[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D331-D334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies continued hearings on NASA. Testimony was 
heard from Michael D. Griffin, Administrator, NASA.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development and Related Agencies held a hearing on Science Research. 
Testimony was heard from Raymond L. Orbach, Under Secretary, Science, 
Department of Energy.
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and 
General Government held a hearing on the National Archives and Records 
Administration. Testimony was heard from Allen Weinstein, Archivist of 
the United States.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security held a 
hearing on Gulf Coast Rebuilding. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Homeland Security: Donald 
Powell, Federal Gulf Coast Coordinator; Gil Jamieson, Deputy Director, 
Gulf Coast Rebuilding; FEMA; and Matt Jadacki, Deputy Inspector 
General.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and 
Related Agencies held a hearing on the Bureau of Land Management. 
Testimony was heard from James M. Hughes, Acting Director, Bureau of 
Land Management, Department of the Interior.

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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 Department 
of Education: Student Financial Aid, Higher Education, Institute of 
Education Sciences. Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
the Department of Education: Sarah Martinez Tucker, Under Secretary; 
and Grover J. Whitehurst, Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS' AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Long-Term 
Challenges for Military Construction and Budget Overview. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: Tina 
W. Jonas, Under Secretary, (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer; Phil 
Grone, Deputy Secretary, Installations and Environment; and Ryan Henry, 
Principal Deputy Under Secretary, Policy.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on VA Research. Testimony was 
heard from Joel Kupersmith, Chief Research and Development Officer, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
TRANSPORTATION, HUD, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing 
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on the 
Secretary of Transportation. Testimony was heard from Mary Peters, 
Secretary of Transportation.
HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional 
Threats and Capabilities held a hearing on harnessing technology 
innovation: challenges and opportunities. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
IMPROVING HEAD START ACT OF 2007
Committee on Education and Labor: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
1429, Improving Head Start Act of 2007.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY SECURITY
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air 
Quality held a hearing entitled ``Climate Change and Energy Security: 
Perspectives From the Automobile Industry.'' Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
FCC OVERSIGHT
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications 
and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Oversight of the Federal 
Communications Commission.'' Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the FCC: Kevin J. Martin, Chairman; Michael J. Copps, 
Jonathan S. Adelstein, Deborah Taylor Tate and Robert M. McDowell, all 
Commissioners.
OVERSIGHT--DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Financial Services: Held an oversight hearing of the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development. Testimony was heard from 
Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
RED CROSS GOVERNANCE REFORM
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Held a hearing on the American Red Cross 
Governance Reform. Testimony was heard from Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, 
Chairwoman, American Red Cross; and a public witness.
GLOBAL OPINION OF THE U.S.
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on International 
Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight held a hearing on Global 
Polling Data on Opinion of American Policies, Values and People. 
Testimony was heard from a public witness.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS GRANTS
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Emergency 
Communication, Preparedness, and Response held a hearing entitled 
``Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grants: Are the 
Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce Effectively Coordinating 
To Meet Our Nation's Emergency Communications Needs?'' Testimony was 
heard from Corey Gruber, Acting Assistant Secretary, Grants and 
Training, Department of Homeland Security; John M. R. Kneuer, Assistant 
Secretary, Communications and Information, National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration, Department of Commerce; and Deputy 
Chief Charles Dowd, Commanding Officer, Communications Division, New 
York Police Department.
NUCLEAR THREAT DETECTION TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, 
Cybersecurity and Science and Technology held a hearing entitled 
``Countering the Nuclear Threat to the Homeland: Evaluating the 
Procurement of Radiation Detection Technologies.'' Testimony was heard 
from Vayl Oxford, Director, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, 
Department of

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Homeland Security; and Gene Aloise, Director, Natural Resources and 
Environment, GAO.
SECURITY INFORMATION SHARING AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Intelligence, 
Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment held a hearing 
entitled ``The Department of Homeland Security State and Local Fusion 
Center Program: Advancing Information Sharing While Safeguarding Civil 
Liberties.'' Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Homeland Security: Charles E. Allen, Chief Intelligence 
Officer, Office of Intelligence and Analysis; Daniel W. Sutherland, 
Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; and Hugo Teufel, Privacy 
Officer.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 2007
Committee on the Judiciary: Held a hearing on H.R. 1433, District of 
Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
INDIAN HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENT ACT EXTENSION
Committee on Natural Resources: Held a hearing on H.R. 1328, To amend 
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise and extend that Act. 
Testimony was heard from Charles W. Grim, M.D., Director, Indian Health 
Service, Department of Health and Human Services; and public witnesses.
ACCOUNTABILITY IN CONTRACTING ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule providing 
for consideration of H.R. 1362, Accountability in Contracting Act. The 
rule provides 80 minutes of general debate, 1 hour equally divided and 
controlled by the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee 
on Oversight and Government Reform and 20 minutes equally divided and 
controlled by the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee 
on Armed Services. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the bill except for clauses 9 and 10 of Rule XXI. The 
rule provides that in lieu of the amendments recommended by the 
Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Armed Services now 
printed in the bill, the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
printed in Part A of the Rules Committee report accompanying the 
resolution shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of 
amendment and shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points 
of order against the amendment in the nature of a substitute except 
clauses 9 and 10 of Rule XXI.
  The rule makes in order only those amendments to the amendment in the 
nature of a substitute printed in Part B of the Rules Committee report 
accompanying the resolution. The rule provides that the amendments 
printed in Part B of the report may be offered only in the order 
printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in 
the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the 
time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the 
proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall 
not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or 
in the Committee of the Whole. The rule waives all points of order 
against the amendments printed in the report except for clauses 9 and 
10 of Rule XXI. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with 
or without instructions. Testimony was heard from Chairman Waxman and 
Representatives Tom Davis of Virginia and Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida.
EPA's RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BUDGET PROPOSAL FISCAL YEAR 2007
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment held a hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency 
Fiscal Year 2008 Research and Development Budget Proposal. Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the EPA: George Gray, 
Assistant Administrator, Research and Development; and M. Granger 
Morgan, Chair, EPA's Science Advisory Board; and public witnesses.
SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH INSURANCE
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``Challenges and 
Solutions to Health Insurance Coverage for Small Businesses.'' 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
FAA'S REAUTHORIZATION PROPOSAL
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation, held a hearing on the Administration's Federal Aviation 
Administration Reauthorization Proposal. Testimony was heard from 
Marion C. Blakey, Administrator, FAA, Department of Transportation.
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2007
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment approved for full Committee action H.R. 1495, 
Water Resources Development Act of 2007.

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MINIMUM WAGE BILL REVENUE INCREASES
Committee on Ways and Means: Held a hearing on the Revenue Increasing 
Measures in the Small Business and Work Opportunity Act of 2007. 
Testimony was heard from former Representative Kenneth E. Bensen, Jr., 
of Texas; and public witnesses.
GENETIC NON-DISCRIMINATION
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on 
Genetic Non-Discrimination. Testimony was heard from Francis Collins, 
M.D., Director, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, 
Department of Health and Human Services; and public witnesses.