[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 95 (Thursday, July 14, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D757-D758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
OVERSIGHT--BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT/FOREST SERVICE NATIONAL FIRE PLAN
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and 
Related Agencies held an oversight hearing on Bureau of Land 
Management/Forest Service National Fire Plan. Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the USDA: Mary Rey, Under Secretary, Natural 
Resources and Environment; and Dale Bosworth, Chief, Forest Service; 
Robert A. Robinson, Managing Director, Natural Resources and 
Environment, GAO; Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary, Policy, 
Management and Budget, Department of the Interior; and Bruce D. 
McDowell, Fellow National Academy of Public Administration.
MID-SESSION REVIEW BUDGET FISCAL YEAR 2005
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on Mid-Session Review Budget of 
the United States Government Fiscal Year 2006. Testimony was heard from 
Joshua B. Bolten, Director, OMB.
COLLEGE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2005
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on 21st Century 
Competitiveness approved for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 
609, College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005.
STATE HIGH RISK POOL FUNDING EXTENSION ACT; PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY 
IMPROVEMENT ACT
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health approved for 
full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 3204, State High Risk 
Pool Funding Extension Act of 2005; and H.R. 3205, Patient Safety and 
Quality Improvement Act.
PROJECT BIOSHIELD--ONE YEAR LATER
Committee on Government Reform: Held a hearing entitled ``One Year 
Later: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Project BioShield.'' Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Health and 
Human Services: Stewart Simonson, Assistant Secretary, Public Health 
Emergency Preparedness; and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National 
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH; John Vitko, Jr., 
Director, Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee, 
Department of Homeland Security; and public witnesses.
HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT REVIEW
Committee on Homeland Security: Held a hearing entitled ``The 
Secretary's Second-Stage Review: Re-thinking the Department of Homeland 
Security's Organization and Policy Direction.'' Testimony was heard 
from Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security.

[[Page D758]]


NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific held a hearing entitled ``North Korean Nuclear Negotiations: 
Strategies and Prospects for Success.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES COMPETITION IN CONTRACTING ACT OF 2005
Committee on the Judiciary: Began markup of H.R. 2965, Federal Prison 
Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2005.
NEW YORK TRIBAL LAND CLAIMS
Committee on Resources: Held a hearing entitled ``Status of Settling 
Recognized Tribes' Land Claims in the State of New York.'' Testimony 
was heard from Michael Olsen, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 233, Northern California Coastal 
Wild Heritage Wilderness Act; H.R. 1129, Pitkin County Land Exchange 
Act of 2005; H.R. 2720, Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control 
Demonstration Act; and H.R. 2875, Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests 
Restoration Act of 2005. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of the Interior: Chad Calvert, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Lands and Minerals Management; and Jim Tate, 
Science Advisor to the Secretary; Joel Holtrop, Deputy Chief, National 
Forest System, Forest Service, USDA; Sam Aanestad, Senator, State of 
California; and public witnesses.
NASA AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005
Committee on Science: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 3070, National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Small Business: Ordered reported, as amended, the 
following bills: H.R. 230, National Small Business Regulatory 
Assistance Act of 2005; H.R. 527, Vocational and Technical 
Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2005; H.R. 2981, To amend the Small 
Business Act to expand and improve the assistance provided by Small 
Business Development Centers to Indian tribe members, Native Alaskans, 
and Native Hawaiians; and H.R. 3207, Second-Stage Small Business 
Development Act of 2005.
OVERSIGHT--CELL USE ON AIRCRAFT
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation held an oversight hearing on Cell Phones on Aircraft: Nuisance 
or Necessity? Testimony was heard from Nicholas Sabatini, Associate 
Administrator, Aviation Safety, FAA, Department of Transportation; 
Julius Knapp, Deputy Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC; 
Laura Parsky, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, 
Department of Justice; and a public witness.
DISASTER RELIEF EQUITY ACT; RURAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE FAIRNESS ACT
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management 
approved for full Committee the following bills: H.R. 3208, Disaster 
Relief Equity Act of 2005; and H.R. 2338, amended, Rural Disaster 
Assistance Fairness Act of 2005.
VETERANS' MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Ordered reported the following 
measures: H.R. 3200, Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Enhancement 
Act of 2005; and H. Res. 361, Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the 
establishment of the Veterans Administration on July 21, 1930.
WELFARE AND WORK DATA
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Human Resources held a 
hearing on Welfare and Work Data. Testimony was heard from Wade F. 
Horn, Assistant Secretary, Children and Families, Department of Health 
and Human Services.
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.

Joint Meetings
ENERGY POLICY ACT
  Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House 
passed versions of H.R. 6, to ensure jobs for our future with secure, 
affordable, and reliable energy, but did not complete action thereon, 
and will meet again on Tuesday, July 19, 2005.