[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 150 (Thursday, October 4, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1328-D1330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
U.S. AGRICULTURE LABOR NEEDS
Committee on Agriculture: Held a hearing to review the labor needs of 
American agriculture. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
ROLE OF DOD IN IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on the role of the Department of Defense 
in Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan and Iraq. Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: 
Mitchell Shivers, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Central Asia Affairs, 
Office of the Secretary (Policy); MG Bobby J. Wilkes, USAF, Deputy 
Director, Politico-Military Affairs (Asia), Strategic Plans and Policy, 
The Joint Staff; Mark Kimmit, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Near Eastern 
and South Asian Affairs, Office of the Secretary; and COL (Promotable) 
Ralph O. Baker, USA, Deputy Director, Politico-Military Affairs (Middle 
East), Strategic Plans and Policy, The Joint Staff.
FEDERAL TAB--COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR WASTE
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on Issues in Federal Government 
Financial Liabilities: Commercial Nuclear Waste. Testimony was heard 
from Kim P. Cawley, Unit Chief, Natural and Physical Resources Cost 
Estimates Unit, CBO; Edward F. Sproat, III, Director, Office of 
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Department of Energy; and 
Michael F. Hertz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, 
Department of Justice.
401(k) FAIR DISCLOSURE FOR RETIREMENT SECURITY ACT OF 2007
Committee on Education and Labor: Held a hearing on H.R. 3185, 401 (k) 
Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act of 2007. Testimony was 
heard from Bradford P. Campbell, Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits 
Security Administration, Department of Labor; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Environment and 
Hazardous Materials held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 1055, 
Toxic Right-to-Know Protection Act; and H.R. 1103, Environmental 
Justice Act of 2007. Testimony was heard from the following officials 
of the EPA: Granta Y. Nakayama, Assistant Administrator, Office of 
Environment and Compliance Assurance; Wade Najjum, Assistant Inspector 
General for Program Evaluation; and Molly O'Neill, Assistant 
Administrator, Office of Environmental Information; Thomas M. Sullivan, 
Chief Counsel, Office of Advocacy, SBA; John B. Stephenson, Director, 
Natural Resources and Environment; Nancy Wittenberg, Assistant 
Commissioner, Department of Environmental Protection, State of New 
Jersey; and public witnesses.
U.S. BIO-LABORATORY SAFETY/SECURITY
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Germs, Viruses, and Secrets: 
The Silent Proliferation of Bio-Laboratories in the United States.'' 
Testimony was heard from Keith Rhodes, Chief Technologist, Center for 
Technology and Engineering, GAO; from the following officials of the 
Department of Health and Human Services: Richard Besser, M.D., 
Director, Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency 
Response; Robbin S. Weyant, Director, Division of Select Agents and 
Toxins, and Casey Chosewood, M.D., Director, Office of Health and 
Safety, Office of the Director, all with the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention; and Hugh Auchincloss, M.D., Deputy Director, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infestious Diseases, NIH; and public 
witnesses.
REAUTHORIZATION--MCKINNEY-VENTO HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing and Community 
Opportunity held a hearing entitled ``Reauthorization of the McKinney-
Vento Homeless Assistance Act.'' Testimony was heard from Senators Reed 
and Allard; John McKinney, Senator, State of Connecticut; and public 
witnesses.
AFGHAN COUNTERNARCOTICS/POLICE TRAINING
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Middle East and South 
Asia held a hearing on Counternarcotics Strategy and Police Training in 
Afghanistan. Testimony was heard from Thomas Schweich, Coordinator for 
Counternarcotics and Justice Reform in Afghanistan, Department of 
State; and a public witness.

[[Page D1329]]


