[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 28, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D462-D464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science 
and Related Agencies, on the Department of Commerce. Testimony was 
heard from Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce.
FINANCIAL SERVICES, GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services, 
General Government and Related Agencies continued appropriations 
hearings. Testimony was heard from Members of Congress.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and 
Related Agencies continued appropriations hearings. Testimony was heard 
from public witnesses.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch held a 
hearing on the GAO. Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
the GAO: Gene Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General; and Sallyanne Harper, 
Chief Administrative Officer.
  The Subcommittee held a hearing on the Office of Compliance. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Office of 
Compliance: Tamara Chrisler, Executive Director; and Peter Eveleth, 
General Counsel.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on the Public Printer of the 
United States. Testimony was heard from Robert Tapella, Public Printer, 
Government Printing Office.
DEFENSE ACQUISITION WORKFORCE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on the Acquisition Workforce: Merely a 
Business Expense or a Force Multiplier for the Warfighter? Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: 
Shay Assad, Director, Defense Procurement Acquisition Policy and 
Strategic Sourcing, Acting Deputy Under Secretary, Acquisition and 
Technology; LTG Ross Thompson, USA, Military Deputy to the Assistant 
Secretary, Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, Department of the 
Army; James Thomsen, Principal Civilian Deputy to the Assistant 
Secretary (Research, Development and Acquisition), Department of the 
Navy; and LTG Mark Shackelford, USAF, Military Deputy, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary, Acquisition, Department of the

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Air Force; and John K. Needham, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing 
Issues, GAO.
WORKPLACE HEALTH SAFETY
Committee on Education and Labor: Held a hearing on OSHA's Penalties 
Adequate to Deter Health and Safety Violations. Testimony was heard 
from public witnesses.
IRAN SANCTIONS ENABLING ACT; MORTGAGE REFORM AND ANTI-PREDATORY LENDING 
ACT
Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
1327, Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009.
  The Committee began markup of H.R. 1728, Mortgage Reform and Anti-
Predatory Lending Act.
  Will continue tomorrow.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported the following bills: H.R. 
1748, amended, Fight Fraud Act of 2009; H.R. 1788, False Claims Act 
Correction Act of 2009; and H.R. 1676, amended, PACT Act.
RETAILING PRICE FIXING
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts and Competition 
Policy held a hearing on Bye Bye Bargains? Retail Price Fixing, the 
Leegin Decision, and Its Impact on Consumer Prices. Testimony was heard 
from Pamela Jones Harbour, Commissioner, FTC; and public witnesses.
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT--BUREAU OF RECLAMATION/WATER 
RESOURCES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held an 
oversight hearing entitled ``American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 
Funds for the Bureau of Reclamation and the Water Resources Division of 
the United States Geological Survey (USGS),'' Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the Department of the Interior: Bill 
McDonald, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation; and Matthew C. 
Larsen, Associate Director, Water, U.S. Geological Survey; and public 
witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--USAID MANAGEMENT
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on 
Government Management, Organization and Procurement held an oversight 
hearing on U.S. Agency for International Development: Management 
Challenges and Strategic Objectives. Testimony was heard from Thomas 
Melito, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO; the following 
former officials of the U.S. Agency for International Development, 
Department of State: Mike Walsh, Director, Procurement; and Jim Kunder, 
Deputy Administrator; and a public witness.
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2009
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a record vote of 7 to 3, a rule 
providing for consideration of H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement 
Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. The rule provides for one hour and 
twenty minutes of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair 
and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary, who may 
yield control of blocks of that time.
  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 the Judiciary, modified by the amendment printed in 
the report of the Committee on Rules, shall be considered as adopted 
and the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. The rule waives 
all points of order against the bill, as amended. Finally, the rule 
provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Testimony 
was heard from Chairman Conyers and Representative Goodlatte.
CONFERENCE REPORT--CONCURRENT BUDGET RESOLUTION FISCAL YEAR 2010
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a non-record vote, a rule providing for 
consideration of the conference report to accompany S. Con. Res. 13, 
the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2010. The rule 
provides one hour of debate on the conference report equally divided 
and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on the Budget. The rule waives all points of order against 
the conference report and against its consideration. The rule also 
provides that the conference report shall be considered as read.
HIGH--PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS/INDUSTRIES
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment held a hearing on Pushing the Efficiency Envelope: R&D for 
High-Performance Buildings, Industries and Consumers. Testimony was 
heard from Steven Chalk, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; and public 
witnesses.
SPACE ENVIRONMENT SAFETY
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Space and 
Aeronautics held a hearing on Keeping the Space Environment Safe for 
Civil and Commercial Users. Testimony was heard from LTG Larry D.

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James, USAF, Commander, 14th Air Force, Air Force Space Command, and 
Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space, U.S. Strategic 
Command, Department of Defense; Nicholas Johnson, Chief Scientist, 
Orbital Debris, NASA; and public witnesses.
HIGH PRIORITY PROJECT PROGRAM
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure:, Subcommittee on 
Highways and Transit held a hearing on High Priority Project Program. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Blumenauer, Heller, Larsen of 
Washington, Posey, DeGette, McKeon, Brown of South Carolina, Boozman, 
Edwards of Maryland, Dent, Carney, Davis of Kentucky, Driehaus, Foster, 
Melancon, Hare, Napolitano and Schrader.
FEDERAL RECOVERY COORDINATION PROGRAM
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on Leaving No One Behind: Is the Federal 
Recovery Coordination Program Working? Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Karen Guice, 
M.D., Executive Director, Federal Recovery Coordination Program; and 
Madhulika Agarwal, M.D., Chief Officer, Office of Patient Care 
Services, Veterans Health Administration; and representatives of 
veterans organizations; and public witnesses.
SSA RECOVERY ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Social Security held an 
oversight hearing on the Social Security Administration's provisions in 
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Testimony was heard 
from the following officials of the SSA: Mary Glenn-Croft, Deputy 
Commissioner, Budget, Finance and Management; and Patrick O'Carroll, 
Inspector General; Rob Hewell, Acting Deputy Commissioner, Public 
Buildings Service, GSA; Valerie Melvin, Director of Information 
Management and Human Capital Issues, GAO; and Sylvester J. Schieber, 
Chairman, Social Security Advisory Board.
BRIEFING--FUNDING INTELLIGENCE PRIORITIES
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on Funding Intelligence Priorities. The Committee 
was briefed by departmental witnesses.

Joint Meetings
BUDGET RESOLUTION
  On Monday, April 27, 2009 Conferees agreed to file a conference 
report on the differences between the Senate and House passed versions 
of S. Con. Res. 13, setting forth the congressional budget for the 
United States Government for fiscal year 2010, revising the appropriate 
budgetary levels for fiscal year 2009, and setting forth the 
appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2011 through 2014.
GENDER PAY GAP
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine new 
evidence on the persistence of the gender pay gap, after receiving 
testimony from Andrew Sherrill, Director, Education, Workforce, and 
Income Security Issues, Government Accountability Office; Randy 
Albelda, University of Massachusetts Boston Center for Social Policy; 
and Lisa M. Maatz, American Association of University Women, and Diana 
Furchtgott-Roth, Hudson Institute, both of Washington, D.C.