[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D429-D431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE PROGRAM
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and 
Risk Management held a hearing to review producers' views on the 
effectiveness and operations of the Federal crop insurance program. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies met on 
Member Requests. Testimony was heard from Members of Congress.
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense met in executive 
session to hold a hearing on Supplemental Request. Testimony was heard 
from GEN David Petraeus, USA, Commander, U.S. Central Command, 
Department of Defense.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development, and Related Agencies met on Members Requests. Testimony 
was heard from Members of Congress.
HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security held a 
hearing on U.S. Coast Guard: Measuring Mission Needs. Testimony was 
heard from ADM Thad Allen, USCG, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, 
Department of Homeland Security; and John Hutton, Director, Acquisition 
and Sourcing Management, GAO.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and 
Related Agencies, held a hearing on Bureau of Indian Affairs: Law 
Enforcement and Violence. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of the Interior: George Skibine, Acting 
Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs; and Jerry Gidner, Director, Bureau 
of Indian Affairs.
  The Subcommittee also met on Member Requests. Testimony was heard 
from Members of Congress.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch held a 
hearing on the U.S. Capitol Police, and on the Government Printing 
Office. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the U.S. 
Capitol Police: Phillip Morse, Chief; and Daniel Nichols, Assistant 
Chief; and Robert Tapella, Public Printer, GPO.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Base 
Realignment and Closure. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Defense: Wayne Arne, Deputy Under 
Secretary, Installations and Environment; Keith Eastin, Assistant 
Secretary of the Army, Installations and Environment; B. J. Penn, 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Installations and Environment; and 
Kevin W. Billings, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, 
Installations, Environment and Logistics.
AIR SOVEREIGNTY ALERT OPERATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness held a hearing 
on Air Sovereignty Alert Operations. Testimony was heard from Davi M. 
D'Agostino, Director, Homeland Defense and Emerging Threats and 
Warfare, Defense Capabilities and Management Team, GAO; and the 
following officials of the Department of Defense: Peter F. Verga, 
Deputy Under Secretary, Policy Integration and Chief of Staff; LTG 
Daniel J. Darnell, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air, Space and 
Information Operations, Plans and Requirements, U.S. Air Force; and LTG 
Harry M. Wyatt, III, USAF, Director, U.S. Air National Guard.
RETIREMENT SECURITY/401(k)
Committee on Education and Labor: Subcommittee on Health, Employment, 
Labor and Pensions held a hearing on the 401(k) Fair Disclosure for 
Retirement Security Act of 2009. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY SECURITY ACT OF 2009
Committee on Energy and Commerce: and the Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment continued joint hearings on The American Clean Energy 
Security Act of 2009. Testimony was heard from Lisa Jackson, 
Administrator, EPA; Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy; Ray LaHood, 
Secretary of Transportation; John Fetterman, Mayor, Braddock, PA; and 
public witnesses.

[[Page D430]]