OVERSEAS COUNTERTERRORISM COORDINATION
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and 
Global Counterterrorism held a hearing entitled ``Homeland Security 
Beyond Our Borders: Examining the Status of Counterterrorism 
Coordination Overseas.'' Testimony was heard from Michael E. Leiter, 
Principal Deputy Director, National Counterterrorism Center; the 
following officials of the Department of Homeland Security: Ambassador 
Marisa R. Lino, Assistant Secretary, International Affairs, and Gary L. 
Cote, Deputy Assistant Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; 
Edgar Moreno, Assistant Director, Domestic Operations, Bureau of 
Diplomatic Security, Department of State; and Thomas V. Fuentes, 
Assistant Director, Office of International Operations, Legal Attache 
Program, FBI, Department of Justice.
EMERGENCY HOME OWNERSHIP AND MORTGAGE EQUITY PROTECTION ACT OF 2007
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law approved for full Committee action H.R. 3609, 
Emergency Home Ownership and Mortgage Equity Protection Act of 2007.
ADA RESTORATION ACT OF 2007
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil 
Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on H.R. 3195, ADA 
Restoration Act of 2007. Testimony was heard from Representative Hoyer; 
and public witnesses.
IMMIGRATION DETAINEE MEDICAL CARE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, 
Refugees, Border Security, and International Law held a hearing on 
Detention and Removal: Immigration Detainee Medical Care. Testimony was 
heard from Gary Mead, Assistant Director, Detention and Removal, U.S. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security.
SPECIES CONSERVATION MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and 
Oceans approved for full Committee action, as amended, the following 
bills: H.R. 1464, Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2007; and H.R. 
1771, Crane Conservation Act of 2007.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; IRAQI CORRUPTION ASSESSMENT
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Ordered reported the 
following measures: H.R. 3572, To designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 4320 Blue Parkway in Kansas City, 
Missouri, as the ``Wallace S. Hartfield Post Office Building;'' H. Con. 
Res. 205, Supporting the goal and ideals of National Women's Friendship 
Day; H. Res. 588, Recognizing Martha Coffin Wright on the 200th 
anniversary of her birth and her induction into the National Women's 
Hall of Fame; H. Res. 630, Congratulating the Warner Robins Little 
League Baseball Team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 
Little League World Series Championship; H. Res. 654, Congratulating 
the Phoenix Mercury for winning the 2007 Women's National Basketball 
Association (WNBA) Championship; H. Res. 697, Commending Green Bay 
Packers quarterback Brett Favre for establishing a National Football 
League record for the most career touchdown passes; and H. Res. 687, 
amended, Celebrating the 90th birthday of Reverend Theodore M. 
Hesburgh, C.S.C., president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, 
and honoring his contributions to higher education, the Catholic 
Church, and the advancement of the humanitarian mission.
  The Committee also held a hearing on assessing the state of Iraq 
corruption. Testimony was heard from David Walker, Comptroller General, 
GAO; Ambassador Larry Butler, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Near East 
Affairs, Department of State; Stuart Bowen, Special Inspector General 
for Iraq Reconstruction; Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, Commissioner, 
Public Integrity in Iraq; and a public witness.
R&D GLOBALIZATION AND INNOVATION
  Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Technology 
and Innovation continued hearings on The Globalization of R&D and 
Innovation, Part III: How Do Companies Choose Where To Build R&D 
Facilities. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
SBA CONTRACTING PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing on SBA Contracting 
Programs. Testimony was heard from Steven C. Preston, Administrator, 
SBA; and public witnesses.
VA RESEARCH PROGRAMS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
on VA Research Programs. Testimony was heard from MAJ David Rozelle, 
USA, Administrative Officer, Military Advanced Training Center, Walter 
Reed Army Medical Center; Joel Kupersmith, M.D., Chief Research and 
Development Officer, Veterans Health Administration, Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and representatives of veterans organizations.

[[Page D1330]]


IMPORT SAFETY
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Trade and the Subcommittee 
on Oversight held a joint hearing on import safety. Testimony was heard 
from Warren H. Maruyama, General Counsel, Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative; Daniel Baldwin, Assistant Commissioner, Office of 
International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protect, Department of 
Homeland Security; William James, D.V.M., Deputy Assistant 
Administrator, Office of International Affairs, Food Safety and 
Inspection Service, USDA; Steven M. Solomon, D.V.D., Deputy Director, 
Office of Regional Operations, Office of Regulatory Affairs, FDA, 
Department of Health and Human Services; and Marc J. Schoem, Director, 
Recalls and Compliance, Consumer Product Safety Commission; and public 
witnesses.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Oversight 
and Investigations met in executive session to consider pending 
business.

Joint Meetings
MASS INCARCERATION COSTS
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
costs of mass incarceration in the United States, after receiving 
testimony from Glenn C. Loury, Brown University Department of 
Economics, Providence, Rhode Island; Bruce Western, Harvard University 
Department of Sociology, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Alphonso Albert, 
Second Chances, Norfolk, Virginia; Michael P. Jacobson, Vera Institute 
of Justice, New York, New York; and Pat Nolan, Prison Fellowship, 
Reston, Virginia.