[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 35 (Thursday, March 1, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D243-D246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES
Committee on Agriculture: Approved Budget Views and Estimates for 
Fiscal Year 2008 for submission to the Committee on the Budget.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held a 
hearing on USDA's Inspector General. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the USDA: Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General; 
Kathleen S. Tighe, Deputy Inspector General; Robert W. Young, Jr., 
Assistant Inspector General, Audit; Mark R. Woods, Assistant Inspector 
General, Investigations; and Suzanne Murrin, Assistant Inspector 
General, Management, all with the Office of Inspector General; and W. 
Scott Steele, Budget Officer.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS.
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies held a hearing on NSF. Testimony was 
heard from Arden L. Bement, Jr., Director, NSF.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Bureau of 
Reclamation. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of the Interior: P. Lynn Scarlet, Deputy Secretary; and 
Robert Johnson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation.
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and 
General Government held a hearing on Financial Services for 
Disadvantaged Communities. Testimony was heard from JoAnn M. Johnson, 
Chairman, National Credit Union Administration; Kimberly A. Reed, 
Director, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Department 
of the Treasury; and public witnesses.
HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security held a 
hearing on Meeting Boarder Patrol Training Needs. Testimony was heard 
from Connie Patrick, Director, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, 
Department of Homeland Security.
LABOR, HHS, EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/National Institute of 
Drug Abuse/National Institute of Mental Health/and National Institute 
of Alcohol and Alcoholism. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Health and Human Services; NIH: Terry 
Cline, M.D., Administrator,

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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Nora Volkow, 
M.D., Director, National Institute of Drug Abuse; Thomas Insel, M.D., 
Director, National Institute of Mental Health; and T.K. Li, M.D., 
Director, National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch held a 
hearing on the Architect of the Capitol: Budget. Testimony was heard 
from Stephen Ayers, Acting Architect of the Capitol.
STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS.
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, 
and Related Programs held a hearing on Global HIV/AID. Testimony was 
heard from Ambassador Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, 
Department of State.
TRANSPORTATION, AND HUD, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, and 
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on 
the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Testimony was heard 
from Alphonso R. Jackson Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
NATIONAL DEFENSE BUDGET REQUEST--DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2008 
National Defense Budget Request from the Department of the Navy. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
the Navy: Donald C. Winter, Secretary; ADM Michael G. Mullen, USN, 
Chief of Naval Operations; and GEN James T. Conway, USMC, Commandant of 
the Marine Corps.
MILITARY ADVOCACY/BENEFICIARY GROUPS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a 
hearing on views of military advocacy and beneficiary groups. Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
NUCLEAR POWER SYSTEMS AND NAVY COMBATANTS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary 
Forces held a hearing on integrated nuclear power systems for future 
Naval surface combatants. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of the Navy: Delores Etter, Assistant 
Secretary, (Research, Development, and Acquisition); ADM Kirkland 
Donald, USN, Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programs; VADM Jonathan 
Greenert, USN, Assistant Chief, Naval Operations for Resource 
Requirements; VADM Paul Sullivan, USN, Commander, Naval Sea Systems 
Command; and RADM Barry McCullough, USN, Director, Surface Warfare 
Division.
VETERANS AFFAIRS BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on the Department of Veterans 
Affairs Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Priorities. Testimony was heard from R. 
James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
OVERSIGHT PLAN 110TH CONGRESS; COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Approved Oversight Plan for the 110th 
Congress.
  The Committee also considered pending Committee business.
EPA BUDGET
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Environment and 
Hazardous Materials held a hearing entitled ``The Environmental 
Protection Agency Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request.'' Testimony was 
heard from Bill A. Roderick, Acting Inspector General, EPA; Robert W. 
King, Jr., Deputy Commissioner, Department of Health and Environmental 
Control, State of South Carolina; J. Christian Bollwage, Mayor, 
Elizabeth, New Jersey; and public witnesses.
UNINSURED CHILDREN
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``Covering the Uninsured Through the Eyes of a Child.'' 
Testimony was heard from Kathryn G. Allen, Director, Health Care, GAO; 
Phyllis Sloyer, R.N., Division Director, Children's Medical Services, 
Department of Health, State of Florida; Joseph F. Vitale, member New 
Jersey State Senate and Chairman, Health, Human Services and Senior 
Citizens Committee; and public witnesses.
WORLD WIDE WEB OUTLOOK
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications 
and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Digital Future of the United 
States: Part I--The Future of the World Wide Web.'' Testimony was heard 
from a public witness.
BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES
Committee on Financial Services: Approved Budget Views and Estimates 
for Fiscal Year 2008 for submission to the Committee on the Budget.

