[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 72 (Thursday, May 26, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D559-D561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FEDERAL WORKERS COMPENSATION IMPROVEMENT; FEDERAL FIREFIGHTERS FAIRNESS 
ACT
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Workforce 
Protections held a hearing on the following measures: H.R. 2561, To 
amend the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to cover services 
provided to injured Federal workers by physician assistants and nurse 
practitioners; and H.R. 697, Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2005. 
Testimony was heard from Representative Jo Ann Davis of Virginia; and 
public witnesses.
CLEAR SKIES INITIATIVE
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air 
Quality held a hearing on the Administration's Clear Skies Initiative. 
Testimony was heard from James L. Connaughton, Chairman, Council on 
Environmental Quality; and Jeffrey R. Holmstead, Assistant 
Administrator, Air and Radiation, EPA.

[[Page D560]]

PANDEMIC FLU THREAT
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``The Threat of and Planning for Pandemic Flu.'' Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of Health and 
Human Services: Bruce Gellin, Director, National Vaccine Program 
Office, Office of Public Health and Science; Julie Louise Gerberding, 
M.D., Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Anthony 
S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious 
Diseases; Marcia Crosse, Director, Health Care Issues, GAO; and public 
witnesses.
DTV TRANSITION ACT
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications 
and the Internet held a hearing on the DTV Transition Act of 2005. 
Testimony was heard from Rick Chessen, Chair, DTV Task Force, FCC; Mark 
L. Goldstein, Director, Physical Infrastructure Team, GAO; Steve 
Souder, Director, 911 Emergency Communications Center, Montgomery 
County, State of Maryland; and public witnesses.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DETECTING CRIMES
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``The First Line of Defense: The 
Role of Financial Institutions in Detecting Financial Crimes.'' 
Testimony was heard from William J. Fox, Director, Financial Crimes 
Enforcement Network, Department of the Treasury; Michael Morehart, 
Director, Terrorist Financing Operations Section, FBI, Department of 
Justice; and public witnesses.
DRUG TESTING IN AMERICAN SPORTS; POSTAL SERVICE FACILITY NAMING
Committee on Government Reform: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 2565, to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy 
Act and to establish minimum drug testing standards for major 
professional sports leagues; and H.R. 2326, To designate the facility 
of the United States Postal Service located at 614 West Old County Road 
in Belhaven, North Carolina, as the ``Floyd Lupton Post Office.''
FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM
Committee on Government Reform: Held a hearing entitled ``Federal 
Student Loan Program: Are They Meeting the Needs of Students and 
Schools?'' Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Education: Theresa S. Shaw, Chief Operating Officer, 
Federal Student Aid Office; and John P. Higgins, Jr., Inspector 
General; and public witnesses.
TERRORIST ACTIVITIES--NUCLEAR BOMB BUILDING
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear 
and Biological Attack also held a hearing entitled ``Building a Nuclear 
Bomb: Identifying Early Indicators of Terrorist Activities.'' Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT; RESOLUTION REGARDING SREBRENICA 
MASSACRE
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Africa, Global 
Human Rights and International Operations approved for full Committee 
action the following measures: H.R. 2601, amended, Foreign Relations 
Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007; and H. Res. 199, 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
massacre at Srebrenica in July 1995.
U.S. AND NORTHEAST ASIA
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific held a hearing on the United States and Northeast Asia. 
Testimony was heard from Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary, Bureau 
of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State; and Richard P. 
Lawless, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Asian and Pacific Affairs, Bureau 
of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense.
OVERSIGHT--USA PATRIOT ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and 
Homeland Security held an oversight hearing on the Implementation of 
the USA PATRIOT Act: Section 505 and 804. Section 505 of the Act 
Addresses National Security Letters; Section 804 of the Act Addresses 
Jurisdiction Over Crimes Committed at U.S. Facilities Abroad; and 
Material Witness Provisions of the Criminal Code. Testimony was heard 
from the following officials of the Department of Justice: Chuck 
Rosenberg, Chief of Staff to Deputy Attorney General; and Matthew 
Berry, Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General; and public 
witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans held an 
oversight hearing on Public Access within the National Wildlife Refuge 
System. Testimony was heard from William Hartwig, Assistant Director, 
Refugees, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior; 
William S. Dudley, Immediate Past Director of Naval History, Department 
of the Navy; and public witnesses.

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FREE TRADE--DOES CHINA ENACT BARRIERS
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, 
Agriculture and Technology and the Subcommittee on Tax, Finance and 
Exports held a joint hearing on Does China Enact Barriers to Fair 
Trade? Testimony was heard from Steve Pinkos, Office of the Under 
Secretary and Director, U.S. Patent and Trade Office, Department of 
Commerce; and public witnesses.
TAX-EXEMPT HOSPITAL SECTOR
Committee on Ways and Means: Held a hearing on the Tax-Exempt Hospital 
Sector. Testimony was heard from Mark W. Everson, Commissioner, IRS, 
Department of the Treasury; David M. Walker, Comptroller General, GAO; 
Mark McClellan, M.D., Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services, Department of Health and Human Services; 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 Representatives Rangel, Shaw, Sam Johnson of Texas, Lewis of 
Kentucky, Brady of Texas, Ryan of Wisconsin, Weller, Kolbe, Boyd, 
Solis, Thompson of Mississippi, Conaway, Spratt, Gonzalez, Wasserman 
Schultz, Cleaver, Matsui, Jackson-Lee of Texas, and Fossella.
BRIEFING--GLOBAL UPDATES
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a Briefing on Global Updates. Testimony was heard from 
departmental witnesses.