[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 30, 2011)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D318-D321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held a 
hearing on FY 2012 Budget Request. Testimony was heard from Michael T. 
Scuse, Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural 
Services, Department of Agriculture.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Office of Justice 
Programs, FY 2012 Budget Request. Testimony was heard from Laurie O. 
Robinson, Assistant Attorney General.
DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held a hearing on 
National Guard and Reserve Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Review. Testimony 
was heard from General Craig R. McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau; 
Lieutenant General Harry M. Wyatt III, Director, Air National Guard; 
Lieutenant General Jack C. Stultz, Chief, Army Reserve, and Commanding 
General, U.S. Army Reserve Command;

[[Page D319]]

and Major General Raymond W. Carpenter, Acting Director, Army National 
Guard.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Department of 
Energy--Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, 
Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, FY 2012 Budget. Testimony 
was heard from the following Department of Energy officials: Henry 
Kelly, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy; Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery 
and Energy Reliability; and Victor Der, Acting Assistant Secretary for 
Fossil Energy.
STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations 
and Related Agencies held a hearing on Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request 
for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Testimony was 
heard from Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and 
Related Agencies held a hearing on Bureau of Indian Affairs FY 2012 
Budget Oversight. Testimony was heard from Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant 
Secretary for Indian Affairs; Michael S. Black, Director, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs; and Keith Moore, Director, Bureau of indian Education.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on Department of 
Energy--Environmental Management, Legacy Management, FY 2012 Budget. 
Testimony was heard from Ines Triay, Assistant Secretary for 
Environmental Management; and David Geiser, Acting Director, Office of 
Legacy Management.
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and 
General Government held a hearing on FCC FY 2012 Budget. Testimony was 
heard from Julius Genachowski, Chairman, FCC.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security held a 
hearing on Department of Homeland Security--Science and Technology--
Budget. Testimony was heard from Tara O'Toole, Under Secretary for 
Science and Technology.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing on FY 2012 
Quality of Life in the Military. Testimony was heard from CMSAF James 
A. Roy, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force; Sergeant Major Raymond 
F. Chandler III, Sergeant Major of the Army; Sergeant Major Carlton W. 
Kent, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps; and Master Chief Petty 
Officer Rick West, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.
TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing 
and Urban Development and Related Agencies held a hearing on Federal 
Highway Administrator FY 2012 Oversight and Budget. Testimony was heard 
from Victor Mendez, Office of the Federal Highway Administrator.
FY 2012 BUDGET: U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND, U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND, AND U.S. 
EUROPEAN COMMAND
Committee on Armed Services: Full Committee held a hearing on the 
fiscal year 2012 national defense authorization budget requests from 
the U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. European 
Command. Testimony was heard from ADM James G. Stavridis, USN, 
Commander, U.S. European Command, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe; 
Gen. Douglas M. Fraser, USAF, Commander, U.S. Southern Command; and 
Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., USN, Commander, U.S. Northern Command 
and North American Aerospace Defense Command.
MEMBER'S DAY
Committee on the Budget: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Member's Day.'' Testimony was heard from Members of the 112th 
Congress.
COST OF PPACA
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``True Cost of PPACA: Effects on the Budget and Jobs.'' 
Testimony was heard from Doug Elmendorf, Director, CBO; Rick Foster, 
Chief Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS; and 
public witnesses.
COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING THE DODD-FRANK ACT
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``The Costs of Implementing the 
Dodd-Frank Act: Budgetary and Economic.'' Testimony was heard

