[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 173 (Monday, December 9, 2013)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1157-D1161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                      CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM AHEAD

             Week of December 10 through December 13, 2013

                             Senate Chamber

  On Tuesday, at approximately 10 a.m., Senate will continue 
consideration of the nomination of Patricia Ann Millett, of Virginia, 
to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, 
with a vote on confirmation of the nomination at approximately 10:15 
a.m.
  During the balance of the week, Senate may consider any cleared 
legislative and executive business.


                           Senate Committees

        (Committee meetings are open unless otherwise indicated)
  Committee on Appropriations: December 10, Subcommittee on State, 
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, to hold hearings to 
examine assistance for Jordan and Lebanon, 11 a.m., SD-138.
  Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: December 10, to 
hold hearings to examine housing finance

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reform, focusing on the fundamentals of transferring credit risk in 
a future housing finance system, 10 a.m., SD-538.
  December 11, Subcommittee on Economic Policy, to hold hearings to 
examine rebuilding American manufacturing, 3:30 p.m., SD-538.
  December 12, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine assessing 
the P5+1 Interim Nuclear Agreement with Iran, focusing on 
Administration perspectives, 10 a.m., SD-538.
  Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: December 10, 
to hold hearings to examine crafting a successful incentive auction, 
focusing on the stakeholders' perspectives, 2:30 p.m., SR-253.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and 
Coast Guard, to hold hearings to examine forecasting success, 
focusing on achieving U.S. weather readiness for the long term, 
10:30 a.m., SD-G50.
  Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: December 12, business 
meeting to consider the nominations of Steven Croley, of Michigan, 
to be General Counsel, and Christopher Smith, of Texas, to be an 
Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, both of the Department of 
Energy, and Esther Puakela Kia'aina, of Hawaii, to be an Assistant 
Secretary of the Interior; to be immediately followed by a hearing 
to examine the nominations of Franklin M. Orr, Jr., of California, 
to be Under Secretary for Science, and Jonathan Elkind, of Maryland, 
to be an Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, both of the 
Department of Energy, and Rhea Sun Suh, of Colorado, to be Assistant 
Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, and Tommy Port Beaudreau, of 
Alaska, to be an Assistant Secretary, both of the Department of the 
Interior, 9:30 a.m., SD-366.
  Committee on Environment and Public Works: December 11, 
Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, to hold an oversight 
hearing to examine domestic renewable fuels, 9 a.m., SD-406.
  Committee on Finance: December 10, to hold hearings to examine the 
nomination of John Andrew Koskinen, of the District of Columbia, to 
be Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Department of the Treasury, 10 
a.m., SD-215.
  December 11, Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and 
Global Competitiveness, to hold hearings to examine the digital 
trade agenda, 2:30 p.m., SD-215.
  December 12, Full Committee, business meeting to consider an 
original bill to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate system and to 
consider health care extenders, 10 a.m., SD-215.
  Committee on Foreign Relations: December 10, to hold hearings to 
examine the transition in Afghanistan, 2:30 p.m., SD-419.
  December 11, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine the 
nominations of Catherine Ann Novelli, of Virginia, to be an Under 
Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, 
Alternate Governor of the International Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development, Alternate Governor of the Inter-American Development 
Bank, and Alternate Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction 
and Development, Charles Hammerman Rivkin, of the District of 
Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business 
Affairs, Tina S. Kaidanow, of the District of Columbia, to be 
Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with the rank of Ambassador at 
Large, Puneet Talwar, of the District of Columbia, to be an 
Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, Michael A. 
Hammer, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Chile, Kevin Whitaker, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to 
the Republic of Colombia, and Bruce Heyman, of Illinois, to be 
Ambassador to Canada, all of the Department of State, 10 a.m., SD-
419.
  December 12, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine the 
nominations of Bathsheba Nell Crocker, of the District of Columbia, 
to be an Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs, 
Michael Anderson Lawson, of California, for the rank of Ambassador 
during his tenure of service as Representative on the Council of the 
International Civil Aviation Organization, and Robert C. Barber, of 
Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland, all of 
the Department of State, 11 a.m., SD-419.
  December 12, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine the 
nominations of Joseph William Westphal, of New York, to be 
Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mark Gilbert, of the 
District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to New Zealand and to serve 
concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to 
the Independent State of Samoa, George James Tsunis, of New York, to 
be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway, John L. Estrada, of Florida, 
to be Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Luis G. 
Moreno, of Texas, to be Ambassador to Jamaica, all of the Department 
of State, 2:30 p.m., SD-419.
  Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: December 10, 
to hold hearings to examine the nomination of David Weil, of 
Massachusetts, to be Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, 
Department of Labor, 10 a.m., SD-430.
  December 12, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine 
accreditation as quality assurance, focusing on meeting the needs of 
21st Century learning, 10 a.m., SD-430.
  Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: December 
10, Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal 
Programs and the Federal Workforce, to hold hearings to examine 
administrative overtime at the Department of Homeland Security, 2:30 
p.m., SD-342.
  December 11, Full Committee, business meeting to consider the 
nomination of Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, of the District of 
Columbia, to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, 9:30 a.m., 
SD-342.
  December 11, Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, 
to hold hearings to examine streamlining overseas trade and 
development agencies, focusing on a more efficient and effective 
government, 2 p.m., SD-342.
  Committee on Indian Affairs: December 11, to hold hearings to 
examine the nomination of Vincent G. Logan, of New York, to be 
Special Trustee, Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, 
Department of the Interior; to

