[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 139 (Thursday, October 27, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1109-D1111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
CYBER SECURITY
Committee on Armed Services: Asymmetric and Unconventional Threats 
Panel held a hearing on Cyber Security, Information Assurance and 
Information Superiority. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Began markup of amendments to 
the Family Education Reimbursement Act of 2005 for transmission to the 
Committee on the Budget to comply with the reconciliation directive 
included in section 201(a) of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget 
for Fiscal Year.
  Will continue tomorrow.
BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Approved, as amended, reconciliation 
recommendations for Title II, Medicaid, Katrina Health Care Relief, and 
Katrina and Rita Energy Relief, for transmission to the Committee on 
the Budget in compliance with the reconciliation directive included in 
section 201(a) of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal 
Year 2006.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES;
BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 3909, amended, Hurricane Check Cashing Relief Act of 2005; H.R. 
4133, National Flood Insurance Program Further Enhanced Borrowing 
Authority Act of 2005; and H.R. 4146, Hurricane Rita and Wilma 
Financial Services Relief Act of 2005.
  The Committee also approved for transmission to the Committee on the 
Budget in compliance with

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the reconciliation directive in section 201(a) of the Concurrent 
Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2006 the following 
recommendations: Deposit Insurance Reform; and, as amended, FHA Asset 
Disposition.
DHS--SECOND-STATE REVIEW: ROLE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Management, 
Integration, and Oversight held a hearing entitled ``The Department of 
Homeland Security Second-State Review: The Role of the Chief Medical 
Officer.'' Testimony was heard from Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., Chief 
Medical Officer, Department of Homeland Security; and public witnesses.
NUCLEAR INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAMS
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear 
and Biological Attack held a hearing entitled ``Nuclear Incident 
Response Teams.'' Testimony was heard from Joseph Krol, Associate 
Administrator, Department of Energy; and John Lewis, Deputy Assistant 
Director, FBI, Department of Justice.
NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACT
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Africa, Global 
Human Rights and International Operations and the Subcommittee on Asia 
and the Pacific held a joint hearing on Lifting the Veil: Getting the 
Refugees Out, Getting Our Message In: An Update on the Implementation 
of the North Korean Human Rights Act. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM STRATEGY UPDATE
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on International 
Terrorism and Nonproliferation held a hearing on the U.S. 
Counterterrorism Strategy Update. Testimony was heard from Henry A. 
Crumpton, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State.
U.S. SECURITY POLICY--CENTRAL ASIA
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on the Middle East 
and Central Asia held a hearing on U.S. Security Policy in Central 
Asia. Testimony was heard from Representative Smith of New Jersey; and 
Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian 
Affairs, Department of State.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported, as amended, the following 
bills: H.R. 1751, Secure Access to Justice and Court Protection Act of 
2005; H.R. 4128, Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005; and 
H.R. 4093, Federal Judgeship and Administrative Efficiency Act of 2005.
STRENGTHENING THE OWNERSHIP OF PRIVATE PROPERTY ACT OF 2005
Committee on Resources: Held a hearing on H.R. 3405, Strengthening the 
Ownership of Private Property Act of 2005. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Bonilla and Otter; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--FISHERY CONSERVATION
Committee on Resources: Held an oversight hearing on the Operations of 
the Regional Fishery Management Councils and the Reauthorization of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 1090, to designate a Forest 
Service trail at Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the 
State of Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, 
a former Member of the House of Representatives; H.R. 3603, Central 
Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act; H.R. 3817, Valle Vidal 
Protection Act of 2005; and H.R. 4084, to amend the Forest Service use 
and occupancy permit program to restore the authority of the Secretary 
of Agriculture to utilize the special use permit fees collected by the 
Secretary in connection with the establishment and operation of marinas 
in units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain. 
Testimony was heard from Representative Herger; Joel Holtrop, Deputy 
Chief, National Forest System, Forest Service, USDA; Ed Shepard, 
Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning, Department of the 
Interior; and public witnesses.
CONFERENCE REPORT--AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving all points 
of order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 2744, 
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and 
Related Appropriations Act, 2006, and against its consideration. The 
rule provides that the conference report shall be considered as read. 
Testimony was heard from Representative Bonilla.
NASA--FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Space and the Sub committee on 
Government Management, Finance, and Accountability of the Committee on 
Government Reform held a joint hearing on Financial Management at NASA: 
Challenges and Next Steps. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of

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NASA: Gwendolyn Sykes, Chief Financial Officer; Robert Cobb, Inspector 
General; and Patrick Ciganer, Program Executive Officer, Integrated 
Enterprise Management; and Gregory Kutz, Managing Director, Forensic 
Audit and Special Investigations, GAO.
OVERSIGHT--GULF COAST REBUILDING
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Highways, Transit and Pipelines held an oversight hearing on Rebuilding 
Highway and Transit Infrastructure on the Gulf Coast following 
Hurricane Katrina--State and Local Officials. Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the State of Louisiana: Johnny B. Bradley, 
Secretary, Department of Transportation and Development; and William 
Deville, General Manager, Regional Transit Authority, New Orleans; the 
following officials of the Department of Transportation, State of 
Mississippi: Dick Hall, Central District Commissioner; and Wayne H. 
Brown, Southern District Commissioner; and Don Vaughn, Chief Engineer, 
Department of Transportation, State of Alabama.
OVERSIGHT--HURRICANE AND FLOOD RISK REDUCTION
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held an oversight hearing on Reducing 
Hurricane and Flood Risk in the Nation. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
BRIEFING--NYC TERRORISM THREAT REPORTING
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Terrorism, 
Human Intelligence, and Counterintelligence met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on New York City Terrorism Threat Reporting. The 
Subcommittee was briefed by departmental witnesses.
HURRICANE KATRINA
Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and 
Response to Hurricane Katrina: Held a hearing entitled ``Hurricane 
Katrina: Preparedness and Response by the Department of Defense, the 
Coast Guard, and the National Guard of Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
Alabama.'' Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: Paul McHale, Assistant Secretary, Homeland 
Defense; ADM Timothy J. Keating, USN, Commander, North American 
Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command; LTG H. Steven 
Blum, USA, Chief, National Guard Bureau; MG Bennett C. Landreneau, USA, 
The Adjutant General, State of Louisiana; MG Harold A. Cross, USA, The 
Adjutant General, State of Mississippi; and MG C. Mark Bowen, USA, The 
Adjutant General, State of Alabama; and RADM R. Dennis Sirois, USCG, 
Assistant Commandant for Operations, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of 
Homeland Security.