[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 24, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D537-D539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
REVIEW U.S. GRAIN STANDARDS ACT
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and 
Risk Management held a hearing to Review the U.S. Grain Standards Act. 
Testimony was heard from David Shipman, Deputy Administrator, Grain 
Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA; and public 
witnesses.
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense met in executive 
session and approved for full Committee action the Defense 
appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006.
SCIENCE, THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE, JUSTICE, AND COMMERCE, AND RELATED 
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Science, The Departments 
of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies approved for full 
Committee

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action the Science, The Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, 
and Related Agencies appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006.
OLDER AMERICANS ACT EXAMINATION
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Select 
Education held a hearing entitled ``An Examination of the Older 
Americans Act.'' Testimony was heard from Joan Lawrence, Director, 
Department of Aging, State of Ohio; and public witnesses.
NUCLEAR TERRORISM THREAT REDUCTION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on Reducing the Threat of Nuclear 
Terrorism: A Review of the Department of Energy's Global Threat 
Reduction Initiative. Testimony was heard from Paul Longsworth, Deputy 
Administrator, Defense Nuclear Proliferation, National Nuclear Security 
Agency, Department of Energy; Edward McGaffigan, Jr., Commissioner, 
NRC; and public witnesses.
ABUSIVE MORTGAGE LENDING PRACTICES
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing and Community 
Opportunity and the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer 
Credit held a joint hearing entitled ``Legislative Solutions to Abusive 
Mortgage Lending Practices.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM
  Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Federalism and the 
Census held a hearing entitled ``Bringing Community Development 
Block Grant Program (CDBG) Spending into the 21st Century: 
Introducing Accountability and Meaningful Performance Measures into 
the Decades-Old CDBG Program.'' Testimony was heard from Roy A. 
Bernardi, Deputy Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development; and public witnesses.
BORDER PATROL AGENT TRAINING
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Management, 
Integration, and Oversight held a hearing entitled ``Training More 
Border Patrol Agents: How the Department of Homeland Security Can 
Increase Training Capacity Most Effectively.'' Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the Department of Homeland Security: Thomas 
Walters, Assistant Commissioner, Training and Development, Bureau of 
Customs and Border Protection; and Connie Patrick, Director, Federal 
Law Enforcement Training Center; and public witnesses.
STATE TAXATION AND INTERSTATE COMMERCE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution and the 
Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law held a joint 
oversight hearing on ``Economic Development and the Dormant Commerce 
Clause: The Lessons of Curo v. Daimler Chrysler and Its Effect on State 
Taxation Affecting Interstate Commerce.'' Testimony was heard from 
Bruce Johnson, Lt. Gov., State of Ohio; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--FEDERAL FISH HATCHERY SYSTEM
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans held an 
oversight hearing on the Federal Fish Hatchery System. Testimony was 
heard from Mamie Parker, Assistant Director, Fisheries and Habitat 
Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the 
Interior; D. Robert Lohn, Regional Administrator, Northwest Region, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Department of Commerce; and 
public witnesses.
BIOMASS UTILIZATION
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
an oversight hearing on Current Obstacles in Biomass Utilization: A GAO 
Report on Problems Agencies Face in the utilization of Woody Biomass, 
and the extent to which they are addressing these problems. Testimony 
was heard from Robin Nazzaro, Director, Natural Resources and 
Environment, GAO; and public witnesses.
DESALINATION DROUGHT PROTECTION ACT; DESALINATION PROCESS--REDUCING 
POWER AND OTHER COSTS
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing 
on H.R. 1071, Desalination Drought Protection Act of 2005 and on 
``Reducing Power and Other Costs of the Desalination Process.'' 
Testimony was heard from David Garman, Assistant Secretary, Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; Maryanne Bach, 
Director, Research and Development, Bureau of Reclamation, Department 
of the Interior; Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, CBO; and public 
witnesses.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FY 2006
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule providing 
one hour of general debate on H.R. 1815, National Defense Authorization 
Act for FY 2006, to be equally divided and controlled between the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed 
Services. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of 
the

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bill. The rule provides that the amendment in the nature of a 
substitute recommended by the Committee on Armed Services now printed 
in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of 
amendment and shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points 
of order against the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
recommended by the Committee on Armed Services.
  The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules 
Committee report. The rule provides that amendments shall be considered 
only in the order specified in the report (except as specified in 
section 4 of the resolution), may be offered only by a Member 
designated in the report, shall be debatable for the time specified in 
the report, shall not be subject to amendment (except that the chairman 
and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services each may 
offer one pro forma amendment for the purpose of further debate on any 
pending amendment), shall be considered as read, and shall not be 
subject to a demand for division of the question. The rule waives all 
points of order against amendments printed in the Rules Committee 
report. The rule allows the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to 
recognize for the consideration of any amendment printed in the report 
out of the order printed, but not sooner than one hour after the 
chairman of the Committee on Armed Services or a designee announces 
from the floor a request to that effect.
  The rule authorizes the Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, 
or his designee, to offer amendments en bloc consisting of amendments 
printed in the Rules Committee report not earlier disposed of, which 
shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally 
divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of 
the Committee on Armed Services or their designees, and shall not be 
subject to amendment or demand for a division of the question in the 
House of the Committee of the Whole.
  The rule provides that during consideration of the bill under this 
resolution or by a subsequent order of the House that after a motion 
that the Committee rise or after a motion to strike out the enacting 
words of the bill (as described in clause 9 of rule XVIII) has been 
rejected on a legislative day, the Chairman of the Committee of the 
Whole may entertain another such motion on that day only if offered by 
the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services or the Majority Leader. 
Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. Testimony was heard from Chairman Hunter and 
Representatives Bradley of New Hampshire, Simmons, Shays, Stearns, 
Cunningham, Latham, Manzullo, Goode, Beauprez, Skelton, Spratt, Taylor 
of Mississippi, Meehan, Tauscher, Israel, Udall of Colorado, Marshall, 
McKinney, Stark, Markey, Slaughter, DeLauro, Bishop of Georgia, 
Velazquez, Woolsey, Blumenauer, Ford, Kilpatrick, Tierney, Honda, 
Lynch, Matheson, Schiff, Michaud, Herseth and Wasserman Schultz.
VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Workforce, Empowerment, 
and Government Programs and the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a joint hearing entitled ``How 
Are Our Veterans-Owned Small Business Owners Being Served?'' Testimony 
was heard from Frank A. Ramos, Director, Office of Small and 
Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Defense; Scott F. 
Denniston, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business 
Utilization; Department of Veterans Affairs; representatives of 
veterans organizations; and public witnesses.
WTO WITHDRAWAL
Committee on Ways and Means: Ordered adversely reported H.J. Res. 27, 
Withdrawing the approval of the United States from the Agreement 
establishing the World Trade Organization.
RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures 
held a hearing on Tax Credits for Electricity Production from Renewable 
Sources. Testimony was heard from Howard Gruenspecht, Deputy 
Administrator, Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy; 
and public witnesses.
SOCIAL SECURITY--PROTECTING AND STRENGTHENING
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Social Security continued 
hearings on Protecting and Strengthening Social Security. Testimony was 
heard from Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, SSA.
  Hearings continue May 26.
INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session 
and ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 2475, Intelligence Authorization 
Act for Fiscal year 2006.