[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 20, 2006)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D995-D997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NON-TRADITIONAL MORTGAGE PRODUCTS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
Housing and Transportation, and the Subcommittee on Economic Policy, 
concluded a joint hearing to examine issues relating to non-traditional 
mortgages and their implications for consumers, financial institutions, 
and the economy, after receiving testimony from Orice M. Williams, 
Director, Financial Markets and Community Investments, Government 
Accountability Office; Kathryn E. Dick, Deputy Comptroller for Credit 
and Market Risk, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Scott 
M. Albinson, Managing Director, Examinations, Supervision and Consumer 
Protection, Office of Thrift Supervision, both of the Department of the 
Treasury; Sandra F. Braunstein, Director, Division of Consumer and 
Community Affairs, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; 
Sandra L. Thompson, Acting Director, Division of Supervision and 
Consumer Protection, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Robert D. 
Broeksmit, Mortgage Bankers Association, and Allen J. Fishbein, 
Consumer Federation of America, and National Consumer Law Center, both 
of Washington, D.C.; George Hanzimanolis, National Association of 
Mortgage Brokers, Tannersville, Pennsylvania; William A. Simpson, 
Republic Mortgage Insurance Company, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on 
behalf of the Mortgage Insurance Companies of America; Michael D. 
Calhoun, Center for Responsible Lending, Durham, North Carolina; and 
Felecia A. Rotellini, Arizona Superintendent of Financial Institutions, 
Phoenix.
INTERNET GOVERNANCE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Trade, Tourism, and Economic Development concluded a hearing to examine 
the future of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers 
(ICANN) relating to Internet governance, focusing on the Memorandum of 
Understanding between ICANN and the Department of Commerce, after 
receiving testimony from John M.R. Kneuer, Acting Assistant Secretary 
of Commerce for Communications and Information; Jon Leibowitz, 
Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission; Paul Twomey, Internet 
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Marina del Rey, California; 
Ken Silva, VeriSign, Mountain View, California; and Christine N. Jones, 
Go Daddy Group, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona.
NOMINATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the nomination of Mary E. Peters, of Arizona, to 
be Secretary of Transportation, after the nominee, who was introduced 
by Senators McCain and Kyl, testified and answered questions in her own 
behalf.
ASIA-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine approaches embodied in the Asia-Pacific Partnership 
on Clean Development and Climate (the Partnership), which is a 
Presidential initiative to establish an innovative public-private 
collaboration for addressing the interconnected challenges of assuring 
economic growth and development, poverty eradication, energy security, 
pollution reduction, and mitigating climate change, after receiving 
testimony from James L. Connaughton, Chairman, Council on Environmental 
Quality; Bjorn Lomborg, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, 
Denmark; David D. Doniger, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, 
New York; and E. Calvin Beisner, Knox Theological Seminary, Fort 
Lauderdale, Florida.
BUSINESS TAX REFORM
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
objectives, deficiencies, and options for reform relating to business 
tax system, focusing on the benefits of simplification and increased 
uniformity of the federal tax code, after receiving testimony from 
David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, Government 
Accountability Office; Robert J. Carroll, Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
the Treasury for Tax Analysis; Charles O. Rossotti, Carlyle Group, and 
Thomas S. Neubig, Ernst and Young, LLP, both of Washington, D.C.; David 
L. Bernard, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wisconsin, on behalf of 
the Tax Executives Institute, Inc.; and Jeff Johanneson, RSM McGladrey, 
Inc., Des Moines, Iowa.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nomination of Donald Y. Yamamoto, of New York, to be 
Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, after the 
nominee testified and answered questions in his own behalf.

