[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 72 (Thursday, May 3, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D617-D619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense met in executive 
session to hold a hearing on Mobility Aircraft. Testimony was heard 
from the following officials of the Department of Defense: Sue C. 
Payton, Assistant Secretary, Air Force Acquisition; and GEN Duncan J. 
McNabb, USAF, Commander, Air Mobility Command; and Christopher Bolkcom, 
Specialist in National Defense, Congressional Research Service.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on Joint Strike Fighter and 
Tactical Aircraft. Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
the Department of Defense: LTG Carrol H. Chandler, USAF, Deputy Chief 
of Staff, Operations, Plans and Requirements; BG Charles R. Davis, 
USAF, Program Executive Officer, F-35 Lightning II Program; LTG John G. 
Castellaw, USAF, Deputy Commandant, Aviation; and Bruce W. Clingan, 
USN, Director, Air Warfare.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary 
Forces approved for full Committee action H.R. 1585, National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional 
Threats and Capabilities approved for full Committee action H.R. 1585, 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.
PENSION PROTECTION
Committee on Education and Labor: Subcommittee on Health, Employment, 
Labor and Pensions held a hearing on Retirement Security: Strengthening 
Pension Protections. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
ELECTRIC GRID TRANSITION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air 
Quality held a hearing entitled ``Facilitating the Transition to a 
Smart Electric Grid.'' Testimony was heard from the following officials 
of the Department of Energy: Kevin Kolevar, Director, Office of Energy 
Delivery and Electricity Reliability; and Jon Wellinghoff, 
Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Robert F. 
Lieberman, Commissioner, Commerce Commission, State of Illinois; and 
public witnesses.
EXPANDING AMERICAN HOMEOWNERSHIP ACT OF 2007
Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
1852, Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007.
U.S.-EUROPE MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Europe and the 
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade held a joint 
hearing on Do the United States and Europe Need A Missile Defense 
System? Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of State: Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of 
European and Eurasian Affairs; and John C. Rood, Assistant Secretary, 
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.
ARAB OPINION ON AMERICAN POLICIES
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on International 
Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight and the Subcommittee on 
Middle East and South Asia held a joint hearing on Arab Opinion on 
American Policies, Values, and People. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Committee on House Administration: Met to discuss pending Committee 
business.

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U.S. ATTORNEYS CONTROVERSY
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law continued hearings on the Continuing Investigation 
into the U.S. Attorneys Controversy. Testimony was heard from James B. 
Comey, former Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice.
COURT SECURITY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and 
Homeland Security held a hearing on H.R. 660, Court Security 
Improvement Act of 2007. Testimony was heard from John F. Clark, U.S. 
Marshal, Eastern District of Virginia, Department of Justice; David 
Bryan Sentelle, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia; 
Chairman, Judicial Conference Committee on Judicial Security; and 
Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge, Court of Appeals, State of Maryland.
IMMIGRATION REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, 
Refugees, Border Security, and International Law held a hearing on the 
U.S. Economy, U.S. Workers, and Immigration Reform. Testimony was heard 
from Representative King of Iowa; Patricia Buckley, Senior Economic 
Adviser to the Secretary, Department of Commerce; Leon R. Sequeira, 
Assistant Secretary, Policy, Department of Labor; Peter R. Orszag, 
Director, CBO; and public witnesses.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and 
Oceans held an oversight hearing on the Convention of International 
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as a precursor to the Conference of 
the Parties. Testimony was heard from Todd, Willens, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior; 
Osborne Earl Baker III, Department of Natural Resources, State of South 
Carolina; and public witnesses.
FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE PROGRAM OVERSIGHT
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Held a hearing on Waste, 
Fraud, and Abuse in the Federal Crop Insurance Program. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the USDA: Eldon Gould, 
Administrator, Risk Management Agency; and Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector 
General; Lisa Shames, Acting Director, National Resources and 
Environment, GAO; and public witnesses.
CONCURRENT BUDGET RESOLUTION FISCAL YEAR 2008
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule to provide for 
consideration in the House of S. Con Res. 21, Setting forth the 
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 
2008 and including the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 
2007 and 2009 through 2012. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the concurrent resolution and provides that the 
concurrent resolution shall be considered as read. An amendment in the 
nature of a substitute consisting of the text of H. Con. Res. 99, as 
adopted by the House, shall be considered as adopted. The rule waives 
all points of order against the concurrent resolution, as amended, and 
provides that, if the concurrent resolution, as amended, is adopted 
then it shall be in order to move that the House insist on its 
amendment and request a conference with the Senate.
GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment held a hearing on Reorienting the U.S. Global Change 
Research Program Toward a user-driven research endeavor, H.R. 906, 
Global Change Research Data Management Act of 2007. Testimony was heard 
from James R. Mahoney, former Assistant Secretary, Oceans and 
Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator, NOAA, Department of Commerce; and 
public witnesses.
TRANSITING ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENTS LABORATORY TO DEPARTMENT OF 
HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Investigations and 
Oversight held a hearing on Transitioning the Environmental 
Measurements Laboratory to the Department of Homeland Security. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
Homeland Security: John F. Clarke, Deputy Director, Office of National 
Laboratories, Science and Technology Directorate; Jay M. Cohen, Under 
Secretary, Science and Technology; and Vayl Oxford, Director, Domestic 
Nuclear Detection Office; Tony Feinberg, former Program Manager, 
Radiological and Nuclear Countermeasures, Office of Research and 
Development, Science and Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland 
Security; Lynn Albin, Radiation Health Physicist, Office of Radiation 
Protection, Department of Health, State of Washington; and a public 
witness..
RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION RURAL IMPACTS
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``The Impact of 
Renewable Energy Production in

[[Page D619]]

Rural America.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management held a 
hearing on The Southeast Crescent Authority, The Northern Border 
Economic Development Commission, and the Southwest Regional Border 
Authority. Testimony was heard from Senator Dole; and Representatives 
Hodes, Welch of Vermont; McIntyre, Hayes, Butterfield, Reyes, Filner, 
Hinojosa, Rodriguez and Cuellar.
VETERANS EDUCATION BENEFITS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held a hearing on Accelerated Education Benefits for Veterans. 
Testimony was heard from Representative Michaud; the following 
officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs: James Bombard, 
Chairman, Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education; and Keith M. 
Wilson, Director, Education Service; representatives of veterans 
organizations; and a public witness.
LOW-INCOME MEDICARE BENEFICIARY MEDICARE PROGRAMS
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on 
financial assistance programs for low-income Medicare beneficiaries. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Doggett and Altmire; S. 
Lawrence Kocot, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human 
Services; Beatrice Disman, Regional Commissioner, New York Region, SSA; 
J. Ruth Kennedy, Medicaid Deputy Director, Department of Health and 
Hospitals, State of Louisiana; and public witnesses.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming: Held a 
hearing entitled ``Economic Impacts of Global Warming: Part I--
Insurance.'' Testimony was heard from John B. Stephenson, Director, 
Natural Resources and Environment, GAO; Mike Kreidler, Commissioner of 
Insurance, State of Washington; and a public witness.