[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 107 (Thursday, June 26, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D829-D831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
POLLINATOR HEALTH
Committee on Agriculture:, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic 
Agriculture held a hearing to review the status of pollinator health 
including colony collapse disorder. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Hastings of Florida; Edward Knipling, Administrator, 
Agricultural Research Services, USDA; and public witnesses.
LABOR, HHS, EDUCATION; AND AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA 
APPROPRIATIONS RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Began consideration of the Labor, Health 
and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations, but 
no action was taken.
PRE-K ACT
Committee on Education and Labor: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
3289, PRE-K Act.
WORKPLACE TRANSGENDER DISCRIMINATION
Committee on Education and Labor: Subcommittee on Health, Employment, 
Labor and Pensions, hearing on An Examination of Discrimination Against 
Transgender Americans in the Workplace. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Frank of Massachusetts, and Baldwin; and public 
witnesses.
CLIMATE CHANCE COSTS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air 
Quality held a hearing on Climate Change: Costs of Inaction. Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES TRANSPARENCY DISCLOSURE ACT
Committee on Financial Services: Held a hearing on H.R. 6066, 
Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act. Testimony was heard 
from public witnesses.
CREDIT CARDS PRACTICES AFFECTING STUDENTS
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Financial Institutions 
and Consumer Credit held a hearing entitled ``Problem Credit Card 
Practices Affecting Students.'' Testimony was heard from Benjamin 
Lawsky, Deputy Counselor and Special Assistant to the Attorney General, 
Office of the Attorney General (New York); and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Homeland Security: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 263, amended, Cybersecurity Education Enhancement Act of 2007; 
H.R. 2490, amended, To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
conduct a pilot program for the mobile biometric identification in the 
maritime environment of aliens unlawfully attempting to enter the 
United States; H.R. 3815, amended, Homeland Security Open Source 
Information Enhancement Act of 2007; H.R. 4806, amended, Reducing Over-
Classification Act of 2007; H.R. 5170, amended, Department of Homeland 
Security Component Privacy Officer Act of 2008; H.R. 5531, amended, 
Next Generation Radiation Screening Act of 2008; H.R. 5743, Scientific 
Transformations through Advancing Research (STAR) Act; H.R. 5935, 
American Steel First Act of 2008; H.R. 5983, amended, To amend the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance the information security of 
the Department of Homeland Security; H.R. 6098, amended, Personnel 
Reimbursement for Intelligence Cooperation and Enhancement of Homeland 
Security Act; and H.R. 6193, amended, Improving Public Access to 
Documents Act of 2008.
SUBPOENA--ATTORNEY GENERAL
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law approved a resolution authorizing the Chairman to 
issue a subpoena to Attorney General Michael Mukasey for certain 
documents previously requested.
DETAINEE INTERROGATIONS RULES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil 
Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on From the Department of 
Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration 
Interrogation Rules, Part III. Testimony was heard from David 
Addington, Chief of Staff, Vice President of the United States, and 
public witnesses.
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts, The Internet, and 
Intellectual Property approved for full Committee action, as amended, 
H.R. 4789, Performance Rights Act.
PRIVATE PRISON INFORMATION ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and 
Homeland Security held a hearing on H.R. 1889, Private Prison 
Information Act of 2007 (Part II). Testimony was heard from 
Representative Holden; and public witnesses.

