[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 25, 2014)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D306-D309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
APPROPRIATIONS--DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, APPLIED ENERGY FUNDING
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development held a hearing on the Budget for Department of Energy, 
Applied Energy Funding. Testimony was heard from David Danielson, 
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Pete 
Lyons, Assistant Secretary, Nuclear Energy; Christopher Smith, Acting 
Assistant Secretary, Fossil Energy; and Patricia Hoffman, Assistant 
Secretary, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
APPROPRIATIONS--USDA FOOD, NUTRITION, AND CONSUMER SERVICES FY 2015 
BUDGET
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, FDA, and Related Agencies held a hearing on USDA Food, 
Nutrition, and Consumer Services FY 2015 Budget. Testimony was heard 
from Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer 
Services, Department of Agriculture; Audrey Rowe, Administrator, Food 
and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture; and Michael Young, 
Budget Officer, Department of Agriculture.
APPROPRIATIONS--NAVY AND MARINE CORPS FY 2015 BUDGET
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held a hearing for 
Navy and Marine Corps FY 2015 Budget. Testimony was heard from Ray 
Mabus, Secretary, United States Navy; Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, 
Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy; and General James F. 
Amos, Commandant, United States Marine Corps.
APPROPRIATIONS--TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FY 2015 BUDGET
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Homeland Security held a 
hearing on Transportation Security Administration FY 2015 Budget. 
Testimony was heard from John Pistole, Administrator, Transportation 
Security Administration.
APPROPRIATIONS--LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education held a hearing for public and outside 
witnesses. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR FY 2015 BUDGET
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and 
Related Agencies held a hearing on Department of the Interior FY 2015 
Budget. Testimony was heard from Sally Jewell, Secretary, Department of 
the Interior.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, SCIENCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
Development, and Related Agencies, held a hearing on Department of 
Energy, Science Budget. Testimony was heard from Patricia Dehmer, 
Acting Director, Office of Science, Department of Energy.
APPROPRIATIONS--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FY 2015 BUDGET
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and 
General Government held a hearing on Federal Communications Commission 
FY 2015 Budget. Testimony was heard from Tom Wheeler, Chairman, Federal 
Communications Commission.

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NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BUDGET--DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Committee on Armed Services: Full Committee held a hearing on Fiscal 
Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the 
Department of the Army. Testimony was heard from John McHugh, USA, 
Secretary of the Army, U.S. Army; and General Raymond T. Odierno, Chief 
of Staff of the Army, U.S. Army.
MILITARY PERSONNEL OVERVIEW
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a 
hearing on Military Personnel Overview. Testimony was heard from 
Lieutenant General Howard B. Bromberg, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, U.S. 
Army; Vice Admiral William F. Moran, Chief of Naval Personnel and 
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Manpower, Personnel, Training and 
Education, U.S. Navy; Sheryl E. Murray, Assistant Deputy Commandant for 
Manpower and Reserve Affairs Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps; and 
Jessica L. Wright, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness, Department of Defense.
MISSILE DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held a 
hearing on Fiscal Year 2015 Missile Defense. Testimony was heard from 
M. Elaine Bunn, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and 
Missile Defense Policy, Department of Defense; Lieutenant General David 
L. Mann, U.S. Army, Commander, United States Strategic Command, Joint 
Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense; and Vice 
Admiral James D. Syring, U.S. Navy, Director, Missile Defense Agency.
MEMBERS' DAY
Committee on the Budget: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Members' Day''. Testimony was heard from the following members of 
Congress: Schneider; Danny Davis (IL); Schakowsky; Christensen; Reed; 
Foster; Johnson (GA); Lummis; Kilmer; LaMalfa; Titus; McDermott; 
Fattah; Lofgren; McGovern; Ellison; Posey; Mulvaney; Griffith (VA); 
Gosar; Perry; and Esty.
STRENGTHENING THE CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Early 
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing entitled 
``The Foundation for Success: Strengthening the Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Program''. Testimony was heard from Gloria 
Jarmon, Deputy Inspector General for Audit Services, Office of the 
Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURE
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Communications and 
Technology concluded markup on a bill to amend the Communications Act 
of 1934 to extend expiring provisions relating to the retransmission of 
signals of television broadcast stations, and for other purposes. The 
bill was forwarded to the full committee, as amended.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURE
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Power held 
a hearing on H.R. 6, the ``Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom 
Act''. Testimony was heard from Paula Gant, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
Oil and Natural Gas, Department of Energy; Anita Orban, Ambassador-at-
Large for Energy Security, Government of Hungary; and public witnesses.
WHY DEBT MATTERS-
Committee on Financial Services: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Why Debt Matters''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Full Committee held a markup on H.R. 
4278, the ``Ukraine Support Act''; H. Res. 494, affirming the 
importance of the Taiwan Relations Act; and H. Res. 418, urging the 
Government of Burma to end the persecution of the Rohingya people and 
respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and 
religious minority groups within Burma. The following bill and 
resolutions were ordered reported, as amended: H.R. 4278; H. Res. 418; 
and H. Res. 494.
DEVELOPMENT AID PROGRAMS TO BOLSTER HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, 
Global Human Rights, and International Organizations held a hearing 
entitled ``The First One Thousand Days: Development Aid Programs to 
Bolster Health and Nutrition''. Testimony was heard from Tjada D'Oyen 
McKenna, Acting Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Food 
Security, U.S. Agency for International Development; and public 
witnesses.

