[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 117 (Thursday, July 12, 2018)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D803-D805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Full Committee held a markup on H.R. 
959, the ``Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017''; 
H.R. 1676, the ``Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training 
Act''; H.R. 3728, the ``Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing 
Workforce Efficiency Readiness Act of 2017''; H.R. 5385, the 
``Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2018''; H. 
Res. 982, of inquiry requesting the President, and directing the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, to transmit, respectively, 
certain information to the House of Representatives referring to the 
separation of children from their parents or guardians as a result of 
the President's ``zero tolerance'' policy; H.R. 2278, the ``Responsible 
Disposal Reauthorization Act of 2017''; H.R. 2389, to reauthorize the 
West Valley demonstration project, and for other purposes; H.R. 1320, 
the ``Nuclear Utilization of Keynote Energy Act''; H.R. 6140, the 
``Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act''; H.R. 6032, the ``State of 
Modern Application, Research, and Trends of IoT Act''; H.R. 2345, the 
``National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2017''; H.R. 3994, the 
``ACCESS BROADBAND Act''; H.R. 4881, the ``Precision Agriculture 
Connectivity Act of 2018''; H.R. 5709, the ``Preventing Illegal Radio 
Abuse Through Enforcement Act''. H. Res. 982 and H.R. 6032 were ordered 
reported, without amendment. H.R. 959, H.R. 1676, H.R. 3728, H.R. 5385, 
H.R. 2278, H.R. 2389, H.R. 1320, H.R. 6140, H.R. 2345, H.R. 3994, H.R. 
4881 and H.R. 5709 were ordered reported, as amended.
THE ANNUAL TESTIMONY OF THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY ON THE STATE OF 
THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM
Committee on Financial Services: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of 
the International Financial System''. Testimony was heard from Steven 
T. Mnuchin, Secretary, Department of the Treasury.
COUNTERING THE FINANCIAL NETWORKS OF WEAPONS PROLIFERATION
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit 
Finance held a hearing entitled ``Countering the Financial Networks of 
Weapons Proliferation''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.

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NICARAGUAN CRISIS: NEXT STEPS TO ADVANCING DEMOCRACY; MISCELLANEOUS 
MEASURE
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere 
held a hearing entitled ``Nicaraguan Crisis: Next Steps to Advancing 
Democracy''; and held a markup on H. Res. 981, condemning the violence, 
persecution, intimidation, and murders committed by the Government of 
Nicaragua against its citizens. H. Res 981 was forwarded to the full 
Committee, without amendment. Testimony was heard from Carlos Trujillo, 
U.S. Permanent Representative, Organization of American States; Michael 
Kozak, Senior Advisor and Senior Bureau Official, Bureau of Democracy, 
Human Rights, and Labor, Department of State; and Barbara Feinstein, 
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and the 
Caribbean, U.S. Agency for International Development.
COMBATING TUBERCULOSIS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, 
Global Human Rights, and International Organizations held a hearing 
entitled ``Combating Tuberculosis in Southern Africa''. Testimony was 
heard from Deborah L. Birx, M.D., U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, U.S. 
Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, Department of 
State; Irene Koek, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Global Health 
Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development; and Rebecca Martin, 
Director, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services.
ACCESS DENIED: KEEPING ADVERSARIES AWAY FROM THE HOMELAND SECURITY 
SUPPLY CHAIN
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and 
Intelligence; and Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency 
held a joint hearing entitled ``Access Denied: Keeping Adversaries Away 
from the Homeland Security Supply Chain''. Testimony was heard from 
Gregory Wilshusen, Director of Information Security Issues, Government 
Accountability Office, and the following Department of Homeland 
Security officials: Soraya Correa, Chief Procurement Officer, Office of 
the Chief Procurement Officer; John Zangardi, Chief Information 
Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer; Jeanette Manfra, 
Assistant Secretary, Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, 
National Protection and Programs Directorate; and Tina W. Gabbrielli, 
(Acting) Deputy Under Secretary for Intelligence Enterprise Operations. 
A portion of this hearing was closed.
OVERSIGHT OF FBI AND DOJ ACTIONS SURROUNDING THE 2016 ELECTION: 
TESTIMONY BY FBI DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PETER STRZOK
Committee on the Judiciary: Full Committee; and full Committee of the 
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing 
entitled ``Oversight of FBI and DOJ Actions Surrounding the 2016 
Election: Testimony by FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok''. 
Testimony was heard from Peter Strzok, Deputy Assistant Director, 
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF LIVESTOCK GRAZING ON FEDERAL LANDS AND ITS 
IMPORTANCE TO RURAL AMERICA
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a 
hearing entitled ``The Essential Role of Livestock Grazing on Federal 
Lands and its Importance to Rural America''. Testimony was heard from 
Brad Little, Lieutenant Governor, Idaho; and public witnesses.
BIG DATA CHALLENGES AND ADVANCED COMPUTING SOLUTIONS
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy; 
and Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a joint hearing 
entitled ``Big Data Challenges and Advanced Computing Solutions''. 
Testimony was heard from Bobby Kasthuri, Researcher, Argonne National 
Laboratory; Katherine Yelick, Associate Laboratory Director for 
Computing Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and public 
witnesses.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Full Committee held a business meeting 
to assign Representative Bill Flores of Texas to subcommittees; amend 
the Committee Rules to establish a Subcommittee on Technology 
Modernization; set the membership ratio of the subcommittee; assign a 
chair and ranking member of the subcommittee; assign majority and 
minority members of the subcommittee; and for other purposes. The 
resolutions to assign Representative Bill Flores of Texas to the 
Subcommittees on Health and Economic Opportunity; to amend Rule 5 of 
the Committee Rules for the 115th Congress to establish a new 
Subcommittee on Technology Modernization; to approve the ratio of the 
Subcommittee on Technology Modernization; to appoint the Chairman and 
Majority Members of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization; and 
to appoint the Ranking