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NONNATIVE WILDLIFE INVASION PREVENTION ACT
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and 
Oceans held a hearing on H.R. 6311, NonNative Wildlife Invasion 
Prevention Act. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of the Interior: Gary Frazer, Assistant Director, Fisheries 
and Habitat Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Lori 
Williams, Executive Director, National Invasive Species Council; Nina 
Marano, D.M.V., Branch Chief, Geographic Medicine and Health Promotion 
Branch, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human 
Services; Domingo Cravalho, Jr., Inspection and Compliance Section 
Chief, Plant Quarantine Branch, Department of Agriculture, State of 
Hawaii; Lawrence M. Riley, Division Coordinator, Wildlife Management 
Division, Department of Game and Fish, State of Arizona; and public 
witnesses.
RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Held a hearing on 
Governance and Financial Accountability of Rural Electric Cooperatives: 
the Pedernales Experience. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the State of Texas: Troy Fraser, Chair, Business and 
Commerce Committee, State Senate; and Patrick Rose, member House of 
Representatives; and public witnesses.
LOCALITY PAY EXAMINATION
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on Federal 
Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia held a hearing 
on An Examination of Locality Pay. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of OPM: Kathrene, Executive Director, Federal 
Executive Board; and Charles Grimes, Deputy Associate Director; Hank 
Kashden, Deputy Chief, Business Operations, Forest Service, USDA; and 
public witnesses.
HURRICANE RESEARCH STATUS
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment, and the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education 
held a joint hearing on The State of Hurricane Research and H.R. 2407, 
National Hurricane Research Initiative Act of 2007. Testimony was heard 
from Representatives Hastings of Florida and Ros-Lehtinen; John L. 
Hayes, Assistant Administrator, Weather Services and Director, National 
Weather Service, NOAA, Department of Commerce; and public witnesses.
AIR TRANSPORTATION CRISIS IMPACTS
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``Grounded: How 
the Air Transportation Crisis is Hurting Entrepreneurs and the 
Economy.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
PROTECTING AND RESTORING AMERICA'S WATERS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held a hearing on Protecting and Restoring 
America's Great Waters--Part 1: Coastal Estuaries. Testimony was heard 
from Representative Dicks; Craig Hooks, Director, Office of Wetlands, 
Oceans, and Watersheds, EPA; David Kennedy, Director, Office of Ocean 
and Coastal Resources Management, Department of Commerce; and public 
witnesses.
VETERANS MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
approved for full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 6225, 
Injunctive Relief for Veterans Act of 2008; H.R. 6224, Pilot College 
Work Study Programs for Veterans Act of 2008; H.R. 6221, Veterans-Owned 
Small Business Protection and Clarification Act of 2008; H.R. 6272, 
SMOCTA Reauthorization Act of 2008; H.R. 4255, amended, United States 
Olympic Committee Paralympic Program Act of 2007; H.R. 6070, Military 
Spouses Residency Relief Act; H.R. 2910, amended, Veterans Education 
Tuition Support Act of 2007; H.R. 3298, amended, 21st Century 
Servicemembers Protection Act; and H.R. 2721, amended, To amend title 
10, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
develop, and the Secretary of Defense to distribute to members of the 
Armed Forces upon their discharge or release from active duty, 
information in a compact disk read-only memory format that lists and 
explains the health, education, and other benefits for which veterans 
are eligible under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs.
VETERANS HEALTHCARE
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
on heath care proposals. Testimony was heard from Gerald M. Cross, MD, 
Principal Deputy Under Secretary, Health, Veterans Health 
Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and representatives of 
veterans organizations.
INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures 
held a hearing on the role of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's) in 
our retirement system. Testimony was heard from Representatives Kind 
and Hulshof; Barbara Bovbjerg,

[[Page D831]]

Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, GAO; Thomas 
Reeder, Benefits Tax Counsel, Office of Tax Policy, Department of the 
Treasury; Bradford Campbell, Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits 
Security Administration, Department of Labor; and public witnesses.
BRIEFINGS--TREASURY UPDATE AND CIA PROGRAM
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive briefings on North Korea; Treasury Update and CIA Program. The 
committee was briefed by departmental witnesses.
BRIEFINGS--NORTH KOREA AND NATIONAL APPLICATIONS OFFICE
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Terrorism, 
Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence met in executive 
sessions to receive a briefing on National Applications Office. The 
Subcommittee was briefed by departmental witnesses.
GASOLINE AND FUEL ECONOMY--AUTO INDUSTRY AT CROSSROADS
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming: Held a 
hearing entitled ``$4 Gasoline and Fuel Economy: Auto Industry at a 
Crossroads.'' Testimony was heard from Tyler Duvall, Assistant 
Secretary, Policy, Department of Transportation; and public witnesses.