[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1309-D1310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
MACHINE LEARNING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet concluded a 
hearing to examine digital decision-making, focusing on the building 
blocks of machine learning and artificial intelligence, after receiving 
testimony from Cindy L. Bethel, Mississippi State University, 
Starkville; Daniel Castro, Information Technology and Innovation 
Foundation, Victoria Espinel, BSA, The Software Alliance, and Dario 
Gil, AI and IBM Q, all of Washington, D.C.; and Edward W. Felten, 
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.

[[Page D1310]]


NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard concluded a hearing to 
examine national ocean policy, focusing on stakeholder perspectives, 
after receiving testimony from Bonnie Brady, Long Island Commercial 
Fishing Association, Montauk, New York; Christopher Guith, U.S. Chamber 
of Commerce Global Energy Institute, and Kathy Metcalf, Chamber of 
Shipping of America, both of Washington, D.C.; and Dan Keppen, Family 
Farm Alliance, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably 
reported the nominations of Linda Capuano, of Texas, to be 
Administrator of the Energy Information Administration, Department of 
Energy, and Timothy R. Petty, of Indiana, to be an Assistant Secretary 
of the Interior.
ENERGY AND RESOURCE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded an 
oversight hearing to examine the permitting processes at the Department 
of the Interior and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for energy 
and resource infrastructure projects and opportunities to improve the 
efficiency, transparency, and accountability of federal decisions for 
such projects, after receiving testimony from James Cason, Associate 
Deputy Secretary of the Interior; Janet Pfleeger, Acting Executive 
Director, Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council; Terry L. 
Turpin, Director, Office of Energy Projects, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission; Chad Brown, Washington Department of Ecology Water Quality 
Unit Supervisor, Olympia; Roxane Perruso, The Anschutz Corporation, 
Denver, Colorado; and Luke Russell, Hecla Mining Company, Hayden, 
Idaho.
EUROPEAN ENERGY SECURITY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Europe and Regional 
Security Cooperation concluded a hearing to examine European energy 
security, focusing on United States interests and coercive Russian 
diplomacy, after receiving testimony from A. Wess Mitchell, Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and John E. 
McCarrick, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, both 
of the Department of State.
THE FUTURE OF ZIMBABWE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Africa and Global 
Health Policy concluded a hearing to examine the future of Zimbabwe, 
after receiving testimony from Stephanie Sullivan, Acting Principal 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa; Tendai Biti, MDC 
Alliance, Harare, Zimbabwe; Dewa Mavhinga, Human Rights Watch, 
Johannesburg, South Africa; and Peter Godwin, New York, New York.
THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the cost of prescription drugs, focusing 
on an examination of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering 
and Medicine report ``Making Medicines Affordable: A National 
Imperative'', after receiving testimony from Norman R. Augustine, 
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and Douglas 
Holtz-Eakin, American Action Forum, both of Washington, D.C.; and David 
E. Mitchell, Patients For Affordable Drugs, Bethesda, Maryland.
ENSURING PATIENT ACCESS AND EFFECTIVE DRUG ENFORCEMENT ACT OVERSIGHT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to 
examine the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act, 
after receiving testimony form Demetra Ashley, Acting Assistant 
Administrator, Diversion Control Division, Drug Enforcement 
Administration, Department of Justice; Brian E. Frosh, Attorney General 
of Maryland, Baltimore; Jan Favero Chambers, National Fibromyalgia and 
Chronic Pain Association, Logan, Utah; Carmen Catizone, National 
Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Mount Prospect, Illinois; and John 
M. Gray, Healthcare Distribution Alliance, Arlington, Virginia.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.