[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 182 (Thursday, November 14, 2019)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1249-D1251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN AGRICULTURE FROM WILD, INVASIVE, AND NON-NATIVE 
SPECIES
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign 
Agriculture held a hearing entitled ``Safeguarding American Agriculture 
from Wild, Invasive, and Non-Native Species''. Testimony was heard from 
Ric Ortega, General Manager, Grassland Water District, Los Banos, 
California; Beth Thompson, State Veterinarian, Minnesota, and Executive 
Director, Minnesota Board of Animal Health; and public witnesses.
OFFICE OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION'S FAILURES AT VA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing entitled ``Office 
of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection's Failures at VA''. 
Testimony was heard from Tamara Bonzanto, Assistant Secretary for 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: THE VIEW FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE
Committee on the Budget: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``The 
Economic Outlook: The View from the Federal Reserve''. Testimony was 
heard from Jerome H. Powell, Chair, Board of Governors of the Federal 
Reserve System.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Consumer Protection 
and Commerce held a markup on H.R. 3851, the ``Travel Promotion, 
Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2019''; and H.R. 4779, to extend 
the Undertaking Spam, Spyware, And Fraud Enforcement With Enforcers 
beyond Borders Act of 2006, and for other purposes. H.R. 3851 was 
forwarded to the full Committee, as amended. H.R. 4779 was forwarded to 
the full Committee, without amendment.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Communications and 
Technology held a markup on H.R. 4229, the ``Broadband Deployment 
Accuracy and Technological Availability Act''; H.R. 4227, the ``Mapping 
Accuracy Promotes Services Act''; H.R. 5000, the ``Studying How to 
Harness Airwave Resources Efficiently Act of 2019''; H.R. 4998, the 
``Secure and Trusted Communications Networks

[[Page D1250]]

Act''; H.R. 4461, the ``Network Security Information Sharing Act of 
2019''; H.R. 2881, the ``Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2019''; H.R. 4500, 
the ``Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2019''; H. 
Res. 575, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that all 
stakeholders in the deployment of 5G communications infrastructure 
should carefully consider and adhere to the recommendation of ``The 
Prague Proposals''; and H.R. 5035, the ``Television Viewer Protection 
Act''. H.R. 4227, H.R. 5000, H.R. 5035 were forwarded to the full 
Committee, without amendment. H.R. 4229, H.R. 4998, H.R. 4461, H.R. 
2881, H.R. 4500, H. Res. 575 were forwarded to the full Committee, as 
amended.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Financial Services: Full Committee concluded a markup on 
H.R. 2445, the ``Self-Employed Mortgage Act''; H.R. 3490, the ``Small 
Business Lending Fairness Act''; H.R. 3948, the ``Debt Collection 
Practices Harmonization Act''; H.R. 4403, the ``Stop Debt Collection 
Abuse Act''; H.R. 5021, the ``Ending Debt Collection Harassment Act of 
2019''; H.R. 2398, to amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 and 
title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH 
program, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit annual 
reports to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House 
of Representatives regarding homeless veterans, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 5003, the ``Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers 
Act''; H.R. 5001, the ``Non-Judicial Foreclosure Debt Collection 
Clarification Act''; and H.R. 5013, the ``Small Business Fair Debt 
Collection Protection Act''. H.R. 4403, H.R. 3490, H.R. 5001, H.R. 
5013, H.R. 3948, H.R. 5021, H.R. 2398, and H.R. 5003 were ordered 
reported, as amended.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  November 14, 2019, on page D1250, the following appeared: 
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES: Full 
Committee concluded a markup on H.R. 2445, the ``Self-Employed 
Mortgage Act''; H.R. 3490, the ``Small Business Lending Fairness 
Act''; H.R. 3948, the ``Debt Collection Practices Harmonization 
Act''; H.R. 4403, the ``Stop Debt Collection Abuse Act''; H.R. 
5021, the ``Ending Debt Collection Harassment Act of 2019''; H.R. 
2398, to amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 and title 38, 
United States Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH 
program, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit 
annual reports to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
Senate and House of Representatives regarding homeless veterans, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 5003, the ``Fair Debt Collection 
Practices for Servicemembers Act''; H.R. 5001, the ``Non-Judicial 
Foreclosure Debt Collection Clarification Act''; and H.R. 5013, 
the ``Small Business Fair Debt Collection Protection Act''. H.R. 
4403, H.R. 3490, H.R. 5001, H.R. 5013, H.R. 3948, H.R. 5021, H.R. 
2398, H.R. 5003, and H.R. 2445 were ordered reported, as amended.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: MISCELLANEOUS 
MEASURES COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES: Full Committee concluded 
a markup on H.R. 2445, the ``Self-Employed Mortgage Act''; H.R. 
3490, the ``Small Business Lending Fairness Act''; H.R. 3948, the 
``Debt Collection Practices Harmonization Act''; H.R. 4403, the 
``Stop Debt Collection Abuse Act''; H.R. 5021, the ``Ending Debt 
Collection Harassment Act of 2019''; H.R. 2398, to amend the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 and title 38, United States 
Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH program, to direct 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit annual reports to the 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives regarding homeless veterans, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 5003, the ``Fair Debt Collection Practices for 
Servicemembers Act''; H.R. 5001, the ``Non-Judicial Foreclosure 
Debt Collection Clarification Act''; and H.R. 5013, the ``Small 
Business Fair Debt Collection Protection Act''. H.R. 4403, H.R. 
3490, H.R. 5001, H.R. 5013, H.R. 3948, H.R. 5021, H.R. 2398, and 
H.R. 5003 were ordered reported, as amended.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


