[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 29, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D969-D972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to 
consider pending intelligence matters, receiving testimony from Robert 
M. Gates, Secretary, and Admiral Michael G. Mullen, USN, Chairman, 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, both of the Department of Defense.
  Committee recessed subject to the call.
REGULATORY AND OVERSIGHT STRUCTURE OF INSURANCE INDUSTRY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the state of the insurance industry, focusing on the 
current regulatory and oversight structure, after receiving testimony 
from Steven M. Goldman, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, 
Trenton, on behalf of the National Association of Insurance 
Commissioners; Travis B. Plunkett, Consumer Federation of America, 
Alessandro Iuppa, Zurich North America, on behalf of the American 
Insurance Association, and Franklin W. Nutter, Reinsurance Association 
of America, all of Washington, D.C.; John Pearson, Baltimore Life 
Insurance Company, Owings Mills, Maryland, on behalf of the American 
Council of Life Insurers; George A. Steadman, Rutherfoord Inc., 
Roanoke, Virginia, on behalf of the Council of Insurance Agents and 
Brokers; Tom Minkler, Clark-Mortenson Agency, Keene, New Hampshire, on 
behalf of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, 
Inc.; and Richard M. Bouhan, National Association of Professional 
Surplus Lines Offices, Ltd., Kansas City, Missouri.
NOMINATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the nomination of John P. Hewko, of Michigan, to 
be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation, after the nominee 
testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
EPA
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air 
and Nuclear Safety concluded a hearing to examine the Environmental 
Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), focusing on 
a recent court decision and its implications, after receiving testimony 
from Brian McLean, Director, Office of Atmospheric Programs, Office of 
Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Jared Snyder, 
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany; 
Christopher Korleski, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Columbus; 
Eric B. Svenson, Jr., Public Service Enterprise Group, and John D. 
Walke, Natural Resources Defense Council, both of Washington, D.C.; and 
William H. Spence, PPL Corporation, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
U.S. TRADE POLICY
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
future of United States trade policy, focusing on perspectives from 
former United States Trade Representatives, after receiving testimony 
from former United States Senator William E. Brock, Brock Offices, 
Annapolis, Maryland; and Mickey Kantor, Mayer Brown, Carla A. Hills, 
Hills and Company, and Charlene Barshefsky, Wilmer Hale, all of 
Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported 
the following:
  S. 3263, to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2009 through 
2013 to promote an enhanced strategic partnership with Pakistan and its 
people;
  S. 3052, to provide for the transfer of naval vessels to certain 
foreign recipients;
  S. Res. 618, recognizing the tenth anniversary of the bombings of the 
United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 
and memorializing the citizens of the United States, Kenya, and 
Tanzania whose lives were claimed as a result of the al Qaeda led 
terrorist attacks;

[[Page D970]]


