[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 29, 2014)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D871-D873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
CLIMATE CHANGE
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
economic and budgetary consequences of climate change, focusing on the 
cost of inaction, and opportunities to reduce Federal fiscal exposures 
through greater resilience to climate change and extreme weather, after 
receiving testimony from Alfredo Gomez, Director, Natural Resources and 
Environment, Government Accountability Office; Mindy Lubber, Ceres, 
Boston, Massachusetts; Sherri W. Goodman, CNA Military Advisory Board, 
Arlington, Virginia; W. David Montgomery, NERA Economic Consulting, 
Washington, DC; and Bjorn Lomborg, Copenhagen Consensus Center, 
Copenhagen, Denmark.
RESTORE ACT AND GULF RESTORATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard concluded a hearing to 
examine revisiting the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist 
Opportunities and Revived Economies Act, focusing on progress and 
challenges in Gulf restoration post-Deepwater Horizon, after receiving 
testimony from Bruce H. Andrews, Deputy Secretary of Commerce; Trudy D. 
Fisher, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Executive 
Director, Jackson; Justin R. Ehrenwerth, New Orleans, Louisiana, and 
Mimi A. Drew, Tallahassee, Florida, both of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem 
Restoration Council; Grover C. Robinson IV, Escambia County 
Commissioner, Pensacola, Florida, on behalf of the Florida Gulf Coast 
Consortium; and Thomas E. Kelsch, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 
Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, Washington, DC.
TRUCK SAFETY ON OUR HIGHWAYS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and 
Security concluded a hearing to examine opportunities and challenges 
for improving truck safety on our highways, after receiving testimony 
from Anne S. Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration, Department of Transportation; Joan Claybrook, Advocates 
for Highway and Auto Safety, and David J. Osiecki, American Trucking 
Associations, both of Washington, DC; Major David Palmer, Commercial 
Vehicle Safety Alliance, Austin, Texas; and William G. Dawson, United 
Parcel Service, Anna, Texas, on behalf of the International Brotherhood 
of Teamsters.
ENERGY PRODUCTION ON FEDERAL LANDS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine breaking the logjam at the Bureau of Land 
Management, focusing on ways to more efficiently process permits for 
energy production on Federal lands, and understanding the obstacles in 
permitting more energy projects on Federal lands, including S. 279, to 
promote the development of renewable energy on public land, and S. 
2440, to expand and extend the program to improve permit coordination 
by the Bureau of Land Management, after receiving testimony from 
Senator Tester; Neil Kornze, Director, Bureau of Land Management, 
Department of the Interior; Mark A. Christensen, Campbell County Board 
of Commissioners Chairman, Gillette, Wyoming, on behalf of the Wyoming 
County Commissioners Association; Lorinda

[[Page D872]]

Wichman, Nye County Commission Vice Chairman, Round Mountain, Nevada; 
Scott M. Kidwell, COG Operating LLC, Midland, Texas, on behalf of 
Concho Resources, Inc.; Kathleen Sgamma, Western Energy Alliance, 
Denver, Colorado; Arthur Haubenstock, Perkins Coie LLP, San Francisco, 
California, on behalf of the Solar Energy Industries Association; and 
Scott Nichols, U.S. Geothermal Inc., Boise, Idaho.
THREATS POSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air 
and Nuclear Safety concluded a hearing to examine the threats posed by 
climate change, after receiving testimony from Carl Hedde, Munich 
Reinsurance America, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey; Kristin Jacobs, 
Broward County Commissioner, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Bill Mook, Mook 
Sea Farm, Walpole, Maine; Bjorn Lomborg, Copenhagen Consensus Center, 
Lowell, Massachusetts; and Raymond J. Keating, Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship Council, Vienna, Virginia.
TOBACCO TAXES
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine tobacco, 
focusing on taxes owed, avoided, and evaded, after receiving testimony 
from John J. Manfreda, Administrator, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade 
Bureau, Department of the Treasury; David Gootnick, Director, 
International Affairs and Trade, Government Accountability Office; 
Michael Tynan, Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division Policy 
Officer, Portland; Ronald J. Bernstein, Liggett Vector Brands LLC, 
Morrisville, North Carolina; Rocky Patel, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, 
Inc., Naples, Florida; and Scott Drenkard, Tax Foundation, Washington, 
DC.
UNITED STATES-KOREA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and 
Global Competitiveness concluded a hearing to examine the United 
States-Korea free trade agreement, focusing on lessons learned two 
years later, after receiving testimony from Stephen E. Biegun, Ford 
Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan; Sean P. Murphy, Qualcomm 
Incorporated, San Diego, California; Shawna Morris, U.S. Dairy Export 
Council and National Milk Producers Federation, Arlington, Virginia; 
and Michael Rue, Rue and Forsman Ranch, Inc., Rio Oso, California, on 
behalf of the USA Rice Federation.
P-5+1 NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine Iran, focusing on the status of the P-5+1 negotiations with 
Iran, after receiving testimony from Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of 
State for Political Affairs; David S. Cohen, Under Secretary of the 
Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence; Olli Heinonen, 
Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Belfer Center 
for Science and International Affairs, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and 
Michael Singh, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 
Washington, DC.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of John Francis Tefft, of Virginia, to be 
Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Donald L. Heflin, of Virginia, to 
be Ambassador to the Republic of Cabo Verde, Craig B. Allen, of 
Virginia, to be Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Earl Robert Miller, of 
Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana, Michele Jeanne 
Sison, of Maryland, to be Representative of the United States of 
America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, 
during her tenure of service as Deputy Representative of the United 
States of America to the United Nations, and to be the Deputy 
Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, 
with the rank and status of Ambassador and the Deputy Representative of 
the United States of America in the Security Council of the United 
Nations, Stafford Fitzgerald Haney, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to 
the Republic of Costa Rica, and Charles C. Adams, Jr., of Maryland, to 
be Ambassador to the Republic of Finland, all of the Department of 
State, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own 
behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported 
the following business items:
  S. Res. 502, concerning the suspension of exit permit issuance by the 
Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for adopted Congolese 
children seeking to depart the country with their adoptive parents, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. Res. 522, expressing the sense of the Senate supporting the U.S.-
Africa Leaders Summit to be held in Washington, D.C. from August 4 
through 6, 2014;


