[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 134 (Thursday, October 20, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1065-D1068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
EXON-FLORIO AMENDMENT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the implementation of the Exon-Florio provision by 
the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), 
Department of the Treasury, which

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seeks to serve U.S. investment policy through reviews that protect 
national security while maintaining the credibility of open investment 
policy, after receiving testimony from Senator Inhofe; Robert M. 
Kimmitt, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; David Sampson, Deputy 
Secretary of Commerce; Stewart Baker, Assistant Secretary of Homeland 
Security for Policy; E. Anthony Wayne, Assistant Secretary of State for 
Economic Affairs; Peter Flory, Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
International Security Policy; Robert D. McCallum, Jr., Acting Deputy 
Attorney General, Department of Justice; Patrick A. Mulloy, 
Commissioner, United States-China Economic and Security Review 
Commission; and David Marchick, Covington and Burling, Washington, D.C.
PASSENGER RAIL SECURITY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine S. 1052, to improve transportation security, 
including public and private sector actions taken since September 11, 
2001, and the attacks on rail systems overseas, to enhance the security 
of passenger and freight rail transportation, after receiving testimony 
from Edmund Hawley, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for 
Transportation Security; Joseph H. Boardman, Administrator, Federal 
Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation; Cathleen Ann 
Berrick, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, Government 
Accountability Office; Edward R. Hamberger, Association of American 
Railroads, William L. Crosbie, Amtrak, and Edward Wytkind, 
Transportation Trades Department (AFL-CIO), all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following bills:
  S. 1753, to establish a unified national hazard alert system, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
  S. 967, to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure that 
prepackaged news stories contain announcements that inform viewers that 
the information within was provided by the United States Government, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  Also, Committee completed its review of certain spending reductions 
and revenue increases to meet reconciliation expenditures as imposed by 
H. Con. Res. 95, establishing the congressional budget for the United 
States Government for fiscal year 2006, revising appropriate budgetary 
levels for fiscal year 2005, and setting forth appropriate budgetary 
levels for fiscal years 2007 through 2010, and agreed on 
recommendations which it will make to the Committee on the Budget 
thereon.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine S. 1016, to direct the Secretary of Energy to make 
incentive payments to the owners or operators of qualified desalination 
facilities to partially offset the cost of electrical energy required 
to operate the facilities, and S. 1860, to amend the Energy Policy Act 
of 2005 to improve energy production and reduce energy demand through 
improved use of reclaimed waters, after receiving testimony from 
Douglas L. Faulkner, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency 
and Renewable Energy, James B. Roberto, Deputy Director for Science and 
Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Les Shephard, Vice President 
for Energy, Resources and Nonproliferation, Sandia National 
Laboratories, and Jane C.S. Long, Associate Director, Energy and 
Environment Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, all of 
the Department of Energy; Jim Reynolds, Florida Keys Aqueduct 
Authority, Key West, on behalf of the U.S. Desalination Coalition; 
Edmund Archuleta, El Paso Water Utilities, El Paso, Texas, on behalf of 
the WateReuse Association; Pankaj Parekh, Los Angeles Department of 
Water and Power, Los Angeles, California, on behalf of the Awwa 
Research Foundation; and Colin Sabol, General Electric Infrastructure, 
Trevose, Pennsylvania.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of Benson K. Whitney, of Minnesota, to be 
Ambassador to Norway, who was introduced by Senators Dayton and 
Coleman, Roland Arnall, of California, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom 
of the Netherlands, who was introduced by Representative Lantos, Susan 
Rasinski McCaw, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Austria, who was introduced by Senator Allen, and Nicholas F. Taubman, 
of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Romania, who was introduced by 
Senators Warner and Allen, after the nominees testified and answered 
questions in their own behalf.
FOREIGN POLICY AND OIL
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South 
Asian Affairs concluded a hearing to examine the role that petroleum 
plays in the economy and foreign policy, particularly as it relates to 
the Middle East, after receiving testimony from Stephen J. Gallogly, 
Director, Office of International Energy and Commodity Policy, Bureau 
of Economic and Business Affairs, and Alan Greeley Misenheimer,

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Director, Office of Arabian Peninsula and Iran Affairs, Bureau of Near 
Eastern Affairs, both of the Department of State; George L. Person, 
Jr., Director, Office of African and Middle Eastern Affairs, Office of 
Policy and International Affairs, Department of Energy; Gal Luft, 
Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, and Robert E. Ebel, 
Center for Strategic and International Studies, both of Washington, 
D.C.; and Tom Z. Collina, 20/20 Vision, Silver Spring, Maryland.
