[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D429-D431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
CROP PROTECTION PROVISIONS
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and 
Risk Management held a hearing to review proposals to amend the program 
crop provisions of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
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 Rural Development. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the USDA: Tom Dorr, Under Secretary; Jack Gleason, 
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service; Russ Davis, 
Administrator, Rural Housing Service; James Andrew, Administrator, 
Rural Utilities Service; 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 Bureau of Alcohol, 
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Testimony was heard from Michael J. 
Sullivan, Acting Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 
Explosives, Department of Justice.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Department of 
Energy: Nuclear Energy/Office of Civilian Nuclear Waste/Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission. Testimony was heard from the following officials 
of the Department of Energy: Dennis R. Spurgeon, Assistant Secretary, 
Nuclear Energy; Edward F. Sproat III, Director, Office of Civilian 
Nuclear Waste; and Dale E. Klein, Chairman, Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission.
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and 
General Government held a hearing on Secretary of the Treasury. 
Testimony was heard from Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Secretary of the 
Treasury.
HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security held a 
hearing on Ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security's Research 
and Technology Investments Pay Off. Testimony was heard from Jay Cohen, 
Under Secretary, Science and Technology Directorate, Department of 
Homeland Security.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and 
Related Agencies held a hearing on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/
Department of Interior: Office of Insular Affairs/Departmental 
Management/Office of the Solicitor. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of the Interior: Dale Hall, 
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Nikolao Pula, Director, 
Office of Insular Affairs; R. Thomas Weimer, Assistant Secretary, 
Policy, Management, and Budget; and David Bernhardt, Solicitor.
LABOR, HHS, EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, Education, and Related Agencies continued appropriation 
hearings. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VA, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Army Budget. 
Testimony was heard from GEN Richard Cody, USA, Vice Chief of Staff, 
Department of the Army.
STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, 
and Related Programs held a hearing on Latin America and Caribbean. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
State: Tom Shannon, Assistant Secretary, Western Hemisphere Affairs; 
and Adolpho Franco,

[[Page D430]]

Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development.
TRANSPORTATION, HUD, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing 
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Federal 
Railroad Administration/National Railroad Passenger Corporation 
(AMTRAK). Testimony was heard from Joseph Boardman, Administrator, 
Federal Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation; and 
Alexander Kummant, President and CEO, National Railroad Passenger 
Corporation (AMTRAK).
IRAQI SECURITY FORCE TRANSITION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on outside perspectives on transitioning 
security to the Iraqi security forces. Testimony was heard from Robert 
Perito, Senior Program Officer, U.S. Institute for Peace; and public 
witnesses.
DOD IT BUDGET
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional 
Threats and Capabilities held a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2008 
National Defense Authorization Budget Request on information 
technology. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: John Grimes, Assistant Secretary, Networks and 
Information Integration and Chief Information Officer; and LTG Charles 
Croom, USAF, Director, Defense Information Systems Agency.
COAL MINE SAFETY
Committee on Education and Labor: Held a hearing on Protecting the 
Health and Safety of America's Mine Workers. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
DIGITAL TV TRANSITION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications 
and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Status of the Digital 
Television Transition.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
1257, Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act.
  The Committee began markup of H.R. 1427, Federal Housing Finance 
Reform Act of 2007.
  Will continue tomorrow.
BAD AROLSEN HOLOCAUST ARCHIVES
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Europe held a hearing on 
Opening up of the Bad Arolsen Holocaust Archives in Germany. Testimony 
was heard from Representative Hastings of Florida; J. Christian 
Kennedy, Special Envoy, Holocaust Issues, Bureau of European and 
Eurasian Affairs, Department of State; Paul Shapiro, Director, Center 
for Advanced Holocaust Studies, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; and 
public witnesses.
AFRICAN OPINIONS ON U.S. POLICIES
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on International 
Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight and the Subcommittee on 
Africa, and Global Health held a joint hearing on African Opinion on 
U.S. Policies, Values and People. Testimony was heard from a public 
witness.
TRADE, FOREIGN POLICY EFFECTS ON AMERICAN WORKERS
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Terrorism, 
Nonproliferation and Trade held a hearing on Trade, Foreign Policy and 
the American Worker. Testimony was heard from Carla A. Hills, former 
U.S. Trade Representative; and public witnesses.
AMERICAS--POVERTY AND INEQUALITY
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere 
held a hearing on Poverty and Inequality in the Americas: The 
Unaddressed Problem. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AUTHORIZATION ACT FY 2008
Committee on Homeland Security: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
1684, Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2008..
SECOND CHANCE ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported H.R. 1593, Second Chance 
Act of 2007.
OVERSIGHT--ROYALTIES AT RISK
Committee on Natural Resources: Held an oversight hearing on Royalties 
at Risk? Testimony was heard from C. Stephen Allred, Assistant 
Secretary, Department of the Interior; Mark Gaffigan, Acting Director, 
Natural Resources and Environment, GAO; Bobby Maxwell, former Auditor, 
Minerals Management Service, Department of the Interior; Dennis Roller, 
Audit Manager, Auditors Office--Royalty Audit Section, State of North 
Dakota; Michael Geesey, Director, Department of Audit, State of 
Wyoming; and public witnesses.
GSA--ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Held a hearing on 
Allegations of Misconduct at the General Services Administration. 
Testimony was heard from Senator Grassley; and the following officials 
of the

[[Page D431]]

GSA: Lurita A. Doan, Administrator; and Brian D. Miller, Inspector 
General.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Science and Technology: Ordered reported the following 
measures: H.R. 362, amended, 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds, Science 
and Math Scholarship Act; H. Con. Res. 76, Honoring the 50th 
anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) and its past 
contributions to space research, and looking forward to future 
accomplishments; and H. Res. 252, Recognizing the 50th anniversary of 
John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s, historic achievement in becoming the first 
United States astronaut to orbit the Earth.
MEDIA INFLUENCING SCIENCE POLICY
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Investigations and 
Oversight held a hearing on Shaping the Message, Distorting the 
Science: Media Strategies to Influence Science Policy. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
SMALL MEDICAL PRACTICES HEALTH IT
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Regulation, Health Care 
and Trade held a hearing entitled ``The Value of Health IT to Solo and 
Small Medical Practices.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
FAA'S AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation held a hearing on the FAA's Airport Improvement Program. 
Testimony was heard from D. Kirk Shaffer, Associate Administrator, 
Airports, FAA, Department of Transportation; Gerald Dillingham, 
Director, Physical Infrastructure, GAO; James E. Bennett, President and 
CEO, Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority; and public witnesses.
TAXPAYER PROTECTION ACT OF 2007
Committee on Ways and Means: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 1677, 
Taxpayer Protection Act of 2007.
NATIONAL SECURITY LETTERS
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Held a hearing on National 
Security Letters. Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
the Department of Justice: Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General; John S. 
Pistole, Deputy Director, FBI; and Kenneth Wainstein, Assistant 
Attorney General, National Security Division; and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the 
current economic outlook, focusing on economic activity, inflation, and 
the housing market, after receiving testimony from Ben S. Bernanke, 
Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.