9/11 HEALTH AND COMPENSATION ACT OF 2009
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
on H.R. 847, James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Nadler, and King of New York; 
and public witnesses.
CREDIT CARDHOLDERS' BILL OF RIGHTS ACT OF 2009
  Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported, as amended, 
H.R. 627, Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009.
U.S. FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Held a hearing on New Beginnings: Foreign 
Policy Priorities in the Obama Administration. Testimony was heard from 
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State.
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2009
Committee on the Judiciary: Began markup of H.R. 1913, Local Law 
Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.
  Will continue tomorrow.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Ordered reported, as amended, the 
following bills: H.R. 31, Lumbee Recognition Act; H.R. 1385, Thomasina 
E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2009; 
and H.R. 860, Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and 
Enhancement Amendments of 2009.
FEDERAL WORKFORCE STATE
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on Federal 
Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia held a hearing 
entitled ``Public Service in the 21st Century: An Examination of the 
State of the Federal Workforce.'' Testimony was heard from John Berry, 
Director, OPM; Yvonne D. Jones, Director, Strategic Issues Team, GAO; 
and public witnesses.
NATIONAL WATER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE ACT OF 2009
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a non-record vote, a structured rule 
providing for consideration of H.R. 1145, the ``National Water Research 
and Development Initiative Act of 2009.'' The rule provides for one 
hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Science and Technology. 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 amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended 
by the Committee on Science and Technology shall be considered as an 
original bill for the purpose of further amendment. The committee 
amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. 
All points of order against the committee amendment are waived except 
those arising under clause 10 of rule XXI. The rule makes in order only 
those amendments printed in the Rules Committee report. Each such 
amendment may be offered only in the order printed, may be offered only 
by a Member designated, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable 
for the time specified equally divided and controlled by the proponent 
and an opponent, and shall not be subject to amendment or demand for 
division of the question. The rule waives all points of order against 
such amendments except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. 
Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. Testimony was heard from Chairman Gordon, Representatives 
Cardoza, Arcuri, Pingree, Stupak, Blumenauer, McCollum, Connolly, 
Teague, Quigley, Linder, Kirk and Miller of Michigan.
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS MONITORING
Committee on Science and Technology: Held a hearing on Monitoring, 
Measurement and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions II: The Role 
of Federal and Academic Research and Monitoring Programs. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of Commerce: 
Alexander MacDonald, Director, Earth Systems Research Laboratory, NOAA; 
and Patrick D. Gallagher, Deputy Director, National Institute of 
Standards and Technology; Dina Kruger, Director, Climate Change 
Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, EPA; Michael Freilich, 
Director, Earth Science Division, NASA; Richard Birdsey, Project 
Leader, Climate, Fire, and Carbon Cycle Science, Forest Service, USDA; 
and public witnesses.
TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``The Importance 
of Technology in an Economic Recovery.'' Testimony was heard from Edsel 
M. Brown, Jr., Assistant Administrator, Office of Technology, SBA; 
Michael Caccuitto, Assistant Director, Office of Small Business 
Programs, SBIR and STTR Program Administrator, Department of Defense; 
Jo Anne Goodnight, NIH SBIR/STTR Program Coordinator, Office of 
Extramural Research, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services; 
Larry James, Acting SBIR/STTR Program Manager, Office of Science, 
Department of Energy; Kesh S. Narayanan, Division Director, Industrial 
Innovations and Partnerships,

[[Page D431]]

Directorate for Engineering, NSF; and public witnesses.
HELICOPTER MEDICAL SERVICES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation held a hearing on Oversight of Helicopter Medical Services. 
Testimony was heard from Representative Salazar; the following 
officials of the Department of Transportation: Christa Fornarotto, 
Acting Assistant Secretary, Aviation and International Affairs; and 
John Allen, Director, Flight Standards Service, FAA; Robert L. Sumwalt, 
III, Board Member, National Transportation Safety Board; Gerald 
Dillingham, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, GAO; and public 
witnesses.
RAILROAD REHAB/IMPROVEMENT FINANCING PROGRAM
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a hearing on 
Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program. Testimony 
was heard from Mark Yachmetz, Associate Administrator, Railroad 
Development, Federal Railroad Administration, Department of 
Transportation; Patrick Simmons, Rail Director, Department of 
Transportation, State of North Carolina; and public witnesses.
HEALTH INSURANCE MARKET REFORM
Committee on Ways and Means: Continued hearings on reforming the health 
insurance market. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
BRIEFINGS--AFRICOM UPDATE AND FBI UPDATE
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on AFRICOM Update. The Committee was briefed by 
Terry Ford, Director, Intelligence and Knowledge Development, U.S. 
Africa Command, Department of Defense.
  The Committee also met in executive session to receive a briefing on 
FBI Update. The Committee was briefed by Robert Mueller, Director, FBI, 
Department of Justice.
BRIEFING--GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on 
Intelligence Community Management met in executive session to receive a 
briefing on Global Climate Change. The Subcommittee was briefed by John 
Phillips, Chief Scientist, CIA; MG Rich Engel, USAF (ret.), Director, 
Climate Change and State Stability Program, Office of the Director of 
National Intelligence; Darrell G. Herd, Chief Research Scientist, 
Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense; and Ralph Cicerone, 
President, National Academy of Science.

Joint Meetings
  No joint committee meetings were held.