  CCW Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War (the ``CCW Protocol V'') 
(Treaty Doc. 109-10(C)), with one understanding and one declaration;
  The Amendment to Article 1 of the Convention on Prohibitions or 
Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be 
Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects 
(the ``CCW Amendment'') (Treaty Doc. 109-10(B)), with one declaration;
  The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the 
Event of Armed Conflict (the Convention) concluded on May 14, 1954, and 
entered into force on August 7, 1956 with accompanying report from the 
Department of State (Treaty Doc. 106-01(A)), with four understandings 
and one declaration;
  The Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary 
Weapons (Protocol III or the Incendiary Weapons Protocol) and the 
Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV) to the 1980 Convention 
on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional 
Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious or To Have 
Indiscriminate Effects (Treaty Doc. 105-01(B)), with one reservation, 
one understanding, and one declaration;
  Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV) Additional to the 
Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain 
Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious or 
To Have Indiscriminate Effects (Treaty Doc. 105-1(C)) with one 
understanding and one declaration;
  International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear 
Terrorism (the ``Convention''), adopted by the United Nations General 
Assembly on April 13, 2005, and signed on behalf of the United States 
of America on September 14, 2005 (Treaty Doc. 110-04), with one 
reservation, four understandings, and one declaration;
  Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear 
Material (the ``Amendment''). A conference of States Parties to the 
Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, adopted on 
October 28, 1979, adopted the Amendment on July 8, 2005, at the 
International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna (Treaty Doc. 110-06), with 
one reservation, three understandings, and one declaration;
  Protocol of 2005 to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful 
Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (the ``2005 SUA 
Protocol'') (Treaty Doc. 110-08), with one reservation, five 
understandings, and one declaration;
  The Protocol of 2005 to the Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful 
Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental 
Shelf (the ``2005 Fixed Platforms Protocol'') (together, ``the 
Protocols''), adopted by the International Maritime Organization 
Diplomatic Conference in London on October 14, 2005, and signed by the 
United States of America on February 17, 2006 (Treaty Doc. 110-08), 
with one reservation, four understandings, and one declaration;
  Agreement on Extradition between the United States of America and the 
European Union (EU), signed on June 25, 2003 at Washington, together 
with twenty-two bilateral instruments which subsequently were signed 
between the United States and each European Union Member State in order 
to implement the Agreement with the EU. The Agreement includes an 
explanatory note which is an integral part of the Agreement (Treaty 
Doc. 109-14), with one condition and one declaration made with respect 
to each treaty;
  Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and the 
Government of the Republic of Latvia, signed on December 7, 2005, at 
Riga (Treaty Doc. 109-15), with one declaration;
  Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and the 
Government of the Republic of Estonia, signed on February 8, 2006, at 
Tallinn (Treaty Doc. 109-16), with one declaration;
  Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and the 
Government of Malta, signed on May 18, 2006, at Valletta, that includes 
an exchange of letters that is an integral part of the treaty (Treaty 
Doc. 109-17), with one declaration;
  Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and Romania 
(the ``Extradition Treaty'' or the ``Treaty'') (Treaty Doc. 110-11), 
with one declaration;
  The Protocol to the Treaty between the United States of America and 
Romania on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (the 
``Protocol''), both signed at Bucharest on September 10, 2007 (Treaty 
Doc. 110-11), with one declaration;
  Extradition Treaty between the Government of the United States of 
America and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria (the 
``Extradition Treaty'' or the ``Treaty'') (Treaty Doc. 110-12), with 
one declaration;
  The Agreement on Certain Aspects of Mutual Legal Assistance in 
Criminal Matters between the Government of the United States of America 
and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria (the ``MLA Agreement''), 
both signed at Sofia on September 19, 2007 (Treaty Doc. 110-12), with 
one declaration;
  Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and 
the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria for the Avoidance of Double 
Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion With

[[Page D971]]

