardo H. Hinojosa, of Texas, to be Chair of the
United States Sentencing Commission, and Michael O'Neill, of Maryland, and
Ruben Castillo, of Illinois, each to be a Member of the United States
Sentencing Commission, William Sanchez, of Florida, to be Special Counsel for
Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, and Richard B. Roper III, of
Texas, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
[Page: D867]
No Joint hearings noted.
2004/09/10
Daily Digest - Friday, September 10, 2004; pages D872 - D876
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the
nominations of Christopher J. LaFleur, of New York, to be Ambassador to
Malaysia, who was introduced by former Representative Thomas S. Foley, and B.
Lynn Pascoe, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Indonesia, after each nominee
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
The Daily Digest of Thursday, September 9, 2004, on page D866, inadvertently
contained erroneous text. The permanent Record will be corrected to reflect
the following:
BUSINESS MEET |
