[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 124 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D989-D991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
IRAQ
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
United States military strategy and operations in Iraq, after receiving 
testimony from Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary, General Richard B. Myers, 
USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John P. Abizaid, USA, 
Commander, U.S. Central Command, and General George W. Casey, USA, 
Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, all of the Department of 
Defense.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported 3,979 
military nominations in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the nominations of Emil W. Henry, Jr., of New York, 
to be Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions, and Patrick M. 
O'Brien, of Minnesota, to be Assistant Secretary for Terrorist 
Financing, both of the Department of the Treasury, Keith E. Gottfried, 
of California, to be General Counsel, and Kim Kendrick, of the District 
of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary, Keith A. Nelson, of Texas, to 
be Assistant Secretary, and Darlene F. Williams, of Texas, to be 
Assistant Secretary, all of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, and Israel Hernandez, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary 
and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial 
Service, Darryl W. Jackson, of the District of Columbia, to be 
Assistant Secretary, Franklin L. Lavin, of Ohio, to be Under Secretary 
for International Trade, and David H. McCormick, of Pennsylvania, to be 
Under Secretary for Export Administration, all of the Department of 
Commerce.
COMMUNICATIONS INTEROPERABILITY IN A DISASTER
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held a 
hearing to examine communications for first responders in disaster, 
focusing on

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damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina to the communications industry and 
the Federal Communications Commission's efforts to assist consumers, 
the industries the agency regulates, and other Federal Agencies during 
this difficult crisis, including efforts to address public safety 
interoperability issues, receiving testimony from Kenneth P. Moran, 
Director, Office of Homeland Security, Enforcement Bureau, Federal 
Communications Commission; David G. Boyd, Director, Office for 
Interoperability and Compatibility, Systems Engineering and 
Development, Directorate of Science and Technology, Department of 
Homeland Security; Dereck Orr, Program Manager, Public Safety 
Communications Systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
Technology Administration, Department of Commerce; and Willis Carter, 
Shreveport Fire Department, Shreveport, Louisiana, on behalf of the 
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International.
  Hearings recessed subject to the call.
TREATIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the Protocol of 1997 Amending MARPOL Convention (Treaty Doc. 
108-7), Agreement with Canada on Pacific Hake/Whiting (Treaty Doc. 108-
24), Convention Concerning Migratory Fish Stock in the Pacific Ocean 
(Treaty Doc. 109-1), Convention Strengthening Inter-American Tuna 
Commission (Treaty Doc. 109-2), and the Convention on Supplementary 
Compensation on Nuclear Damage (Treaty Doc. 107-21), after receiving 
testimony from David A. Balton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans 
and Fisheries, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and 
Scientific Affairs, Warren M. Stern, Senior Coordinator for Nuclear 
Safety, both of the Department of State; Bryan C. Wood-Thomas, Senior 
Advisor, Office of International Environmental Policy, Environmental 
Protection Agency; and James Bennett McRae, Assistant General Counsel 
for Civilian Nuclear Programs, Department of Energy.
U.S.-JAPAN RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs concluded a hearing to examine United States-Japan relations 
and future policies, after receiving testimony from Christopher R. 
Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; 
Richard P. Lawless, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Asian and 
Pacific Affairs; Amelia Porges, Sidley, Austin Brown & Wood LLP, 
Washington, D.C.; Stephen P. MacMillan, Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, 
Michigan, on behalf of the Advanced Medical Technology Association; and 
Gerald Curtis, Columbia University Department of Political Science, New 
York, New York.
DEFENSE TRAVEL SYSTEM
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Permanent 
Subcommittee on Investigations concluded a hearing to examine the 
effectiveness and cost of the Defense Travel System (DTS) of the 
Department of Defense, focusing on whether DTS can deliver on the 
increased efficiency and cost savings that were anticipated when the 
program was established, after receiving testimony from Senator 
Grassley; Thomas F. Gimble, Acting Inspector General, Scott A. Comes, 
Director, Strategic and Information Programs Division, Program Analysis 
and Evaluation, and Zack E. Gaddy, Director, Defense Finance and 
Accounting Service, all of the Department of Defense; McCoy Williams, 
Director, Financial Management and Assurance, Government Accountability 
Office; Thomas A. Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste, 
Washington, D.C.; and Robert Langsfeld, The Corporate Solutions Group, 
Menlo Park, California.
PROCUREMENT PROCESS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and 
International Security concluded an oversight hearing to examine 
certain activities of the General Services Administration, focusing on 
the procurement process, which includes acquisition of workspace, 
equipment, technology, furniture, supplies, vehicles, and professional 
services, after receiving testimony from Stephen A. Perry, 
Administrator, General Services Administration.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of William F. Tuerk, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary 
for Memorial Affairs, who was introduced by Senator Specter, Robert 
Joseph Henke, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary for Management, 
John M. Molino, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary for Policy and 
Planning, Lisette M. Mondello, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for 
Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, who was introduced by Senator 
Hutchison, and George J. Opfer, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, 
all of Department of Veterans Affairs, after the nominees testified and 
answered questions in their own behalf.
DRUG ADVERTISING
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the impact of direct-to-consumer drug advertising on seniors' health 
and health care

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costs, after receiving testimony from Rachel E. Behrman, Deputy 
Director, Office of Medical Policy, Center for Drug Evaluation and 
Research, Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration, 
Department of Health and Human Services; Paul Antony, Pharmaceutical 
Research and Manufacturers of America, Donna Sweet, American College of 
Physicians, and Peter Lurie, Public Citizen, all of Washington, D.C.; 
and Richard L. Kravitz, University of California Center for Health 
Services Research in Primary Care Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, 
California.