[[Page D245]]


NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and 
the Global Environment held a hearing on North Korean Human Rights: An 
Update. Testimony was heard from Jay Lefkowitz, Special Envoy for Human 
Rights in North Korea, Department of State.
U.S. POLICY TOWARD LATIN AMERICA
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere held a 
hearing on Overview of U.S. Policy Toward Latin America. Testimony was 
heard from Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., Assistant Secretary, Bureau of 
Western Hemisphere Affairs, Department of State; and public witnesses.
HOMELAND SECURITY MANAGEMENT OUTLOOK
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Management, 
Investigations, and Oversight held a hearing entitled ``The Department 
of Homeland Security's Directorate: Goals and Objectives of the New 
Under Secretary.'' Testimony was heard from Paul A. Schneider, Under 
Secretary, Management, Department of Homeland Security.
IMPROVE SECURITY--RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Transportation Security 
and Infrastructure Protection approved for full Committee action, as 
amended, a measure to improve the security of railroads, public 
transportation and over-the-road buses in the United States.
COMMITTEE FUNDING RESOLUTION
Committee on House Administration: Ordered reported, as amended, H. 
Res. 202, Providing for the expenses of certain committees of the House 
of Representatives in the One Hundred Tenth Congress.
ISSUANCE OF SUBPOENAS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law met and approved the issuance of four subpoenas in 
conjunction with a Subcommittee hearing to be held next week.
SENATE LOBBYING REFORM BILL
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil 
Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing on S. 1, To provide greater 
transparency in the legislative process. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE BUDGET REQUEST FISCAL YEAR 2008
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 
and Public Lands held an oversight hearing on the Fiscal Year 2008 
Budget Request for the National Park Service. Testimony was heard from 
Mary A. Bomar, Director, National Park Service, Department of the 
Interior.
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER RESTORATION SETTLEMENT ACT
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a 
hearing on H.R. 24, San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act. 
Testimony was heard from Jason Peltier, Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Water and Science, Department of the Interior; the following 
officials of the State of California: Lois Wolk, member State Assembly 
and Chair, Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife; and Nancy Saracino, 
Chief Deputy Director, Department of Water Resources; and public 
witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on 
Information Policy, Census and National Archives held an oversight 
hearing on The Presidential Records Act. Testimony was heard from Allen 
Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, National Archives and 
Records Administration; Harold Relyea, Specialist in American National 
Government and Finance Division, CRS, Library of Congress.
SMALL BUSINESS ACCESS TO CAPITAL
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``Increasing 
Access to Capital for Our Nation's Small Businesses.'' Testimony was 
heard from Janet Tasker, Deputy Associate Administrator, Capital 
Access, SBA; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported the 
following bills: H.R. 1144, amended, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 
Federal Match Relief Act of 2007; H.R. 1195, amended, To amend the 
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 
Legacy for Users to make technical corrections; H.R. 735, To designate 
the Federal building under construction at 799 First Avenue in New 
York, New York, as the ``Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the 
United Nations Building;'' H.R. 753, amended, To redesignate the 
Federal building located at 167 North Main Street in Memphis, 
Tennessee, as the ``Clifford Davis/Odell Horton Federal Building;'' 
H.R. 1019, To designate the United States customhouse building located 
at 31 Gonzalez Clements Avenue in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as the 
``Rafael Martinez Nadal United States Customhouse Building;'' H.R. 
1045, To designate

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the Federal building located at 210 Walnut Street in Des Moines, Iowa, 
as the ``Neal Smith Federal Building;'' H.R. 1138, To designate the 
Federal building and United States courthouse located at 306 East Main 
Street in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as the ``J. Herbert W. Small 
Federal Building and United States Courthouse;'' and H.R. 720, Water 
Quality Financing Act of 2007. GSA Courthouse Construction Resolution.
  The Committee also approved the following: GSA Courthouse 
Construction Resolution; and Committee Budget Views and Estimates for 
Fiscal Year 2008 for submission to the Committee on the Budget.
MEDICARE PAYMENT POLICIES
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on 
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's annual March report on Medicare 
payment policies. Testimony was heard from Glenn M. Hackbarth, 
Chairman, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
RELEASE EXECUTIVE SESSION MATERIAL
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session 
and approved the release of the internal Cunningham investigation 
materials to the Department of Justice.


                     COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR FRIDAY,

                             MARCH 2, 2007

        (Committee meetings are open unless otherwise indicated)


                                 Senate

  Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch, 
to hold hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request 
for fiscal year 2008 for the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, 
10 a.m., SD-138.


                                 House

  Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Interior, 
Environment, and Related Agencies, on Agency for Toxic Substance and 
Disease Registry/Chemical Safety Board/National Institute on 
Environment Health Sciences, 9:30 a.m., B-308 Rayburn.