[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 30, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1108-D1110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the nominations of Bartholomew Chilton, of 
Maryland, Jill Sommers, of Kansas, and Scott D. O'Malia, of Michigan, 
who was introduced by Senators Bennett and Cochran, all to be a 
Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Edward M. 
Avalos, of New Mexico, to be Under Secretary for Marketing and 
Regulatory Programs, and Harris D. Sherman, of Colorado, to be Under 
Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, who was introduced by 
Senator Bennet, both to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the 
Commodity Credit Corporation, both of the Department of Agriculture, 
and Kenneth Albert Spearman, of Florida, to be a Member of the Farm 
Credit Administration Board, Farm Credit Administration, who was 
introduced by Senator Nelson (FL), after the nominees testified and 
answered questions in their own behalf.
FINANCIAL REGULATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
Security and International Trade and Finance concluded a hearing to 
examine international cooperation to modernize financial regulation, 
after receiving testimony from Kathleen L. Casey, United States 
Securities and Exchange Commission; Mark Sobel, Acting Assistant 
Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs; and Daniel K. 
Tarullo, Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee continued consideration of an original 
bill entitled, ``America's Healthy Future Act of 2009'', but did not 
complete action thereon, and recessed subject to the call and will meet 
again on Thursday, October 1, 2009.
UNITED STATES POLICY TOWARD BURMA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs concluded a hearing to examine United States policy toward 
Burma, focusing

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on its impact and effectiveness, after receiving testimony from Kurt 
Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific 
Affairs; Thant Myint-U, Institution for Southeast Asian Studies, 
Bangkok, Thailand; David I. Steinberg, Georgetown University School of 
Foreign Service, Washington, DC; and David C. Williams, Indiana 
University Maurer School of Law, Bloomington.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee announced the following 
subcommittee assignments:
  Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Global Narcotics 
Affairs: Senators Dodd (Chair), Menendez, Cardin, Webb, Gillibrand, 
Barrasso, Isakson, Risch, and Inhofe.
  Subcommittee on African Affairs: Senators Feingold (Chair), Cardin, 
Webb, Kaufman, Shaheen, Isakson, DeMint, Corker, and Inhofe.
  Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human 
Rights, Democracy, and Global Women's Issues: Senators Boxer (Chair), 
Feingold, Menendez, Kaufman, Shaheen, Gillibrand, Wicker, DeMint, 
Barrasso, and Inhofe.
  Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, 
Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection: Senators 
Menendez (Chair), Boxer, Cardin, Casey, Shaheen, Gillibrand, Corker, 
Wicker, DeMint, and Risch.
  Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs: 
Senators Casey (Chair), Dodd, Feingold, Boxer, Cardin, Kaufman, Risch, 
Corker, Barrasso, and Isakson.
  Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs: Senators Webb 
(Chair), Dodd, Feingold, Boxer, Casey, Gillibrand, Inhofe, Isakson, 
Barrasso, and Wicker.
  Subcommittee on European Affairs: Senators Shaheen (Chair), Dodd, 
Menendez, Casey, Webb, Kaufman, DeMint, Risch, Corker, and Wicker.
UNITED STATES POLICY TOWARD ZIMBABWE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on African Affairs 
concluded a hearing to examine exploring United States policy options 
toward Zimbabwe's transition, after receiving testimony from Johnnie 
Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; Earl Gast, 
Acting Assistant Administrator for Africa, United States Agency for 
International Development; Andy Baukol, Acting Assistant Secretary of 
the Treasury for International Affairs; Donald Steinberg, International 
Crisis Group, Brussels, Belgium; and Nancy Lindborg, Mercy Corps, and 
Todd J. Moss, Center for Global Development, both of Washington, DC
CONFRONTING TERRORIST THREATS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine confronting the terrorist threat to the 
homeland eight years after 9/11, after receiving testimony from Janet 
Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security; Robert S. Mueller III, 
Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; and 
Mike Leiter, Director, National Counter Terrorism Center, Office of the 
Director of National Intelligence.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN MEDICAID
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal 
Services, and International Security concluded a hearing to examine 
controlled substance abuse in Medicaid, after receiving testimony from 
Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director, Forensic Audits and Special 
Investigations, Government Accountability Office; Penny Thompson, 
Deputy Director, Center for Medicaid and State Operations, Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human 
Services; Joseph T. Rannazzisi, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office 
of Diversion Control, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of 
Justice; and Ann Clemency Kohler, National Association of State 
Medicaid Directors, Baltimore, Maryland, on behalf of the American 
Public Human Services Association.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  An original bill entitled ``Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension 
Act of 2009'', with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
  The nominations of Brenda Dann-Messier, of Rhode Island, to be 
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, and Alexa E. 
Posny, of Kansas, to be Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services, both of the Department of Education, and 
George H. Cohen, of Virginia, to be Federal Mediation and Conciliation 
Director, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
advancing freedom of information in the New Era of Responsibility, 
after receiving testimony from Thomas J. Perrelli, Associate Attorney 
General, Department of Justice; Miriam Nisbet, Director, Office of 
Government Information Services, National Archives and Records 
Administration; Tom Curley, Associated Press, New York, New

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York; and Meredith Fuchs, National Security Archive, Washington, DC.
FEDERAL JUDGESHIPS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight 
and the Courts concluded a hearing to examine responding to the growing 
need for federal judgeships, focusing on the Federal Judgeship Act of 
2009, after receiving testimony from George Z. Singal, United States 
District Judge for the District of Maine; Lawrence J. O'Neill, United 
States District Judge for the Eastern District of California; and 
Gerald Bard Tjoflat, Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for 
the Eleventh Circuit.
VA HEALTH SERVICE CONTRACTS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine Veterans Affairs contracts for health services, after receiving 
testimony from Joseph A. Williams, Jr., Acting Deputy Under Secretary 
for Operations and Management, and Mary A. Curtis, Psychiatric Clinical 
Application Coordinator, Boise VA Medical Center, Boise, Idaho, on 
behalf of the American Federation of Government Employees, both of the 
Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; Tim S. 
McClain, Humana Veterans Health Care Services, Inc., Louisville, 
Kentucky; John L. Earnest, Ambulatory Care Solutions, LLC, Marion, 
Indiana; and Marjie Shahani, QTC Medical Services, Inc., Diamond Bar, 
California.
SUCCESSFUL HEALTH SYSTEMS
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
how successful health systems keep costs low and quality high, after 
receiving testimony from Mark Pearson, Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development, Paris, France; Carolyn Bennett, Member of 
Parliament, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Cathy Schoen, The Commonwealth 
Fund, New York, New York; Arnold M. Epstein, Harvard School of Public 
Health Department of Health Policy and Management, Boston, 
Massachusetts; and Michael Tanner, Cato Institute, Washington, DC.