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page D872, July 29, 2014, the following language appears: 
BUSINESS MEETING Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items: S.Res. 502, 
concerning the suspension of exit permit issuance by the 
Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for adopted 
Congolese children seeking to depart the country with their 
adoptive parents, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; 
S.Res. 522, expressing the sense of the Senate supporting the 
U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to be held in Washington, DC from 
August 4 through 6, 2014;
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: Committee on 
Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items: S.Res. 502, concerning the suspension of 
exit permit issuance by the Government of the Democratic Republic 
of Congo for adopted Congolese children seeking to depart the 
country with their adoptive parents, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute; S.Res. 522, expressing the sense of the 
Senate supporting the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to be held in 
Washington, D.C. from August 4 through 6, 2014;


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 

  S. Res. 513, honoring the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising;
  S. Res. 520, condemning the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 
and expressing condolences to the families of the victims; and

[[Page D873]]


  The nominations of Todd D. Robinson, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador 
to the Republic of Guatemala, Jane D. Hartley, of New York, to be 
Ambassador to the French Republic, and to serve concurrently and 
without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of 
Monaco, Kevin F. O'Malley, of Missouri, to be Ambassador to Ireland, 
James D. Pettit, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Moldova, Brent Robert Hartley, of Oregon, a to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Slovenia, Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, of New Jersey, to 
be Ambassador to the People's Republic of Bangladesh, David Pressman, 
of New York, to be Alternate Representative of the United States of 
America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, with the 
rank of Ambassador, and to be an Alternate Representative of the United 
States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United 
Nations, during his tenure of service as Alternate Representative of 
the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the 
United Nations, George Albert Krol, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to 
the Republic of Kazakhstan, Allan P. Mustard, of Washington, to be 
Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Erica J. Barks Ruggles, of Minnesota, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda, John R. Bass, of New York, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, John Francis Tefft, of Virginia, 
to be Ambassador to the Russian Federation, and Michele Jeanne Sison, 
of Maryland, to be the Deputy Representative of the United States of 
America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador, 
and the Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the 
Security Council of the United Nations, and to be Representative of the 
United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the 
United Nations, during her tenure of service as Deputy Representative 
of the United States of America to the United Nations, all of the 
Department of State.
                                                       NOMINATIONS
 Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
  the nominations of Madeline Cox Arleo, to be United States District 
  Judge for the District of New Jersey, who was introduced by Senator 
 Menendez, Victor Allen Bolden, to be United States District Judge for 
the District of Connecticut, who was introduced by Senator Murphy, and 
   David J. Hale, and Gregory N. Stivers, both to be a United States 
  District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky, who were both 
 introduced by Senator Paul, after the nominees testified and answered 
                     questions in their own behalf.
                                                  BUSINESS MEETING
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee ordered favorably reported 
``The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015''.