[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 6, 2012)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D567-D569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS BILL FY 2013
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture held a markup 
of Agriculture Appropriations Bill FY 2013. The bill was forwarded, 
without amendment.
FINANCIAL SERVICES APPROPRIATIONS BILL FY 2013
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services held a 
markup of Financial Services Appropriations Bill FY 2013. The bill was 
forwarded, without amendment.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE'S LONG-TERM BUDGET OUTLOOK
Committee on the Budget: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``The 
Congressional Budget Office's Long-Term Budget Outlook''. Testimony was 
heard from Douglas Elmendorf, Director, Congressional Budget Office.
EPA ENFORCEMENT PRIORITIES AND PRACTICES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Power held 
a hearing entitled ``EPA Enforcement Priorities and Practices''. 
Testimony was heard from Bryan W. Shaw, Chairman, Texas Commission on 
Environmental Quality; Barry T. Smitherman, Chairman, Texas Railroad 
Commission; Stephen B. Etsitty, Executive Director, Navajo Nation 
Environmental Protection Agency; and public witnesses.
THE FUTURE OF AUDIO
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Communication and 
Technology held a hearing entitled ``The Future of Audio''. Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, 
Manufacturing, and Trade began markup of H.R. 5865, the ``American 
Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2012''; and H.R. 5859, to repeal 
an obsolete provision in title 49, United States Code, requiring motor 
vehicle insurance cost reporting.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURE
Committee on Financial Services: Full Committee held a hearing on H.R. 
4624, the ``Investment Adviser Oversight Act of 2012''. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
EXAMINATION OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE'S FINAL RULE ON THE CARD ACT'S 
``ABILITY TO REPAY'' REQUIREMENT
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Financial Institutions 
and Consumer Credit held a hearing entitled ``An Examination of the 
Federal Reserve's Final Rule on the CARD Act's `Ability to Repay' 
Requirement''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
THE CASE OF AMERICAN JACOB OSTREICHER
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, 
and Human Rights held a hearing entitled ``The U.S. State Department's 
Inadequate Response to Human Rights Concerns in Bolivia: The Case of 
American Jacob Ostreicher''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
U.S.-KOREA ALLIANCE
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific held 
a hearing entitled ``What's Next for the U.S.-Korea Alliance?'' 
Testimony was heard from Jim Zumwalt, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State; Mark 
Peters, Deputy Laboratory Director for Programs, Argonne National 
Laboratory; and public witnesses.
INVESTIGATING WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE IN AFGHANISTAN
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Investigating Waste, Fraud and 
Abuse in Afghanistan''. Testimony was heard from John Hutton, Director, 
Acquisition and Sourcing Management, Government Accountability Office; 
Charles Johnson, Jr., Director International Affairs and Trade, 
Government Accountability Office; and Larry Sampler, Jr., Senior Deputy 
Assistant to the Administrator, Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan 
Affairs, U.S. Agency for International Development.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURE AND COMMITTEE ACTIVITY REPORT
Committee on Homeland Security: Full Committee held a markup of H.R. 
4251, the ``SMART Port Security

[[Page D568]]

