[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 109 (Thursday, September 7, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D923-D924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security 
concluded a hearing to examine preparedness 1 year after Hurricane 
Katrina, after receiving testimony from Admiral Thad W. Allen, 
Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, George W. Foresman, Under Secretary 
for Preparedness, R. David Paulison, Under Secretary for Federal 
Emergency Management, all of the Department of Homeland Security; Ellis 
M. Stanley, Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department, California; 
and Bruce Baughman, National Emergency Management Association, 
Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported 
the following business items:
  Extradition Treaty Between the United States of America and the 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and related 
exchanges of letters, signed at Washington on March 31, 2003 (Treaty 
Doc. 108-23), and;
  The nominations of Richard E. Hoagland, of the District of Columbia, 
to be Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, John C. Rood, of Arizona, 
to be an Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and 
Non-Proliferation, Cesar Benito Cabrera, of Puerto Rico, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, and to serve concurrently and 
without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Republic of 
Seychelles, Cindy Lou Courville, of Virginia, to be Representative of 
the United States of America to the African Union, with the rank of 
Ambassador, Donald C. Johnson, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Mary Martin Ourisman, of Florida, to be 
Ambassador to Barbados, and to serve concurrently and without 
additional compensation as Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint 
Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, and 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Ronald Allen Tschetter, of 
Minnesota, to be Director of the Peace Corps.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and 
International Security concluded a hearing to examine Information 
Technology projects at risk, focusing on why $12 billion in projects is 
being funded and what OMB is doing to ensure success, as well as GAO's 
recommendations in these areas, after receiving testimony from Karen 
Evans, Administrator, Electronic Government and Information Technology, 
Office of Management and Budget; and David A. Powner, Director, 
Information Technology Management Issues, Government Accountability 
Office.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
  H.R. 1442, to complete the codification of title 46, United States 
Code, ``Shipping'', as positive law;
  H.R. 866, to make technical corrections to the United States Code; 
and

[[Page D924]]


  The nomination of George E.B. Holding, to be United States Attorney 
for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Department of Justice.
  Also, Committee began consideration S. 3001, to ensure that all 
electronic surveillance of United States persons for foreign 
intelligence purposes is conducted pursuant to individualized court-
issued orders, to streamline the procedures of the Foreign Intelligence 
Surveillance Act of 1978, agreeing to an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute, and resumed consideration of S. 2453, to establish 
procedures for the review of electronic surveillance programs, but did 
not take final action on either measure, and recessed subject to call.
VISA WAIVER PROGRAM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and 
Homeland Security concluded a hearing to examine strategies for pre-
screening international airline passengers before takeoff, to prevent 
terrorists from entering the U.S. and posing a threat to international 
air travel, focusing on the Visa Waiver Program, including how the 
Department of Homeland Security can strengthen its ability to assess 
and mitigate the program's risks, such as providing more resources to 
the program's monitoring unit and issuing standards for the reporting 
of lost and stolen passport data, after receiving testimony from Paul 
S. Rosenzweig, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Policy, and 
Jayson P. Ahern, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, both of the Department of Homeland 
Security; Jess T. Ford, Director, International Affairs and Trade, 
Government Accountability Office; and Leon J. Laylagian, Passenger-
Cargo Security Group, Washington, D.C.
TRAUMATIC INJURY INSURANCE
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the traumatic injury insurance coverage for members of the 
Uniformed Services, focusing on the structure and implementation of the 
Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program, after receiving 
testimony from Michael L. Dominguez, Principal Deputy Under Secretary 
of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Thomas M. Lastowka, Director, 
VA Regional Office and Insurance Center, Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Sergeant John P. Keith, Jr., U.S. Army; and Jeremy Chwat, 
Wounded Warrior Project, Roanoke, Virginia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
consider pending intelligence matters.
  Committee recessed subject to the call.
GUARDIANSHIP SYSTEM
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the current state of America's ailing guardianship system relating to 
exploitation of seniors, focusing on what state courts do to ensure 
that guardians fulfill their responsibilities, what exemplary 
guardianship programs look like, and how state and Federal agencies 
work together to protect incapacitated elderly people, after receiving 
testimony from Barbara D. Bovbjerg, Director, Education, Workforce, and 
Income Security, Government Accountability Office; Mel Grossman, 
Administrative Judge, Florida 17th Circuit Court, Ft. Lauderdale; Carol 
J. Scott, Missouri State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Jefferson City; 
Terry W. Hammond, National Guardianship Association, El Paso, Texas; 
and Ira Salzman, Goldfarb, Abrandt, Salzman, and Kutzin LLP, New York, 
New York.