[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 40 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D290-D292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
CROSS-BORDER TRUCKING
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing 
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to 
examine cross-border trucking with Mexico, after receiving testimony 
from Mary E. Peters, Secretary, and Calvin L. Scovel III, Inspector 
General, both of the Department of Transportation; Jayson P. Ahern, 
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border 
Protection, Department of Homeland Security; James P. Worthington, Con-
way Freight-Southern, Fort Worth, Texas, on behalf of the American 
Trucking Associations; James P. Hoffa, International Brotherhood of 
Teamsters, and Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen, both of Washington, 
D.C.; John B. Ficker, National Industrial Transportation League, 
Arlington, Virginia; and Charles Parfrey, Owner-Operator Independent 
Drivers Association, Grain Valley, Missouri.

[[Page D291]]


APPROPRIATIONS: NOAA/NSF
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed 
budget estimates for fiscal year 2008, after receiving testimony in 
behalf of funds for their respective activities from Arden L. Bement, 
Jr., National Science Foundation; and Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, 
Jr., (Ret.), United States Navy, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 
and Atmosphere, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security 
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
year 2008 for the Department of Homeland Security, after receiving 
testimony from Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN, for reappointment 
to the grade of admiral and to be Commander, United States Pacific 
Command, Lieutenant General Victor E. Renuart, Jr., USAF, for 
appointment to be general and to be Commander, United States Northern 
Command/Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command, and 
Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp, USA, for reappointment to the 
grade of lieutenant general and to be Chief of Engineers/Commanding 
General, United States Army Corps of Engineers, after the nominees 
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Aviation Operations, Safety and Security concluded a hearing to examine 
the Administration's proposal to reauthorize the Federal Aviation 
Administration, Part II, after receiving testimony from Senator Inhofe; 
Stephen A. Alterman, Cargo Airline Association, Edward Bolen, National 
Business Aviation Association, Patrick Forrey, National Air Traffic 
Controllers Association, and James C. May, Air Transport Association of 
America, Inc., all of Washington, D.C.; and Charles M. Barclay, 
American Association of Airport Executives, Alexandria, Virginia, on 
behalf of the Airport Legislative Alliance.
TRADE AGENDA
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
perspectives on the 2007 trade agenda, after receiving testimony from 
Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; 
Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corporation, and Robert Baugh, AFL-CIO, both 
of Washington, D.C.; Craig Lang, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Des 
Moines; Anderson Warlick, Parkdale Mills, Inc., Gastonia, North 
Carolina, on behalf of the National Council of Textile Organizations; 
and Steven L. Holland, Montana State University College of Engineering 
Montana Manufacturing Extension Center, Bozeman.
AFGHANISTAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine efforts to create a new strategy relating to Afghanistan, 
focusing on threats that impact United States national security and the 
resurgence of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, after receiving testimony from 
Richard A. Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central 
Asian Affairs; James L. Jones, Jr., United States Marine Corps (Ret.), 
Former Commander European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, 
McLean, Virginia; and James Dobbins, RAND Corporation, Arlington, 
Virginia.
FOLLOW-ON BIOLOGICS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine Food and Drug Administration follow-on 
biologics, generally referred to as a biotechnology-derived protein 
drug (or biologic) that is comparable to a novel, previously approved 
biologic and that is approved with less supporting data than the 
innovator biologic, after receiving testimony from Senator Schumer; Sid 
Banwart, Caterpillar, Inc., Peoria, Illinois; Nicolas Rossignol, 
European Commission Pharmaceuticals Unit, Brussels, Belgium; Jay P. 
Siegel, Johnson and Johnson, Radnor, Pennsylvania; and Ajaz S. Hussain, 
Sandoz, Princeton, New Jersey, on behalf of the Novartis Group of 
Companies.
INDIAN HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENT ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2007, after 
receiving testimony from John O. Agwunobi, Assistant Secretary of 
Health and Human Services for Health; C. Frederick Beckner III, Deputy 
Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice; 
Richard Brannan, Northern Arapaho Business Council, Fort Washakie, 
Wyoming; Rachel A. Joseph, National Steering Committee for the 
Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Lone Pine, 
California; Edward P. Lazarus, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld, 
LLP, Los Angeles, California; and

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Steve Gage, SouthEast Alaska Tribal Health Consortium, Sitka, on behalf 
of the Alaska Association of CHAP Directors.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported:
  S. 655, to amend the Congressional Charter of The American National 
Red Cross to modernize its governance structure, to enhance the ability 
of the board of governors of The American National Red Cross to support 
the critical mission of The American Red Cross in the 21st century, 
with an amendment; and
  The nominations of Thomas M. Hardiman, of Pennsylvania, to be United 
States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, and Vanessa Lynne Bryant, 
to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut.
  Also, committee began consideration of S. 261, to amend title 18, 
United States Code, to strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting, 
but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to the call 
of the Chair.
COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine small business solutions for combating climate 
change, after receiving testimony from Senator Boxer; Daniel Horowitz, 
Assistant Administrator for Policy and Planning, U.S. Small Business 
Administration; William L. Wehrum, Acting Assistant Administrator, 
Office of Air and Radiation, Environmental Protection Agency; Byron 
Kennard, Center for Small Business and the Environment, Washington, 
D.C.; James J. Barber, Metabolix, Cambridge, Massachusetts; David B. 
Goldstein, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Scott G. Hauge, Small 
Business California, on behalf of the National Small Business 
Association, both of San Francisco, California; and Christopher J. 
Lynch, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School Pennsylvania Small 
Business Development Centers Environmental Management Assistance 
Program, Philadelphia.