[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 140 (Thursday, September 20, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1236-D1237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
ACCOUNTABILITY DURING CONTINGENCY OPERATION
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on Accountability During 
Contingency Operations: Preventing and Fighting Corruption in 
Contracting and Establishing and Maintaining Appropriate Controls on 
Materiel. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: Thomas F. Gimble, Principle Deputy Inspector 
General; Shay Assad, Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition 
Policy and Strategic Sourcing; LTG N. Ross Thompson, USA, Military 
Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, 
Logistics, and Technology; Kathryn Condon, Executive Deputy to the 
Commanding General Army Materiel Command; and Peter Velz, Foreign 
Affairs Specialist for Iraq, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary 
for Middle East.
FEDERAL BUDGET EFFICIENCY
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on Using Taxpayers' Dollars 
Most Efficiently: Perspectives on Performance Budgeting. Testimony was 
heard from Clay Johnson, III, Deputy Director, Management, OMB; David 
M. Walker, Comptroller General, GAO; and Peter R. Orszag, Director, 
CBO.
PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM LEAD-TAINTED IMPORTS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection continued hearings entitled ``Protecting Children 
From Lead-Tainted Imports.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
MINIMIZING/MITIGATING MORTGAGE FORECLOSURES
Committee on Financial Services: Held a hearing entitled `` Legislative 
and Regulatory Options for Minimizing and Mitigating Mortgage 
Foreclosures.'' Testimony was heard from Henry M. Paulson, Jr., 
Secretary of the Treasury; Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development; Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman, Board of Governors, 
Federal Reserve System; Daniel H. Mudd, President and CEO, Fannie Mae; 
Richard F. Syron, Chairman and CEO, Freddie Mac; and public witnesses.
EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC ASSISTANCE
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and 
the Global Environment held a hearing on U.S. Assistance in East Asia 
and the Pacific: An Overview. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of State: Glyn T. Davies, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, Bureau of 
East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and Lisa Chiles, Deputy Assistant 
Administrator, Bureau for Asia and the Near East, U.S. Agency for 
International Development.
FIRST RESPONDERS HEALTH AND SAFETY
Committee on Homeland Security: Held a hearing entitled ``Protecting 
the Protectors: Ensuring the Health and Safety of Our First Responders 
in the Wake of Catastrophic Disasters.'' Testimony was heard from Jon 
R. Krohmer, M.D., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Chief 
Medical Officer, Office of Health Affairs, Department of Homeland 
Security; John Howard, M.D., Director, National Institute for 
Occupational Health and Safety, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services; Cynthia A. 
Basscetta, Director, Health Care, GAO; Mike D. McDaniel, Secretary, 
Department of Environmental Quality, State of Louisiana; and public 
witnesses.
CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES FEES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, 
Refugees, Border Security, and International Law held a hearing on the 
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Increase Rule. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security: 
Jonathan R. Scharfen, Deputy Director; Rendell Jones, Chief Financial 
Officer; and Michael Aytes, Associate Director, Domestic Operations; 
and public witnesses.
VIRGIN ISLANDS EDUCATION
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Insular Affairs 
approved for full Committee action H. R. 53, Virgin Islands National 
Park School Lease Act.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Ordered reported the 
following measures: H. Con. Res. 193, Recognizing all hunters across 
the United States for their continued commitment to safety; H. Res. 
303, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a day 
ought to be established to bring awareness to the issue of missing 
persons; H. Res. 584,

[[Page D1237]]

Supporting the goals and ideals of ``National Life Insurance Awareness 
Month;'' H. Res. 605, Supporting the goals and ideals of Gold Star 
Mothers Day; H. Res. 641, Acknowledging the importance of understanding 
the history of the United States of America and recognizing the need to 
foster civic responsibility in all citizens; H.R. 2089, To designate 
the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 701 Loyola 
Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana, as the ``Louisiana Armed Services 
Veterans Post Office;'' H.R. 2276, To designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 203 North Main Street in 
Vassar, Michigan, as the ``Corporal Christopher E. Esckelson Post 
Office Building;'' H.R. 3233, To designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at Highway 49 South in Piney Woods, 
Mississippi, as the ``Laurence C. and Grace M. Jones Post Office 
Building;'' H.R. 3297, To designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 950 West Trenton Avenue in Morrisville, 
Pennsylvania, as the ``Nate DeTample Post Office Building;'' H.R. 3307, 
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located 
at 570 Broadway, Bayonne, New Jersey, as the ``Dennis P. Collins Post 
Office Building;'' H.R. 3308, To designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 216 Main Street in Atwood, Indiana, as 
the ``Lance Corporal David K. Fribley Post Office;'' H.R. 3325, to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
235 Mountain Road in Suffield, Connecticut, as the ``Corporal Stephen 
B. Bixler Post Office;'' H.R. 3382, To designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 299 North William Street in 
Goldsboro, North Carolina, as the ``Philip A. Baddour, Sr. Post 
Office;'' H.R. 3518, To designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 1430 South Highway 29 in Cantonment, Florida, 
as the ``Charles H. Hendix Post Office Building;'' H.R. 1236, To make 
permanent the authority of the United States Postal Service to issue a 
special postage stamp to support breast cancer research; H.R. 1110, To 
amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow Federal civilian and 
military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pretax basis 
and to allow a deduction for TRICARE supplemental premiums; H.R. 3530, 
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located 
at 1400 Highway 41 North in Inverness, Florida, as the ``Chief Warrant 
Officer Aaron Weaver Post Office Building;'' H. Con. Res. 210, 
Supporting the goals and ideals of Sickle Disease Awareness Month; and 
H.R. 663, Supporting the goals and ideals of Veterans of Foreign Wars 
Day.
SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT EXPANSION ACT
Committee on Small Business: Ordered reported H.R. 3567, Small Business 
Investment Expansion Act of 2007.
OVERSIGHT--VETERANS' WORKFORCE TRANSITION
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held an oversight hearing on Licensure and Certification of 
Transitioning Veterans. Testimony was heard from Leslye A. Arsht, 
Deputy Under Secretary, Military Community and Family Policy, 
Department of Defense; John McWiliam, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
Veterans' Employment and Training Services, Department of Labor; Keith 
N. Wilson, Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; and representatives of 
veterans organizations.
FISA
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Held a hearing on FISA with 
the DNI. Testimony was heard from Michael McConnell, Director, National 
Intelligence; and Kenneth Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General, 
National Security, Department of Justice.
RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY STANDARDS
Select Committee on Energy: Held a hearing entitled ``Renewable 
Electricity Standards: Lighting the Way.'' Testimony was heard from 
William Ritter, Governor of Colorado; and public witnesses.