[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D237-D238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the nominations of Timothy G. Massad, of 
Connecticut, to be Chairman, who was introduced by Senator Blumenthal, 
Sharon Y. Bowen, of New York, and J. Christopher Giancarlo, of New 
Jersey, all to be a Commissioner, all of the Commodity Futures Trading 
Commission, after the nominees testified and answered questions in 
their own behalf.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST AND FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
United States Central Command and United States Africa Command in 
review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2015 and 
the Future Years Defense Program, after receiving testimony from 
General Lloyd J. Austin III, Commander, United States Central Command, 
and General David M. Rodriguez, USA, Commander, United States Africa 
Command, both of the Department of Defense.
MAP-21 REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act 
(MAP-21) reauthorization, focusing on the Federal role and current 
challenges to public transportation, after receiving testimony from 
Michael P. Melaniphy, American Public Transportation Association, 
Washington, D.C.; Barbara K. Cline, Community Transportation 
Association of America, Spearfish, South Dakota; and Lawrence J. 
Hanley, Amalgamated Transit Union, Staten Island, New York.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee announced 
the following subcommittee assignments:
  Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development: 
Senators Menendez (Chair), Reed, Schumer, Brown, Merkley, Manchin, 
Warren, Heitkamp, Moran, Corker, Toomey, Kirk, Coburn, Heller, and 
Shelby.
  Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection: 
Senators Brown (Chair), Reed, Schumer, Menendez, Tester, Merkley, 
Hagan, Warren, Toomey, Shelby, Vitter, Johanns, Moran, Heller, and 
Corker.
  Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment: Senators 
Warner (Chair), Reed, Schumer, Menendez, Tester, Hagan, Warren, 
Heitkamp, Johanns, Corker, Shelby, Vitter, Toomey, Kirk, and Coburn.
  Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and 
Finance: Senators Manchin (Chair), Brown, Warner, Kirk, and Moran.
  Subcommittee on Economic Policy: Senators Merkley (Chair), Tester, 
Warner, Hagan, Manchin, Heitkamp, Heller, Coburn, Vitter, Johanns, and 
Crapo.
  Senators Johnson (SD) and Crapo are ex officio members of each 
subcommittee.
RAIL SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Surface Transportation and Merchant

[[Page D238]]

Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security concluded a hearing to 
examine enhancing our rail safety, focusing on current challenges for 
passenger and freight rail, after receiving testimony from Joseph C. 
Szabo, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, and Cynthia 
Quarterman, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration, both of the Department of Transportation; Christopher 
A. Hart, Vice Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board; Geoffrey 
C. Blackwell, Chief, Office of Native Affairs and Policy, Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission; and 
Prentiss Searles, American Petroleum Institute, and Edward R. 
Hamberger, Association of American Railroads, both of Washington, D.C.
PREVENTING POTENTIAL CHEMICAL THREATS AND IMPROVING SAFETY
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine preventing potential chemical threats and improving 
safety, focusing on oversight of the President's executive order on 
improving chemical facility safety and security, including S. 1961, to 
protect surface water from contamination by chemical storage 
facilities, after receiving testimony from Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant 
Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, 
Environmental Protection Agency; Rafael Moure-Eraso, Chairperson, 
Chemical Safety Board; Michael P. Wilson, California Department of 
Industrial Relations, Oakland; James Frederick, United Steelworkers, 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Evan P. Hansen, Downstream Strategies, 
Morgantown, West Virginia; Billy Pirkle, Crop Production Services, 
Loveland, Colorado, on behalf of The Fertilizer Institute; and Scott 
Berger, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Center for Chemical 
Process Safety, New York, New York.
SYRIA, MIDDLE EAST, AND UKRAINE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine Syria spillover, focusing on the growing threat of terrorism 
and sectarianism in the Middle East, and Ukraine update, after 
receiving testimony from William J. Burns, Deputy Secretary of State; 
Derek Chollet, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International 
Security Affairs; Matthew G. Olsen, Director, National Counterterrorism 
Center; and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Foundation for Defense of 
Democracies, and Matthew Levitt, The Washington Institute for Near East 
Policy, both of Washington, D.C.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of Deborah L. Birx, of Maryland, to be 
Ambassador at Large and Coordinator of United States Government 
Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally, who was introduced by Senator 
Cardin, Suzan G. LeVine, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Swiss 
Confederation, and to serve concurrently and without additional 
compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein, who 
was introduced by Senators Cantwell and Murray, Maureen Elizabeth 
Cormack, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 
Peter A. Selfridge, of Minnesota, to be Chief of Protocol, and to have 
the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service, all of the 
Department of State, after the nominees testified and answered 
questions in their own behalf.
CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Financial and Contracting Oversight concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine contractor performance information, after receiving 
testimony from Captain Brian T. Drapp, Supply Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Commanding Officer, Naval Sea Logistics Center, Department of Defense; 
and Kevin Youel Page, Assistant Commissioner, Integrated Award 
Environment, Federal Acquisition Service, General Services 
Administration.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
   S. 1675, to reduce recidivism and increase public safety, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
  The nominations of Robin S. Rosenbaum, of Florida, to be United 
States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit, Bruce Howe Hendricks, to 
be United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina, 
Mark G. Mastroianni, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Massachusetts, and Leslie Ragon Caldwell, of New York, to 
be an Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice.