[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 30, 2013)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D792-D794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Department of Defense 
approved for full committee consideration an original bill making 
appropriations for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2014.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of Admiral Cecil E.D. Haney, USN for reappointment to 
the grade of admiral and to be Commander, United States Strategic 
Command, and Lieutenant General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, USA to be 
general and Commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/
United States Forces Korea, both of the Department of Defense, after 
the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nominations of Stephen Woolman Preston, of the District of Columbia, to 
be General Counsel, Jon T. Rymer, of Tennessee, to be Inspector 
General, Susan J. Rabern, of Kansas, to be Assistant Secretary of the 
Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, Dennis V. McGinn, of 
Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, 
Installations, and Environment, all of the Department of Defense, and 
2,256 nominations in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
WALL STREET REFORMS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine mitigating systemic risk in financial markets 
through Wall Street reforms, after receiving testimony from Mary Jo 
White, Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission; and Gary Gensler, 
Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
HEALTH CARE COSTS
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
health care costs, focusing on recent progress and remaining 
challenges, after receiving testimony from Len M. Nichols, George Mason 
University College of Health and Human Services Center for Health 
Policy Research and Ethics, Fairfax, Virginia; and Kavita K. Patel, The 
Brookings Institution Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, and 
Joseph R. Antos, American Enterprise Institute, both of Washington, DC.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S. 134, to arrange for the National Academy of Sciences to study the 
impact of violent video games and violent video programming on 
children, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. Res. 157, expressing the sense of the Senate that telephone 
service must be improved in rural areas of the United States and that 
no entity may unreasonably discriminate against telephone users in 
those areas, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 267, to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported and 
unregulated fishing through port State measures;
  S. 269, to establish uniform administrative and enforcement 
authorities for the enforcement of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing 
Moratorium Protection Act and similar statutes, with an amendment in 
the nature of a substitute;
  S. 376, to reauthorize the National Integrated Drought Information 
System, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 839, to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000;
  S. 921, to amend chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, to 
prohibit the rental of motor vehicles that contain a defect related to 
motor vehicle safety;
  S. 1068, to reauthorize and amend the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002, with 
an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1072, to ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration advances 
the safety of small airplanes and the continued development of the 
general aviation industry, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  S. 1254, to amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and 
Control Act of 1998;
  S. 1317, to authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration for fiscal years 2014 through 2016, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1344, to promote research, monitoring, and observation of the 
Arctic, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1353, to provide for an ongoing, voluntary public-private 
partnership to improve cybersecurity, and to strengthen cybersecurity 
research and development, workforce development and education, and 
public awareness and preparedness, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute; and
  The nominations of Jannette Lake Dates, of Maryland, Bruce M. Ramer, 
of California, Brent Franklin

[[Page D793]]

Nelsen, of South Carolina, Howard Abel Husock, of New York, and Loretta 
Cheryl Sutliff, of Nevada, all to be a Member of the Board of Directors 
of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Thomas C. Carper, of 
Illinois, to be a Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors, Thomas 
Edgar Wheeler, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the 
Federal Communications Commission, Mark E. Schaefer, of California, to 
be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and 
nominations for promotion in the United States Coast Guard.
PUBLIC LANDS, FORESTS, AND MINING BILLS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public 
Lands, Forests, and Mining concluded a hearing to examine S. 37, 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. 343, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal 
land in Clark County, Nevada, for the environmental remediation and 
reclamation of the Three Kids Mine Project Site, S. 364, to establish 
the Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Management Area, to designate 
certain Federal land as wilderness, and to improve the management of 
noxious weeds in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, S. 404, to 
preserve the Green Mountain Lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of 
the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, S. 753, to provide for 
national security benefits for White Sands Missile Range and Fort 
Bliss, S. 1169, to withdraw and reserve certain public land in the 
State of Montana for the Limestone Hills Training Area, S. 1300, to 
amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to provide for the 
conduct of stewardship end result contracting projects, S. 1301, to 
provide for the restoration of forest landscapes, protection of old 
growth forests, and management of national forests in the eastside 
forests of the State of Oregon, S. 1309, to withdraw and reserve 
certain public land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the 
Interior for military uses, H.R. 507, to provide for the conveyance of 
certain land inholdings owned by the United States to the Pascua Yaqui 
Tribe of Arizona, H.R. 862, to authorize the conveyance of two small 
parcels of land within the boundaries of the Coconino National Forest 
containing private improvements that were developed based upon the 
reliance of the landowners in an erroneous survey conducted in May 
1960, H.R. 876, to authorize the continued use of certain water 
diversions located on National Forest System land in the Frank Church-
River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in 
the State of Idaho, and H.R. 993 and S. 509, bills to provide for the 
conveyance of certain parcels of National Forest System land to the 
city of Fruit Heights, Utah, after receiving testimony from Katherine 
G. Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, 
and Environment, and Roger M. Natsuhara, Acting Assistant Secretary of 
the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment, both of the 
Department of Defense; Ned Farquhar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the 
Interior for Land and Minerals Management; and Leslie Weldon, Deputy 
Chief, National Forest System, Forest Service, Department of 
Agriculture.
NUCLEAR WASTE ADMINISTRATION ACT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine S. 1240, to establish a new organization to manage 
nuclear waste, provide a consensual process for siting nuclear waste 
facilities, ensure adequate funding for managing nuclear waste, after 
receiving testimony from Ernest J. Moniz, Secretary of Energy; Sally 
Young Jameson, National Conference of State Legislatures, Bryantown, 
Maryland; Joe Garcia, National Congress of American Indians, Ohkay 
Owingeh, New Mexico; David C. Boyd, Minnesota Public Utilities 
Commission, St. Paul, on behalf of the National Association of 
Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Committee on Electricity; 
Chuck Smith, Jr., Aiken County, North Augusta, South Carolina, on 
behalf of the Energy Communities Alliance; Marvin S. Fertel, Nuclear 
Energy Institute, and Geoffrey H. Fettus, Natural Resources Defense 
Council, Inc., both of Washington, D.C.; and David Lochbaum, Nuclear 
Safety Project, Chattanooga, Tennessee, on behalf of the Union of 
Concerned Scientists.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably 
reported the nominations of Kenneth J. Kopocis, of Virginia, to be an 
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, James J. Jones, of the 
District of Columbia, to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of 
Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and Avi Garbow, of Virginia, 
to be General Counsel, all of the Environmental Protection Agency.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported 
the nominations of Morrell John Berry, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to 
Australia, Patricia Marie Haslach, of Oregon, to be Ambassador to the 
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Reuben Earl Brigety, II, of 
Florida, to be Representative to the African Union, with the rank and 
status

