[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1112-D1114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FOOD SAFETY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held a 
hearing on Food Safety--FDA. Testimony was heard from David Acheson, 
Associate Commissioner, FDA, Department of Health and Human Services; 
and public witnesses.
ACCESS TO CABLE TV
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and 
General Government, on Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) 
Access to Cable Television. Testimony was heard from Monica Shah Desai, 
Media Bureau, FCC; and public witnesses.
WORKPLACE HEALTH STANDARDS
Committee on Education and Labor: Subcommittee on Workforce Protections 
held a hearing on the Secret Rule of the Department of Labor's Worker 
Health Risk Assessment Proposal. Testimony was heard from Leon R. 
Sequeira, Assistant Secretary, Policy, Department of Labor; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce. Ordered reported the following bills: 
H. 6469, amended, Organ Transplant Authorization; S. 1760 Healthy Start 
Reauthorization Act of 2007; H.R. 1532, Comprehensive Tuberculosis 
Elimination Act of 2007; H.R. 2994, amended. National Pain Care Policy 
Act of 2007; H.R. 5265, amended, Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy 
Community Assistance, Research, and Education Amendments of 2008; H.R. 
6901, Meth Free Families and Communities Act; 1014, amended, Heart 
Disease Education, Analysis Research, and Treatment for Women Act; H.R. 
6353, amended, To amend, title VII of the Public Health Service Act to 
establish a loan program for eligible hospitals to establish residency 
training programs hospitals to establish residency training programs; 
H.R. 1076, HIPPA Recreational Injury Technical Correction Act; and H.R. 
758, amended, Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Financial Services: Began consideration of the following 
bills: H.R. 6694, FHA Seller-Financed Downpayment Reform and Risk-Based 
Pricing Authorization Act of 2008; H.R. 6890, Payments System 
Protection Act of 2008; H.R. 3019, Expand and Preserve Home Ownership 
Through Counseling Act; H.R. 6642, National Consumer Cooperative Bank 
Act Amendments of 2008; and H.R. 6871, Expedited Funds Availability 
Dollar Limits Adjustment Act of 2008.
FORECLOSURE MITIGATION EFFORTS
Committee on Financial Services: Held a hearing entitled 
``Implementation of the Hope for Homeowners Program and A Review of 
Foreclosure Mitigation Efforts. ``Testimony was heard from Sheila Bair, 
Chairman, FDIC; Elizabeth S. Duke, Governor, Federal Reserve Board of 
Governors; Phillip L. Swagel, Assistant Secretary, Economic Policy, 
Department of the Treasury; Brian D. Montgomery Assistant Secretary, 
Housing Commission, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Thomas 
J Curry, Director, FDIC; and public witnesses.
STABILITY AND DEMOCRACY FOR GEORGIA ACT 2006
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Approved a motion that the Chairman 
request that H.R. 6911, amended, Stability and Democracy for Georgia 
Act of 2008, be placed on the suspension Calendar.
EXPORTING TOXIC TRASH
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and The 
Global Environment held a hearing on Exporting Toxic Trash: Are We 
Dumping

[[Page D1113]]

Our Electronic Waste on Poorer Countries? Testimony was heard from John 
B. Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, GAO.
TRANSPORTATION WORKERS ID
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Border Maritime and 
Global Counterterrorism held a hearing entitled ``Transportation Worker 
Identification Credential: A Status Update.'' Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the Department of Homeland Security: RADM 
James Watson, USCG, Director, Prevention Policy, Marine and Surface 
Credentialing Safety Security and Stewardship, U.S. Coast Guard; and 
Masurine Fanguy, Acting Director Maritime and Surface Credential 
Transportation; Stephen Lord, Acting Director Homeland Security ab 
Justice and Jusice Issues; and public witnesses.
HOMELAND SECURITY FAILED CONTRACTS
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Management, 
Investigations and Oversight, hearing entitled ``Waste, Abuse and 
Mismanagement: Calculating the Cost of DHS Failed Contracts.'' 
Testimony was heard from Richardson K. Gunderson, Deputy Chief 
Procurement Office; and James L. Taylor, Deputy Inspector General, both 
with the Department of Homeland Secretary; John P. Hutton, Director, 
Acquisition and Sourcing Management, GAO; and public witnesses.
AMENDMENTS TO IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT TO WELL-BEING OF SOLDIERS 
AND THEIR FAMILIES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 6020, To 
amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to protect the well-being of 
solders and their families, and for other purposes.
  Adopted a resolution establishing a task force to conduct an inquiry 
into whether U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous should be 
impeached.
GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES OFFICE
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on 
Information Policy, Census and National Archives, hearing on 
Implementation of the Office of Government Information Services. 
Testimony was heard from Allen Weinstein, Archivist, National Archives 
and Records Administration; and public witnesses.
BUSINESS DISASTER SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Finance, and Tax held a 
hearing entitled ``Disaster Savings Accounts: Protections for Small 
Businesses During a Disaster.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
FAA AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATION
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation held a hearing on FAA Aircraft Certification: Alleged 
Regulatory Lapses in the Certification and Manufacture of the Eclipse 
EA-500. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Transportation: Calvin L. Scovel III, Inspector General; 
Dennis Wallace, Software Engineer, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service; Ford Lauer, Manager, San Antonio Manufacturing 
Inspector, District Office; Maryetta Broyles, Technical Program 
Management Specialist, Manufacturing Inspection Office; Nicholas A. 
Sabatini, Associate Administrator, Aviation Safety; John J. Hickey, 
Director, Aircraft Certification Service; Ronald Wojnar, Senior 
Advisor, Aircraft Maintenance Division, Aircraft Certification Service; 
all with the FAA; and Tom Haueter, Director, Office of Aviation Safety, 
National Transportation Safety Board and a public witness.
FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY ACT
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
6897, Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2008.
THE ``COMMODITY MARKETS TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2008''
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a non-record vote, a closed rule 
providing for consideration of H.R. 6604, the ``Commodity Markets 
Transparency and Accountability Act of 2008.'' The rule provides one 
hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman 
and ranking minority member of the Committee on Agriculture.
  The resolution waives all points of order against consideration of 
the bill except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The 
resolution provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
printed in the Rules Committee report shall be considered as adopted 
and that the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. The 
resolution waives all points of order against the bill, as amended.
  The resolution provides one motion to recommit the bill. The 
resolution permits the Chair, during consideration of the bill, to 
postpone further consideration of it to a time designated by the 
Speaker. Testimony was heard from Chairman Peterson of Minnesota.

[[Page D1114]]



Joint Meetings
ROLE OF OSCE INSTITUTIONS
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: Commission concluded 
a hearing to examine the role of Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) institutions in advancing human rights and 
democracy, focusing on the roles of each institution, their 
contributions to strengthening human rights, and the challenges faced 
as countries seek to curtail the Organization's work, after receiving 
testimony from Janez Lenarcic, Office for the Democratic Institutions 
and Human Rights, Warsaw, Poland, and R. Spencer Oliver, Secretary 
General of the Parliamentary Assembly, Copenhagen, Denmark, both of the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).