[[Page D320]]

from Jill E. Sommers, Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading 
Commission; Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director, CBO; Jeffrey Lacker, 
President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; and public witnesses.
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS
Committee on Homeland Security: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Public Safety Communications: Are the Needs of Our First Responders 
Being Met?'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
PATRIOT ACT--PERMANENT PROVISIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and 
Homeland Security held a hearing entitled ``The Permanent Provisions of 
the PATRIOT Act.'' Testimony was heard from Todd Hinnen, Acting 
Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division, Department of 
Justice; and public witnesses.
AMERICA INVESTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, 
Competition and the Internet held a hearing on ``America Invests'' 
legislation. Testimony was heard from David Kappos, Under Secretary of 
Commerce for Intellectual Property, Director, Patent and Trademark 
Office; and public witnesses.
FY 2012 BUDGET--BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, REGULATION AND 
ENFORCEMENT
Committee on Natural Resources: Full Committee held a hearing on 
Examining the Spending Priorities and the Missions of the Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), and the 
President's FY 2012 Budget Proposal. Testimony was heard from Michael 
R. Bromwich, Director, Bureau of Energy Management, Regulation and 
Enforcement.
HAS DODD-FRANK ENDED TOO BIG TO FAIL?
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on TARP, 
Financial Services, and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs held a 
hearing entitled ``Has Dodd-Frank Ended Too Big to Fail?'' Testimony 
was heard from Neil Barofsky, Special Treasury Department Inspector 
General to oversee the Troubled Assets Relief Program; and Timothy 
Massad, Acting Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability, Department 
of the Treasury.
UNFUNDED MANDATES AND REGULATORY OVERREACH
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on 
Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and 
Procurement held a hearing on ``Unfunded Mandates and Regulatory 
Overreach Part II.'' Testimony was heard from Joni Cutler, State 
Senator, South Dakota; and public witnesses.
FAA REAUTHORIZATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2011
Committee on Rules: The Committee granted, by a record vote of 5 to 4, 
a structured rule, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 658) 
FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011. The rule provides one hour 
of general debate with 40 minutes equally divided and controlled by the 
chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure, 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by the 
chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology, and 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by the 
chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means. 
The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill. 
The rule provides that in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a 
substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure now printed in the bill, it shall be in order to 
consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the 
five-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting 
of the text of the Rules committee Print dated March 22, 2011. The 
amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. 
The rule waives all points of order against the amendment in the nature 
of a substitute.
  The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules 
Committee report accompanying the resolution. The rule provides that 
each such amendment 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 the time specified in the 
report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, 
shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand 
for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the 
Whole. The rule waives all points of order against the amendments 
printed in the report. Finally, the rule provides on motion to recommit 
with or without instructions. Testimony was heard from Chairman Mica; 
Rep. Rahall; Rep. Petri; Rep. Costello; Rep. LoBiondo; Rep. Hirono; 
Rep. Shuster; Rep. Richardson; Rep. Waters; Rep. LaTourette, Rep. 
Schweikert; Rep. Sherman; Rep. Matheson; and Rep. Schiff.

[[Page D321]]


NASA'S EXPLORATION PROGRAM
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Space and 
Aeronautics held a hearing on A Review of NASA's Exploration Program in 
Transition: Issues for Congress and Industry. Testimony was heard from 
Douglas Cooke, Associate Administrator, Exploration systems Mission 
Directorate, NASA; and public witnesses.
REDUCING FEDERAL AGENCY OVERREACH
Committee on Small Business: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Reducing Federal Agency Overreach: Modernizing the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Highways and Transit continued a hearing entitled ``Improving and 
Reforming the Nation's Surface Transportation Programs.'' Testimony was 
heard from pubic witnesses.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management held a 
hearing entitled ``Improving the Nations's Response to Catastrophic 
Disasters: How to Minimize Costs and Streamline our Emergency 
Management Programs.'' Testimony was heard from Sherwood Boehlert, 
former Member of Congress; John Njord, Executive Director, Department 
of Transportation, Utah; and public witnesses.
JOB CREATION
Committee on Ways and Means: Full Committee held a hearing on 
government policies and actions that are impediments to job creation. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
PENDING TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH PANAMA
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Trade held a hearing on 
pending trade agreement with Panama. Testimony was heard from Miriam 
Sapiro, Deputy Representative, Office of the United States Trade 
Representative; and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
  No joint committee meetings were held.