[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 102 (Thursday, June 15, 2017)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D660-D662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
THE FARM BILL
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine agricultural research, focusing on perspectives on 
past and future

[[Page D661]]

successes for the 2018 Farm Bill, after receiving testimony from Ann 
Bartuska, Acting Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, 
Education, and Economics, Sonny Ramaswamy, Director, National Institute 
of Food and Agriculture, and Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Administrator, 
Agricultural Research Service, all of the Department of Agriculture; 
Sally Rockey, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Washington, 
D.C.; John Floros, Kansas State University, Manhattan; Gary McMurray, 
Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta; Kerry E. Hartman, Nueta 
Hidatsa Sahnish College, and the American Indian Higher Education 
Consortium, New Town, North Dakota; and Steve Wellman, Wellman Farms, 
Inc., Syracuse, Nebraska.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, 
Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies 
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and 
justification for fiscal year 2018 for the Department of Health and 
Human Services, after receiving testimony from Thomas Price, Secretary 
of Health and Human Services.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST AND FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the posture of the Department of the Navy in review of the Defense 
Authorization Request for fiscal year 2018 and the Future Years Defense 
Program, after receiving testimony from Sean J. Stackley, Acting 
Secretary of the Navy, Admiral John M. Richardson, USN, Chief of Naval 
Operations, and General Robert B. Neller, USMC, Commandant of the 
Marine Corps, all of the Department of Defense.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine fostering economic growth, focusing on midsized, 
regional, and large institution perspective, including S. 1002, to 
enhance the ability of community financial institutions to foster 
economic growth and serve their communities, boost small businesses, 
increase individual savings, after receiving testimony from Harris H. 
Simmons, Zions Bancorporation, Salt Lake City, Utah; Greg Baer, The 
Clearing House Association, Chevy Chase, Maryland; Robert R. Hill, Jr., 
Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, Columbia, South Carolina; and Saule 
T. Omarova, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
FOREST SERVICE BUDGET
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal 
year 2018 for the Forest Service, after receiving testimony from Tom 
Tidwell, Chief, and Sheri Elliott, Acting Director, Office of Strategic 
Planning, Budget and Accountability, both of the Forest Service, 
Department of Agriculture.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably 
reported the nomination of Kristine L. Svinicki, of Virginia, to be a 
Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nomination of Mark Andrew Green, of Wisconsin, to be 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Baldwin 
and Johnson, and Representative Paul Ryan, testified and answered 
questions in his own behalf.
OMB AND THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management concluded a hearing to 
examine agency approaches to reorganization, focusing on the Office of 
Management and Budget's memorandum on the Federal workforce, after 
receiving testimony from Ellen Herbst, Chief Financial Officer and 
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration; Lee J. Lofthus, 
Assistant Attorney General for Administration, Department of Justice; 
Donald K. Bice, Associate Director, Office of Budget and Program 
Analysis and Senior Accountable Official for Reform, Department of 
Agriculture; and Michael Stough, Director, Program Analysis and 
Evaluation, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Department of 
Homeland Security.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nominations of David C. Nye, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Idaho, Scott L. Palk, to be United States District Judge 
for the Western District of Oklahoma, Vishal J. Amin, of Michigan, to 
be Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Executive Office of 
the President, and Lee Francis Cissna, of Maryland, to be Director of 
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of 
Homeland Security.

[[Page D662]]


VETERANS AFFAIRS LEGISLATION
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine S. 75, to provide for the reconsideration of claims for 
disability compensation for veterans who were the subjects of 
experiments by the Department of Defense during World War II that were 
conducted to assess the effects of mustard gas or lewisite on people, 
S. 111, to require the Secretary of Defense to establish a process to 
determine whether individuals claiming certain service in the 
Philippines during World War II are eligible for certain benefits 
despite not being on the Missouri List, S. 410, to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to authorize the transfer of unused Post-9/11 
Educational Assistance benefits to additional dependents upon the death 
of the originally designated dependent, S. 473, the amend title 38, 
United States Code, to make qualification requirements for entitlement 
to Post-9/11 Education Assistance more equitable, to improve support of 
veterans receiving such educational assistance, S. 758, to amend the 
Public Health Service Act with respect to the Agency for Toxic 
Substances and Disease Registry's review and publication of illness and 
conditions relating to veterans stationed at Camp Lejeune, North 
Carolina, and their family members, S. 798, to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to expand the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement 
Program to apply to individuals pursuing programs of education while on 
active duty, to recipients of the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David 
Fry scholarship, and to programs of education pursued on half-time 
basis or less, S. 844, to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
consider certain time spent by members of reserve components of the 
Armed Forces while receiving medical care from the Secretary of Defense 
as active duty for purposes of eligibility for Post-9/11 Educational 
Assistance, S. 882, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide 
for the entitlement to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 
Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
for members of the Armed Forces awarded the Purple Heart, S. 1192, to 
amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for pro-rated charges to 
entitlement to educational assistance under Department of Veterans 
Affairs Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program for certain licensure 
and certification tests and national tests, S. 1209, to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to increase the amount of special pension for Medal 
of Honor recipients, S. 1218, to promote Federal employment for 
veterans, S. 1277, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
carry out a high technology education pilot program, and S. 1330, to 
amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize a dependent to 
transfer entitlement to Post-9/11 Education Assistance in cases in 
which the dependent received the transfer of such entitlement to 
assistance from an individual who subsequently died, after receiving 
testimony from Senator McCaskill; Curtis Coy, Deputy Under Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs for Economic Opportunity, Veterans Benefits 
Administration; and William Hubbard, Student Veterans of America, John 
Kamin, The American Legion, Patrick Murray, Veterans of Foreign Wars of 
the United States, and Brigadier General Roy Robinson, (Ret.), National 
Guard Association of the United States, all of Washington, D.C.
INTELLIGENCE
  Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on 
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the 
intelligence community.
  Committee recessed subject to the call.