[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D400-D403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FUTURE MARKET AND GASOLINE PRICES
Committee on Agriculture: Held a hearing to review the Futures Market 
and Gasoline Prices. Testimony was heard from Walter L. Lukken, 
Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and James E. 
Newsome, President and Chief Executive Officer, New York Mercantile 
Exchange.

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SCIENCE, THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE, JUSTICE, AND COMMERCE, AND RELATED 
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Science, the Departments 
of State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies held a hearing on the 
SEC. Testimony was heard from Christopher Cox, Chairman, SEC.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Projection Forces approved 
for full Committee action H.R. 5122, National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2007.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness approved for 
full Committee action H.R. 5122, National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2007.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional 
Threats and Capabilities approved for full Committee action H.R. 5122, 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007.
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Workforce 
Protections held a hearing entitled ``Examining the Use of Non-
Consensus Standards in Workplace Health and Safety.'' Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
PIPELINE SAFETY
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air 
Quality held a hearing on Pipeline Safety: A Progress Report Since the 
Enactment of the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of Transportation: 
Stacey L. Gerard, Acting Administrator/Chief Safety Officer, Pipeline 
and Hazardous Materials Administration; and Theodore Alves, Principal 
Assistant Inspector General for Audit and Evaluation; Robert 
Chipkevich, Director, Office of Railroad, Pipeline, and Hazardous 
Materials Investigations, National Transportation Safety Board; 
Katherine Siggerud, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, GAO; and 
public witnesses.
RYAN WHITE CARE ACT REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``Reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act: How to Improve the 
Program to Ensure Access to Care.'' Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Health and Human Services: 
Elizabeth M. Duke, Administrator, Health Resources and Services 
Administration; and Kevin Fenton, M.D., Director, National Center for 
HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention; and Marcia Crosse, Director, Health Care, GAO.
FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN THE U.S.
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Domestic and 
International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology held a hearing 
entitled ``CFIUS and the Role of Foreign Direct Investment in the 
United States.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
PERSISTENT MILITARY PAY PROBLEMS
Committee on Government Reform: Held a hearing entitled ``Financial 
Friendly Fire: A Review of Persistent Military Pay Problems.'' 
Testimony was heard from Gregory Kutz, Director, Forensic Audits and 
Special Investigations, GAO: the following officials of the Department 
of Defense: J. David Patterson, Principal Deputy Under Secretary, 
Office of the Comptroller; Nelson Ford, Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of the Army, Financial Management and Comptroller; Zach E. 
Gaddy, Director, Defense Finance Accounting Service; LTC John M. 
Lovejoy, U.S. Army Reservist, 364th Civil Affairs Brigade; Mark Lewis, 
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, Department of the Army; and COL 
Mark McAllister, Finance Officer, 18th Airbourne Corps; and public 
witnesses.
BRIEFING--GAO REPORT--INFORMATION SHARING
  Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Intelligence, 
Information Sharing and Terrorism met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on the GAO report Information Sharing: The 
Federal Government Needs To Establish Policies and Processes for 
Sharing Terrorism-Related and Sensitive but Unclassified Information 
(GAO-06-385). The Subcommittee was briefed by departmental 
witnesses.
UNITED NATIONS REFORM
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on United Nations 
Reform: Improving Internal Oversight Within the UN. Testimony was heard 
from David M. Walker, Comptroller General, GAO.

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NORTH KOREA--HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATE
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and 
International Operations held a joint hearing on North Korea: Human 
Rights Update and International Abduction Issues. Testimony was heard 
from Jay Lefkowitz, Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea, 
Department of State; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--CONSTITUTION AND LINE ITEM VETO
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution held an 
oversight hearing on the Constitution and Line Item Veto. Testimony was 
heard from Representatives Kennedy of Minnesota and Ryan of Wisconsin; 
and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--PATENT HARMONIZATION
Committee on thr Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and 
Intellectual Property held an oversight hearing on Patent 
Harmonization. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--PUERTO RICO'S STATUS
Committee on Resources: Held an oversight hearing on The Report by the 
Administration's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status. Testimony was 
heard from C. Kevin Marshall, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office 
of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice and Co-Chair, President's Task 
Force on Puerto Rico's Status; Senator Pedro Rossello, Senate of Puerto 
Rico; former Resident Commissioner Carlos A. Romero-Barcelo of Puerto 
Rico; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--BIOMASS ENERGY
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
an oversight hearing on the GAO Report on Promoting Woody Biomass for 
Energy and Other Uses. Testimony was heard from Robin M. Nazzaro, 
Director, Natural Resources and Environment, GAO; Marcia Patton-
Mallory, Biomass and Bioenergy Coordinator, Forest Service, USDA; 
Richard Moorer, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Technology Department, 
Department of Energy; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing 
on the following bills: H.R. 1796, Mississippi River Trail Study Act; 
H.R. 3085, to amend the National Trails System Act to update the 
feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of 
Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new 
trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that 
trail; and H.R. 4612 Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historic Park 
Designation Act. Testimony was heard from Representatives McCollum of 
Minnesota, Wamp and Turner; Christopher Jarvi, Associate Director, 
Partnerships, Interpretation and Education, Volunteers, and Outdoor 
Recreation, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; and 
public witnesses.
H-PRIZE ACT OF 2006
Committee on Science: Held a hearing on H.R. 5143, H-Prize Act of 2006. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
HEALTHCARE AND SMALL BUSINESS
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Workforce Empowerment and 
Government Programs held a hearing entitled ``Healthcare and Small 
Business: Proposals That Will Help Lower Costs and Cover the 
Uninsured.'' Testimony was heard from Representative Shadegg, Robert J. 
Carroll, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Tax Analysis, Department of the 
Treasury; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--OIL POLLUTION ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation held an oversight hearing on 
Implementation of the Oil Pollution Act. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the United States Coast Guard, Department of 
Homeland Security: RADM Thomas H. Gilmour, USCG, Assistant Commandant 
for Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection; and Jan P. 
Lane, Director, National Pollution Funds Center; and David Kennedy, 
Director, Office of Response and Restoration, NOAA, Department of 
Commerce.
VETERANS LEGISLATION
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held a hearing on the following: H.R. 4791, Disabled Veterans Adaptive 
Housing Improvement Act; the Veterans Employment State Grant 
Improvement Act of 2006; the GI Bill Flexibility Act of 2006; the 
Veterans and Credentialing Act of 2006; and a proposal to amend H.R. 
3082, Veterans-Owned Small Business Promotion Act of 2005. Testimony 
was heard from Gordon Mansfield, Deputy Secretary, Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Charles Ciccolella, Assistant Secretary, Veterans' 
Employment and Training, Department of Labor; representatives of 
veterans organizations; and a public witness.
BRIEFING--GLOBAL UPDATES/HOTSPOTS
  Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive 
session to receive a briefing on Global Updates/

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Hotspots. The Committee was briefed by departmental witnesses.