[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 164 (Friday, October 26, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1430-D1433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                      CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM AHEAD

              Week of October 29 through November 3, 2007

                             Senate Chamber

  On Monday, at 4:30 p.m., Senate will resume consideration of S. 294, 
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.
  During the balance of the week, Senate may consider any cleared 
legislative and executive business.


                           Senate Committees

        (Committee meetings are open unless otherwise indicated)
  Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: October 31, 
Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment, to hold 
hearings to examine climate disclosure, focusing on measuring 
financial risks and opportunities, 2:30 p.m., SD-538.
  Committee on the Budget: October 31, to hold hearings to examine 
S. 2063, to establish a Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal 
Action, to assure the economic security of the United States, and to 
expand future prosperity and growth for all Americans, 9 a.m., SD-
608.
  Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: October 30, 
business meeting to consider S. 2096, to amend the Do-Not-Call 
Implementation Act to eliminate the automatic removal of telephone 
numbers registered on the Federal ``do-not-call'' registry, S. 1580, 
to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, S. 2045, to 
reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission to provide greater 
protection for children's products, to improve the screening of 
noncompliant consumer products, to improve the effectiveness of 
consumer product recall programs, S. 1853, to promote competition, 
to preserve the ability of local governments to provide broadband 
capability and services, S. 1675, to implement the recommendations 
of the Federal Communications Commission report to the Congress 
regarding low-power FM service, H. Con. Res. 225, honoring the 50th 
anniversary of the dawn of the Space Age, and the ensuing 50 years 
of productive and peaceful space activities, and the nominations of 
Todd J. Zinser, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of 
Commerce, Robert Clarke Brown, of Ohio, to be a Member of the Board 
of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, and 
promotions lists in the United States Coast Guard, and the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2:30 p.m., SR-253.
  Committee on Environment and Public Works: October 31, to hold 
hearings to examine the licensing process for the Yucca Mountain 
Repository, 10 a.m., SD-406.
  Committee on Finance: November 1, to hold hearings to examine 
pending nominations, 10 a.m., SD-215.
  Committee on Foreign Relations: October 30, to hold hearings to 
examine the nominations of Sean R. Mulvaney, of Illinois, to be an 
Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development, and Daniel D. Heath, of New Hampshire, to 
be United States Alternate Executive Director of the International 
Monetary Fund, 2:30 p.m., SD-419.
  October 31, Full Committee, business meeting to consider S. Res. 
334, expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the degradation of 
the Jordan River and the Dead Sea and welcoming cooperation between 
the peoples of Israel, Jordan, and Palestine, United Nations 
Convention on the Law of the Sea, with Annexes, done at Montego Bay, 
December 10, 1982 (the ``Convention''), and the Agreement Relating 
to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on 
the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, with Annex, adopted at New 
York, July 28, 1994 (the Agreement''), and signed by the United 
States, subject to ratification, on July 29, 1994 (Treaty Doc. 103-
39), 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), 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

[[Page D1431]]

