[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D855-D858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense approved for full 
Committee action the FY 2011 Defense Appropriations bill.
JAPAN'S RECENT SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on Japan: Recent Security 
Developments. Testimony was heard from Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant 
Secretary, East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State; and the 
following officials of the Department of Defense: Wallace C. Gregson, 
Assistant Secretary, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs; and Jackalyne 
Pfannenstiel, Assistant Secretary, Energy, Installations, and 
Environment, Department of the Navy.
CLOSING YUCCA MOUNTAIN BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on Budget Implications of 
Closing Yucca Mountain. Testimony was heard from Kristina M. Johnson, 
Under Secretary, Department of Energy; Michael F. Hertz, Deputy 
Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice; and 
a public witness.
BP'S OIL SPILL'S TOURISM IMPACT
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and 
Consumer Protection held a hearing entitled ``The BP Oil Spill and Gulf 
Coast Tourism: Assessing the Impact.'' Testimony was heard from Kenneth 
Feinberg, Administrator, Gulf Coast Claims Facility; and public 
witnesses.
HEALTH IT IMPROVEMENTS IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``Implementation of the Health Information Technology for 
Economic and Clinical (HITECH) Act.'' Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Health and Human Services: 
David Blumenthal, M.D., National Coordinator, Health Information 
Technology; and Anthony Trenkle, Director, Office of E-Health Standards 
and Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported, as amended, the 
following bills: H.R. 5814, Public Housing Reinvestment and Tenant 
Protection Act of 2010; and H.R. 4868, Housing Preservation and Tenant 
Protection Act of 2010.

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FOREIGN CLIMATE FINANCE ASSISTANCE CHANGE
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Asia, The Pacific and the 
Global Environment held a hearing on Climate Change Finance: Providing 
Assistance for Vulnerable Countries. Testimony was heard from Lael 
Brainard, Under Secretary, International Affairs, Department of the 
Treasury; the following officials of the Department of State: Jonathan 
Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy, Climate Change, and Maura O'Neill, 
Senior Counselor to the Administrator and Chief Innovation Officer, 
U.S. Agency for International Development; RADM David W. Titley, USN, 
Oceanographer and Navigator, Department of the Navy; and public 
witnesses.
UN MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on International 
Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight held a hearing on Achieving 
the United Nations Millennium Development Goals: Progress through 
Partnerships. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
FIRST RESPONDER INTEROPERABLE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Emergency 
Communications, Preparedness, and Response held a hearing entitled `` 
Interoperable Emergency Communications: Does the National Broadband 
Plan Meet the Needs of First Responders?'' Testimony was heard from 
RADM James Arden Barnett, Jr., (ret.) Chief, Public Safety and Homeland 
Security Bureau, FCC; Greg Schaffer, Assistant Secretary, Office of 
Cyber Security and Communications, Department of Homeland Security; 
Deputy Chief Charles F. Dowd, Communications Division, Police 
Department, New York City; and public witnesses.
FEDERAL RULEMAKING AND THE REGULATORY PROCESS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administration Law held a hearing on Federal Rulemaking and the 
Regulatory Process. Testimony was heard from Cass R. Sunstein, 
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Executive 
Office of the President, OMB; Curtis Copeland, Specialist in American 
National Government, Government and Finance Division, CRS, Library of 
Congress; and public witnesses.
FTC AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S ANTITRUST DIVISION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts and Competition 
Policy held a hearing on the Federal Trade Commissions's Bureau of 
Competition and the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. 
Testimony was heard from Christine A. Varney, Assistant Attorney 
General, Antitrust, Department of Justice; and Jon Leibowitz, Chairman, 
FTC.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans 
and Wildlife held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 3850, Nutria 
Eradication and Control Act of 2009; H.R. 3910, Longline Catcher 
Processor Subsector Single Fishery Cooperative Act; H.R. 4914, Coastal 
Jobs Creation Act of 2010; H.R. 5180, National Marine Fisheries Service 
Ombudsman Act of 2010; H.R. 5331, To revise the boundaries of John H. 
Chaffee Coastal Barrier Resources System Sachuest Point Unit RI-04P, 
Easton Beach Unit RI-05P, Almy Pony Unit RI-06, and Hazards Beach Unit 
RI-07 in Rhode Island; H.R. 5380, Hakalau Forest National Wildlife 
Refuge Expansion Act of 2010; and H.R. 5482, Corolla Wild Horses 
Protection Act. Testimony was heard from Representatives Hirono, Jones, 
and Larsen of Washington; Greg Siekaniec, Assistant Director, National 
Wildlife Refugee System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of 
the Interior; Eric Schwaab, Assistant Administrator, Fisheries, NOAA, 
Department of Commerce; Jonathan McKnight, Associate Director, Habitat 
Conservation Wildlife and Heritage Program, Department of Natural 
Resources, State of Maryland; and public witnesses.
FEMALE DC CODE FELONS
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on Federal 
Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia held a hearing 
entitled `` Female D.C. Code Felons: Unique Challenges in Prison and at 
Home.'' Testimony was heard from Harley Lappin, Federal Bureau of 
Prisons, Department of Justice; Adrienne Poteat, Court Systems and 
Offender Supervision Agency; and public witnesses.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VA AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATION
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a non-record vote, a structured rule 
providing for consideration of H.R. 5822, the ``Military Construction 
and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2011.'' 
The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and 
controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the bill except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of 
rule XXI. The rule provides that the bill shall be considered as read 
through page 63, line 4. The rule waives points of order against 
provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI. 
The rule makes in order

