[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 16, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D694-D696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS
Committee on Education and Labor: Held a hearing on Evaluating the 
Effectiveness of MSHA's Mine Safety and Health Programs. Testimony was 
heard from Representatives Rahall and Capito; Dan Bertoni, Director, 
Education, Workforce, and Income Security Team, GAO; the following 
officials of the Department of Labor: Richard Stickler, Assistant 
Secretary, Mine Safety and Health; and Jonathan Snare, Acting Solicitor 
of Labor; and a public witness.
MEDICAL DEVICE USER FEE AND MODERNIZATION REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``Reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee and 
Modernization Act.'' Testimony was heard from Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., 
Assistant Commissioner, Policy, FDA, Department of Health and Human 
Services; and public witnesses.
BP PRUDHOE BAY SHUTDOWN
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``2006 Prudhoe Bay Shutdown: 
Will Recent Regulatory Changes and BP Management Reforms Prevent Future 
Failures.'' Testimony was heard from Stacy Gerard, Acting Assistant 
Administrator Chief Safety Officer, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
Safety Administration, Department of Transportation; Carolyn Merritt, 
Chair and CEO, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; 
Richard Fairfax, Director, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor; 
Jonne Slemons, Coordinator, Petroleum Systems Integrity Office, 
Division of Oil and Gas, Department of Natural Resources, State of 
Alaska; and a public witness.
PRIVATE EQUITY'S EFFECTS FROM MARKET IMPACTS
Committee on Financial Services: Held a hearing entitled ``Private 
Equity's Effects on Workers and Firms.'' Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.

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AFRICA'S WATER CRISIS
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health 
held a briefing on Africa's Water Crisis and the 2006 UNDP Human 
Development Report. The Subcommittee was briefed by Cecilia Ugaz, 
Deputy Director, Human Development Report Office, Development Program, 
United Nations; and Amina Salum Ali, Permanent Representative to the 
United States, The African Union.
AFRICA'S WATER CRISIS--U.S. RESPONSE
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health 
held a hearing on Africa's Water Crisis and the U.S. Response. 
Testimony was heard from Representative Blumenauer; the following 
officials of the Department of State: Claudia McMurray, Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and 
Scientific Affairs; and Walter North, Senior Deputy Assistant 
Administrator, Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International 
Development; and a public witness.
MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA DIPLOMACY
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Middle East and South 
Asia held a hearing on Public Diplomacy in the Middle East and South 
Asia: Is the Message Getting Through? Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of State: Jeremy Curtin, 
Coordinator, Bureau of International Information Programs; Gretchen 
Welch, Director, Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources; Thomas A. 
Farrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs, and Alina L. 
Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Professional and Cultural 
Exchanges, both with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; 
and the following members of the Board of the Broadcasting Board of 
Governors: Joaquin F. Blaya and D. Jeffrey Hirschberg.
U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE--FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN U.S.
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Transportation Security 
and Infrastructure Protection held a hearing entitled ``The Impact of 
Foreign Ownership and Foreign Investment on the Security of Our 
Nation's Critical Infrastructure.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
OIL INDUSTRY AND RISING GAS PRICES
Committee on the Judiciary: Antitrust Task Force held a hearing on 
Prices at the Pump: Market Failure and the Oil Industry. Testimony was 
heard from Representatives Stupak and Wilson of New Mexico; Richard 
Blumenthal, Attorney General, State of Connecticut; and public 
witnesses.
PATENT REFORM ACT OF 2007
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts, The Internet, and 
Intellectual Property approved for full Committee action H.R. 1908, 
Patent Reform Act of 2007.
IMMIGRATION REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, 
Refugees, Border Security and International Law held a hearing on 
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Becoming Americans--U.S. Immigration 
Integration. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
CONFERENCE REPORT--CONCURRENT BUDGET RESOLUTION FISCAL YEAR 2008
Committee on Rules: Committee granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving 
all points of order against the conference report to accompany the 
concurrent resolution (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, and against its consideration. The rule provides 
that the conference report shall be considered as read. The rule also 
provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Budget. 
Testimony was heard from Chairman Spratt and Representative Ryan of 
Wisconsin.
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION
Committee on Science and Technology: Held a hearing on the State of 
Climate Change Science 2007: The Findings of the Fourth Assessment 
Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working 
Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
SBA ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing on legislation affecting 
the SBA's Entrepreneurial Development programs, including its Small 
Business Development Center and Women's Business Center Programs. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the SBA: Wilma 
Goldstein, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Entrepreneurial 
Development; and C.E. Rowe, Associate Administrator, Congressional 
Legislative Affairs; and public witnesses.
CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND TRANSPORTATION ISSUES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure held

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a hearing on Climate Change and Energy Independence: Transportation and 
Infrastructure Issues. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
ELDER CARE COSTS
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
economic impact of elder care costs and determine if they are hurting 
family finances and business competition, after receiving testimony 
from Richard W. Johnson, Urban Institute, Washington, D.C.; Scott A. 
Weisberg, General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota; Leni Wilcox, 
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation's Community Services for the Elderly, 
Saint Paul, Minnesota, on behalf of Eldercare Partners; and Virginia 
Morris, Sag Harbor, New York.