Respect to Taxes on Income, with accompanying Protocol, signed at 
Washington on February 23, 2007 (the ``Proposed Treaty''), as well as 
the Protocol Amending the Convention Between the Government of the 
United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria 
for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal 
Evasion With Respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Sofia on February 
26, 2008 (Treaty Doc. 110-18), with a declaration;
  Mutual Legal Assistance between the United States of America and the 
European Union (EU), signed on June 25, 2003, at Washington, together 
with 25 bilateral instruments that subsequently were signed between the 
United States and each European Union Member State in order to 
implement the Agreement with the EU, and an explanatory note that is an 
integral part of the Agreement (Treaty Doc. 109-13), with one 
declaration made with respect to each treaty;
  Treaty Between the Government of the United States of America and the 
Government of the Kingdom of Sweden on Mutual Legal Assistance in 
Criminal Matters, signed at Stockholm on December 17, 2001 (Treaty Doc. 
107-12), with one declaration;
  Treaty between the United States of America and Malaysia on Mutual 
Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, signed on July 28, 2006, at Kuala 
Lumpur (Treaty Doc. 109-22), with one declaration;
  1992 Partial Revision of the Radio Regulations (Geneva, 1979), with 
appendices, signed by the United States at Malaga-Torremolinos on March 
3, 1992 (the ``1992 Partial Revision''), together with declarations and 
reservations of the United States as contained in the Final Acts of the 
World Administrative Radio Conference for Dealing with Frequency 
Allocations in Certain Parts of the Spectrum (WARC-92) (Treaty Doc. 
107-17), with four declarations and reservations;
  1995 Revision of the Radio Regulations, with appendices, signed by 
the United States at Geneva on November 17, 1995 (the ``1995 
Revision''), together with declarations and reservations of the United 
States as contained in the Final Acts of the World Radiocommunication 
Conference (WRC-95) (Treaty Doc. 108-28), with five declarations and 
reservations;
  International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling 
Systems on Ships, 2001 (the ``Convention'') (Treaty Doc. 110-13), with 
two declarations;
  1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution 
by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (the ``London Convention''), done 
in London on November 7, 1996. The Protocol was signed by the United 
States on March 31, 1998, and entered into force on March 24, 2006 
(Treaty Doc. 110-05), with two declarations and one understanding;
  Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities 
(the ``Protocol'') to the Convention for the Protection and Development 
of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, with Annexes, 
done at Oranjestad, Aruba, on October 6, 1999, and signed by the United 
States on that same date (Treaty Doc. 110-01), with two declarations;
  Protocol Amending the Convention Between the United States of America 
and Canada with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital done at 
Washington on September 26, 1980, as Amended by the Protocols done on 
June 14, 1983, March 28, 1984, March 17, 1995, and July 29, 1997, 
signed on September 21, 2007, at Chelsea (the ``proposed Protocol'') 
(Treaty Doc. 110-15), with one declaration and one condition,
  Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and 
the Government of Iceland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the 
Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, and 
accompanying Protocol, signed on October 23, 2007, at Washington, D.C 
(Treaty Doc. 110-17), with one declaration; and
  The nominations of Alan W. Eastham, Jr., of Arkansas, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Tatiana C. Gfoeller-Volkoff, 
of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, 
Richard G. Olson, Jr., of New Mexico, to be Ambassador Extraordinary 
and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Arab 
Emirates, David D. Pearce, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the 
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, John A. Simon, of Maryland, to 
be Representative of the United States of America to the African Union, 
with the rank and status of Ambassador, Michele Jeanne Sison, of 
Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Lebanon, James 
Christopher Swan, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Djibouti, W. Stuart Symington, of Missouri, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Rwanda, and Marie L. Yovanovitch, of Connecticut, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, all of the Department of State, 
and John O. Agwunobi, of Florida, Julius E. Coles, of Georgia, Morgan 
W. Davis, of California, and John W. Leslie, Jr., of Connecticut, all 
to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the African Development 
Foundation, Mimi Alemayehou, of the District of Columbia, to be United 
States Director of the African Development Bank, Patrick J. Durkin,

[[Page D972]]

of Connecticut, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the 
Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Peter Robert Kann, of New 
Jersey, and Michael Meehan, of Virginia, both to be a Member of the 
Broadcasting Board of Governors, Kenneth L. Peel, of Maryland, to be 
United States Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development, and Miguel R. San Juan, of Texas, to be United States 
Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank.
PAYROLL TAX ABUSE
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Permanent 
Subcommittee on Investigations concluded a hearing to examine the 
magnitude of outstanding payroll tax debt, focusing on the policies and 
procedures that are used to collect unpaid payroll taxes, after 
receiving testimony from Steven J. Sebastian, Director, Financial 
Management and Assurance, Government Accountability Office; and Linda 
Stiff, Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement, Internal 
Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury.
OSHA
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on 
Employment and Workplace Safety concluded a hearing to examine the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), focusing on 
protecting workers from dangerous dust at the workplace, after 
receiving testimony from Senator Chambliss; Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., 
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration; John S. Bresland, Chairman CEO, United States Chemical 
Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; Amy Beasley Spencer, National 
Fire Protection Association, Quincy, Massachusetts; Richard W. Prugh, 
Chilworth Technology, Inc., Plainsboro, New Jersey; and Graham Harris 
Graham, Imperial Sugar Company, Sugarland, Texas.
MUSIC AND RADIO IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
music and radio in the 21st century, focusing on assuring fair rates 
and rules across various platform--frameworks on which applications may 
be run, including S. 256, to harmonize rate setting standards for 
copyright licenses under section 112 and 114 of title 17, United States 
Code, S. 2500, to provide fair compensation to artists for use of their 
sound recordings, and S. 1353, to nullify the determinations of the 
Copyright Royalty Judges with respect to webcasting, to modify the 
basis for making such a determination, after receiving testimony from 
Senators Wyden and Corker; John L. Simson, SoundExchange, Washington, 
D.C.; Jeffrey S. Harleston, Geffen Records, Santa Monica, California, 
on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America; Joe 
Kennedy, Pandora Media, Inc., Oakland, California; John Ondrasik, Los 
Angeles, California; and Matt Nathanson, San Francisco, California.
BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
consider pending intelligence matters.
  Committee recessed subject to the call.