[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 16, 2015)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D976-D978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
FDA EFFORTS TO ENSURE FOOD SUPPLY SAFETY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
concluded a hearing to examine the Food and Drug Administration's 
efforts to ensure the safety of the food supply and protect American 
consumers, after receiving testimony from Stephen Ostroff, 
Commissioner, Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods and 
Veterinary Medicine, and Bill Tootle, Director, Office of Budget, all 
of the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human 
Services.
U.S. MILITARY OPERATIONS TO COUNTER ISIL
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
United States military operations to counter the Islamic State in Iraq 
and the Levant, after receiving testimony from Christine E. Wormuth, 
Under Secretary for Policy, and General Lloyd J. Austin III, USA, 
Commander, Central Command, both of the Department of Defense.
GOLD KING MINE SPILL OVERSIGHT
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded an 
oversight hearing to examine the cause, response, and impacts of EPA's 
Gold King Mine spill, after receiving testimony from Senators Gardner, 
Bennet, Udall, and Heinrich; and Gina McCarthy, Administrator, 
Environmental Protection Agency.
U.S. ROLE AND STRATEGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the United States role and strategy in the Middle East, 
focusing on Syria, Iraq, and the fight against ISIS, after receiving 
testimony from Kimberly Kagan, Institute for the Study of War, Brian 
Katulis, Center for American Progress, and Michael Bowers, Mercy Corps, 
all of Washington, D.C.
REGULATORY REFORM PROPOSALS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine

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regulatory reform proposals, including S. 708, to establish an 
independent advisory committee to review certain regulations, S. 1607, 
to affirm the authority of the President to require independent 
regulatory agencies to comply with regulatory analysis requirements 
applicable to executive agencies, S. 1817, to improve the effectiveness 
of major rules in accomplishing their regulatory objectives by 
promoting retrospective review, S. 1818, to amend title 5, United 
States Code, to reform the rule making process of agencies, and S. 
1820, to require agencies to publish an advance notice of proposed rule 
making for major rules, after receiving testimony from Susan E. Dudley, 
George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Washington, 
D.C.; and Sidney A. Shapiro, Wake Forest University School of Law, 
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on behalf of the Center for Progressive 
Reform.
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine achieving the promise of health 
information technology, focusing on improving care through patient 
access to their records, after receiving testimony from Raj M. Ratwani, 
MedStar Health National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, 
Washington, D.C.; Kathy Giusti, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 
Norwalk, Connecticut; and Eric Dishman, Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, 
Oregon.
GOLD KING MINE DISASTER IMPACTS ON INDIAN COUNTRY
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
EPA's Gold King Mine disaster, focusing on the harmful impacts to 
Indian country, after receiving testimony from Gina McCarthy, 
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Russell Begaye, Window 
Rock, Arizona, and Gilbert Harrison, Sr., Gadii'ahi Chapter, New 
Mexico, both of the Navajo Nation; James M. Olguin, Southern Ute Indian 
Tribe, Ignacio, Colorado; Douglas Holtz-Eakin, American Action Forum, 
Washington, D.C.; and David C. Weindorf, Texas Tech University 
Department of Plant and Soil Science, Lubbock.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS PRIVACY ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, including S. 356, 
to improve the provisions relating to the privacy of electronic 
communications, after receiving testimony from Elana Tyrangiel, 
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice; 
Andrew Ceresney, Director, Division of Enforcement, Securities and 
Exchange Commission; Daniel Salsburg, Chief Counsel, Office of 
Technology, Research and Investigation, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 
Federal Trade Commission; Richard Littlehale, Tennessee Bureau of 
Investigation, Nashville; Richard Salgado, Google Inc., Mountain View, 
California; and Chris Calabrese, Center for Democracy and Technology, 
and Victoria Espinel, BSA  The Software Alliance, both of 
Washington, D.C.
VETERANS HEALTH AND BENEFITS LEGISLATION
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine S. 290, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
accountability of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, S. 
563, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Physician 
Ambassadors Helping Veterans program to seek to employ physicians at 
the Department of Veterans Affairs on a without compensation basis in 
practice areas and specialties with staffing shortages and long 
appointment waiting times, S. 564, to amend title 38, United States 
Code, to include licensed hearing aid specialists as eligible for 
appointment in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, S. 1450, to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
allow the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modify the hours of 
employment of physicians and physician assistants employed on a full-
time basis by the Department of Veterans Affairs, S. 1451, to amend 
title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to adjudicate and pay survivor's benefits without requiring the 
filing of a formal claim, S. 1460, to amend title 38, United States 
Code, to extend the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program to 
cover recipients of the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry 
scholarship, S. 1693, to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand 
eligibility for reimbursement for emergency medical treatment to 
certain veterans that were unable to receive care from the Department 
of Veterans Affairs in the 24-month period preceding the furnishing of 
such emergency treatment, S. 1856, to amend title 38, United States 
Code, to provide for suspension and removal of employees of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for performance or misconduct that is a 
threat to public health or safety and to improve accountability of 
employees of the Department, S. 1938, 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, after receiving testimony from Thomas Lynch, 
Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs

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for Health Clinical Operations, Veterans Health Administration; Joseph 
W. Wescott II, National Association of State Approving Agencies, 
Raleigh, North Carolina; Roscoe G. Butler, The American Legion, and 
Aleks Morosky, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, both of 
Washington, D.C.; and Donald F. Kettl, University of Maryland School of 
Public Policy, Annapolis.