[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D875-D876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
SUPERSTORM SANDY RECOVERY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
Housing, Transportation and Community Development concluded a hearing 
to examine recovering from Superstorm Sandy, focusing on assessing the 
progress, continuing needs, and rebuilding strategy, after receiving 
testimony from Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development, and Chair, Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force; and 
Peter Rogoff, Federal Transit Administrator, Department of 
Transportation.
BIGGERT-WATERS FLOOD INSURANCE ACT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
Economic Policy concluded a hearing to examine implementation of the 
Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012, focusing on one year after 
enactment and additional challenges for FEMA to address, after 
receiving testimony from Senators Vitter and Landrieu; Craig Fugate, 
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of 
Homeland Security; Alicia Puente Cackley, Director, Financial Markets 
and Community Investment Team, Government Accountability Office; 
Christine Shirley, National Flood Insurance Program Coordinator for the 
State of Oregon, Eugene; Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense, 
Washington, D.C.; and Birny Birnbaum, The Center for Economic Justice, 
Austin, Texas.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Committee on the Budget: Committee and the Government Performance Task 
Force concluded a hearing to examine enhancing accountability and 
increasing financial transparency, focusing on the status of 
transparency efforts under way and the extent to which new initiatives 
address lessons learned from the Recovery Act, after receiving 
testimony from Stanley J. Czerwinski, Director, Strategic Issues, 
Government Accountability Office; Thomas Lee, Sunlight Foundation, 
Washington, D.C.; and Gerald J. Kane, University of Virginia, 
Charlottesville.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the nominations of Terrell McSweeny, of the 
District of Columbia, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner, and Michael 
P. O'Rielly, of New York, to be a Commissioner of the Federal 
Communications Commission, after the nominees testified and answered 
questions in their own behalf.
MOVING AHEAD FOR PROGRESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine implementing Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st 
Century's (MAP-21) provisions to accelerate project delivery, after 
receiving testimony from John Porcari, Deputy Secretary, and Joseph W. 
Come, Assistant Inspector General for Highway and Transit Audits, both 
of the Department of Transportation; Dan Ashe, Director, Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior; and Nancy H. Sutley, 
Council on Environmental Quality.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Stevan Eaton Bunnell, 
of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel, and Suzanne Eleanor 
Spaulding, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary for National Protection 
and Programs, who was introduced by Senators Warner and Kaine, both of 
the Department of Homeland Security, after the nominees testified and 
answered questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S.1086, to reauthorize and improve the Child Care and Development 
Block Grant Act of 1990, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee 
during the 113th Congress; and
  The nominations of Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of 
Columbia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, 
and Scott S. Dahl, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of 
Labor.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported an 
original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee from 
October 1, 2013, through February 28, 2015.
FEDERAL MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
reevaluating the effectiveness of

[[Page D876]]

Federal mandatory minimum sentences, after receiving testimony from 
Senator Paul; Marc Levin, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Austin; Brett 
Tolman, Ray Quinney and Nebeker, PC, Salt Lake City, Utah; and Scott 
Burns, National District Attorneys Association, Alexandria, Virginia.
CLOSING THE WEALTH GAP
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine closing the wealth gap, focusing on empowering 
America to reach its full economic potential for growth and job 
creation, after receiving testimony from Darryl Hairston, Associate 
Administrator for Business Development, Small Business Administration; 
Zenita Wickham Hurley, State of Maryland Special Secretary of the 
Governor's Office of Minority Affairs, Baltimore; Signe-Mary McKernan, 
The Urban Institute, Rakesh Kochhar, Pew Research Center, Toya Powell, 
U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., Lisa Hasegawa, National Coalition for Asian 
Pacific American Community Development, Kevin Allis, Potawatomi 
Business Development Corporation, and Shree Whitaker Taylor, Delta 
Decisions of DC, all of Washington, D.C.; Connie E. Evans, Association 
for Enterprise Opportunity, Arlington, Virginia; Barbara Crain Major, 
Collaborative, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Anisa Balwani, RCI 
Technologies, Inc., Iselin, New Jersey.
 BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: On Tuesday, September 17, 2013, 
Committee ordered favorably reported an original resolution authorizing 
expenditures by the committee during the 113th Congress.
HIV/AIDS IN AMERICA
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
older Americans, focusing on the changing face of HIV/AIDS in America, 
after receiving testimony from Ronald O. Valdiserri, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, Office of HIV/AIDS and 
Infectious Disease Policy, Department of Health and Human Services; 
Daniel Tietz, AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, and Rowena 
Johnston, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, both of New York, 
New York; Carolyn L. Massey, Massmer Associates, LLC, Laurel, Maryland; 
and Kenney Miller, Down East AIDS Network, Ellsworth, Maine.