[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 26, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D843-D844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the nominations of Michael V. Dunn, of Iowa, to be 
a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, who was 
introduced by Senator Harkin; Nancy Montanez-Johner, of Nebraska, to be 
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer 
Services, and to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Commodity 
Credit Corporation, who was introduced by Senator Nelson (NE); Margo M. 
McKay, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for 
Civil Rights, who was introduced by Senator Allen; and Bruce I. Knight, 
of South Dakota, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and 
Regulatory Programs, and to be a Member of the Board of Directors of 
the Commodity Credit Corporation, who was introduced by Senator Thune, 
after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own 
behalf.
TAX GAP
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS (Internal 
Revenue Service) Oversight held a hearing to examine the size and 
sources of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of 
tax imposed on taxpayers for a given year and the amount that is paid 
voluntarily and timely, receiving testimony from Mark J. Mazur, 
Director, Research, Analysis, and Statistics, IRS, J. Russell George, 
Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Raymond T. Wagner, Jr., 
Chairman, IRS Oversight Board, all of the Department of the Treasury; 
Nina E. Olson, National Taxpayer Advocate Service; and Michael Brostek, 
Director, Tax Issues, Strategic Issues Team, Government Accounting 
Office.
  Hearing recessed subject to the call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nomination of Philip S. Goldberg, of Massachusetts, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Bolivia, after the nominee testified and 
answered questions in his own behalf.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the 
District of Columbia concluded a hearing to examine a progress report 
on protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights here and 
abroad, focusing on the Administration's Strategy Targeting Organized 
Piracy (STOP!) and the extent to which it has been effective in 
educating businesses about the issues related to conducting business in 
the global economy, the progress made since the appointment of the IP 
Coordinator last July, and explore if the STOP! initiative has 
identified effective human capital and strategic plans to build on the 
existing program, and if it has the necessary resources required to 
complete its mission, after receiving testimony from Chris Israel, 
Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement, and 
Stephen M. Pinkos, Deputy Under Secretary for Intellectual Property, 
and

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Deputy Director, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, both of the 
Department of Commerce; Arif Alikhan, Vice Chairman, Taskforce on 
Intellectual Property, and Deputy Director, National Intellectual 
Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council, Department of Justice; 
Loren Yager, Director, International Affairs and Trade, Government 
Accountability Office; and Anthony C. LaPlaca, Bendix Commercial 
Vehicle Systems, LLC, Elyria, Ohio.
FISA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the current and future status of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance 
Act which prescribes procedures for requesting judicial authorization 
for electronic surveillance and physical search of persons engaged in 
espionage or international terrorism against the United States on 
behalf of a foreign power, and related measures S. 2453, to establish 
procedures for the review of electronic surveillance programs, and S. 
2455, to provide in statute for the conduct of electronic surveillance 
of suspected terrorists for the purposes of protecting the American 
people, the Nation, and its interests from terrorist attack while 
ensuring that the civil liberties of United States citizens are 
safeguarded, after receiving testimony from General Michael V. Hayden, 
Director, Central Intelligence Agency; Lieutenant General Keith B. 
Alexander, Director, National Security Agency, Chief, Central Security 
Service; Steven G. Bradbury, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Office 
of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice; H. Bryan Cunningham, Morgan 
and Cunningham, LLC, Denver, Colorado; James X. Dempsey, Center for 
Democracy and Technology, and Mary B. DeRosa, Johns Hopkins Center for 
Strategic and International Studies Technology and Public Policy 
Program, both of Washington, D.C.; and John Schmidt, Mayer, Brown, 
Rowe, and Maw, LLP, Chicago, Illinois.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on 
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the 
intelligence community.
  Committee recessed subject to call.