[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D972-D973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the nomination of Lisa Afua Serwah Mensah, of 
Maryland, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.
AMERICAN ECONOMY INEQUALITY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
Economic Policy concluded a hearing to examine the impact of rising 
inequality on the American economy, after receiving testimony from 
Heather C. McGhee, Demos, New York, New York; Amir Sufi, University of 
Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago, Illinois; Claudia Viek, 
California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), San 
Francisco; and Adam S. Hersh, Center for American Progress, Washington, 
DC.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S. 2338, to reauthorize the United States Anti-Doping Agency;
  S. 2482, to implement the Convention on the Conservation and 
Management of the High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific 
Ocean, as adopted at Tokyo on February 24, 2012, with an amendment in 
the nature of a substitute;
  S. 2484, to implement the Convention on the Conservation and 
Management of the High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific 
Ocean, as adopted at Auckland on November 14, 2009, with an amendment 
in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 2485, to implement the Amendment to the Convention on Future 
Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, as 
adopted at Lisbon on September 28, 2007;
  S. 2581, to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to 
promulgate a rule to require child safety packaging for liquid nicotine 
containers;
  S. 2583, to promote the non-exclusive use of electronic labeling for 
devices licensed by the Federal Communications Commission;
  S. 2759, to release the City of St. Clair, Missouri, from all 
restrictions, conditions, and limitations on the use, encumbrance, 
conveyance, and closure of the St. Clair Regional Airport;
  S. 2777, to establish the Surface Transportation Board as an 
independent establishment, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  S. 2799, to extend the authority of satellite carriers to retransmit 
certain television broadcast station signals, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute; and
  The nominations of Christopher A. Hart, of Colorado, to be Chairman 
of the National Transportation Safety Board, and Manson K. Brown, of 
the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce.
AMERICA'S ENERGY TAX CODE
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
reforming America's outdated energy tax code, after receiving testimony 
from former Senator Don Nickles, The Nickles Group, LLC, Ethan Zindler, 
Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and David W. Kreutzer, The Heritage 
Foundation, all of Washington, DC; Gilbert E. Metcalf, Tufts 
University, Medford, Massachusetts; and Norman R. Augustine, Bethesda, 
Maryland.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of Robert Francis Cekuta, of New York, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Richard M. Mills, Jr., of 
Texas, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, Jess Lippincott 
Baily, of Ohio, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia, and 
Margaret Ann Uyehara, of Ohio, to be Ambassador to Montenegro, all of 
the Department of State, after the nominees testified and answered 
questions in their own behalf.

[[Page D973]]


U.S. STRATEGY FOR ISIL
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the United States strategy to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq 
and the Levant, after receiving testimony from John F. Kerry, Secretary 
of State; and Robert S. Ford, Middle East Institute, and Ben Connable, 
RAND Corporation, both of Washington, DC.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Sarah R. Saldana, of 
Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement, who was introduced by Senator Cornyn, and Russell C. Deyo, 
of New Jersey, to be Under Secretary for Management, both of the 
Department of Homeland Security, and Mickey D. Barnett, of New Mexico, 
to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service, after the 
nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S. 2141, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide 
an alternative process for review of safety and effectiveness of 
nonprescription sunscreen active ingredients and for other purposes, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  H.R. 4366, to strengthen the Federal education research system to 
make research and evaluations more timely and relevant to State and 
local needs in order to increase student achievement, with an amendment 
in the nature of a substitute; and
  The nomination of Sharon Block, of the District of Columbia, to be a 
Member of the National Labor Relations Board.
KEEP THE PROMISE ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
S. 2670, to prohibit gaming activities on certain Indian land in 
Arizona until the expiration of certain gaming compacts, after 
receiving testimony from Kevin K. Washburn, Assistant Secretary of the 
Interior for Indian Affairs; Mayor Jerry Weiers, and Gary Sherwood, 
Councilman, both of Glendale, Arizona; Allison C. Binney, Akin Gump 
Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP, Washington, DC; Gregory Mendoza, Gila River 
Indian Community, Sacaton, Arizona; and Ned Norris, Jr., The Tohono 
O'odham Nation of Arizona, Sells.
NET NEUTRALITY
  Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine why net neutrality matters, focusing on protecting consumers 
and competition through meaningful open Internet rules, including S. 
2476, to direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate 
regulations that prohibit certain preferential treatment or 
prioritization of Internet traffic, after receiving testimony from 
Bradford Burnham, Union Square Ventures, LLC, New York, New York; 
Robert M. McDowell, Wiley Rein, LLP, Jeffrey A. Eisenach, American 
Enterprise Institute, and Nuala O'Connor, Center for Democracy and 
Technology, all of Washington, DC; and Ruth Livier, Pacific 
Palisades, California.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of Allison Dale Burroughs, to be United States District 
Judge for the District of Massachusetts, who was introduced by Senator 
Warren, Jeanne E. Davidson, of Maryland, to be a Judge of the United 
States Court of International Trade, and Haywood Stirling Gilliam, Jr., 
to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of 
California, who were both introduced by Senator Feinstein, and Amit 
Priyavadan Mehta, to be United States District Judge for the District 
of Columbia, who was introduced by Representative Norton, after the 
nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.