[[Page D1159]]

be immediately followed by an oversight hearing to examine 
implementation of the Department of the Interior's Land Buy-Back 
Program, 2:30 p.m., SD-628.
  Committee on the Judiciary: December 11, to hold hearings to 
examine continued oversight of the United States government 
surveillance authorities, 2 p.m., SD-226.
  December 12, Full Committee, business meeting to consider S. 619, 
to amend title 18, United States Code, to prevent unjust and 
irrational criminal punishments, S. 1410, to focus limited Federal 
resources on the most serious offenders, S. 1675, to reduce 
recidivism and increase public safety, S. 975, to provide for the 
inclusion of court-appointed guardianship improvement and oversight 
activities under the Elder Justice Act of 2009, and the nominations 
of John B. Owens, of California, and Michelle T. Friedland, of 
California, both to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth 
Circuit, Nancy L. Moritz , of Kansas, to be United States Circuit 
Judge for the Tenth Circuit, Matthew Frederick Leitman, Judith Ellen 
Levy, Laurie J. Michelson, and Linda Vivienne Parker, all to be a 
United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, 
Christopher Reid Cooper, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Columbia, Gerald Austin McHugh, Jr., and Edward G. 
Smith, both to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern 
District of Pennsylvania, M. Douglas Harpool, to be United States 
District Judge for the Western District of Missouri, Sheryl H. 
Lipman, to be United States District Judge for the Western District 
of Tennessee, Stanley Allen Bastian, to be United States District 
Judge for the Eastern District of Washington, Manish S. Shah, to be 
United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, 
and Peter Joseph Kadzik, of New York, to be an Assistant Attorney 
General, Robert L. Hobbs, to be United States Marshal for the 
Eastern District of Texas, and Gary Blankinship, to be United States 
Marshal for the Southern District of Texas, all of the Department of 
Justice, 10 a.m., SD-226.
  Committee on Rules and Administration: December 11, to hold 
hearings to examine the nominations of Thomas Hicks, of Virginia, 
and Myrna Perez, of Texas, both to be a Member of the Election 
Assistance Commission, 10 a.m., SR-301.
  Committee on Veterans' Affairs: December 11, to hold hearings to 
examine the Veterans Affairs (VA) claims system, focusing on a 
review of the Veterans Affairs' transformation progress, 10 a.m., 
SR-418.
  Select Committee on Intelligence: December 10, to hold closed 
hearings to examine certain intelligence matters, 2:30 p.m., SH-219.
  December 12, Full Committee, to hold closed hearings to examine 
certain intelligence matters, 2:30 p.m., SH-219.
  Special Committee on Aging: December 11, to hold hearings to 
examine protecting seniors from medication labeling mistakes, 3:45 
p.m., SD-562.


                            House Committees

  Committee on Armed Services, December 11, Subcommittee on Seapower 
and Projection Forces, hearing on U.S. Asia-Pacific Strategic 
Considerations Related to P.L.A. Naval Forces Modernization, 3:30 
p.m., 2118 Rayburn.
  Committee on Energy and Commerce, December 10, Subcommittee on 
Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, hearing entitled ``The State of 
Online Gaming'', 12:30 p.m., 2123 Rayburn.
  December 10, Subcommittee on Health, markup on H.R. 3527, the 
``Poison Center Network Act of 2013''; H.R. 1098, the ``Traumatic 
Brain Injury Reauthorization Act;'' and H.R. 1281, the ``Newborn 
Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013'', 2 p.m., 2322 
Rayburn.
  December 10, Full Committee, markup on the following measures: 
H.R. 3527, the ``Poison Center Network Act of 2013''; H.R. 1098, the 
``Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act''; H.R. 1281, the 
``Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013''; H.R. 
724, to amend the Clean Air Act to remove the requirement for dealer 
certification of new light-duty motor vehicles; legislation 
regarding the ``Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007'' to 
strengthen the collaboration between the United States and Israel on 
energy development and to bolster the existing United States-Israel 
energy relationship by encouraging increased cooperation between the 
two countries; H.R. 3675, the ``Federal Communications Commission 
Process Reform Act of 2013''; and H.R. 3674, the ``Federal Spectrum 
Incentive Act of 2013'', 4:30 p.m., 2123 Rayburn.
  December 11, Subcommittee on Health, hearing entitled ``PPACA 
Implementation Failures: What's Next?'', 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, 
hearing entitled ``Oversight of the Federal Communications 
Commission'', 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Energy and Power; and Subcommittee on 
Environment and the Economy, hearing entitled ``Oversight of NRC 
Management and the Need for Legislative Reform''; and H.R. 3132, the 
``NRC Reorganization Plan Codification and Complements Act'', 10:15 
a.m., 2322 Rayburn.
  Committee on Financial Services, December 11, Full Committee, 
hearing entitled ``The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the 
Treasury on the State of the International Finance System'', 9:30 
a.m., 2128 Rayburn.
  December 12, Full Committee, hearing entitled ``Rethinking the 
Federal Reserve's Many Mandates on Its 100-Year Anniversary'', 10 
a.m., 2128 Rayburn.
  Committee on Foreign Affairs, December 10, Subcommittee on Africa, 
Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations; 
and Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, hearing 
entitled ``Human Rights Abuses in Egypt'', 9 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
  December 10, Full Committee, hearing entitled ``The Iran Nuclear 
Deal: Does It Further U.S. National Security?'', 1 p.m., 2172 
Rayburn.
  December 11, Full Committee, hearing entitled ``Afghanistan 2014: 
Year of Transition'', 10 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
  December 11, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, markup on H. 
Res. 418, Urging the Government of

