[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D559-D561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
HORTICULTURE/ORGANIC AGRICULTURE SAFETY STANDARDS
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic 
Agriculture held a hearing to review food safety standards for 
horticulture and organic agriculture. Testimony was heard from David 
W.K. Acheson, M.D., Associate Commissioner, Foods, FDA, Department of 
Health and Human Services; David Shipman, Acting Administrator, 
Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA; and public witnesses.
FINANCIAL SERVICES, GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services, 
General Government and Related Agencies held a hearing on the District 
of Columbia. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
District of Columbia: Adrian Fenty, Mayor; Vincent Gray, Council 
Chairman; and Natwar Gandhi, Chief Financial Officer.
INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, 
and Related Agencies held a hearing on National Park Service. Testimony 
was heard from Dan Wenk, Acting Director, National Park Service, 
Department of the Interior.
NAVY BUDGET FY 2010; ARMY BUDGET 2010
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2010 
National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of 
the Navy. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of the Navy: B.F. Penn, Acting Secretary; ADM Gary Roughead, 
USN, Chief of Naval Operations; and GEN James T. Conway, USMC, 
Commandant of the Marine Corps.
  The Committee also held a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2010 National 
Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of the Army. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the

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Department of the Army: Pete Geren, Secretary; and GEN George W. Casey, 
Jr., USA, Chief of Staff.
CHILD NUTRITION/OBESITY REDUCTION
Committee on Education and Labor: Subcommittee on Health, Families and 
Communities held a hearing on Improving Child Nutrition Programs to 
Reduce Childhood Obesity. Testimony was heard from Representatives 
Castle and Woolsey; Michele Paterson, wife of David Paterson, Governor 
of New York; and public witnesses.
FEDERAL INSURANCE INDUSTRY/OVERSIGHT
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Capital Markets, 
Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises held a hearing entitled 
``How Should the Federal Government Oversee Insurance?'' Testimony was 
heard from Baird Webel, Specialist in Financial Economics, 
Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress; and public 
witnesses.
U.S.-TURKEY PARTNERSHIP
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Europe held a hearing on 
The United States and Turkey: A Model Partnership. Testimony was heard 
from public witnesses.
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT
Committee on Homeland Security: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
2200, Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act.
OVERSIGHT--JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Held an oversight hearing on the Department 
of Justice. Testimony was heard from Eric H. Holder, The Attorney 
General.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 
and Public Lands held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 129, To 
authorize the conveyance of certain National Forest System lands in the 
Los Padres National Forest in California; H.R. 762, To validate final 
patent number 27-2005-0081, and for other purposes; H.R. 865, To convey 
the New River State Park campground located in Mount Rodgers National 
Recreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest in Carroll County, 
Virginia, to the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for other purposes; H.R. 
1442, To provide for the sale of the Federal Government's reversionary 
interest in approximately 60 acres of land in Salt Lake City, Utah, 
originally conveyed to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association under the 
Act of January 23, 1909; H.R. 1471, To expand the boundary of the Jimmy 
Carter National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, to redesignate 
the unit as a National Historical Park, and or other purposes; and H.R. 
1641, Cascadia Marine Trail Study Act. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Bishop of Georgia, and Matheson; Stephen P. Whitesell, 
Associate Director, Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands, National Park 
Service, Department of the Interior; Tony L. Ferguson, Acting Director, 
Lands and Realty Management, Forest Service, USDA; Representative 
Michael A. Cheokas, member, State Legislature, Georgia; and a public 
witness.
BONNEVILLE UNIT CLEAN HYDROPOWER FACILITATION ACT
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a 
hearing on H.R. 2008, Bonneville Unit Clean Hydropower Facilitation 
Act. Testimony was heard from Reed Murray, Program Director, Central 
Utah Project Completion Act Office, Department of the Interior; and 
public witnesses.
FEDERAL EMPLOYEE CONTRACTOR WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Held a hearing entitled 
``Protecting the Public from Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: H.R. 1507, 
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009.'' Testimony was heard 
from Rajesh De, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal 
Policy, Department of Justice; Franz Gayl, Science and Technology 
Advisor to the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations/
Deputy Branch Head, U.S. Marine Corps, Department of Defense; Louis 
Fisher, Special Assistant to the Law Librarian of Congress, Library of 
Congress; Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, former Procurement Executive and 
Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Department of Defense; Teresa Chambers, former Chief, U.S. 
Park Police, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; and 
public witnesses.
PROTECTING HINI FLU RESPONDERS
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on Federal 
Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia held a hearing 
entitled ``Protecting the Protectors: An Assessment of Front-line 
Federal Workers in Response to the H1N1 Flu.'' Testimony was heard from 
Thomas Galassi, Director, Technical Support and Emergency Management, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor; 
David Weissman, Director, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, 
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human 
Services; Nancy Kichak,

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Associate Director, Strategic Human Resources Policy Division, OPM; 
Elaine Duke, Under Secretary, Management, Department of Homeland 
Security; and public witnesses.
FY 2010 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BUDGET
Committee on Science and Technology: Held a hearing on An Overview of 
the Federal R&D Budget for Fiscal Year 2010. Testimony was heard from 
John P. Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy.
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``The Consumer 
Product Safety Improvement Act and Small Business.'' Testimony was 
heard from Nancy A. Bird, Acting Chairman, Consumer Product Safety 
Commission.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DISASTER RESPONSE CAPABILITIES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Held a hearing on An 
Independent FEMA: Restoring the Nation's Capabilities for Effective 
Emergency Management and Disaster Response. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
TRANSPORTATION'S HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a hearing on 
Reauthorization of the Department of Transportation's Hazardous 
Materials Safety Program. Testimony was heard from Cynthia Douglass, 
Acting Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration, Department of Transportation; Deborah Hersman, member, 
National Transportation Safety Board; and public witnesses.
VETERANS APPELLATE PROCESS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Disability Assistance 
and Memorial Affairs held a hearing on Examining Appellate Processes 
and Their Impacts on Veterans. Testimony was heard from Judge Bruce E. 
Kasold, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; the following 
officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs: James P. Terry, 
Chairman, Board of Veterans' Appeals; and Ronald S. Burke, Director, 
Appeals Management Center, Veterans Benefits Administration; 
representatives of veterans organizations; and a public witness.
FEDERAL CONTRACT COMPLIANCE
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held a hearing on Federal Contract Compliance. Testimony was heard from 
Lorenzo Harrison, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Federal 
Contract Compliance Programs, Department of Labor; Jan R. Frye, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Acquisition and Logistics, Department of Veterans 
Affairs; representatives of veterans organizations; and public 
witnesses.
U.S. TRADE/INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Trade held a hearing on 
Investment Protections in U.S. Trade and Investment Agreements. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
BRIEFING--INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT IN AFGHANISTAN
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on Intelligence Support in Afghanistan. Testimony 
was head from LTG Richard Zahner, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, U.S. 
Army, Department of Defense.

Joint Meetings
  No joint committee meetings were held.