                               THE U.S. POLICY IN THE SAHEL REGION
 Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, 
  Global Human Rights, and International Organizations held a hearing 
 entitled ``The U.S. Policy in the Sahel Region''. Testimony was heard 
  from Whitney Baird, Deputy Assistant Secretary for West Africa and 
 Security Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State; and 
  Cheryl Anderson, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Africa, 
               U.S. Agency for International Development.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF BAIL BY STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS: A CALL FOR 
REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and 
Homeland Security held a hearing entitled ``The Administration of Bail 
by State and Federal Courts: A Call for Reform''. Testimony was heard 
from public witnesses.
EXAMINING THE USE OF ``SNAP'' REMOVALS TO CIRCUMVENT THE FORUM 
DEFENDANT RULE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual 
Property, and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Examining the Use 
of ``Snap'' Removals to Circumvent the Forum Defendant Rule''. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURE
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral 
Resources held a hearing on H.R. 4248, the ``Surface Mining Control and 
Reclamation Act Amendments of 2019''. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Cartwright; John Stefanko, Deputy Secretary, Office of 
Active and Abandoned Mine Operations, Department of Environmental 
Protection, Pennsylvania, and Member, Interstate Mining Compact 
Commission; Alan Edwards, Deputy Director, Department of Environmental 
Quality, Wyoming, and Administrator, Wyoming Abandoned Mine Land 
Program, Cheyenne, Wyoming; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT OF NOAA'S REPORT ON ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED 
FISHING
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and 
Wildlife held a hearing entitled ``Oversight of NOAA's Report on 
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing''. Testimony was heard 
from Alexa Cole, Acting Director of International Affairs and Seafood 
Inspection, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and public witnesses.
EXAMINING STATE EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE
Committee on Oversight and Reform: Full Committee held a hearing 
entitled ``Examining State Efforts to Undermine Access to Reproductive 
Health Care''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Full Committee held a 
markup on H.R. 4979, the ``Rural STEM Education Act''; H.R. 4704, the 
``Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act''; and H.R. 4990, the 
``Election Technology Research Act''. H.R. 4704, H.R. 4990, and H.R. 
4979 were ordered reported, as amended.

[[Page D1251]]


WATER AND GEOTHERMAL POWER: UNEARTHING THE NEXT WAVE OF ENERGY 
INNOVATION
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy 
held a hearing entitled ``Water and Geothermal Power: Unearthing the 
Next Wave of Energy Innovation''. Testimony was heard from David Solan, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power, Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; Joseph Moore, 
Manager, Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy, 
Department of Energy; and public witnesses.
ASSESSING THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN SERVING RURAL AMERICAN SMALL 
BUSINESSES (PART ONE)
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Rural Development, 
Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship held a hearing entitled 
``Assessing the Government's Role in Serving Rural American Small 
Businesses (Part One)''. Testimony was heard from Bette Brand, 
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA-Rural 
Development, Department of Agriculture; and Michelle Christian, 
National Director, Office of Rural Affairs, U.S. Small Business 
Administration.
A FAIR PLAYING FIELD? INVESTIGATING BIG TECH'S IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESS
Committee on Small Business: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``A 
Fair Playing Field? Investigating Big Tech's Impact on Small 
Business''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
COMMERCIAL AND PASSENGER VESSEL SAFETY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing entitled ``Commercial 
and Passenger Vessel Safety: Challenges and Opportunities''. Testimony 
was heard from Rear Admiral Richard V. Timme, Assistant Commandant for 
Prevention Policy, U.S. Coast Guard; Richard Balzano, Deputy 
Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration; Brian Curtis, Director, 
Office of Marine Safety, National Transportation Safety Board; and 
public witnesses.
CYBERSECURITY CHALLENGES AND CYBER RISK MANAGEMENT AT THE DEPARTMENT OF 
VETERANS AFFAIRS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Technology 
Modernization held a hearing entitled ``Cybersecurity Challenges and 
Cyber Risk Management at the Department of Veterans Affairs''. 
Testimony was heard from Paul Cunningham, Deputy Assistant Secretary 
and Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs; 
Nick Dahl, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits and 
Evaluations, Office of the Inspector General, Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Greg Wilshusen, Director of Information Technology and 
Cybersecurity, Government Accountability Office.
CARING FOR AGING AMERICANS
Committee on Ways and Means: Full Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Caring for Aging Americans''. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
MEMBER DAY
Select Committee on the Climate Crisis: Full Committee held a hearing 
entitled ``Member Day''. Testimony was heard from Chairman Deutch, 
Chairman Kilmer, and Representatives Underwood, McCollum, Davis of 
California, Barragan, Ted Lieu of California, Bustos, Reed, Lee of 
California, Kaptur, Beyer, Phillips, DeFazio, Schneider, Peters, Axne, 
Tonko, Shalala, Stanton, Pingree, Schrier, Kennedy, Rouda, Mucarsel-
Powell, and Malinowski.

Joint Meetings
  No joint committee meetings were held.