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Member and Minority Member of the Subcommittee on Technology 
Modernization were adopted.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Full Committee held a markup on H.R. 
2409, to allow servicemembers to terminate their cable, satellite 
television, and Internet access service contracts while deployed; H.R. 
2787, the ``VET MD Act''; H.R. 5538, to amend title 38, United States 
Code, to provide for the inclusion of certain additional periods of 
active duty service for purposes of suspending charges to veterans' 
entitlement to educational assistance under the laws administered by 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs during periods of suspended 
participation in vocational rehabilitation programs; H.R. 5649, the 
``Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William `Bill' Mulder (Ret.) Transition 
Improvement Act of 2018''; H.R. 5693, the ``Long-Term Care Veterans 
Choice Act''; H.R. 5864, the ``VA Hospitals Establishing Leadership 
Performance Act''; H.R. 5882, the ``Gold Star Spouses Leasing Relief 
Act''; H.R. 5938, the ``Veterans Serving Veterans Act of 2018''; H.R. 
5974, the ``VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act''; and H.R. 6066, to amend 
title 38, United States Code, to improve the productivity of the 
management of Department of Veterans Affairs health care, and for other 
purposes. H.R. 2787, H.R. 5649, H.R. 5693, H.R. 6066 were ordered 
reported, as amended. H.R. 2409, H.R. 5538, H.R. 5864, H.R. 5882, H.R. 
5938, H.R. 5974 were ordered reported, without amendment.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Ways and Means: Full Committee concluded markup on H.R. 
6301, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide high 
deductible health plans with first dollar coverage flexibility; H.R. 
6317, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that direct 
primary care service arrangements do not disqualify deductible health 
savings account contributions, and for other purposes; H.R. 6305, the 
``Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act of 2018''; H.R. 6312, the ``PHIT 
Act''; H.R. 6309, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow 
individuals entitled to Medicare Part A by reason of being over age 65 
to contribute to health savings accounts; H.R. 6199, to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to include certain over-the-counter 
medical products as qualified medical expenses; H.R. 6306, to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the contribution limitation 
for health savings accounts, and for other purposes; H.R. 6313, the 
``Responsible Additions and Increases to Sustain Employee Health 
Benefits Act of 2018''; H.R. 4616, to amend the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act to provide for a temporary moratorium on the 
employer mandate and to provide for a delay in the implementation of 
the excise tax on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage; H.R. 
6314, the ``Health Savings Act of 2018''; and H.R. 6311, to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the Patient Protection and Affordable 
Care Act to modify the definition of qualified health plan for purposes 
of the health insurance premium tax credit and to allow individuals 
purchasing health insurance in the individual market to purchase a 
lower premium copper plan. H.R. 6301, H.R. 6317, H.R. 6305, H.R. 6309, 
H.R. 6199, H.R. 6312, H.R. 4616, H.R. 6306, H.R. 6313, H.R. 6314, and 
H.R. 6311 were ordered reported, as amended.

Joint Meetings
APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS CHALLENGES
Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform: 
Committee concluded a hearing to examine the current challenges facing 
the appropriations process in Congress and discuss possibilities for 
improvement, after receiving testimony from former Representatives Leon 
Panetta and David Obey.