HURRICANE KATRINA
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee held 
a hearing to examine the Federal emergency management and the response 
to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, receiving testimony from Marty J. 
Bahamonde, Regional Director, Office of Public Affairs, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security.
  Hearing recessed subject to the call.
GUARDSMEN/RESERVISTS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: On Wednesday, 
October 19, Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety concluded a 
hearing to examine enhancing cooperation between employers and 
guardsmen/reservists, focusing on civilian and veteran organizations to 
work together to reach out to soldiers returning from the battlefield, 
after receiving testimony from Ronald J. Fry, SFC, North Carolina Army 
National Guard, and Wachovia Corporation, Charlotte, North Carolina; 
Bobby Hollingsworth, National Committee for Employer Support of the 
Guard and Reserve, Washington, D.C.; Dennis Donovan, Home Depot, Inc., 
Atlanta, Georgia; Christine Bierman, Colt Safety, Fire and Rescue, St. 
Louis, Missouri; and Lisa Nisenfeld, Southwest Washington Workforce 
Development Council, Vancouver, Washington.
FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine Federal employment programs for persons 
with disabilities, after receiving testimony from Robert A. Lawhead, 
Employment Link, Boulder, Colorado; Kate Bartlett, Arlington, 
Massachusetts, on behalf of the National Down Syndrome Society; James 
Gashel, National Federation for the Blind, Baltimore, Maryland; Tony 
Young, NISH, Vienna, Virginia; and Mike Nelson, Greeley, Colorado.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
  S. 1326, to require agencies and persons in possession of 
computerized data containing sensitive personal information, to 
disclose security breaches where such breach poses a significant risk 
of identity theft;
  S. 1086, to improve the national program to register and monitor 
individuals who commit crimes against children or sex offenses, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 443, to improve the investigation of criminal antitrust offenses; 
and
  The nominations of Susan Bieke Neilson, of Michigan, to be United 
States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, John Richard Smoak, to be 
United States District Judge for the Northern District of Florida, 
Brian Edward Sandoval, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Nevada, Harry Sandlin Mattice, Jr., to be United States 
District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Margaret Mary 
Sweeney, of Virginia, and Thomas Craig Wheeler, of Maryland, each to be 
a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims.
  Also, Committee completed its review of certain spending reductions 
and revenue increases to meet reconciliation expenditures as imposed by 
H. Con. Res. 95, establishing the congressional budget for the United 
States Government for fiscal year 2006, revising appropriate budgetary 
levels for fiscal year 2005, and setting forth appropriate budgetary 
levels for fiscal years 2007 through 2010, and agreed on 
recommendations which it will make to the Committee on the Budget 
thereon.
  Also, Committee began markup of S. 1789, to prevent and mitigate 
identity theft, to ensure privacy, to provide notice of security 
breaches, and to enhance criminal penalties, law enforcement 
assistance, and other protections against security breaches, fraudulent 
access, and misuse of personally identifiable information, but did not 
complete action thereon, and recessed subject to call.
MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil 
Rights and Property Rights concluded a hearing to examine the 
constitutional amendment on marriage, after receiving testimony from 
Scott FitzGibbon, Boston College Law School, Boston, Massachusetts; 
Christopher E. Harris, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 
Nashville, Tennessee; Louis Michael Seidman, Georgetown University Law 
Center, Washington, DC.; Richard G. Wilkins, Brigham Young University 
J. Reuben Clark Law School, Provo, Utah; and Christopher Wolfe, 
Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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VA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the Department of Veterans Affairs information technology 
infrastructure reorganization assessment, focusing on the role of the 
Chief Information Officer in effectively managing information 
technology, after receiving testimony from Gordon H. Mansfield, Deputy 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Linda D. Koontz, Director, Information 
Management Issues, Government Accountability Office; and Paul 
Wohlleben, Grant Thornton LLP, Chicago, Illinois, on behalf of the 
Information Technology Association of America.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.