[[Page D996]]


NATIONAL SECURITY PERSONNEL SYSTEM
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the role of the Office of Personnel 
Management in the implementation of the Department of Defense National 
Security Personnel System (NSPS), focusing on the initial phase of the 
NSPS implementation which is known as Spiral 1.1, after receiving 
testimony from Gordon England, Deputy Secretary of Defense; Linda M. 
Springer, Director, Office of Personnel Management; and Lieutenant 
General Terry L. Gabreski, Vice Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, 
U.S. Air Force.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S. 2322, to amend the Public Health Service Act to make the provision 
of technical services for medical imaging examinations and radiation 
therapy treatments safer, more accurate, and less costly;
  S. 1531, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
expand and intensify programs with respect to research and related 
activities concerning elder falls;
  S. 3771, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide additional 
authorizations of appropriations for the health centers program under 
section 330 of such Act;
  H.R. 5074, to amend the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to provide 
for continued payment of railroad retirement annuities by the 
Department of the Treasury; and
  The nominations of Randolph James Clerihue, of Virginia, to be an 
Assistant Secretary of Labor, Jane M. Doggett, of Montana, to be a 
Member of the National Council on the Humanities, Andrew von 
Eschenbach, of Texas, to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Department 
of Health and Human Services, Stephen Goldsmith, of Indiana, to be a 
Member of the Board of Directors, of the Corporation for National and 
Community Service, Roger L. Hunt, of Nevada, and John E. Kidde, of 
California, each to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry 
S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, Lauren M. Maddox, of Virginia, to be 
Assistant Secretary of Education for Communications and Outreach, Eliza 
McFadden, of Florida, to be a Member of the National Institute for 
Literacy Advisory Board, Sandra Pickett, of Texas, to be a Member of 
the National Museum and Library Services Board, Arthur K. Reilly, of 
New Jersey, to be a Member of the National Science Board, National 
Science Foundation, Peter W. Tredick, of California, to be a Member of 
the National Mediation Board, and 256 nominations in the Public Health 
Service Corps.
TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNANCE
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine Indian tribal self-governance programs, focusing on 
obstacles and impediments to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, 
after receiving testimony from George T. Skibine, Acting Deputy 
Assistant Secretary of Policy and Economic Development for Indian 
Affairs, and Ken Reinfeld, Acting Director, Office of Self-Governance, 
both of the Department of the Interior; Delia M. Carlyle, Ak-Chin 
Indian Community Council, Maricopa, Arizona; Floyd Jourdain, Jr., Red 
Lake Band of Chippewa Indians of Minnesota, Red Lake; Melanie Benjamin, 
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, Minnesota; and W. Ron Allen, 
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Sequim, Washington.
REPORTERS' PRIVILEGE LEGISLATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
preserving effective Federal law enforcement relating to reporters' 
privilege legislation, focusing on S. 2831, to guarantee the free flow 
of information to the public through a free and active press while 
protecting the right of the public to effective law enforcement and the 
fair administration of justice, after receiving testimony from Paul J. 
McNulty, Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice; Steven D. 
Clymer, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, New York; and Theodore B. Olson, 
Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher, Victor E. Schwartz, Shook, Hardy, and 
Bacon, LLP, and Bruce A. Baird, Covington and Burling, LLP, all of 
Washington, D.C.
THE NINTH CIRCUIT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the legislative proposals to restructure the United States Court of 
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, focusing on S. 1845, to amend title 28, 
United States Code, to provide for the appointment of additional 
Federal circuit judges, to divide the Ninth Judicial Circuit of the 
United States into 2 circuits, after receiving testimony from Senators 
Murkowski, Boxer, Ensign, and Baucus; former Senator Pete Wilson, 
Bingham Consulting Group, Los Angeles, California; Rachel L. Brand, 
Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, Department of 
Justice; Mary M. Schroeder, Chief Judge, and Richard C. Tallman, Sidney 
R. Thomas, Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, each a Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of 
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; John M. Roll, Chief District Judge, U.S. 
District Court for the District of Arizona; John C. Eastman, Chapman 
University School of Law, Anaheim, California; and William H.

[[Page D997]]

Neukom, Preston Gates and Ellis, LLP, Seattle, Washington.
AMERICAN LEGION
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the legislative presentation of the American Legion, after receiving 
testimony from Paul A. Morin, American Legion, Washington, D.C., who 
was accompanied by several of his associates.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.