[[Page D794]]

of Ambassador, Daniel A. Clune, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the 
Lao People's Democratic Republic, Patrick Hubert Gaspard, of New York, 
to be Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Stephanie Sanders 
Sullivan, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, 
Joseph Y. Yun, of Oregon, to be Ambassador to Malaysia, Linda Thomas-
Greenfield, of Louisiana, to be Assistant Secretary for African 
Affairs, James F. Entwistle, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the 
Federal Republic of Nigeria, David D. Pearce, of Virginia, to be 
Ambassador to Greece, John B. Emerson, of California, to be Ambassador 
to the Federal Republic of Germany, John Rufus Gifford, of 
Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to Denmark, Denise Campbell Bauer, of 
California, to be Ambassador to Belgium, and James Costos, of 
California, to be Ambassador to Spain and to serve concurrently and 
without additional compensation as Ambassador to Andorra, all of the 
Department of State.
  Also, committee announced the following subcommittee assignments:
Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human 
Rights, Democracy, and Global Women's Issues: Senators Boxer (Chair), 
Shaheen, Durbin, Coons, Kaine, Paul, Risch, Rubio, and Johnson (WI).
Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs: Senators Cardin 
(Chair), Murphy, Boxer, Udall (NM), Markey, Rubio, Johnson (WI), Flake, 
and McCain.
Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs: 
Senators Kaine (Chair), Boxer, Cardin, Coons, Durbin, Risch, Rubio, 
Johnson (WI), and McCain.
Subcommittee on African Affairs: Senators Coons (Chair), Durbin, 
Cardin, Shaheen, Udall (NM), Flake, McCain, Barrasso, and Paul.
Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere and Global Narcotics Affairs: 
Senators Udall (NM) (Chair), Kaine, Boxer, Shaheen, Murphy, McCain, 
Rubio, Barrasso, and Paul.
Subcommittee on European Affairs: Senators Murphy (Chair), Shaheen, 
Markey, Cardin, Durbin, Johnson (WI), Risch, Flake, and Barrasso.
Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, 
Economic Affairs, International Environmental Protection, and Peace 
Corps: Senators Markey (Chair), Udall (NM), Coons, Murphy, Kaine, 
Barrasso, Risch, Flake, and Paul.
  Senators Menendez and Corker are ex officio members of each 
subcommittee.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of Steve A. Linick, of Virginia, to be 
Inspector General, Matthew Winthrop Barzun, of Kentucky, to be 
Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 
David Hale, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Lebanon, 
Liliana Ayalde, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Federative 
Republic of Brazil, Evan Ryan, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary 
for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Kirk W.B. Wagar, of Florida, to 
be Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore, who was introduced by 
Senator Nelson, Daniel A. Sepulveda, of Florida, to be Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for International Communications and Information Policy in 
the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs and U. S. 
Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, 
Terence Patrick McCulley, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, James C. Swan, of California, to be 
Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, John R. Phillips, 
of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to the Italian Republic, 
and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as 
Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino, Kenneth Francis Hackett, of 
Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Holy See, and Alexa Lange Wesner, of 
Texas, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Austria, all of the 
Department of State, after the nominees testified and answered 
questions in their own behalf.
STANDARD ESSENTIAL PATENT DISPUTES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition 
Policy and Consumer Rights concluded a hearing to examine standard 
essential patent disputes and antitrust law, after receiving testimony 
from Suzanne Munck, Chief Counsel for Intellectual Property and Deputy 
Director, Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission; A. 
Douglas Melamed, Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, California; Donald J. 
Rosenberg, Qualcomm Incorporated, San Diego, California; and John D. 
Kulick, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 
Incorporated, Standards Association, New York, New York.
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.