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Burma to end the persecution of the Rohingya people and respect 
internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious 
minority groups within Burma; and H. Res. 281, Expressing concern 
over persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned 
organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience, in the 
People's Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun 
Gong practitioners imprisoned for their religious beliefs, and 
members of other religious and ethnic minority groups, 3 p.m., 2172 
Rayburn.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human 
Rights, and International Organizations; and Subcommittee on the 
Middle East and North Africa, hearing entitled ``Iran's Persecution 
of American Pastor Abedini Worsens'', 9:30 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and 
Trade; and Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, hearing 
entitled ``The Resurgence of al-Qaeda in Iraq'', 1 p.m., 2172 
Rayburn.
  Committee on Homeland Security, December 12, Full Committee, 
hearing entitled ``Help Wanted at DHS: Implications of Leadership 
Vacancies on the Mission and Morale'', 9:30 a.m., 311 Cannon.
  Committee on House Administration, December 11, Full Committee, 
hearing entitled ``Establishing a Commission to Study the Potential 
Creation of a National Women's History Museum'', 10:30 a.m., 1310 
Longworth.
  Committee on the Judiciary, December 12, Full Committee, hearing 
entitled ``Asylum Abuse: Is It Overwhelming our Borders?'', 10 a.m., 
2141 Rayburn.
  Committee on Natural Resources, December 12, Subcommittee on Water 
and Power, hearing entitled ``ESA Decisions by Closed-Door 
Settlement: Short-Changing Science, Transparency, Private Property, 
and State & Local Economies'', 10 a.m., 1324 Longworth.
  Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, December 12, Full 
Committee, hearing entitled ``ObamaCare's Impact on Premiums and 
Provider Networks'', 9:30 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and 
Entitlements, hearing entitled ``FDA Checkup: Drug Development and 
Manufacturing Challenges'', 1:30 p.m., 2154 Rayburn.
  Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, December 10, Full 
Committee, continued markup on H.R. 2413, the ``Weather Forecasting 
Improvement Act of 2013''; H.R. 2431, the ``National Integrated 
Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013'', H.R. 2981, 
the ``Technology and Research Accelerating National Security and 
Future Economic Resiliency Act of 2013'' and H.R. 3625, to provide 
for termination liability costs for certain National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration projects, and for other purposes, 2 p.m., 2318 
Rayburn.
  December 11, Subcommittee on Environment, hearing entitled ``A 
Factual Look at the Relationship Between Climate and Weather'', 10 
a.m., 2318 Rayburn.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, hearing 
entitled ``Building a Network for Manufacturing Innovation'', 10 
a.m., 2318 Rayburn.
  Committee on Small Business, December 11, Full Committee, hearing 
entitled ``The Small Business Health Options Program: Is It Working 
for Small Businesses'', 1 p.m., 2360 Rayburn.
  Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, December 11, 
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, hearing 
entitled ``Coast Guard Mission Execution: How is the Coast Guard 
Meeting Its Mission Goals?'', 10 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.
  December 11, Subcommittee on Highway and Transit, hearing entitled 
``Examining the Current and Future Demands on FTA's Capital 
Investment Grants'', 2 p.m., 2167 Rayburn.
  December 12, Subcommittee on Aviation, hearing entitled ``The 
State of American Aviation'', 10 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.
  Committee on Veterans' Affairs, December 11, Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations; and Committee on Small Business 
Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce, hearing entitled 
``Contracting Away Accountability--Reverse Auctions in Federal 
Agency Acquisitions'', 10 a.m., 334 Cannon.
  Committee on Ways and Means, December 11, Subcommittee on 
Oversight; and Subcommittee on Social Security, hearing on improper 
payments and identity theft, 1 p.m., 1100 Longworth.
  House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, December 12, 
Full Committee, hearing entitled ``Clandestine Quarterly Update'', 
10 a.m., HVC-304. This is a closed hearing.


                             Joint Meetings

  Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: December 11, to 
hold hearings to examine resolving crises in East Asia through a new 
system of collective security, focusing on the Helsinki process as a 
model, 1 p.m., SD-106.


* These figures include all measures reported, even if there was 
no accompanying report. A total of 122 written reports have been 
filed in the Senate, 277 reports have been filed in the House.

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