[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 7, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D280-D283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FINANCING RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, 
and Research held a hearing to review the financial structure of 
renewable energy resources. Testimony was heard from Thomas C. Dorr, 
Under Secretary, Rural Development, USDA; Andy Karsner, Assistant 
Secretary, Department of Energy; Kathleen McGinty, Secretary, 
Department of Environmental Protection, State of Pennsylvania; and 
public witnesses.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science 
and Related Agencies held a hearing on Economic and Statistics 
Administration/Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis. Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Commerce: 
Cynthia A. Glassman, Under Secretary, Economic Affairs, Economics and

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Statistics Administration; Charles Louis Kincannon, Director, Census 
Bureau; Steve Landefeld, Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on Economic Development 
Administration/Minority Business Development Agency. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of Commerce: Sandy 
K. Baruah, Assistant Secretary, Economic Development; and Ronald 
Langston, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency.
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held a hearing on 
Walter Reed Infrastructure. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of the Army: GEN Peter Schoomaker, USA, 
Chief of Staff; GEN Richard Cosy, USA, Vice Chief of Staff; and GEN 
Kevin C. Kiley, USA, Army Surgeon General.
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services, and 
General Government held a hearing on Ensuring the Integrity of 
Elections. Testimony was heard from Donetta L. Davidson, Chair, 
Election Assistance Commission; Randolph C. Hite, Director, Information 
Technology Architecture and Systems, GAO, and public witnesses.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
Veterans' Affairs and Related Agencies held a hearing on Pacific 
Command. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: ADM William J. Fallon, USN, Commander, U.S. 
Pacific Command; GEN Burwell B. Bell, III, USAF, Commander, United 
Nations Command, Commander, Republic of Korea-United States Combined 
Fores Command and Commander, United States Forces Korea.
NATIONAL DEFENSE BUDGET REQUEST--PACIFIC COMMAND AND FORCES KOREA
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2008 
National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the U.S. Pacific 
Command and U.S. Forces Korea. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Defense: ADM William J. Fallon, USN, 
Commander, U.S. Pacific Command; and GEN Burwell B. Bell, III, USAF, 
Commander, United Nations Command, Commander, Republic of Korea--United 
States Combined Forces Command and Commander, United States Forces 
Korea.
AIR LIFT AMD AERIAL REFUELING PROGRAMS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces held a 
hearing on Air Force and Army airlift and aerial refueling fixed-wing 
aircraft programs. Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
the Department of Defense: LTG C.H. Chandler, USAF, Deputy Chief of 
Staff, Operations, Plans and Requirements; LTG Donald J. Hoffman, USAF, 
Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary, Office of the 
Assistant of the Air Force, Acquisition and MG Thomas P. Kane, USAF, 
Director, Strategic Plans, Requirements, and Programs, Air Mobility 
Command, all with the U.S. Air Force; and LTG Mark Curran, USA, Deputy 
Commander, Training and Doctrine Command; and MG (Select) Jeffrey 
Sorenson, USA, Deputy, Systems Command Management, Secretary of the 
Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), both with the U.S. Army; 
William Solis, Director, Defense Capabilities and Management and 
Michael Sullivan, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, both 
with the GAO; and Christopher Bolkcom, Specialist in National Defense, 
CRS, Library of Congress.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air 
Quality held a hearing entitled ``Climate Change: Are Greenhouse Gas 
Emissions from Human Activities Contributing to a Warming of the 
Planet?'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
FUTURE OF RADIO
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications 
and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Digital Future of the United 
States: Part II--The Future of Radio.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
GULF COAST HURRICANE HOUSING RELIEF ACT
Committee on Financial Institutions: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
1227, Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007.
LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN REMITTANCES
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Domestic and 
International Policy, Trade, and Technology held a hearing entitled 
``The Role of Remittances in Leveraging Sustainable Development in 
Latin America and the Caribbean.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.

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SOUTH ASIA OVERVIEW
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on the Middle East and South 
Asia held a hearing on A Regional Overview of South Asia. Testimony was 
heard from Richard A. Boucher, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and 
Central Asian Affairs, Department of State.
ELECTION DECEPTION AND IRREGULARITIES
Committee on the Judiciary: Held a hearing on ``Protecting the Right to 
Vote: Election Deception and Irregularities in Recent Federal 
Elections.'' Testimony was heard from Senators Obama and Cardin; 
Representatives Loretta Sanchez, Bilbray, King of Iowa, and Emanuel; 
and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 162, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Boundary 
Adjustment Act of 2007; H.R. 249, To restore the prohibition on the 
commercial sale and slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros; 
H.R. 285, amended, Steel Industry National Historic Site Act; H.R. 309, 
amended, To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
demonstration program to facilitate landscape restoration programs 
within certain units of the National Park System established by law to 
preserve and interpret resources associated with American history; H.R. 
319, amended, Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area 
Act; H.R. 865, Copper Valley Native Allotment Resolution Act of 2007; 
and H.R. 886, Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2007.
COMMITTEE FUNDING RESOLUTION
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote of 9 to 3, a closed rule, 
providing for consideration of H. Res. 202, Providing for the expenses 
of certain committees of the House of Representatives in the One 
Hundred Tenth Congress. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate 
equally divided and controlled by the Chairman and Ranking Minority 
Member of the Committee on House Administration. The rule waives all 
points of order against consideration of the resolution. The rule 
provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended 
by the Committee on House Administration now printed in the bill, 
modified by the amendment printed in the report accompanying the 
resolution, shall be considered as adopted. Finally, the rule provides 
one motion to recommit which may not contain instructions. Testimony 
was heard from Representatives Hastings of Washington, Issa and King of 
Iowa.
ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BUDGET
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment held a hearing on the Department of Energy Fiscal Year 2008 
Research and Development Budget Proposal, Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Energy: Ray Orbach, Under 
Secretary, Science; Alexander Karsner, Assistant Secretary, Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Thomas D. Shope, Principal Deputy 
Assistant Secretary; Dennis Spurgeon, Assistant Secretary, Nuclear 
Energy; and Kevin Kolevar, Director Office of Electricity Delivery and 
Energy Reliability.
TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INNOVATION
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``Advancing the 
Innovation Agenda: The Perspective of the Technology and 
Telecommunications Industry.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
TRANSIT AND RAIL SECURITY
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Highways and Transit and the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and 
Hazardous Materials held a joint hearing on Transit and Rail Security. 
Testimony was heard from Norman J. Rabkin, Homeland Security and 
Justice, GAO; Fred Weiderhold, National Railroad Passenger Corporation 
(AMTRAK); and public witnesses.
GREAT LAKES AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held a hearing on the impact of Aquatic 
Invasive Species on the Great Lakes. Testimony was heard from Benjamin 
H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator, Water, EPA; and public witnesses.
PERFORMANCE REVIEW
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held a hearing on Performance Review of Services. Testimony was heard 
from Charles S. Ciccolella, Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment 
and Training Service, Department of Labor; and the following officials 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Keith M. Wilson, Director, 
Education Service; Bill Borom, Deputy Director, Vocal Rehabilitation 
and Employment; and Keith Pedigo, Director, Loan Guaranty Service.
ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures 
held a hearing on the Alternative Minimum Tax. Testimony was heard from 
the

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following officials of the Department of the Treasury: Eric Solomon, 
Assistant Secretary, Tax Policy; and Nina E. Olson, National Taxpayer 
Advocate, IRS; and public witnesses.
HOT SPOTS BRIEFING
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on Hot Spots. The Committee was briefed by 
departmental witnesses.