(the ``Protocol'') (Treaty Doc. 109-19), 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), and 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), 10:30 a.m., SD-419.
  Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: October 30, 
to hold hearings to examine ways to protect the United States from 
drug-resistant tuberculosis, focusing on reinvesting in control and 
new tools research, 10 a.m., SD-430.
  November 1, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine the 
nominations of Gregory F. Jacob, of New Jersey, to be Solicitor, and 
Howard Radzely, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary, both of the 
Department of Labor, 10 a.m., SD-430.
  Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: October 
30, to hold hearings to examine the role of local law enforcement in 
countering violent Islamist extremism, 9:30 a.m., SD-342.
  October 31, Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, to hold 
hearings to examine post-catastrophe crisis, focusing on addressing 
the dramatic need and scant availability of mental health care in 
the Gulf Coast, 2:30 p.m., SD-342.
  November 1, Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, 
Government Information, Federal Services, and International 
Security, to hold hearings to examine the Small Business 
Administration, focusing on the efficacy of the 7(a) loan program, 2 
p.m., SD-342.
  Committee on Indian Affairs: November 1, to hold an oversight 
hearing to examine the impact of the Flood Control Act of 1944 on 
Indian Tribes along the Missouri river, 9:30 a.m., SD-628.
  Committee on the Judiciary: October 31, to hold hearings to 
examine Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) amendments, 
focusing on ways to protect Americans' security and privacy while 
preserving the rule of law and government accountability, 10 a.m., 
SD-226.
  November 1, Full Committee, business meeting to consider S. 1946, 
to help Federal prosecutors and investigators combat public 
corruption by strengthening and clarifying the law, S. 2168, to 
amend title 18, United States Code, to enable increased federal 
prosecution of identity theft crimes and to allow for restitution to 
victims of identity theft, S. 352, to provide for media coverage of 
Federal court proceedings, and the nominations of John Daniel 
Tinder, of Indiana, to be United States Circuit Judge for the 
Seventh Circuit, and Julie L. Myers, of Kansas, to be Assistant 
Secretary of Homeland Security, 10 a.m., SD-226.
  Committee on Veterans' Affairs: October 31, to hold an oversight 
hearing to examine the Uniformed Services Employment and 
Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), 9:30 a.m., SD-562.
  Select Committee on Intelligence: October 30, to hold closed 
hearings to examine certain intelligence matters, 2:30 p.m., SH-219.
  November 1, Full Committee, meeting of conferees on proposed 
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 2008 for the 
intelligence community, 10 a.m., S-407, Capitol.
  November 1, Full Committee, to hold closed hearings to examine 
certain intelligence matters, 2:30 p.m., SH-219.


                            House Committees

  Committee on Agriculture, October 30, hearing to review 
technologies in the meat industry, 1:30 p.m., 1300 Longworth.
  Committee on Appropriations, October 30, Subcommittee on State, 
Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies, hearing on Assessing an 
Effective Diplomatic and Development Program in Iraq: an Examination 
of the Diplomatic Surge, 2 p.m., 2359 Rayburn.
  October 31, Subcommittee on Legislative Branch, on CVC Oversight, 
10 a.m., 2362A Rayburn.
  Committee on Armed Services, October 30, Subcommittee on Oversight 
and Investigations, hearing on Stabilization and Reconstruction 
Operations: Learning from Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) 
Experience, 10 a.m., 2212 Rayburn.
  Committee on the Budget, November 1, hearing on Counting the 
Change: Accounting for the Fiscal Impacts of Controlling Carbon 
Emissions, 11:30 a.m., 210 Cannon.
  Committee on Education and Labor, October 31, to mark up 
Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, 10 
a.m., 2175 Rayburn.
  November 1, full Committee, hearing on Barriers to Equal 
Educational Opportunities: Addressing the Rising Costs of a College 
Education, 10 a.m., 2175 Rayburn.
  Committee on Energy and Commerce, October 30, to mark up the 
following bills: H.R. 1534, Mercury Export Ban Act of 2007; H.R. 
2830, Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007; H.R. 3461, Safeguarding 
America's Families by Enhancing and Reorganizing New and Efficient 
Technologies Act of 2007; H.R. 2601, To extending the authority of 
the Federal Trade Commission to collect fees to administer and 
enforce the provisions relating to the ``Do-not-call'' registry of 
the Telemarketing Sales Rule; H.R. 3541, Do-Not-Call Improvement Act 
of 2007; H.R. 3526, To include all banking agencies within the 
existing regulatory authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act 
with respect to depository institutions; H.R. 3403, 911 
Modernization and Safety Act of 2007; and H.R. 3919, Broadband 
Census of America Act of 2007; 2 p.m., 2123 Rayburn.
  October 30, Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, 
to mark up H.R. 1747, Safe Drinking Water for Healthy Communities 
Act of 2007, 10:30 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.

