[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 68 (Tuesday, May 5, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D500-D501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
COMBATING PIRACY
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
ongoing efforts to combat piracy on the high seas, after receiving 
testimony from Michele A. Flournoy, Under Secretary for Policy, and 
Vice Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., USN, Director for Strategic Plans 
and Policy, Joint Chiefs of Staff, both of the Department of Defense; 
Stephen D. Mull, Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for 
Political Affairs; and James Caponiti, Acting Deputy Administrator, 
Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.
PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine concluded a hearing to 
examine piracy on the high seas, focusing on protecting our ships, 
crews, and passengers, after receiving testimony from Roy Kienitz, 
Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy; Rear Admiral Brian M. 
Salerno, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security, and 
Stewardship; Theresa Walen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
African Affairs; Philip J. Shapiro, Liberty Maritime Corporation, Lake 
Success, New York; and Captain Richard Phillips, Underhill, Vermont, 
and Michael A. Perry, Riverview, Florida, both of the Maersk Alabama.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the nominations of Daniel B. Poneman, to be Deputy 
Secretary, who was introduced by Senator Warner, and David B. Sandalow, 
to be Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Domestic 
Policy, who was introduced by Senator Lugar, both of the Department of 
Energy, and Rhea S. Suh, to be Assistant Secretary, and Michael L. 
Connor, to be Commissioner of Reclamation, both of the Department of 
the Interior, after the nominees testified and answered questions in 
their own behalf.
HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
expanding health care coverage, after receiving testimony from Stuart 
M. Butler, Heritage Foundation, John Castellani, Business Roundtable, 
Gary Claxton, and Diane Rowland, both of the Henry J. Kaiser Family 
Foundation, Donald A. Danner, National Federation of Independent 
Business, Jennie Chin Hansen, AARP, Karen Ignagni, America's Health 
Insurance Plan, R. Bruce Josten, United States Chamber of Commerce, Len 
Nichols, New America Foundation, Ron Pollack, Families USA, Sandy 
Praeger, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Sara 
Rosenbaum, George Washington School of Public Health and Health 
Services, Raymond C. Scheppach, National Governors Association, Scott 
Serota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and Andy Stern, Service 
Employees International Union, all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nominations of Alan B. Krueger, of New Jersey, to be Assistant 
Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy, William V. Corr, of 
Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, and 
Demetrios J. Marantis, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy United 
States Trade Representative.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported 
the following business items:
  S. 345, to reauthorize the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 
through fiscal year 2012, to rename the Tropical Forest Conservation 
Act of 1998 as the ``Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act of 
2009'';
  S. 954, to authorize United States participation in the replenishment 
of resources of the International Development Association;
  S. 955, to authorize United States participation in, and 
appropriations for the United States contribution to, the African 
Development Fund and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, to 
require budgetary disclosures by multilateral development banks, to 
encourage multilateral development banks to endorse the principles of 
the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative;
  S. 838, to provide for the appointment of United States Science 
Envoys;
  S. Res. 49, to express the sense of the Senate regarding the 
importance of public diplomacy;
  S. Res. 84, urging the Government of Canada to end the commercial 
seal hunt;
  S. Con. Res. 19, expressing the sense of Congress that the Shi'ite 
Personal Status Law in Afghanistan violates the fundamental human 
rights of women and should be repealed; and
  The nominations of Johnnie Carson, of Illinois, to be Assistant 
Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ivo

[[Page D501]]

H. Daalder, of Virginia, to be United States Permanent Representative 
on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Luis C. de 
Baca, of Virginia, to be Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat 
Trafficking, and routine lists in the Foreign Service.
IMPLICATIONS OF A WARMING ARCTIC
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the global implications of a warming arctic, after receiving 
testimony from Senators Murkowski and Begich; Mead Treadwell, United 
States Arctic Research Commission; David Carlson, International Polar 
Year International Program Office, London, United Kingdom; Scott 
Borgerson, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C.; Lawson 
Brigham, Arctic Council, Anchorage, Alaska; and Lisa Speer, Natural 
Resources Defense Council, New York, New York.
PASSPORT ISSUANCE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland 
Security concluded a hearing to examine the passport issuance process, 
focusing on ending fraud, after receiving testimony from Brenda S. 
Sprague, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs; and 
Jess T. Ford, Director, Director, International Affairs and Trade, 
Government Accountability Office.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on 
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the 
intelligence community.
  Committee recessed subject to the call.