[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 78 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D579-D581]
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 Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:

[[Page D580]]


  S. 1331, to help enhance commerce through improved seasonal 
forecasts, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1297, to update the Commercial Space Launch Act by amending title 
51, United States Code, to promote competitiveness of the U.S. 
commercial space sector, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  S. 1326, to amend certain maritime programs of the Department of 
Transportation, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1040, to direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the 
National Academy of Sciences to study the vehicle handling requirements 
proposed by the Commission for recreational off-highway vehicles and to 
prohibit the adoption of any such requirements until the completion of 
the study, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1359, to allow manufacturers to meet warranty and labeling 
requirements for consumer products by displaying the terms of 
warranties on Internet websites;
  S. 806, to amend section 31306 of title 49, United States Code, to 
recognize hair as an alternative specimen for preemployment and random 
controlled substances testing of commercial motor vehicle drivers and 
for other purposes, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1315, to protect the right of law-abiding citizens to transport 
knives interstate, notwithstanding a patchwork of local and State 
prohibitions;
  S. 1334, to strengthen enforcement mechanisms to stop illegal, 
unreported, and unregulated fishing, to amend the Tuna Conventions Act 
of 1950 to implement the Antigua Convention, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute;
  S. 1335, 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;
  S. 1251, to implement the Amendment to the Convention on Future 
Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, as 
adopted by Lisbon, Portugal on September 28, 2007;
  S. 1336, 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;
  H.R. 1020, to define STEM education to include computer science, and 
to support existing STEM education programs at the National Science 
Foundation;
  H.R. 710, to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare a 
comprehensive security assessment of the transportation security card 
program, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
  The nominations of Daniel R. Elliott III, of Ohio, to be a Member of 
the Surface Transportation Board, Mario Cordero, of California, to be a 
Federal Maritime Commissioner, and a routine list in the Coast Guard.
IMPROVEMENTS AND INNOVATIONS IN FISHERY MANAGEMENT AND DATA COLLECTION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard concluded a hearing to 
examine improvements and innovations in fishery management and data 
collection, after receiving testimony from Kathryn D. Sullivan, Under 
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Administrator, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Robert Beal, Atlantic 
States Marine Fisheries Commission, Arlington, Virginia; Brett 
Fitzgerald, Snook and Game Fish Foundation, Lake Worth, Florida; and 
Steven A. Murawski, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg.
OVERSIGHT OF EPA SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANELS AND PROCESSES
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Superfund, 
Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight concluded an oversight 
hearing an oversight hearing to examine scientific advisory panels and 
processes at the Environmental Protection Agency, including S. 543, to 
amend the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration 
Authorization Act of 1978 to provide for Scientific Advisory Board 
member qualifications, public participation, after receiving testimony 
from J. Alfredo Gomez, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, 
Government Accountability Office; Scott Faber, Environmental Working 
Group, and Terry F. Yosie, World Environment Center, both of 
Washington, D.C.; Ted Hadzi-Antich, Pacific Legal Foundation, 
Sacramento, California; and Roger O. McClellan, Albuquerque, New 
Mexico.
U.S.-CUBAN RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine United States-Cuban relations, focusing on the way forward, 
after receiving testimony from Roberta S. Jacobson, Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Thomas A. Shannon, 
Counselor, both of the Department of State.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of Gregory T.

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Delawie, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo, Ian 
C. Kelly, of Illinois, to be Ambassador to Georgia, Nancy Bikoff 
Pettit, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Latvia, Azita 
Raji, of California, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden, and 
Julieta Valls Noyes, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Croatia, all of the Department of State.
21ST CENTURY IDEAS FOR THE 20TH CENTURY FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management concluded a hearing to 
examine 21st century ideas for the 20th century Federal civil service, 
after receiving testimony from Yvonne D. Jones, Director, Strategic 
Issues, Government Accountability Office; Patricia J. Niehaus, Federal 
Managers Association, Alexandria, Virginia; and Dan G. Blair, National 
Academy of Public Administration, and J. David Cox, Sr., American 
Federation of Government Employees, both of Washington, D.C.
HIGHER EDUCATION ACT
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, 
focusing on exploring institutional risk-sharing, after receiving 
testimony from Senator Reed; Andrew P. Kelly, American Enterprise 
Institute Center on Higher Education Reform, and Jennifer C. Wang, 
Young Invincibles, both of Washington, D.C.; Robert S. Silberman, 
Strayer Education, Inc., Herndon, Virginia; and Douglas A. Webber, 
Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
INDIAN WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENTS OVERSIGHT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine addressing the needs of Native communities through Indian 
Water Rights Settlements, after receiving testimony from Michael L. 
Connor, Deputy Secretary of the Interior; Montana Assistant Attorney 
General Jay Weiner, Helena; Mark Macarro, Pechanga Band of Luiseno 
Indians, Temecula, California; and Steven C. Moore, Native American 
Rights Fund, Boulder, Colorado.
THE RAPE KIT BACKLOG AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution concluded 
a hearing to examine taking sexual assault seriously, focusing on the 
rape kit backlog and human rights, after receiving testimony from 
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Chicago; Skylor D. Hearn, Texas 
Department of Public Safety Assistant Director, Austin; Debbie Smith, 
Hope Exists After Rape Trauma, Williamsburg, Virginia; Scott Berkowitz, 
Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, Washington, D.C.; and Sarah 
Haacke Byrd, Joyful Heart Foundation, New York, New York.
PROPOSED ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION'S IMPACTS ON AMERICA'S SMALL 
BUSINESSES
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: On Tuesday, May 19, 
2015, Committee concluded a hearing to examine proposed environmental 
regulation's impacts on America's small businesses, including an 
original bill entitled, ``Small Business Regulatory Flexibility 
Improvements Act of 2015'', after receiving testimony from Charles 
Maresca, Director of Interagency Affairs, Office of Advocacy, Small 
Business Administration; Darcy Maulsby, Dougherty Farm, Lake City, 
Iowa; Randy Noel, Reve Inc., Laplace, Louisiana, on behalf of the 
National Association of Home Builders; Elizabeth Milito, National 
Federation of Independent Business Small Business Legal Center, 
Washington, D.C.; and Benjamin H. Bulis, American Fly Fishing Trade 
Association, Bozeman, Montana.
SOLUTIONS TO THE HOSPITAL OBSERVATION STAY CRISIS
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
solutions to the hospital observation stay crisis, after receiving 
testimony from Sean Cavanaugh, Deputy Administrator and Director, 
Center for Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 
Department of Health and Human Services; Mark E. Miller, Executive 
Director, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; Jyotirmaya Nanda, SSM 
Health, St. Louis, Missouri, on behalf of the American Hospital 
Association; Spencer Young, HealthDataInsights, Las Vegas, Nevada; and 
Tori Gaetani, Beacon Health, Brewer, Maine.