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U.S. DISENGAGEMENT FROM LATIN AMERICA: COMPROMISED SECURITY AND 
ECONOMIC INTERESTS
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere held a 
hearing entitled ``U.S. Disengagement from Latin America: Compromised 
Security and Economic Interests''. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY'S FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, 
Response, and Communications held a hearing entitled ``The Federal 
Emergency Management Agency's FY 2015 Budget Request: Ensuring 
Effective Preparedness, Response, and Communications''. Testimony was 
heard from W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, Department of Homeland Security.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and 
Environmental Regulation held a hearing on the following legislation: 
H.R. 863, the ``Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a 
National Women's History Museum Act of 2013''; H.R. 3006, to authorize 
a land exchange involving the acquisition of private land adjacent to 
the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona for inclusion in the 
refuge in exchange for certain Bureau of Land Management lands in 
Riverside County, California, and for other purposes; H.R. 4017, to 
designate a peak located in Nevada as ``Mount Reagan''; H.R. 4120, to 
amend the National Law Enforcement Museum Act to extend the termination 
date; and H.R. 4253, to permanently withdraw, reserve, and transfer 
Bureau of Land Management lands used for military purposes in Alaska, 
Nevada, and New Mexico to the appropriate Secretary of the military 
department concerned. Testimony was heard from the following 
Representatives: Blackburn; Maloney (NY); and Hoyer; and Ned Farquhar, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Lands and Mineral Management, Bureau of 
Land Management, Department of Interior; and Bob Vogel, Superintendent, 
National Mall and Memorial Parks, National Park Service, Department of 
Labor.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a 
hearing entitled ``Examining the Proposed Fiscal Year 2015 Spending, 
Priorities and the Missions of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Four 
Power Marketing Administrations and the U.S. Geological Survey's Water 
Program''. Testimony was heard from Jerad Bales, Acting Associate 
Director for Water, U.S. Geological Survey; Lowell Pimley, Acting 
Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Elliot Mainzer, 
Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration; Mark Gabriel, 
Administrator, Western Area, Power Administration; Christopher Turner, 
Acting Administrator, Southwestern Power Administration; and Kenneth 
Legg, Administrator, Southeastern Power Administration.
ENSURING PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN THE CREATION OF NATIONAL MONUMENTS ACT
Committee on Rules: Full Committee held a hearing on H.R. 1459, the 
``Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments 
Act''. The Committee granted by record vote of 6-3, a structured rule 
for H.R. 1459. The rule provides one hour of general debate equally 
divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on Natural Resources. The rule waives all points of order 
against consideration of the bill. The rule provides that the bill 
shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points of order 
against provisions in the bill. The rule makes in order only those 
amendments 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 of order against the amendments 
printed in the report. The rule provides one motion to recommit with or 
without instructions. In Section 2, the rule provides that it shall be 
in order at any time on the legislative day of March 27, 2014, for the 
Speaker to entertain motions that the House suspend the rules relating 
to a measure addressing the Medicare payment system for physicians and 
a measure addressing Ukraine. Testimony was heard from Chairman 
Hastings (WA) and Representative Bishop (UT).
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURE
Committee on Small Business: Full Committee held a markup to consider 
the views and estimates on the Small Business Administration's FY 2015 
budget request. The Committee passed the views and estimates.
THE ROLE OF TRADING IN ACHIEVING CLEAN WATER OBJECTIVES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held a hearing entitled ``The Role of Trading 
in

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Achieving Clean Water Objectives''. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on H.R. 3593, the ``VA Construction 
Assistance Act of 2013''; H.R. 4261, the ``Gulf War Health Research 
Reform Act of 2014''; and H.R. 4281, the ``Protecting Business 
Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2014''. Testimony was heard from 
Stella S. Fiotes, Executive Director, Office of Construction and 
Facilities Management, Office of Acquisition, Logistics and 
Construction, Department of Veterans Affairs; and Gregory Wilshusen, 
Director, Information Security Issues, Government Accountability 
Office; and public witnesses.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held a hearing on the following legislation: H.R. 2942, to amend title 
38, United States Code, to reestablish the Professional Certification 
and Licensure Advisory Committee of the Department of Veterans Affairs; 
H.R. 3056, the ``Warriors' Peer-Outreach Pilot Program Act''; H.R. 
3614, the ``Military Skills to Careers Act''; H.R. 4031, to amend title 
38, United States Code, to provide for the removal of Senior Executive 
Service employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
performance, and for other purposes; H.R. 4037, the ``Improving 
Veterans' Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Act of 
2014''; H.R. 4038, the ``Veterans Benefits Administration Information 
Technology Improvement Act of 2014''; H.R. 4147, the ``Student Veterans 
IT Upgrade Act''; H.R. 4150, the ``Veterans Employment and Training 
Service Longitudinal Study Act of 2014''; and H.R. 4151, the ``Veterans 
Education Survey Act of 2014''. Testimony was heard from Curtis Coy, 
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Keith Kelly, Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and 
Training Service, Department of Labor; and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
  No joint committee meetings were held.