[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 52 (Thursday, March 29, 2012)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D335-D336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
year 2013 for the Department of Agriculture, after receiving testimony 
from Thomas Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of Frank Kendall III, of Virginia, to be Under 
Secretary for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, and James N. 
Miller, Jr., of Virginia, to be Under Secretary for Policy, who were 
both introduced by Senator Reed, Erin C. Conaton, of the District of 
Columbia, to be Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, who was 
introduced by Representative Hoyer, Jessica Lynn Wright, of 
Pennsylvania, and Katharina G. McFarland, of Virginia, both to be an 
Assistant Secretary, and Heidi Shyu, of California, to be an Assistant 
Secretary of the Army, all of the Department of Defense, after the 
nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the nominations of Jerome H. Powell, of Maryland, 
and Jeremy C. Stein, of Massachusetts, both to be a Member of the Board 
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Jeremiah O'Hear Norton, of 
Virginia, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal 
Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Richard B. Berner, of Massachusetts, 
to be Director, Office of Financial Research, and Christy L. Romero, of 
Virginia, to be Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief 
Program, both of the Department of the Treasury.
SAFE AND EFFICIENT MOBILE PAYMENTS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine developing the framework for safe and efficient 
mobile payments, after receiving testimony from Sandra F. Braunstein, 
Director, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Board of 
Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and Kenneth C. Montgomery, 
First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Federal Reserve Bank 
of Boston.
FUEL PRICE TRENDS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine current and near-term future price expectations and 
trends for motor gasoline and other refined petroleum fuels, after 
receiving testimony from Howard Gruenspecht, Acting Administrator, U.S. 
Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy; Daniel Yergin, 
IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, and Frank A. Verrastro, 
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), both of 
Washington, D.C.; and Paul Horsnell, Barclays, London, United Kingdom.
NIGERIA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on African Affairs 
concluded a hearing to examine Nigeria, focusing on security, 
governance, and trade, after receiving testimony from Johnnie Carson, 
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; Sharon Cromer, Senior 
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa, U.S. Agency for 
International Development; and Paul Marin, Regional Director, Sub-
Saharan Africa, U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

[[Page D336]]


GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Ad Hoc 
Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight concluded a hearing to examine 
contractors, focusing on how much they are costing the government, 
after receiving testimony from Jay D. Aronowitz, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of the Army for Force Management, Manpower and Resources, 
Department of Defense; Debra M. Tomchek, Executive Director, Balanced 
Workforce Program Management Office, Department of Homeland Security; 
and Charles D. Grimes III, Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Office of 
Personnel Management.
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user 
fee agreements, focusing on strengthening FDA and the medical products 
industry for the benefit of patients, after receiving testimony from 
Janet Woodcock, Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and 
Jeffrey Shuren, Director, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, 
both of the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and 
Human Services; and David E. Wheadon, Pharmaceutical Research and 
Manufacturers of America, Sara Radcliffe, Biotechnology Industry 
Organization, David R. Gaugh, Generic Pharmaceutical Association, David 
Nexon, Advanced Medical Technology Association, and Allan Coukell, Pew 
Health Group, all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
  S. 2159, to extend the authorization of the Drug-Free Communities 
Support Program through fiscal year 2017, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute; and
  The nominations of Richard Gary Taranto, of Maryland, to be United 
States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit, Robin S. Rosenbaum, to be 
United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, 
Gershwin A. Drain, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern 
District of Michigan, and Gregory K. Davis, to be United States 
Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Department of 
Justice.
FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine S. 2219, to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to 
provide for additional disclosure requirements for corporations, labor 
organizations, Super PACs and other entities, after receiving testimony 
from Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21, Washington, D.C.; David Keating, 
Center for Competitive Politics, Alexandria, Virginia; and Richard L. 
Hasen, University of California Irvine School of Law.
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUDGET
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal 
year 2013 for the Small Business Administration, after receiving 
testimony from Karen G. Mills, Administrator, Peggy E. Gustafson, 
Inspector General, and Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy, 
Office of Advocacy, all of the Small Business Administration; William 
B. Shear, Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, 
Government Accountability Office; Ridgely Evers, SCORE, Healdsburg, 
California; Christopher G. Hurn, Mercantile Capital Corporation, 
Orlando, Florida; and Anthony Wilkinson, National Association of 
Government Guaranteed Lenders, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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.