[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D241-D243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed 
budget estimates for fiscal year 2009 for the Department of

[[Page D242]]

Commerce, after receiving testimony from Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of 
Commerce.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing 
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to 
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2009 for the 
Department of Transportation, after receiving testimony from Mary E. 
Peters, Secretary, and Phyllis F. Scheinberg, Assistant Secretary for 
Budget and Programs, and Chief Financial Officer, both of the 
Department of Transportation.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2009 for the U.S. 
Southern and Northern Command, and the future years defense program, 
after receiving testimony from General Victor E. Renuart, Jr., USAF, 
Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States 
Northern Command, and Admiral James G. Stavridis, USN, Commander, 
United States Southern Command, both of the Department of Defense.
GOVERNMENT SPONSORED ENTERPRISES REGULATION REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine reforming the regulation of government sponsored 
enterprises, after receiving testimony from William B. Shear, Director, 
Financial Markets and Community Investment, Government Accountability 
Office; Vincent E. Malta, National Association of Realtors, and Nancy 
O. Andrews, Low Income Investment Fund, both of San Francisco, 
California; Kieran P. Quinn, Mortgage Bankers Association, Atlanta, 
Georgia; and Gerald M. Howard, National Association of Home Builders, 
McLean, Virginia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Budget: Committee ordered favorably reported an 
original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget 
for the United States Government for fiscal year 2009 and including the 
appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal year 2008 and for fiscal years 
2010 through 2013.
U.S. COAST GUARD BUDGET
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard concluded a hearing to 
examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2009 
for the U.S. Coast Guard and conduct oversight, after receiving 
testimony from Admiral Thad W. Allen, Commandant, United States Coast 
Guard, Department of Homeland Security; and Stephen L. Caldwell, 
Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, Government 
Accountability Office.
ADMINISTRATION'S 2008 TRADE AGENDA
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
Administration's 2008 trade agenda, focusing on Trade Adjustment 
Assistance, pending free trade agreements, and the Doha Development 
Round of multilateral trade negotiations, after receiving testimony 
from Ambassador Susan C. Schwab, United States Trade Representative.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nomination of Douglas H. Shulman, of the District of Columbia, to be 
Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
  Also, Committee reported the following subcommittee assignments for 
the 110th Congress.
  Subcommittee on Health Care: Senators Rockefeller (Chairman), Kerry, 
Bingaman, Lincoln, Wyden, Stabenow, Cantwell, Salazar, Hatch, Grassley, 
Snowe, Kyl, Roberts, Bunning, and Ensign;
  Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, And Long-Term Growth: 
Senators Conrad (Chairman), Baucus, Wyden, Cantwell, Schumer, Stabenow, 
Salazar, Kyl, Roberts, Sununu, Snowe, Crapo, and Hatch;
  Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, And Infrastructure: 
Senators Bingaman (Chairman), Conrad, Kerry, Lincoln, Wyden, Cantwell, 
Salazar, Bunning, Smith, Hatch, Crapo, Ensign, and Sununu;
  Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, And Family Policy: 
Senators Kerry (Chairman), Rockefeller, Conrad, Schumer, Ensign, Kyl, 
and Sununu; and
  Subcommittee on International Trade And Global Competitiveness: 
Senators Lincoln (Chairman), Baucus, Rockefeller, Bingaman, Stabenow, 
Schumer, Smith, Crapo, Snowe, Roberts, and Bunning.
  (The chairman and ranking minority member are ex officio members of 
all subcommittees.)
CURRENT UNEMPLOYMENT
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine unemployment in the economy, focusing on 
ways to secure families and build opportunities, after receiving 
testimony from M. Patricia Smith, New York Department of Labor, Albany; 
former Senator William E. Brock, III, Annapolis, Maryland; Alan B. 
Krueger, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; and Ronica 
Jackson, Boston, Massachusetts.
INDIAN COUNTRY FACILITIES
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the state of facilities in Indian

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country, focusing on jails, schools, and health facilities, after 
receiving testimony from Randy Grinnell, Deputy Director for Management 
Operations, and Gary Hartz, Director, Office of Environmental Health 
and Engineering, both of the Indian Health Services, Department of 
Health and Human Services; Jack Rever, Director, Facilities, 
Environmental, Safety and Cultural Resources, and Pat Ragsdale, 
Director, Office of Law Enforcement Services, both of the Department of 
the Interior; Domingo Herraiz, Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 
Department of Justice; Valerie Davidson and Rick Boyce, both of the 
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage; Wendsler Nosie, San 
Carlos Apache Tribe, San Carlos, Arizona; and Monty Roessel, Rough Rock 
Community School, Rough Rock, Arizona.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following:
  S. 2304, to amend title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 to provide grants for the improved mental health 
treatment and services provided to offenders with mental illnesses, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 2449, to amend chapter 111 of title 28, United States Code, 
relating to protective orders, sealing of cases, disclosures of 
discovery information in civil actions, with amendment;
  S. 352, to provide for media coverage of Federal court proceedings, 
with amendments; and
  The nominations of Kevin J. O'Connor, of Connecticut, to be Associate 
Attorney General, and Gregory G. Katsas, of Massachusetts, to be an 
Assistant Attorney General, both of the Department of Justice, Brian 
Stacy Miller, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern 
District of Arkansas, James Randal Hall, to be United States District 
Judge for the Southern District of Georgia, William Joseph Hawe, to be 
United States Marshal for the Western District of Washington, Stanley 
Thomas Anderson, to be United States District Judge for the Western 
District of Tennessee, and John A. Mendez, to be United States District 
Judge for the Eastern District of California.
VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a joint hearing 
with the House Committee on Veterans Affairs to examine a sundry of 
associations' outlook on veterans affairs issues and to receive their 
legislative presentations, after receiving testimony from Warren G. 
King, Sr., American Ex-Prisoners of War, Randy L. Pleva, Sr., Paralyzed 
Veterans of America, Lawrence Schulman, Jewish War Veterans of the 
United States, Norman Jones, Jr., Blinded Veterans Association, John 
Rowan, Vietnam Veterans of America, Sergeant Major H. Gene Overstreet, 
USMC (Ret.), Non Commissioned Officers Association of the United States 
of America, and Richard M. Dean, Air Force Sergeants Association, all 
of Washington, D.C.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on 
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the 
intelligence community.
  Committee recessed subject to the call.