[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 145 (Thursday, October 8, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1154-D1156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nomination of Lieutenant General David M. Rodriguez, USA, for 
reappointment to the grade of lieutenant general and to be Commander, 
International Security Assistance Force Joint Command.

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MORTGAGE MARKET AND HOUSING ENTERPRISES
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the future of the mortgage market and the housing 
enterprises, focusing on the current financial crisis and weaknesses in 
the United States financial regulatory system, after receiving 
testimony from Edward J. DeMarco, Acting Director, Federal Housing 
Finance Agency; William B. Shear, Director, Financial Markets and 
Community Investment, Government Accountability Office; Peter J. 
Wallison, American Enterprise Institute, and Andrew Jakabovics, Center 
for American Progress Action Fund, both of Washington, D.C.; and Susan 
M. Wachter, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, Philadelphia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: On September 24, 
2009, committee announced the following subcommittee assignments:
 Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security: Senators 
Dorgan (Chair), Inouye, Kerry, Boxer, Nelson (FL), Cantwell, 
Lautenberg, Pryor, McCaskill, Klobuchar, Warner, Begich, Snowe, Ensign, 
DeMint, Thune, Wicker, LeMieux, Isakson, Vitter, Brownback, and 
Johanns.
 Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet: Senators 
Kerry (Chair), Inouye, Dorgan, Nelson (FL), Cantwell, Lautenberg, 
Pryor, McCaskill, Klobuchar, Udall (NM), Warner, Begich, Ensign, Snowe, 
DeMint, Thune, Wicker, LeMieux, Isakson, Vitter, Brownback, and 
Johanns.
 Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation and Export Promotion: 
Senators Klobuchar (Chair), Kerry, Dorgan, McCaskill, Udall (NM), 
Warner, Begich, LeMieux, Ensign, DeMint, Thune, Brownback, and Johanns.
 Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance: 
Senators Pryor (Chair), Dorgan, Boxer, Nelson (FL), McCaskill, 
Klobuchar, Udall (NM), Wicker, Snowe, DeMint, Thune, Isakson, and 
Vitter.
 Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard: 
Senators Cantwell (Chair), Inouye, Kerry, Boxer, Lautenberg, Begich, 
Snowe, Wicker, LeMieux, Isakson, and Vitter.
 Subcommittee on Science and Space: Senators Nelson (FL), Inouye, 
Kerry, Boxer, Pryor, Udall (NM), Warner, Vitter, Snowe, Ensign, Thune, 
Isakson, and Johanns.
 Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine 
Infrastructure, Safety and Security: Senators Lautenberg (Chair), 
Inouye, Kerry, Dorgan, Boxer, Cantwell, Pryor, Udall (NM), Warner, 
Begich, Thune, Snowe, Ensign, DeMint, Wicker, Isakson, Vitter, 
Brownback, and Johanns.
Senators Rockefeller and Hutchison are ex-officio members of the 
subcommittees.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably 
reported the nominations of Joseph G. Pizarchik, of Pennsylvania, to be 
Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 
Department of the Interior, Jose Antonio Garcia, of Florida, to be 
Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact, Department of 
Energy, and John R. Norris, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member 
of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the remainder of the 
term expiring June 30, 2012.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the nominations of Marcia K. McNutt, of California, 
to be Director of the United States Geological Survey, Department of 
the Interior, who was introduced by Representative Farr, and Arun 
Majumdar, of California, to be Director of the Advanced Research 
Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy, after the nominees 
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
PUBLIC LANDS AND FOREST LEGISLATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands 
and Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 522, to resolve the 
claims of the Bering Straits Native Corporation and the State of Alaska 
to land adjacent to Salmon Lake in the State of Alaska and to provide 
for the conveyance to the Bering Straits Native Corporation of certain 
other public land in partial satisfaction of the land entitlement of 
the Corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, S. 865 
and H.R. 1442, bills 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, S. 881, to provide for 
the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims 
Settlement Act, S. 940, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
convey to the Nevada System of Higher Education certain Federal land 
located in Clark and Nye counties, Nevada, S. 1272, to provide for the 
designation of the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Area in the State of 
Oregon, to designate segments of Wasson and Franklin Creeks in the 
State of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, and S. 1689, to designate 
certain land as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System and

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the National Landscape Conservation System in the State of New Mexico, 
after receiving testimony from Senators Udall (NM) and Begich; 
Marcilynn A. Burke, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management, 
Department of the Interior; Jay Jensen, Deputy Under Secretary of 
Agriculture for Forestry, Natural Resources and Environment; Oscar 
Vasquez Butler, Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners, and Jerry G. 
Schickedanz, People for Preserving our Western Heritage, both of Las 
Cruces, New Mexico; and Byron Mallott, Sealaska Corporation, and Bob 
Claus, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, both of Juneau, Alaska.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of William E. Kennard, of the District of 
Columbia, to be Representative to the European Union, with the rank and 
status of Ambassador, Cynthia Stroum, of Washington, to be Ambassador 
to Luxembourg, who was introduced by Senator Cantwell, John F. Tefft, 
of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of 
Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to Ukraine, and Michael C. Polt, 
of Tennessee, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of 
Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia, all of 
the Department of State, and James Legarde Hudson, of the District of 
Columbia, to be United States Director of the European Bank for 
Reconstruction and Development, who was introduced by Senator Kaufman, 
after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own 
behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
  S. 1692, to extend the sunset of certain provisions of the USA 
PATRIOT Act and the authority to issue national security letters, with 
an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
  The nominations of Brendan V. Johnson, to be United States Attorney 
for the District of South Dakota, Karen Louise Loeffler, to be United 
States Attorney for the District of Alaska, and Steven Gerard 
O'Donnell, to be United States Marshal for the District of Rhode 
Island, all of the Department of Justice.
RESPONSE TO CERTAIN MILITARY EXPOSURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the Department of Defense and Veterans' Affairs response to 
certain military exposures, after receiving testimony from Senators 
Wyden and Hagan; Michael R. Peterson, Chief Consultant, Environmental 
Health Strategic Healthcare Group, Office of Public Health & 
Environmental Hazards, and Stephen C. Hunt, National Director, Post-
Deployment Integrated Care Initiative, both of the Veterans Health 
Administration, and Bradley G. Mayes, Director, Compensation and 
Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, all of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and R. Craig Postlewaite, Acting 
Director, Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs, Captain Paul Gillooly, Medical 
Services Corps, United States Navy (Ret.), Navy/Marine Corps Public 
Health Center, Major General Eugene G. Payne, Jr., Assistant Deputy 
Commandant for Installations and Logistics (Facilities), and John J. 
Resta, Scientific Adviser, U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion & 
Preventive Medicine, all of the Department of Defense; John R. Nuckols, 
Colorado State University, Fort Collins; Robert F. Miller, Vanderbilt 
University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; Charles E. Feigley, 
University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, 
Washington, D.C.; Michael Sean Partain, Tallahassee, Florida; Stacy 
Pennington, Pleasant View, Tennessee; Laurie Paganelli, California, 
Maryland; Herman Gibb, Arlington, Virginia; and Russell Powell, 
Moundsville, West Virginia.
INTELLIGENCE
  Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.