[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D195-D196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the reauthorization of the Commodity Futures 
Trading Commission, after receiving testimony from Sharon Brown-Hruska, 
Acting Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Charles P. 
Carey, Chicago Board of Trade, Terrence A. Duffy, Chicago Mercantile 
Exchange, and Satish Nandapurkar, Eurex US, all of Chicago, Illinois; 
James Newsome, New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc., and Frederick W. 
Schoenhut, New York Board of Trade, both of New York, New York; and 
John M. Damgard, Futures Industry Association, Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Appropriations: On February 17, 2005, Committee adopted 
its rules of procedure for the 109th Congress.
APPROPRIATIONS: NAVY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction 
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
year 2006 for defense wide and navy budget overview, after receiving 
testimony from Tina W. Jonas, Under Secretary (Comptroller), and Philip 
W. Grone, Deputy Under Secretary (Installations and Environment), both 
of the Department of Defense; B.J. Penn, Assistant Secretary 
(Installations and Environment), and Rear Admiral Wayne G. Shears, Jr., 
Deputy Director, Ashore Readiness Division, both of the United States 
Navy; and Brigadier General Willie J. Williams, Assistant Deputy 
Commandant, Installations and Logistics (Facilities), United States 
Marine Corps.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded an open and closed 
hearing to examine military strategy and operational requirements in 
review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2006, after 
receiving testimony from Admiral William J. Fallon, USN, Commander, 
United States Pacific Command; and General Leon J. LaPorte, USA, 
Commander, United Nations Command and Republic of Korea/United States 
Combined Forces Command Commander, United States Forces Korea.
OPERATIONS IN IRAQ
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive 
a briefing to discuss current operations in Iraq from General George W. 
Casey, Jr., USA, Commanding General, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and 
Peter W. Rodman, Assistant of Defense for International Security 
Affairs.
LAND BILLS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands 
and Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 179, to provide for the 
exchange of land within the Sierra National Forest, California, S. 213, 
to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Federal land 
to Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, S. 267, to reauthorize the Secure 
Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, S. 305, to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to recruit volunteers to assist 
with or facilitate the activities of various agencies and offices of 
the Department of the Interior, S. 476, to authorize the Boy Scouts of 
America to exchange certain land in the State of Utah acquired under 
the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, and S. 485, to reauthorize and 
amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992, after receiving 
testimony from Senator Hatch; Mark Rey, Under Secretary of Agriculture 
for Natural Resources and the Environment; Christopher Kearney, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy Management and Budget; 
Robert Douglas, Tehama County Schools, Red Bluff, California, on behalf 
of the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition; and Michael A. 
Francis, Wilderness Society, Washington, D.C.

[[Page D196]]


POWER GENERATION RESOURCES
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine ways to encourage the diversification of power 
generation resources, focusing on renewable portfolio standards (RPS) 
efforts among states and the cost and benefits of a federal RPS 
program, and new approaches to promoting a variety of clean power 
resources, such as wind, solar, clean coal technology and nuclear 
power, after receiving testimony from David K. Garman, Assistant 
Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Richard 
E. Morgan, Commissioner, District of Columbia Public Service 
Commission, on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility 
Commissioners; Ryan H. Wiser, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 
Berkeley, California; Wayne Brunetti, Xcel Energy, Minneapolis, 
Minnesota; Sonny Popowsky, Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, 
Harrisburg, on behalf of National Association of State Utility Consumer 
Advocates; Donald N. Furman, PacifiCorp, Portland, Oregon; Kerry W. 
Bowers, Southern Company, Birmingham, Alabama; Alan Nogee, Union of 
Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Brian 
O'Shaughnessy, Revere Copper Products, Rome, New York, on behalf of 
National Association of Manufacturers.
PHYSICIAN-OWNED SPECIALITY HOSPITALS
Committee on Finance: Committee held a hearing to examine physician-
owned specialty hospitals, focusing on the effects that speciality 
hospitals have on community hospitals, receiving testimony from Thomas 
A. Gustafson, Deputy Director, Center for Medicare Management, Centers 
for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human 
Services; Glenn M. Hackbarth, Chairman, Medicare Payment Advisory 
Commission; Alan H. Pierrot, PSC Health, Inc., Fresno, California, on 
behalf of American Surgical Hospital Association; Larry Veitz, Lookout 
Memorial Hospital, Spearfish, South Dakota; and J. Andy Sullivan, 
Oklahoma University Medical Center, Oklahoma City.
  Hearing recessed subject to the call of the Chair.
BLACK SEA AREA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on European Affairs 
concluded a hearing to examine the current state of democracy in the 
Black Sea region and the prospects for further democratic evolution in 
the area, after receiving testimony from John F. Tefft, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs; and 
Bruce P. Jackson, Project on Transitional Democracies, Vladimir Socor, 
Jamestown Foundation, and Zeyno Baran, The Nixon Center, all of 
Washington, D.C.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nomination of Thomas B. Griffith, of Utah, to be United States 
Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, after the nominee, 
who was introduced by Senators Hatch and Bennett, testified and 
answered questions in his own behalf.
TERRORISM AND EMP THREAT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and 
Homeland Security concluded a hearing to examine terrorism and the 
electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat to homeland security, after 
receiving testimony from Peter M. Fonsah, Acting Deputy Manager, 
National Communications Systems, Department of Homeland Security; and 
Lowell Wood, Acting Chairman, and Peter V. Pry, both of the 
Congressional Commission to Assess the Threat to the U.S. from 
Electromagnetic Pulse Attack.
527 REFORM ACT
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine S. 271, to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to 
clarify when organizations described in section 527 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 must register as political committees, after 
receiving testimony from Senators Feingold and McCain; Scott E. Thomas, 
Chairman, and David M. Mason, Commissioner, both of the Federal 
Election Commission; Frances R. Hill, University of Miami School of 
Law, Coral Gables, Florida; and Robert F. Bauer, Perkins Coie LLP, and 
Michael J. Malbin, Campaign Finance Institute, 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.