[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 106 (Wednesday, July 9, 2014)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D753-D754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
                                SOCIETAL BENEFITS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
   Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, 
 Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing to consider the 
  societal benefits of biotechnology. Testimony was heard from public 
                               witnesses.
                                             MISCELLANEOUS MEASURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and 
 Related Agencies held a markup on Interior, Environment, and Related 
 Agencies Appropriations Bill FY, 2015. The bill was ordered reported, 
               without amendment, to the Full Committee.
     PROGRESS REPORT ON THE WAR ON POVERTY: WORKING WITH FAMILIES 
                                                           IN NEED
  Committee on the Budget: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``A 
Progress Report on the War on Poverty: Working with Families In Need''. 
               Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
                   21ST CENTURY CURES: MODERNIZING CLINICAL TRIALS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``21st Century Cures: Modernizing Clinical Trials''. Testimony 
                    was heard from public witnesses.
                                            MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
      Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, 
   Manufacturing, and Trade began a markup on legislation regarding 
Targeting Rogue and Opaque Letters Act of 2014; H.R. 4450, the ``Travel 
Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014''; and H.R. 4013, 
      the ``Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2014''.
                       SPOTLIGHTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
 Committee on Foreign Affairs: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
 ``Spotlighting Human Rights in Southeast Asia''. Testimony was heard 
from Janet Nguyen, Supervisor, Orange County Board of Supervisors; and 
                           public witnesses.
                                              LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
   Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands and 
  Environmental Regulation held a hearing on H.R. 3994, the ``Federal 
 Lands Invasive Species Control, Prevention, and Management Act''; and 
   H.R. 4751, to make technical corrections to Public Law 110-229 to 
    reflect the renaming of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American 
 Exclusion Memorial, and for other purposes. Testimony was heard from 
  Representative Kilmer; Lori Williams, Executive Director, National 
    Invasive Species Council, Department of Interior; Mary Wagner, 
Associate Chief, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; and a 
                            public witness.
           EXAMINING SOLUTIONS TO CLOSE THE $106 BILLION IMPROPER 
                                                      PAYMENTS GAP
     Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Subcommittee on 
Government Operations held a hearing entitled ``Examining Solutions to 
  Close the $106 Billion Improper Payments Gap''. Testimony was heard 
  from John A. Koskinen, Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service; Beth 
   Cobert, Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and 
   Budget; Beryl H. Davis, Director, Financial Services and General 
Government Management and Assurance; Government Accountability Office; 
 Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for 
Program Integrity, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service, Department 
 of Health and Human Services; and Mark Easton, Deputy Chief Financial 
                    Officer, Department of Defense.
     TO AMEND THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986 TO MODIFY AND MAKE 
         PERMANENT BONUS DEPRECIATION; AND FINANCIAL SERVICES AND 
                       GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
  Committee on Rules: Full Committee held a hearing on H.R. 4718, to 
 amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify and make permanent 
bonus depreciation; and H.R. 5016, the ``Financial Services and General 
Government Appropriations Act, 2015''. The Committee granted by record 
 vote of 8-3 a modified-open rule for H.R. 5016. The rule provides one 
hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
 ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule 
waives all points of order against consideration of the bill. The rule 
 waives points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to 
comply with clause 2 or clause 5(a) of rule XXI except for section 627. 
     The rule provides that after general debate the bill shall be 
      considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. During 
   consideration of the bill for amendment: (1) amendments shall be 
    debatable for 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by the 
 proponent and an opponent and shall not be subject to amendment; and 
(2) no pro forma amendments shall be in order except that the chair and 
  ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their 
 respective designees may offer up to 10 pro forma amendments each at 
 any point for the purpose of debate. The rule provides that under the

[[Page D754]]

 rules of the House the bill shall be read for amendment by paragraph. 
  The rule authorizes the Chair to accord priority in recognition to 
  Members who have pre-printed their amendments in the Congressional 
   Record. The rule provides one motion to recommit with or without 
  instructions. Additionally, the rule grants a closed rule for H.R. 
    4718. The rule provides one hour of debate equally divided and 
controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
      Ways and Means. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the bill. The rule provides that the amendment in the 
nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Ways and Means, 
  as modified by the amendment printed in the Rules Committee Report, 
   shall be considered as adopted and the bill, as amended, shall be 
    considered as read. The rule waives all points of order against 
  provisions in the bill, as amended. The rule provides one motion to 
    recommit with or without instructions. Testimony was heard from 
          Representatives Crenshaw, Serrano, Tiberi, and Neal.
                                    NAVIGATING THE CLEAN WATER ACT
  Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Full Committee held a 
  hearing entitled ``Navigating the Clean Water Act: Is Water Wet?''. 
 Testimony was heard from Robert W. Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, 
                    Environmental Protection Agency.
Joint Meetings
            POLITICAL PLURALISM IN THE OSCE MEDITERRANEAN PARTNERS
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: Commission concluded 
   a hearing to examine political pluralism in the Organization for 
Security and Co-operation in Europe Mediterranean Partners, focusing on 
 political developments among the Mediterranean Partners in the years 
    following the popular uprisings that began in late 2010, after 
receiving testimony from William Roebuck, Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
   State for Egypt and the Maghreb, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; 
    William B. Taylor, United States Institute of Peace, and Zeinab 
  Abdelkarim, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, both of 
 Washington, DC; and Shibley Telhami, University of Maryland, College 
Park.

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