[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 192 (Thursday, December 17, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1486-D1488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of Douglas B. Wilson, of Arizona, to be Assistant 
Secretary for Public Affairs, who was introduced by Senator Shaheen, 
Malcolm Ross O'Neill, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of the 
Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, Mary Sally Matiella, of 
Arizona, to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management 
and Comptroller, Paul Luis Oostburg Sanz, of Maryland, to be General 
Counsel of the Department of the Navy, who was introduced by 
Representative Skelton, and Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, of California, to 
be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment, 
all of the Department of Defense, and Donald L. Cook, of Washington, to 
be Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security 
Administration, Department of Energy, after the nominees testified and 
answered questions in their own behalf.

[[Page D1487]]


BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the nominations of Ben S. Bernanke, of New Jersey, 
to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 
Eric L. Hirschhorn, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for 
Export Administration, Marisa Lago, of New York, to be Assistant 
Secretary of the Treasury, and Steven L. Jacques, of Kansas, to be 
Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S. 2889, to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 554, to improve the safety of motorcoaches, with an amendment in 
the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1562, to provide for a study and report on research on the United 
States Arctic Ocean and for other purposes, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute;
  S. 1609, to authorize a single fisheries cooperative for the Bering 
Sea Aleutian Islands longline catcher processor subsector;
  S. 2852, to establish, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, an integrated and comprehensive ocean, coastal, Great 
Lakes, and atmospheric research, prediction, and environmental 
information program to support renewable energy;
  S. 2856, to allow the United States-Canada Transboundary Resource 
Sharing Understanding to be considered an international agreement for 
the purposes of section 304(e)(4) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  S. 2859, to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000;
  S. 583, to provide grants and loan guarantees for the development and 
construction of science parks to promote the clustering of innovation 
through high technology activities;
  H.R. 3819, to extend the commercial space transportation liability 
regime, an original bill entitled ``Surface Transportation Board 
Reauthorization Act of 2009''; and
  The nominations of Julie Simone Brill, of Vermont, and Edith Ramirez, 
of California, both to be a Federal Trade Commissioner, David L. 
Strickland, of Georgia, to be Administrator of the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, Nicole 
Yvette Lamb-Hale, of Michigan, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce, 
and Michael A. Khouri, of Kentucky, to be a Federal Maritime 
Commissioner, and routine lists in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration Commissioned Corps and Coast Guard.
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance concluded a hearing 
to examine carbon monoxide poisoning, after receiving testimony from 
Kelvin J. Cochran, United States Fire Administrator, United States Fire 
Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of 
Homeland Security; Alan Korn, Safe Kids USA, Washington, D.C.; John 
Andres, Kidde Residential and Commercial, Mebane, North Carolina; and 
Cheryl Burt, Rochester, Minnesota.
PUBLIC LANDS AND FORESTS BILLS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands 
and Forests concluded a hearing to examine S. 1470, to sustain the 
economic development and recreational use of National Forest System 
land and other public land in the State of Montana, to add certain land 
to the National Wilderness Preservation System, to release certain 
wilderness study areas, to designate new areas for recreation, S. 1719, 
to provide for the conveyance of certain parcels of land to the town of 
Alta, Utah, S. 1787, to reauthorize the Federal Land Transaction 
Facilitation Act, H.R. 762, to validate final patent number 27-2005-
0081, and H.R. 934, to convey certain submerged lands to the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in order to give that 
territory the same benefits in its submerged lands as Guam, the Virgin 
Islands, and American Samoa have in their submerged lands, after 
receiving testimony from Senators Tester and Crapo; Harris Sherman, 
Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; 
Edwin Roberson, Assistant Director, Bureau of Land Management, 
Department of the Interior; Mike McGinley, Beaverhead County 
Commissioners, Dillon, Montana; Ronald Hurt, Fremont County, Saint 
Anthony, Idaho; Sherman Anderson, Sun Mountain Lumber Deer Lodge, Deer 
Lodge, Montana; Matthew Koehler, WildWest Institute, Missoula, Montana; 
Tim Baker, Montana Wilderness Association, Helena; and Christopher A. 
Wood, Trout Unlimited, Arlington, Virginia.
SAFEGUARDING THE AMERICAN DREAM
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine prospects and proposals for our economic 
future and safeguarding the American dream, after receiving testimony 
from Senators Conrad and Gregg; Alan

[[Page D1488]]

Greenspan, former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal 
Reserve System; and David M. Walker, Center for the Study of the 
Presidency and Congress, Washington, DC.
AFGHANISTAN CONTRACTS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Ad Hoc 
Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight concluded a hearing to examine an 
overview of Afghanistan contracts, after receiving testimony from 
William H. Campbell, Director, Operations Directorate, Office of the 
Comptroller, Edward M. Harrington, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the 
Army for Procurement, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, 
Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, and Jeffrey P. Parsons, 
Executive Director, U.S. Army Contracting Command, all of the 
Department of Defense; Charles North, Senior Deputy Director, 
Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force, U.S. Agency for International 
Development; and Daniel F. Feldman, Deputy Special Representative for 
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Department of State.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
  S. 1703, to amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority 
of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian 
tribes, with amendments; and
  S. 1011, to express the policy of the United States regarding the 
United States relationship with Native Hawaiians and to provide a 
process for the recognition by the United States of the Native Hawaiian 
governing entity, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
COBELL V. SALAZAR SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine the Cobell v. Salazar settlement agreement, after receiving 
testimony from Ken Salazar, Secretary, Hilary Tompkins, Solicitor, 
Office of the Solicitor, and David Hayes, Deputy Secretary, all of the 
Department of the Interior; Thomas J. Perrelli, Associate Attorney 
General, Department of Justice; Keith Harper, Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP, 
Washington, D.C.; and Elouise P. Cobell, Browning, Montana.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
  S. 678, to reauthorize and improve the Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, with an amendment in the nature of 
a substitute;
  S. 1376, to restore immunization and sibling age exemptions for 
children adopted by United States citizens under the Hague Convention 
on Intercountry Adoption to allow their admission to the United States, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
  The nominations of Barbara L. McQuade, to be United States Attorney 
for the Eastern District of Michigan, Christopher A. Crofts, to be 
United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming, Michael W. Cotter, 
to be United States Attorney for the District of Montana, Mark Anthony 
Martinez, to be United States Marshal for the District of Nebraska, and 
James L. Santelle, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern 
District of Wisconsin, all of the Department of Justice.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following bills:
  S. 2862, to amend the Small Business Act to improve the Office of 
International Trade, with an amendment; and
  S. 2869, to increase loan limits for small business concerns, to 
provide for low interest refinancing for small business concerns.
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.