[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 17, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D989-D990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG 
ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
approved for full committee consideration an original bill making 
appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2008.
AIR SERVICES
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security concluded a hearing to 
examine improving air services to small and rural communities, after 
receiving testimony from Andrew B. Steinberg, Assistant Secretary of 
Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs; John Torgerson, 
Alaska Department of Transportation, Anchorage; Karen Miller, Boone 
County Commission, Columbia, Missouri, on behalf of the National 
Association of Counties; Mark F. Courtney, Lynchburg Regional Airport, 
Lynchburg, Virginia; and Faye Malarkey, Regional Airline Association, 
Washington, D.C.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a 
hearing on the nominations of Robert Boldrey, of Michigan, to be a 
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and 
Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation, Kristine L. 
Svinicki, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, who was introduced by Senators Warner and Craig, and R. 
Lyle Laverty, of Colorado, to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior 
for Fish and Wildlife.
DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENTS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on African Affairs 
concluded a hearing to examine the efficacy of democratic developments 
in Sub-Saharan Africa, after receiving testimony from Barry F. 
Lowenkron, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and 
Labor; Michael Hess, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Democracy, 
Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, United States Agency for 
International Development; Princeton N. Lyman, Council on Foreign 
Relations, Chris Albin-Lackey, Human Rights Watch, Akwe Amosu, Open 
Society Institute, and Dave Peterson, National Endowment for Democracy, 
all of Washington, D.C.
TREATIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine protocol Amending the Convention Between the Government of the 
United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Finland 
for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal 
Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital, signed at 
Helsinki May 31, 2006 (the ``Protocol'') (Treaty Doc. 109-18), protocol 
Amending the Convention Between the Government of the United States of 
America and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Avoidance 
of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to 
Taxes on Income signed at Copenhagen May 2, 2006 (the ``Protocol'') 
(Treaty Doc. 109-19), protocol Amending the Convention Between the 
United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany for the 
Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with 
Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital and to Certain Other Taxes, 
Signed on August 29, 1989, signed at Berlin June 1, 2006 (the 
``Protocol''), along with a related Joint Declaration (Treaty Doc. 109-
20), convention Between the Government of the United States of America 
and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium for the Avoidance of 
Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to 
Taxes on Income and accompanying Protocol, signed on November 27, 2006, 
at Brussels (the ``proposed Treaty'') (Treaty Doc. 110-03), patent Law 
Treaty and Regulations Under the Patent Law Treaty (the ``Treaty''), 
done at Geneva on June 1, 2000, between the Governments of 53 countries 
including the United States of America (Treaty Doc. 109-12), the Geneva 
Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of 
Industrial Designs (the ``Agreement''), adopted in Geneva on July 2, 
1999, and signed by the United States on July 6, 1999 (Treaty Doc.109-
21), the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks (the ``Treaty'' or 
``Singapore Treaty'') adopted and signed by the United States at 
Singapore on March 28, 2006 (Treaty Doc. 110-02), and protocol to the 
Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation Between the United 
States and Denmark of October 1, 1951, signed at Copenhagen on May 2, 
2001 (Treaty Doc. 108-08), after receiving testimony from Thomas A. 
Barthold, Acting Chief of Staff, Joint Committee on Taxation, United 
States Congress; John Harrington, International Tax Counsel, Department 
of the Treasury; Lois E. Boland, Director, Office of International 
Relations, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of

[[Page D990]]

Commerce; Wesley S. Scholz, Director, Office of Investment Affairs, 
Department of State; and William A. Reinsch, National Foreign Trade 
Council, and Janice Lucchesi, Organization for International 
Investment, both of Washington, D.C.
FEDERAL ACQUISITION
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine federal acquisition and contracting, 
focusing on ways to strengthen competition and accountability, 
including S. 680, to ensure proper oversight and accountability in 
Federal contracting, after receiving testimony from David M. Walker, 
Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office; Marcia G. 
Madsen, Mayer Brown Rowe and Maw, LLP, Washington, D.C., on behalf of 
the Acquisition Advisory Panel; and Stan Soloway, Professional Services 
Council, Arlington, Virginia.
CENSUS BUREAU
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal 
Services, and International Security concluded an oversight hearing to 
examine the readiness of the Census Bureau for the 2010 census, after 
receiving testimony from Charles Louis Kincannon, Director, United 
States Census Bureau; Mathew J. Scire, Director, Strategic Issues, and 
David A. Powner, Director, Information Technology, both of the 
Government Accountability Office; Andrew Reamer, Brookings Institution, 
Washington, D.C.; and Maurice P. McTigue, George Mason University 
Mercatus Center, Arlington, Virginia.
ALZHEIMER'S
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on 
Retirement and Aging concluded a hearing to examine the federal 
response and advances being made toward defeating the epidemic of 
Alzheimer's disease, after receiving testimony from Elias A. Zerhouni, 
Director, and Richard J. Hodes, Director, National Institute on Aging, 
both of the National Institutes of Health, Julie L. Gerberding, 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Andrew C. von 
Eschenbach, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Food and Drug 
Administration, all of the Department of Health and Human Services.
PROSECUTION OF BORDER PATROL AGENTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the prosecution of Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, 
after receiving testimony from Representatives Hunter and Rohrabacher; 
Luis Barker, former Chief Patrol Agent, El Paso Border Patrol Sector, 
and David V. Aguilar, Chief, both of the Office of Border Patrol, 
United States Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland 
Security; Johnny Sutton, United States Attorney for the Western 
District of Texas, Department of Justice; T.J. Bonner, AFL-CIO, Campo, 
California; and David L. Botsford, Austin, Texas.
  On Wednesday, July 18, 2007, the following occurred:
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine increasing government accountability and ensuring 
fairness in small business contracting, after receiving testimony from 
Paul Hsu, Associate Administrator, Office of Government Contracting and 
Business Development, United States Small Business Administration; 
Anthony Martoccia, Director, Office of Small Business Programs, 
Department of Defense; Patricia Rice, Maine Procurement Technical 
Assistance Center, Bangor; Todd McCracken, National Small Business 
Association, Washington, D.C.; Magdalah Silva, DMS International, Inc., 
Silver Spring, Maryland; and Ronald Newlan, HUBZone Contractors 
National Council, Rockville, Maryland.
ABUSE OF THE ELDERLY
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
abuse of elderly citizens, focusing on prevention methods, after 
receiving testimony from Daniel S. Fridman, Senior Counsel to the 
Deputy Attorney General and Special Counsel for Health Care Fraud, 
Department of Justice; Gregory E. Demske, Office of Counsel to the 
Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services; Paul R. 
Greenwood, San Diego District Attorney's Office, San Diego, California; 
Beverley Laubert, National Association of State Long-Term Care 
Ombudsman Programs, and Robert Blancato, Elder Justice Coalition, both 
of Washington, D.C.; Daniel Reingold, The Hebrew Home for the Aged at 
Riverdale, Riverdale, New York; and Jennifer Coldren, Rome, New York.