[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D815-D818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE AND FINANCIAL 
SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS FISCAL YEAR 2009
Committee on Appropriations: Ordered reported, as amended, the 
following Appropriations for Fiscal year 2009: Energy and Water 
Development, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and 
Related Agencies; and Financial Services and General Government.
CHINA; RECENT SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on China: Recent Security 
Developments. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: James J. Shinn, Assistant Secretary, Asian

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and Pacific Security Affairs; and MG Philip M. Breedlove, USAF, Vice 
Director, Strategic Plans and Policy, the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
PRE-K ACT
Committee on Education and Labor: Began markup of H.R. 3289, PRE-K Act.
  Will continue tomorrow.
HEALTH IT PROMOTION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health approved for 
full Committee action H.R. 6357, Protecting Records, Optimizing 
Treatment, and Easing Communication through Healthcare Technology Act 
of 2008.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 3329, amended, Homes for Heroes Act; H.R. 6309, amended, Lead-Safe 
Housing for Kids Act of 2008; H.R. 4461, amended, to consider the 
following bills: H.R. 4049, amended, Money Service Business Act of 
2007; H.R. 6306, amended, To authorize United States participation in, 
and appropriations for the United States contributions to, the 
fifteenth replenishment of the resources of the International 
Development Association and the eleventh replenishment of the resources 
of the African Development Fund, and for other purposes; H.R. 6216, 
amended, Asset Management Improvement Act of 2008; H.R. 1746, amended, 
Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2007; and, H.R. 6184, 
America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008.
  The Committee did not agree to H.R. 5767, Payments System Protection 
Act.
U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE REFORM
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Held a hearing on Foreign Assistance 
Reform: Rebuilding U.S. Civilian Development and Diplomatic Capacity in 
the 21st Century. Testimony was heard from the following former 
Administrators of the U.S. Agency for International Development M. 
Peter McPherson; and J. Brian Atwood.
U.S.-INDO RELATIONS OUTLOOK
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on the Middle East and South 
Asia held a hearing on More Than Just the 123 Agreement: The Future of 
U.S.-Indo Relations. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
GOODYEAR PLANT EXPLOSION CHEMICAL PLANT SECURITY
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Transportation Security 
and Infrastructure Protection held a hearing on The Goodyear Explosion: 
Ensuring Our Nation is Secure by Developing a Risk Management Framework 
for Homeland Security. Testimony was heard from Robert D. Jamison, 
Under Secretary, National Protection and Programs Directorate, 
Department of Homeland Security; Norman J. Rabkin, Managing Director, 
Homeland Security and Justice, GAO; John P. Paczkowski, Director, 
Emergency and Security, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and 
public witnesses.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR U.S. ATTORNEYS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law held a hearing on the Executive Office for United 
States Attorneys. Testimony was heard from Kenneth E. Melson, Director, 
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, Department of Justice; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Agreed to a Committee resolution 
dealing with an emergency withdrawal of certain federal lands near 
Grand Canyon National Park.
  The Committee also ordered reported the following bills: H.R. 415, 
amended, 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; H.R. 1286, amended, 
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail 
Designation Act; H.R. 1210, amended, Utah Recreational Land Exchange 
Act of 2007; H.R. 6041, To redesignate the Rio Grande American Canal in 
El Paso, Texas, as the ``Travis C. Johnson Canal;'' H.R. 1907, amended, 
Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act; and H.R. 3227, amended, To 
direct the Secretary of the Interior to continue stocking fish in 
certain lakes in the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National 
Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE AT K-TOWN: ONE YEAR LATER
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Held a hearing on Waste, 
Fraud, and Abuse at K-Town: One Year Later. Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the GAO: Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director, 
Forensic Audits and Special Investigations; Terrell G. Dorn, Director, 
Physical Infrastructure, and Bruce A. Causseaux, Senior Level Contract 
and Procurement Fraud Specialist, Forensic Audits and Special 
Investigations; and MAJ Mark Rogers, USAF, Vice Commander, U.S. Air 
Forces in Europe, Department of the Air Force; Judith Garber, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and

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Eurasian Affairs, Department of State, and a public witness.
ID CARDS; REISSUING BORDER CROSSING CARDS
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on 
Government Management, Organization, and Procurement held a hearing on 
ID Cards: Reissuing Border Crossing Cards Testimony was heard from Tony 
Edson, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of 
State; Colleen M. Manaher, Director, Western Hemisphere Travel 
Initiative, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland 
Security; Jess Ford, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO; 
and public witnesses.
SAVING ENERGY THROUGH PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ACT OF 2008
Committee on Rules: Committee granted, by a record vote of 8 to 4, a 
structured rule providing for consideration of H.R. 6052, the ``Saving 
Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008.'' The rule provides 
for 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure.
  The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill 
except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The rule 
provides that the bill shall be considered as read. The rule waives all 
points of order against provisions in the bill.
  The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules 
Committee report and waives all points of order against such amendments 
except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The amendments 
made in order shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the 
time specified in this report equally divided by the proponent and an 
opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject 
to a demand for a division of the question.
  The rule provides one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. Notwithstanding the operation of the previous question, 
the Chair may postpone further consideration until a time designated by 
the Speaker. Finally, the rule allows the Speaker to entertain motions 
to suspend the rules on the legislative day of Thursday, June 26, 2008, 
relating to (a) a measure concerning the Commodity Exchange Act and 
energy markets; or (b) a measure concerning the issuance of oil and gas 
leases on Federal lands or waters. Testimony was heard from Chairman 
Oberstar and Representative McGovern.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Science and Technology: Ordered reported, as amended, the 
following bills: H.R. 4174, Federal Ocean Acidification Research and 
Monitoring Act of 2007; and H.R. 5618, National Sea Grant College 
Program Amendments Act of 2008.
ONLINE ADVERTISING IMPACTS
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Regulations, Health Care 
and Trade held a hearing entitled ``The Impact of Online Advertising on 
Small Firms.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
PIPELINE INSPECTION, PROTECTION, AND ENFORCEMENT AND SAFETY ACT OF 2006 
IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials held a hearing on 
Implementation of the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement and 
Safety Act of 2006. Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
the Department of Transportation: Carl T. Johnson, Administrator, and 
Stacey L. Gerard, Assistant Administrator, both with Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and Calvin L Scovel III, 
Inspector General; and John Sammon, Assistant Administrator, 
Transportation Sector Network Management, Transportation Security 
Administration, Department of Homeland Security.
GLOBAL CLIMATE--NATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBAL CLIMATE
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, and the 
Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management of the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence held a joint hearing on National 
Security Implications of Global Climate. Testimony was heard from 
Thomas Fingar, Deputy Director (Analysis), Office of the Director of 
National Intelligence; Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, Director, Office of 
Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Department of Energy; VADM Paul 
G. Gaffney II, USN (Ret.), former Commander, Navy Meteorology and 
Oceanography Command; Kent Hughes Butts, Professor of Political-
Military Strategy, Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War 
College; and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
SKYROCKETING OIL PRICES
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
rapid rise of crude oil prices, focusing on the impact energy prices 
will have on the American public and the United States economy,

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after receiving testimony from Daniel Yergin, Cambridge Energy Research 
Associates, Frederick Joutz, George Washington University, and John A. 
Laitner, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), all 
of Washington, D.C.
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House 
passed versions of H.R. 4040, to establish consumer product safety 
standards and other safety requirements for children's products and to 
reauthorize and modernize the Consumer Product Safety Commission, but 
did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to the call.