[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 20 (Thursday, February 7, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D103-D105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
VETERINARY MEDICAL SERVICE ACT
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry 
held a hearing to review the National Veterinary Medical Service Act. 
Testimony was heard from Representative Kingston; Gale Buchanan, Under 
Secretary, Research, Education and Economics, USDA; and a public 
witness.
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense met in executive 
session to hold a hearing on DOD Force Health Protection. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: Ward 
Cascells, M.D., Under Secretary, Health Affairs; and Ellen Embrey, 
Under Secretary, Force Health Protection.
  The Subcommittee also met in executive session on the Surgeon 
Generals of the Services. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Defense: VADM Adam M. Robinson, Jr., 
M.D.,USN.; LTG James G. Roudebush, M.D., USAF; and LTG Eric B. 
Schoomaker, M.D., USA.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and 
Related Agencies held a hearing on Department of Interior, Overview. 
Testimony was heard from Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior.
CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch held a 
hearing on Capitol Visitor Center. Testimony was heard from Stephen 
Ayers, Acting Architect of the Capitol; Terri Rouse, CEO for Visitor 
Services, and Bernie Ungar, Project Executive, both with the Capitol 
Visitor Center; and Terry Dorn, Director, Physical Infrastructure 
Issues, GAO.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Quality of 
Life. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: Kenneth O. Preston, SGM, USA.; Joe R. Campa, 
Jr., Master Chief Petty Officer, USN.; Carlton W. Kent, MSgt., USMC, 
and Rodney J. McKinley, CMSgt., USAF.
TRANSPORTATION, HUD, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, and 
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on 
Department of Transportation Fiscal Year Budget Request. Testimony was 
heard from Mary Peters, Secretary of Transportation.
BENEFICIARY ADVOCACY OVERVIEW
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a 
hearing on beneficiary advocacy overview. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR 2009 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on the President's Fiscal Year 
2009 Budget. Testimony was heard from Jim Nussle, Director, OMB.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S FY BUDGET PROPOSAL
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Held a hearing entitled ``Department 
of Energy's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal.'' Testimony was heard 
from Samuel W. Bodman, Secretary of Energy.
HOLOCAUST INSURANCE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2007
Committee on Financial Services: Held a hearing entitled ``The 
Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2007 (H.R. 1746): Holocaust 
Era Insurance Restitution After ICHEIC, the International Commission on

[[Page D104]]

Holocaust Era Insurance Claims.'' Testimony was heard from Ambassador 
J. Christian Kennedy, Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Department of 
State; Michael Kurtz, Assistant Archivist, Records Services, National 
Archives and Records Administration; Stuart Eisenstat, former Special 
Representative of the President and Secretary of State on Holocaust-Era 
Issues; and public witnesses.
FINANCIAL SECTOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Diversity in the Financial 
Services Sector.'' Testimony was heard from Orice M. Williams, 
Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, GAO; Ronald 
Edwards, Director, Program Research and Surveys Division, Office of 
Research, Information and Planning, Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission; and public witnesses.
MERIDA INITIATIVE--U.S. OBLIGATIONS
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere held a 
hearing on U.S. Obligations under the Merida Initiative. Testimony was 
heard from Thomas A. Shannon, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western 
Hemisphere Affairs, Department of State; Scott Burns, Deputy Director, 
Office of National Drug Control Policy; Marisa R. Lino, Assistant 
Secretary, Office of Policy/International Affairs, Department of 
Homeland Security; and the following officials of the Department of 
Justice: William J. Hoover, Assistant Director, Office of Field 
Operations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; 
Anthony P. Placido, Assistant Administrator, and Chief of Intelligence, 
DEA; and Kenneth W. Kaiser, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigative 
Division, FBI.
HOMELAND SECURITY ACQUISITION/CONTRACTING
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, 
Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, hearing entitled ``Other 
Transaction Authority: Flexibility at the Expense of Accountability?'' 
Testimony was heard from the following official of the Department of 
Homeland Security: Thomas Essig, Chief Procurement Officer; and Keith 
B. Ward, Chief Research and Development Branch, Chemical and Biological 
Division, Science and Technology; the following officials of the CRS, 
Library of Congress: Elaine Halchin, Analyst, American National 
Government; and John D. Moteff, Specialist, Science and Technology 
Policy; and John Needham, Acting Director, Acquisition and Sourcing 
Management, GAO.
OVERSIGHT--JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Held an oversight hearing on the Department 
of Justice. Testimony was heard from Michael Mukasey, Attorney General, 
Department of Justice.
FOREIGN SCHOLAR/STUDENT VISAS
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Research and 
Science Education held a hearing on Visas for Foreign Scholars and 
Students. Testimony was heard from Tony Edson, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Visa Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of 
State; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Technology and 
Innovation approved for full Committee action, as amended, the 
following bills: H.R. 3916, To provide for the next generation of 
border and maritime security technologies; H.R. 4847, United States 
Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2007; and H.R. 5161, Green 
Transportation Infrastructure Research and Technology Transfer Act.
SBA'S BUDGET FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``The Small 
Business Administration's Budget for Fiscal Year 2009.'' Testimony was 
heard from Steven C. Preston, Administrator, SBA.
FAA'S FISCAL YEAR BUDGET
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation held a hearing on the President's Fiscal Year 2009 Federal 
Aviation Administration Budget. Testimony was heard from Ramesh K. 
Punwani, Assistant Administrator, Financial Services, Chief Financial 
Officer, FAA, Department of Transportation; and Gerald Dillingham, 
Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, GAO.
AGENCY'S BUDGET AND PRIORITIES FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held a hearing on Agency Budgets and 
Priorities for Fiscal Year 2009. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the EPA: Benjamin H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator, 
Water; Susan Parker Bodine, Assistant Administrator, Solid Waste and 
Emergency Response; and the following officials of the Department of 
the Army: John Paul Woodley, Jr., Assistant Secretary, Civil Works; and 
LTG Robert Van Antwerp, USA, Chief of Engineers, Corps of Engineers.

[[Page D105]]


VETERANS AFFAIRS BUDGET REQUEST FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Held a hearing on the Department of 
Veterans Affairs Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2009. Testimony was 
heard from James B. Peake, M.D., Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and 
representatives of veterans organizations.
PRESIDENT'S BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Ways and Means: Held a hearing on President Bush's Budget 
Proposals for Fiscal Year 2009. Testimony was heard from Henry M. 
Paulson, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury.
WORLDWIDE THREATS
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Held a hearing on Worldwide 
Threats. Testimony was heard from J. Michael McConnell, Director, 
Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Michael V. Hayden, 
Director, CIA; LTG Michael Maples, Director, Defense Intelligence 
Agency, Department of Defense; Robert Mueller, Director, FBI, 
Department of Justice; Charlie Allen, Chief Intelligence Officer, 
Department of Homeland Security; and Randall M. Fort, Assistant 
Secretary, Intelligence and Research, Department of State.

Joint Meetings
COMBATING ANTI-SEMITISM (PART II)
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: Commission concluded 
hearings to examine anti-Semitism in the Organization for Security and 
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region, after receiving testimony from 
Gregg Rickman, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti Semitism, 
Department of State; Felice D. Gaer, Commissioner, United States 
Commission on International Religious Freedom; Andrew Baker, American 
Jewish Committee, Mark Levin, National Conference on Soviet Jewry, and 
Stacy Burdett, Anti-Defamation League, all of Washington, D.C.; and 
Marvin Hier, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles, California.