[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 76 (Thursday, May 8, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D579-D580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness approved for 
full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 5658, National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary 
Forces approved for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 5658, 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional 
Threats and Capabilities approved for full Committee action H.R. 5658, 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009.
FINANCING INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS
Committee on the Budget: and the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure held a joint hearing on Financing Infrastructure 
Investments. Testimony was heard from Peter R. Orszag, Director, CBO; 
and Patricia A. Dalton, Managing Director, Physical Infrastructure 
Team, GAO.
NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES PROGRAMS
Committee on Education and Labor: Subcommittee on Healthy Families and 
Communities held a hearing on The National Endowment for the Humanities 
and the National Endowment for the Arts: Overview of Programs and 
National Impact. Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities: Bruce Cole, 
Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities; and Dana Gioia, 
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts; William F. Glacken, Mayor, 
Freeport, New York; and public witnesses.
STEM CELL SCIENCE
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``Stem Cell Science: The Foundation for Future Cures.'' 
Testimony was heard from Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., Director, NIH, 
Department of Health and Human Services; and public witnesses.
DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Direct-to-Consumer 
Advertising: Marketing, Education, or Deception.'' Testimony was heard 
from Marcia G. Crosse, Director, Health Care, GAO; and public 
witnesses.
FEDERAL GULF COAST HOUSING FUNDS
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing and Community 
Opportunity held a hearing entitled ``Emergency CDBG Funds in the Gulf 
Coast: Uses, Challenges, and Lessons for the Future.'' Testimony was 
heard from Stanley Gimont, Acting Director, Block Grant Programs, 
Department of Housing and Urban Development; Bill Johnson, Director, 
Department of Economic and Community Affairs, State of Alabama; Gail 
Stafford, Administrator, Community Development Block Grant Funds, 
Department of Community Affairs, State of Florida, David Bowman, 
Director, Research and Special Projects, Recovery Authority, State of 
Louisiana; Jack Norris, Director, Governor's Office of Recovery and 
Renewal, State of Mississippi; William Dally, Deputy Executive 
Director, Department of Housing and Community Affairs, State of Texas; 
and public witnesses.
U.S. MIDDLE EAST AID
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Middle East and South 
Asia held a hearing on U.S. Assistance to the Middle East: Old Tools 
for New Tasks? Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of State: C. David Welch, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of 
Near Eastern Affairs; and George A. Laudato, Administrator's Special 
Assistant for the Middle East, The Middle East Bureau, U.S. Agency for 
International Development.
CENTRAL AMERICA ORGANIZED CRIME INITIATIVE
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere held a 
hearing on Central America and the Merida Initiative. Testimony was 
heard from Thomas A. Shannon, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western 
Hemisphere Affairs; and public witnesses.
PERFORMANCE-BASED ACQUISITIONS
Committee on Homeland Security: Held a hearing entitled ``Performance 
Based Acquisitions: Creating Solutions or Causing Problems?'' Testimony 
was heard from John Hutton, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing 
Management, GAO; Thomas Essig, Chief Procurement Officer, Department of 
Homeland Security; and public witnesses.

[[Page D580]]


MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, 
Refugees, Border Security and International Law approved for full 
Committee action, as amended, H.R. 4080, To amend the Immigration and 
Nationality Act to establish a separate nonimmigrant classification for 
fashion models.
  The Subcommittee also approved private relief bills.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and 
Oceans held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 3840, To prohibit 
commercial fishing of Atlantic menhaden for reduction purposes in 
inland, State, and Federal water along the Atlantic coast of the United 
States, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3841, To prohibit the 
commercial harvesting of Atlantic menhaden for reduction purposes in 
the coastal waters and the exclusive economic zone. Testimony was heard 
from Peyton Robertson, Director, Chesapeake Bay Office, NOAA, 
Department of Commerce; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a 
hearing on the following bills: H.R. 155, Lower Brule and Crow Creek 
Tribal Compensation Act; H.R. 5511, Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel 
Remediation Act of 2008; and H.R. 5710, Eastern New Mexico Rural Water 
System Authorization Act. Testimony was heard from Robert Quint, 
Director of Operations, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the 
Interior; Martha Rudolph, Director, Environmental Programs, Department 
of Public Health and Environment, State of Colorado; and public 
witnesses.
UNIVERSAL MAIL ECONOMICS
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on Federal 
Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia held a hearing 
on The Economics of Universal Mail Post PAEA. Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the U.S. Postal Service: John E. Potter, 
Postmaster General, and CEO; and David C. Williams, Inspector General; 
Dan Blair, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission; and public 
witnesses.
WOMEN IN ACADEMIC SCIENCE/ENGINEERING
  Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Research and 
Science Education held a hearing on Fulfilling the Potential of 
Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2008. Testimony was 
heard from Lynda T. Carlson, Director, Division of Science Resource 
Statistics, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic 
Sciences, NSF; Linda G. Blevins, Senior Technical Advisor, Office of 
the Deputy Director for Science and Programs, Department of Energy; 
and a public witness.
MEDICARE PHYSICIAN FEE CUTS SMALL PRACTICE IMPACTS
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``Medicare 
Physician Fee Cuts: Can Small Practices Survive.'' Testimony was heard 
from Herb B. Kuhn, Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services; and public 
witnesses.
FOSTER CHILDREN's PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATION USE
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Income Security and Family 
Support held a hearing on the Utilization of Psychotropic Medication 
for Children in Foster Care. Testimony was heard from Jeffery Thompson, 
M.D., Department of Social and Health Services, State of Washington; 
Tricia Lea, Director, Medical and Behavioral Services, Department of 
Children's Services, State of Tennessee; and public witnesses
INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION FISCAL YEAR 2009
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Ordered reported, as 
amended, H.R. 5959, Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal Year 
2009.
CLIMATE MEASURES--ROLE OF EFFICIENCY POLICIES
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming: Held a 
hearing entitled ``Negawatts: The Role of Efficiency Policies in 
Climate Legislation.'' Testimony was heard from Paul DeCotis, Deputy 
Secretary of Energy, State of New York; Dian Grueneich, Commissioner, 
Public Utilities Commission, State of California; and public witnesses.