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only those amendments printed in the Rules Committee report. The 
amendments made in order may be offered only in the order printed in 
the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, 
shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 10 minutes equally 
divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not 
be subject to a demand for division of the question. All points of 
order against the amendments except those arising under clause 9 or 10 
of rule XXI are waived. The rule provides that for those amendments 
reported from the Committee of the Whole, the question of their 
adoption shall be put to the House en gros and without division of the 
question.
  The rule provides one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. The rule provides that after consideration of the bill 
for amendment, the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee 
on Appropriations or their designees each may offer one pro forma 
amendment to the bill for the purpose of debate, which shall be 
controlled by the proponent. The rule provides that the Chair may 
entertain a motion that the Committee rise only if offered by the chair 
of the Committee on Appropriations or a designee. The rule provides 
that the Chair may not entertain a motion to strike out the enacting 
words of the bill
  Finally, the rule authorities the Speaker to entertain motions that 
the House suspend the rules at any time through the calendar day of 
August 1, 2010. The Speaker or her designee shall consult with the 
Minority Leader or his designee on the designation of any matter for 
consideration pursuant to this rule. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Edwards of Texas, Peters, Crenshaw, Bilirakis, Roe of 
Tennessee and Djou.
RECOVERY ACT TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Held a hearing on 
Recovery Act: Progress Report for Transportation Infrastructure 
Investments. Testimony was heard from Ray H. LaHood, Secretary of 
Transportation; and public witnesses.
VETERANS MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Disability Assistance 
and Memorial Affairs approved for full Committee action the following 
bills: H.R. 3787, amended, To amend title 38, United States Code, to 
deem certain service in the reserve components as active service for 
purposes of laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 
H.R. 4541, amended, Veterans Pensions Protection Act of 2010; H.R. 
5064, Fair Access to Veterans Benefits Act of 2010; and H.R. 5549, 
RAPID Claims Act.
GULF WAR ILLNESS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 
held a hearing on Gulf War Illness: The Future for Dissatisfied Veterans. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs: Charles L. Cragin, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Gulf 
War Veterans; and John R. Gingrich, Chief of Staff; representatives of 
veterans organizations; and public witnesses.
ENHANCING U.S.-EU TRADE RELATIONSHIP
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Trade held a hearing on 
Enhancing the U.S.-EU Trade Relationship. Testimony was heard from Stuart E. 
Eizenstat, former Under Secretary, International Trade, Department of 
Commerce; and public witnesses.
BRIEFING--DIA PROGRAM
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on Defense Intelligence Agency Program. The Committee was 
briefed by departmental witnesses.
INFORMATION SHARING
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Intelligence 
Community Management met in executive session to hold a hearing on 
Information Sharing. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Office of the Director of National Intelligence: Robert S. Litt, General 
Counsel; David R. Shedd, Deputy Director, National Intelligence, Policy, 
Plans, and Requirements; and Priscilla Guthrie, Intelligence Community Chief 
Information Officer.
Joint Meetings
PROMOTING CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine promoting 
a clean energy economy, after receiving testimony from Michael Greenstone, 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Anthony E. Malkin, Malkin 
Holdings, New York, New York; and E.G. Ward, Texas A&M University Offshore 
Technology Research Center, College Station.
INSTABILITY IN KYRGYZSTAN
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: Commission concluded a 
hearing to examine instability in Kyrgyzstan, focusing on the international 
response, prospects for stability, democracy, interethnic reconciliation, 
and implications for United States policy, after receiving testimony from 
Robert O. Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia; 
Arslan Anarbaev, Embassy of the

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Kyrgyz Republic, and Martha Olcott, Carnegie Endowment for International 
Peace, both of Washington, D.C.; and Bakyt Beshimov, Arlington, 
Massachusetts.