[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 27, 2008)] [Daily Digest] [Pages D185-D187] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings (Committees not listed did not meet) APPROPRIATIONS: U.S. ARMY Committee on Appropriations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2009 for the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, after receiving testimony from Preston M. Geren III, Secretary, and General George W. Casey, Jr., Chief of Staff, both of the United States Army, Department of Defense. NATIONAL SECURITY Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the current and future worldwide threats to the national security of the United States, after receiving testimony from John M. McConnell, Director, Tim Langford, Cuba-Venezuela Mission [[Page D186]] Manager, Benjamin Powell, General Counsel, Alan Pino, National Intelligence Officer for the Middle East, and Tom Fingar, Deputy Director for Analysis, all of National Intelligence; and Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples, USA, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency. DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a hearing to examine the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2009 for the Active component, Reserve component, civilian personnel programs, and the future years defense program, after receiving testimony from David S. C. Chu, Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, Lieutenant General Michael D. Rochelle, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff, G1, United States Army, Vice Admiral John C. Harvey, Jr., USN, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education, United States Navy, Lieutenant General Roland S. Coleman, USMC, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, United States Marine Corps, and Lieutenant General Richard Y. Newton III, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel, United States Air Force, all of the Department of Defense. NASA BUDGET Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2009 for the National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA), after receiving testimony from Michael D. Griffin, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NOMINATION Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nomination of J. Gregory Copeland, of Texas, to be General Counsel of the Department of Energy, after the nominee testified and answered questions in his own behalf. LAND BILLS Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 2229, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Wyoming Range from leasing and provide an opportunity to retire certain leases in the Wyoming Range, S. 2379, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cancel certain grazing leases on land in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument that are voluntarily waived by the lessees, to provide for the exchange of certain Monument land in exchange for private land, to designate certain Monument land as wilderness, S. 832, to provide for the sale of approximately 25 acres of public land to the Turnabout Ranch, Escalante, Utah, at fair market value, S. 2508 and H.R. 903, bills to provide for a study of options for protecting the open space characteristics of certain lands in and adjacent to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, S. 2601 and H.R. 1285, bills to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to King and Kittitas Counties Fire District No. 51 a certain parcel of real property for use as a site for a new Snoqualmie Pass fire and rescue station, H.R. 523, to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, to the utility district, and S. 532 and H.R. 838, bills to provide for the conveyance of the Bureau of Land Management parcels known as the White Acre and Gambel Oak properties and related real property to Park City, Utah, after receiving testimony from Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, Cheyenne; Melissa Simpson, Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; Luke Johnson, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; Andy Kerr, Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, and Mike Dauenhauer, both of Ashland, Oregon; Claire Moseley, Public Lands Advocacy, Denver, Colorado; Gary Amerine, Citizens Protecting the Wyoming Range, Daniel; and Chris Caviezel, Snoqualmie Pass Fire Station, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY BUDGET Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2009 for the Environmental Protection Agency, after receiving testimony from Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency. PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS RELIANCE Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine U.S. reliance on private security firms in overseas operations, after receiving testimony from Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Secretary of State for Management; P. Jackson Bell, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness; James D. Schmitt, ArmorGroup North America, Inc., McLean, Virginia; and Laura A. Dickinson, University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford. FOREIGN AID LESSONS FOR DOMESTIC ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE ACT Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2232, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a demonstration program to adapt the lessons of providing foreign aid to underdeveloped economies to the provision of Federal economic development assistance to certain similarly situated individuals, after receiving testimony from Senator Stevens; Matthew Crow, Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs and Communications of [[Page D187]] Commerce for Economic Development Administration; Julie Kitka, Alaska Federation of Natives, Anchorage; Byron Mallott, Sealaska Corporation, Juneau, Alaska; Ralph Andersen, Bristol Bay Native Association, Dillingham, Alaska; Zach Brink, Association of Village Council Presidents, Bethel, Alaska; and Paul V. Applegarth, Value Enhancement International, Greenwich, Connecticut. FALSE CLAIMS ACT Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 2041, to amend the False Claims Act, focusing on strengthening the government's most effective tool against fraud for the 21st century, after receiving testimony from Michael F. Hertz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice; John E. Clark, Goode, Casseb, Jones, Riklin, Choate, and Watson, PC, San Antonio, Texas; John T. Boese, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson, LLP, Washington, DC; Pamela H. Bucy, University of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa; and Tina Marie Gonter, Jacksonville, Florida. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs concluded a hearing to examine supporting the front line in the fight against crime, focusing on restoring federal funding for state and local law enforcement, after receiving testimony from Senators Harkin and Chambliss; Mark Epley, Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice; Jeffrey Horvath, Dover Police Department, Dover, Delaware; Anthony F. Wieners, New Jersey Police Department, Belleville, on behalf of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO); and Charles H. Ramsey, Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. VOTE CAGING PRACTICES Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded a hearing to examine protecting voters in the United States at the polls, focusing on limiting abusive robocalls and vote caging practices, including S. 2305, to prevent voter caging, after receiving testimony from Senator Whitehouse; Roy Cooper, North Carolina Attorney General, Raleigh; J. Bradley King, Indiana Election Division, Indianapolis; James Bopp, Jr., James Madison Center for Free Speech, Terre Haute, Indiana; Shaun Dakin, National Political Do Not Contact Registry, and Judith A. Browne-Dianis, Advancement Project, both of Washington, DC; and Chandler Davidson, Rice University, Houston, Texas. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUDGET Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2009 for the Small Business Administration, including The Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-186), The CLEAN Energy Act (Public Law 110-140), and S. 1256, to amend the Small Business Act to reauthorize loan programs under that Act, after receiving testimony from Steven Preston, Administrator, Small Business Administration. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine veterans' disability compensation, focusing on expert work on post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues, after receiving testimony from Joyce McMahon, CNA Corporation, Alexandria, Virginia; Lonnie R. Bristow, National Academies, Washington, DC; Dean G. Kilpatrick, Medical University of South Carolina National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Charleston; and Scott L. Zeger, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. BUSINESS MEETING Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider pending intelligence matters. Committee recessed subject to the call. MEDICAL DEVICE INDUSTRY Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine issues relative to surgeons, focusing on conflicts and consultant payments in the medical device industry, after receiving testimony from Gregory E. Demske, Assistant Inspector General for Legal Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services; Charles D. Rosen, University of California School of Medicine, Irvine, on behalf of the Association for Ethics in Spine Surgery; Said Hilal, Applied Medical Resources Corporation, Ranch Santa, Margarita, California; Edward B. Lipes, Stryker Corporation, Mahwah, New Jersey; Chad F. Phipps, Zimmer Holdings, Inc., Warsaw, Indiana; and Christopher L. White, Advanced Medical Technology Association, Washington, DC.