Act''; and Committee Activity Report. The bill was ordered reported, as 
amended, and the Committee Activity Report was adopted, without 
amendment.
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS REPORT: ASSESSING THE STATE OF PREPAREDNESS
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, 
Response, and Communications held a hearing ``The National Preparedness 
Report: Assessing the State of Preparedness''. Testimony was heard from 
Tim Manning, Deputy Administrator, Protection and National 
Preparedness, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of 
Homeland Security; Stanley J. Czerwinski, Director, Intergovernmental 
Relations, Government Accountability Office.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Full Committee held a markup of the 
following measures: H.R. 4377, the ``Responsibly And Professionally 
Invigorating Development (RAPID) Act of 2012''; H.R. 4018, the ``Public 
Safety Officers' Benefits Improvements Act of 2012''; H.R. 3668, the 
``Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act of 2011''; H.R. 4223, the 
``Safe Doses Act''; H.R. 4369, the ``Furthering Asbestos Claim 
Transparency (FACT) Act of 2012''; and H.R. 5889 the ``Nuclear 
Terrorism Conventions Implementation and Safety of Maritime Navigation 
Act of 2012''. The following measures were ordered reported, as 
amended: H.R. 4377; H.R. 4018; H.R. 3668; and H.R. 4223. The following 
measure was ordered reported, without amendment: H.R. 5889. The 
Committee did not complete action on H.R. 4369.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a 
hearing on the ``Accelerated Revenue and Repayment Act''; and S. 997, 
the ``East Bench Irrigation District Water Contract Extension Act''. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
ADDRESSING CONCERNS ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR'S 
JOBS REPORTING
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Full Committee held a 
hearing entitled ``Addressing Concerns About the Integrity of the U.S. 
Department of Labor's Jobs Reporting''. Testimony was heard from Carl 
Fillichio, Senior Advisor for Communications and Public Affairs, 
Department of Labor; John Galvin, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training 
Administration, Department of Labor; and public witnesses.
PROTECT MEDICAL INNOVATION ACT OF 2011; AND THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2013
Committee on Rules: Full Committee held a hearing on H.R. 436, the 
``Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2011''; and H.R. 5882, the 
``Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2013''. The Committee granted 
a closed rule for H.R. 436. The rule provides 90 minutes of debate 
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 an amendment 
in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee 
Print 112-23 shall be considered as adopted and the bill, as amended, 
shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points of order 
against provisions in the bill, as amended. The rule provides one 
motion to recommit with or without instructions. Testimony was heard 
from Representatives Boustany, Levin, Jenkins, and Paulsen.
  The resolution further provides a structured rule for H.R. 5882. The 
rule provides one hour of general debate on the bill 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 and provides that the bill shall be 
considered as read. The rule waives all points of order against 
provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI. 
The rule provides that the chair and ranking minority member or their 
designees may offer pro forma amendments for the purpose of debate at 
any time. The rule makes in order only those amendments to H.R. 5882 
printed in the Rules Committee report. 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. The rule waives all points or order against the amendments 
printed in the report. Finally, the rule provides one motion to 
recommit with or without instructions. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Crenshaw, Honda, Flake, Scalise and Gosar.
EXAMINATION OF FAA'S LAUNCH INDEMNIFICATION PROGRAM
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Space and 
Aeronautics held a hearing entitled ``An Examination of FAA's Launch 
Indemnification Program''. Testimony was heard from George Nield, 
Associate Administrator, Office of

[[Page D569]]

Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration; 
Alicia Cackley, Director of Financial Markets and Community Investment 
Team, Government Accountability Office; and public witnesses.
UNDERSTANDING THE REAL COSTS AND BENEFITS OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment held a hearing entitled ``EPA's Impact on Jobs and Energy 
Affordability: Understanding the Real Costs and Benefits of 
Environmental Regulations''. Testimony was heard from Cass Sunstein, 
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, Michael Honeycutt, Chief Toxicologist, Texas 
Commission on Environmental Quality; and public witnesses.
SBA'S MANAGEMENT OF ITS CAPITAL ACCESS PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``SBA's Management of its Capital Access Programs''. Testimony was 
heard from Karen Mills, Administrator, Small Business Administration.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: RETURN TO PPV
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Through the Looking Glass: Return to PPV''. Testimony was heard from 
W. Scott Gould, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Linda A. Halliday, Assistant Inspector General for 
Audits and Evaluations, Office of the Inspector General, Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Maureen Regan, Counselor to the Inspector General, 
Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs; and a 
public witness.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Disability Assistance 
and Memorial Affairs held a hearing on the following measures: H.R. 
2355, the ``Hallowed Grounds Act''; H.R. 2996, the ``Gulf War Syndrome 
`Presumptive Illness' Extension Act of 2011''; H.R. 4299, the ``Quality 
Housing for Veterans Act''; H.R. 5735, to provide for the establishment 
of a Tomb of Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery for interment 
of cremated fragments of the remains of members of the Armed Forces 
killed in Afghanistan, Iraq, or a subsequent conflict when the 
fragments are unidentifiable by use of DNA testing or other means 
because of the condition of the fragments, are unclaimed, or are 
identified and authorized by the person designated to direct 
disposition of the remains for internment in such memorial; H.R. 5880, 
the ``Veterans Disability Examination Access Improvement Act''; H.R. 
5881, the ``Access to Veterans Benefits Improvement Act''; and H.R. 
2720, to clarify the role of the Department of Veterans Affairs in 
providing a benefit or service related to the interment or funeral of a 
veteran, and for other purposes. Testimony was heard from the following 
Representatives: Stivers; Hartzler; Kissell; and Culberson; Kathryn 
Condon, Executive Director of Army National Cemeteries Program, 
Department of Defense; Thomas Murphy, Director of Compensation Service, 
Veterans Benefits Administration; and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings

  No joint committee meetings were held.