[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 16, 2022)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D274-D275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE HAZARDS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a 
hearing to examine the health effects of exposure to airborne hazards, 
including toxic fumes from burn pits, after receiving testimony from 
Terry M. Rauch, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Readiness 
Policy and Oversight, Raul Mirza, Division Chief of Occupational and 
Environmental Medicine Clinical Public Health and Epidemiology, Army 
Public Health Center, Colonel Adam J. Newell, USAF, Chief of Medical 
Readiness, Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, and Captain Brian L. 
Feldman, USN, Commander, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, 
all of the Department of Defense; Steven Patterson, former 
Environmental Science Officer, Combined Joint Task Force 101 
Headquarters, Afghanistan, 2008-2009; Anthony M. Szema, Northwell 
Health Foundation; Tom Porter, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of 
America; and Rosie Torres, Burn Pits 360.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the nominations of Jerome H. Powell, of Maryland, to 
be Chairman, Lael Brainard, of the District of Columbia, to be Vice 
Chairman, and Philip Nathan Jefferson, of North Carolina, to be a 
Member, all of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 
and Sandra L. Thompson, of Maryland, to be Director of the Federal 
Housing Finance Agency.
CLEAN WATER STATE REVOLVING LOAN FUND
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded an 
oversight hearing to examine the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund 
formula, after receiving testimony from Jonathan L. Ramseur, Specialist 
in Environmental Policy, Congressional Research Service, Library of 
Congress; Laura Watson, Washington State Department of Ecology, 
Olympia, on behalf of the Environmental Council of the States' Water 
Committee; and Thomas W. Sigmund, NEW Water, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and 
Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland, 
both on behalf of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICE INFLATION
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
prescription drug price inflation, focusing on the urgent need to lower 
drug prices in Medicare, after receiving testimony from Rena Conti, 
Boston University Questrom School of Business Department of Markets, 
Public Policy and Law, Boston, Massachusetts; Douglas Holtz-Eakin, 
American Action Forum, and Stephen J. Ezell, Information Technology and 
Innovation Foundation, both of Washington, D.C.; and Steffany Stern, 
National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND TERRORISM
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine violent extremism and terrorism, 
focusing on the threat to houses of worship and public spaces, after 
receiving testimony from Ryan T. Young, Executive Assistant Director, 
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; and Stephanie 
Dobitsch, Deputy Under Secretary for Intelligence Enterprise 
Operations, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Christopher Logan, 
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs Directorate, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, and Marcus T. Coleman Jr., Director, 
Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, all of the 
Department of Homeland Security.
FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR NATIVE BUSINESS OVERSIGHT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine Federal support for Native business capacity building and 
success, after receiving testimony from Wizipan Garriott, Principal 
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Department of the 
Interior; Janie Simms Hipp, General Counsel, Department of Agriculture; 
Wahleah Johns, Director, Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, 
Department of Energy; Gary Hennigh, City of King Cove, Anchorage, 
Alaska; Lexie Holden, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Billings, 
Montana; JT Willie, Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona; and J. Kukui 
Maunakea-Forth, MA'O Organic Farms, Wai'anae, Hawai'i.
SMALL BUSINESS FRANCHISING
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine small business franchising, focusing on an overview 
of the industry, Small Business Administration's role, and legislative 
proposals, including S. 420, to amend the

[[Page D275]]

National Labor Relations Act, the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, 
and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, S. 1120, 
to establish minimum standards of disclosure by franchises whose 
franchisees use loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, 
and S. 2162, to require the Small Business Administration to publish 
loan default rates by franchise brand, after receiving testimony from 
Senator Cortez Masto; Robert W. Emerson, University of Florida 
Warrington College of Business, Gainesville; Aaron Yelowitz, University 
of Kentucky, Lexington, on behalf of the Cato Institute; Leanne Stapf, 
The Cleaning Authority, Columbia, Maryland, on behalf of the 
International Franchise Association; and Bryan Tipton, Tipton 
Investments, Nicholasville, Kentucky.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.