[[Page D1432]]


  October 31, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and The Internet, 
to continue hearings entitled ``Status of the DTV Transition--Part 
3,'' 9:30 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.
  November 1, Subcommittee Oversight and Investigations, hearing 
entitled ``FDA Foreign Drug Inspection Program: A System at Risk,'' 
10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.
  Committee on Financial Services, October 30, Subcommittee on 
Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises, 
hearing entitled ``Additional Perspectives on the Need for Insurance 
Regulatory Reform,'' 2 p.m., 2128 Rayburn.
  October 30, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, hearing 
entitled `` Preserving and Expanding Minority Banks,'' 10 a.m., 2128 
Rayburn.
  November 2, full Committee, hearing entitled ``Progress in 
Administration and Other Efforts to Coordinate and Enhance Mortgage 
Foreclosure Prevention,'' 10 a.m., 2128 Rayburn.
  Committee on Foreign Affairs, October 30, hearing on Russia on the 
Eve of National Elections, 9:30 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
  October 30, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global 
Environment, hearing on Renewable Energy and the Global Environment, 
2 p.m., 2172 Rayburn.
  October 31, full Committee, hearing on The Mexico City Policy/
Global Gag Rule: Its Impact on Family Planning and Reproductive 
Health, 10 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
  October 31, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human 
Rights, and Oversight, hearing on the Activities of the Department 
of State's Office of the Inspector General, 2 p.m., 2172 Rayburn.
  Committee on Homeland Security, October 30, Subcommittee on 
Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism, hearing entitled ``The 
SAFE Port Act: Status of Implementation One Year Later,'' 2 p.m., 
311 Cannon.
  October 31, full Committee, hearing entitled ``Homeland Security: 
TWIC Failures: TWIC Examined,'' 10 a.m., 311 Cannon.
  October 31, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and 
Science and Technology and the Subcommittee on Transportation 
Security and Infrastructure Protection, joint hearing entitled 
``Enhancing and Implementing the Cybersecurity Elements of the 
Sector Specific Plans,'' 2 p.m., 311 Cannon.
  November 1, Subcommittee on Transportation Security and 
Infrastructure Protection, hearing entitled ``Aviation Security Part 
II: A Frontline Perspective on the Need for Enhanced Human Resources 
and Equipment,'' 2 p.m., 311 Cannon.
  Committee on House Administration, October 31, oversight hearing 
on the Use of Robocalls' in Federal Campaigns, 2 p.m., 1310 
Longworth.
  Committee on the Judiciary, October 30, Subcommittee on Commercial 
and Administrative Law, to continue hearings on Straightening Out 
the Mortgage Mess: How Can We Protect Home Ownership and Provide 
Relief to Consumers in Financial Distress?--Part II, 12 p.m., 2141 
Rayburn.
  October 30, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and 
Civil Liberties, oversight hearing on the Voting Section of the 
Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, 10 a.m., 
2141 Rayburn.
  October 30, Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual 
Property, hearing on Stifling or Stimulating--Role of Gene Patents 
in Research and Genetic Testing, 2 p.m., 2141 Rayburn.
  October 31, full Committee, hearing on Combating Modern Slavery: 
Reauthorization of Anti-Trafficking Programs, 2 p.m., 2141 Rayburn.
  November 1, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, 
hearing on H.R. 3359, Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Fairness and 
Simplification Act of 2007, 12 p.m., 2237 Rayburn.
  November 1, Subcommittee on Crime, hearing on H.R. 2878, Enhanced 
Financial Recovery and Equitable Retirement Treatment Act of 2007, 
10 a.m., 2141 Rayburn.
  Committee on Natural Resources, October 30, Subcommittee on 
National Parks, Forest and Public Lands, hearing on the following 
bills: H.R. 415, To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to 
designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
System; H.R. 1143, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National Park; H.R. 1286, 
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail 
Designation Act; H.R. 1545, To direct the Secretary of the Interior 
to conduct a boundary study to evaluate the significance of Fort San 
Geronimo and other related resources in the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico and the suitability and feasibility of their inclusion in the 
National Park System as part of the San Juan National Historic Site; 
H.R. 1836, Weir Farm National Historic Site Amendment Act; H.R. 
3022, Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness Act of 2007; 
H.R. 3120, Stranahan House, Trading Post and Campsite Historic 
Preservation Act; H.R. 3265, Harry S. Truman Birthplace Study Act; 
H.R. 3473, Bountiful City Land Consolidation Act; H.R. 3616, Lewis 
and Clark National Historic Trail Extension Study Act of 2007; and 
H.R. 3821, Battle of Matewan Study Act, 10 a.m., 1324 Longworth.
  October 31, full Committee, hearing on H.R. 2801, Izembek and 
Alaska Peninsula Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Enhancement and 
King Cove Safe Access Act, 11 a.m., 1324 Longworth.
  November 1, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public 
Lands, hearing on H.R. 3301, Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and 
Conservation Act of 2007, 1324 Longworth.
  Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, October 30, 
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District 
of Columbia, hearing on Will Increased Postal Rates put Mailers out 
of Business? 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.
  October 30, Subcommittee on National Security, and Foreign 
Affairs, hearing on Iran: Reality, Options, and Consequences--
Iranian People and Attitudes, 10 a.m., 2247 Rayburn.

