[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 2, 2015)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D632-D634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
UPDATE ON THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF FARM COUNTRY
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and 
Risk Management held a hearing entitled ``Update on the Financial 
Health of Farm Country''. Testimony was heard from Nathan Kauffman, 
Assistant Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive, Omaha Branch, 
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURE
Committee on Appropriations: Full Committee held a markup on the 
Defense Appropriations Bill for FY 2016. The Defense Appropriations 
Bill for FY 2016 was ordered reported, as amended.
QUADRENNIAL ENERGY REVIEW AND RELATED DISCUSSION DRAFTS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Power held 
a hearing entitled ``Quadrennial Energy Review and Related Discussion 
Drafts''. Testimony was heard from Ernest Moniz, Secretary, Department 
of Energy; Scott Martin, Commissioner, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; 
and public witnesses.
MEDICAID PROGRAM INTEGRITY: SCREENING OUT ERRORS, FRAUD, AND ABUSE
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Medicaid Program Integrity: 
Screening Out Errors, Fraud, and Abuse''. Testimony was heard from Seto 
J. Bagdoyan, Director, Audit Services, Forensic Audits and 
Investigative Service, Government Accountability Office; and Shantanu 
Agrawal, M.D., Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for Program 
Integrity, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of 
Health and Human Services.
AN UPDATE ON THE TAKATA AIRBAG RUPTURES AND RECALLS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, 
Manufacturing and Trade held a hearing entitled ``An Update on the 
Takata Airbag Ruptures and Recalls''. Testimony was heard from Mark R. 
Rosekind, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Full Committee began a markup on H.R. 
2576, the ``TSCA Modernization Act of 2015''; and H.R. 2583, the 
``Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2015''.
THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM: OVERSIGHT OF SUPERSTORM SANDY 
CLAIMS
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance 
held a hearing entitled ``The National Flood Insurance Program: 
Oversight of Superstorm Sandy Claims''. Testimony was heard from Brad 
Kieserman, Deputy Associate Administrator, Insurance, Federal Insurance 
and Mitigation

[[Page D633]]

Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
AMERICANS DETAINED IN IRAN; MISCELLANEOUS MEASURE
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Americans Detained in Iran''; and a markup on H. Res. 233, expressing 
the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should immediately 
release the three United States citizens it holds, as well as provide 
all known information on any United States citizens that have 
disappeared within its borders. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses. H. Res. 233 was ordered reported, without amendment.
STATE DEPARTMENT'S COUNTERTERRORISM BUREAU
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Terrorism, 
Nonproliferation, and Trade held a hearing entitled ``State 
Department's Counterterrorism Bureau''. Testimony was heard from 
Charles Johnson, Jr., Director, International Security Issues, 
International Affairs and Trade, Government Accountability Office; and 
Justin Siberell, Deputy Coordinator for Regional Affairs and Programs, 
Bureau of Counterterrorism, Department of State.
THE OUTER RING OF BORDER SECURITY: DHS'S INTERNATIONAL SECURITY 
PROGRAMS
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Border and Maritime 
Security held a hearing entitled ``The Outer Ring of Border Security: 
DHS's International Security Programs''. Testimony was heard from Alan 
D. Bersin, Assistant Secretary and Chief Diplomatic Officer, Office of 
Policy, Department of Homeland Security; John Wagner, Deputy Assistant 
Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border 
Protection, Department of Homeland Security; Lev J. Kubiak, Assistant 
Director, International Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security; 
and Rebecca Gambler, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, 
Government Accountability Office.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, 
Commercial and Antitrust Law held a hearing on H.R. 2315, the ``Mobile 
Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2015''; H.R. 1643, the 
``Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2015''; and the 
``Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2015''. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
BUSINESS MEETING; FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS ON PUBLIC COLLEGE AND 
UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil 
Justice held a business meeting to adopt rules of procedure for Private 
Claims Bills; and a hearing entitled ``First Amendment Protections on 
Public College and University Campuses''. The rules of procedure for 
Private Claims Bills were adopted. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
ENSURING TRANSPARENCY THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Full Committee held a 
hearing entitled ``Ensuring Transparency through the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA)''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
COMMODITY END-USER RELIEF ACT
Committee on Rules: Full Committee held a hearing on H.R. 2289, the 
``Commodity End-User Relief Act''. The committee granted, by record 
vote of 8-2, a structured rule. The rule provides one hour of general 
debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on Agriculture. The rule waives all points of 
order against consideration of the bill. The rule makes in order as 
original text for purpose of amendment an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 114-18 and 
provides that it shall be considered as read. The rule waives all 
points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute. 
The rule makes in order only those further 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 the Committee on 
Appropriations may, at any time before 5 p.m. on Friday, June 5, 2015, 
file privileged reports to accompany measures making appropriations for 
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016. Testimony was heard from 
Chairman Conaway and Representative Peterson.

[[Page D634]]


OVERSIGHT OF THE AMTRAK ACCIDENT IN PHILADELPHIA
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Full Committee held a 
hearing entitled ``Oversight of the Amtrak Accident in Philadelphia''. 
Testimony was heard from Christopher Hart, Chairman, National 
Transportation Safety Board; Sarah Feinberg, Acting Administrator, 
Federal Railroad Administration; and public witnesses.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held a hearing on H.R. 356, the ``Wounded Warrior Employment 
Improvement Act''; H.R. 832, the ``Veterans Employment and Training 
Service Longitudinal Study Act of 2015''; H.R. 1994, the ``VA 
Accountability Act of 2015''; H.R. 2133, the ``Servicemembers' Choice 
in Transition Act''; H.R. 2275, the ``Jobs for Veterans Act of 2015''; 
H.R. 2344, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain 
improvements in the vocational rehabilitation programs of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs; H.R. 2360, to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to improve the approval of certain programs of education 
for purposes of educational assistance provided by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs; H.R. 2361, to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
extend the authority to provide work-study allowance for certain 
activities by individuals receiving educational assistance by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and a draft bill to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to make certain modifications and improvements in 
the transfer of unused educational assistance benefits under the Post 
9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, and for other purposes. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Flores; Cook; and Sean Patrick Maloney of New York; 
Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; 
Teresa W. Gerton, Acting Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and 
Training Service, Department of Labor; Susan S. Kelly, Director, 
Transition to Veterans Program Office, Office of the Under Secretary of 
Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Department of Defense; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Ways and Means: Full Committee held a markup on H.R. 160, 
the ``Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015''; H.R. 1190, the 
``Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015''; S. 984, the 
``Steve Gleason Act of 2015''; S. 971, the ``Medicare Independence at 
Home Medical Practice Demonstration Improvement Act of 2015''; H.R. 
2580, the ``LTCH Technical Correction Act of 2015''; H.R. 2505, the 
``Medicare Advantage Coverage Transparency Act of 2015''; H.R. 2506, 
the ``Seniors' Health Care Plan Protection Act of 2015''; H.R. 2507, 
the ``Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015''; H.R. 2579, the 
``Securing Care for Seniors Act of 2015''; and H.R. 2581, the 
``Preservation of Access for Seniors in Medicare Advantage Act of 
2015''. The following bills were ordered reported, as amended: H.R. 
160, H.R. 2580, H.R. 2505, H.R. 2506, H.R. 2507, H.R. 2579, and H.R. 
2581. The following bills were ordered reported, without amendment: 
H.R. 1190, S. 984, and S. 971.

Joint Meetings
  No joint committee meetings were held.