[[Page D1433]]


  October 31, full Committee, hearing on Oil and Gas Development: 
Exemptions from Health and Environmental Protections, 10 a.m., 2154 
Rayburn.
  November 1, full Committee, hearing on The Administration's 
Regulatory Actions on Medicaid: The Effects on Patients, Doctors, 
Hospitals, and States, 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.
  November 1, Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization 
and Procurement, hearing on Too Many Cooks? Coordinating Federal and 
State Health IT, 2 p.m., 2154 Rayburn.
  Committee on Rules, October 30, to consider the following: H.R. 
2262, Trade and Globalization Act of 2007, 2 p.m., H-313 Capitol.
  Committee on Science and Technology, October 30, Subcommittee on 
Energy and Environment, hearing on Research to Improve Water-Use 
Efficiency and Conservation: Technologies and Practices, 2 p.m., 
2318 Rayburn.
  October 31, full Committee, hearing on Aviation Safety: Can NASA 
Do More to Protect the Public? 1 p.m., 2318 Rayburn.
  October 31, Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, 
hearing on Research on Environmental and Safety Impacts of 
Nanotechnology: Current Status of Planning and Implementation under 
the National Nanotechnology Initiative, 10 a.m., 2318 Rayburn.
  Committee on Small Business, October 31, Subcommittee on 
Investigations and Oversight, hearing entitled ``Competitive Bidding 
for Durable Medical Equipment: Will Small Suppliers Be Able To 
Compete? 10 a.m., 2360 Rayburn.
  November 1, full Committee, hearing on Evaluating the Impact of 
Pending Free Trade Agreements upon U.S. Small Businesses, 10 a.m., 
2360 Rayburn.
  Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, November 1, 
Subcommittee on Highway and Transit, hearing on Drug and Alcohol 
Testing of Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers, 10 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.
  Committee on Veterans' Affairs, November 1, Subcommittee on 
Health, hearing on the VA Construction Process, 10 a.m., 334 Cannon.
  Committee on Ways and Means, October 30, hearing on the 
Appropriateness of Retirement Plan Fees, 10 a.m., 1100 Longworth.
  Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, October 31, executive, 
briefing on Hot Spots, 8:45, and executive, briefing on DNI 
Personnel, 10 a.m., H-405 Capitol.
  Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, 
November 1, hearing entitled ``Wildfires and the Climate Crisis,'' 
9:30 a.m., room to be announced.


                             Joint Meetings

  Joint Hearing: November 1, Senate Select Committee on 
Intelligence, meeting of conferees on proposed legislation 
authorizing funds for fiscal year 2008 for the intelligence 
community, 10 a.m., S-407, Capitol.
  Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: October 29, to 
hold hearings to examine the Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe (OSCE) and simmering tensions with Russia before 
parliamentary and presidential elections, 4 p.m., 210-CHOB.