Congress

Today in Congress: June 25, 2008

Reuters

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THE SENATE

The Senate is in session.

Committees

Joint Economic (9:30 a.m.): Holds a hearing on oil prices and the economy. Daniel Yergin, co-founder and chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates; Frederick Joutz, professor of economics and director of the Research Program on Forecasting at George Washington University; and John “Skip” Laitner, director of economic analysis at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), testify. 106 Dirksen.

Senate Armed Services (2:30 p.m.): Holds a closed hearing on Afghanistan. Retired Gen. Dan McNeill, former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force, testifies. 222 Russell.

Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Examining Solutions to Cope with the Rise in Home Heating Oil Prices.” Deputy Assistant Energy Secretary for Petroleum Reserves David Johnson; Michael Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Oilheat Council, Wellesley Hills, Mass.; Michael Stoddard, deputy director and attorney for Environment Northeast, Portland, Maine; Jennifer Brooks, community relations manager for Penquis, Bangor, Maine; and Sandra Farrell, owner of the Northboro Oil Company, Northboro, Mass., testify. 428-A Russell.

Senate Judiciary (9 a.m.): Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights Subcommittee holds a hearing on ”Laptop Searches and Other Violations of Privacy Faced by Americans Returning from Overseas Travel,” focusing on the details of the Homeland Security Department's policy, the legality of the searches and seizures, the impact of the policy on business travelers, and the civil rights implications of 'profiling' based on national origin or religion. Larry Cunningham, assistant professor of legal writing at St. John's University School of Law, Queens, N.Y.; Susan Gurley, executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, Alexandria, Va.; Farhana Khera, president and executive director of Muslim Advocates, San Francisco, Calif.; Nathan Sales, assistant professor of law at George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Va.; Peter Swire, professor of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress; and Lee Tien, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, San Francisco, Calif., testify. 226 Dirksen.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (10 a.m.): Meets to markup S.2583, the “Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2008”; S.1924, the “Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2007”; H.R.5683, to make certain reforms with respect to the Government Accountability Office; S.3013, to provide for retirement equity for Federal employees in non-foreign areas outside the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia; S.3175, to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to reauthorize the pre-disaster hazard mitigation program, to make technical corrections to that Act; S.2382, to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to quickly and fairly address the abundance of surplus manufactured housing units stored by the Federal Government around the country at taxpayer expense; S.2148, to provide for greater diversity within, and to improve policy direction and oversight of, the Senior Executive Service; S.2816, to provide for the appointment of the Chief Human Capital Officer of the Department of Homeland Security by the Secretary of Homeland Security; Postal facility naming bills S.3015, H.R.5395 and S.2622, H.R.5479, H.R.4185, H.R.5528, H.R.3721, H.R.5517, H.R.5168 and S.3082; the “Pre-Disaster Mitigation Act of 2008,” and the nomination of Elaine Duke to be undersecretary for management at the Homeland Security Department. 342 Dirksen.

Senate Foreign Relations (9:30 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “A New Strategy for Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan.” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher; Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs James Shinn; Mark Ward, senior deputy assistant administrator for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development; retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni, former commander of the U.S. Central Command; and Wendy Chamberlin, president of The Middle East Institute, testify. 419 Dirksen.

Senate Environment and Public Works (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Future Federal Role for Surface Transportation.” Bruce Seely, chair of social sciences and professor of history at Michigan Technological University; Lance Grenzeback, senior vice president of Cambridge Systematics, Inc.; Kathleen Marvaso, vice president of public affairs at the American Automobile Association; Alan Pisarski, independent consultant; Deron Lovaas, Vehicles Campaign director, and Smart Growth and Transportation Program deputy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council; and Samuel Staley, director of urban and land use policy at the Reason Foundation, testify. 406 Dirksen.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources (9:30 a.m.): Holds a hearing on the challenges to meeting future energy needs and to developing the technologies for meeting increased global energy demand in the context of the need to address global climate change. Neil Hirst, director for energy technology and R&D, International Energy Agency, Paris; Ray Orbach, director of the Energy Department's Office of Science; Thomas Wilson, senior program manager at the Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.; Raymond Kopp, senior fellow at Resources for the Future; and Karan Bhatia, vice president of General Electric, testify. 366 Dirksen.

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs (2:30 p.m.): Meets to vote on the nominations of Neel Kashkari to be assistant secretary of the Treasury for international affairs; Christopher Wall to be assistant secretary of Commerce for Export Administration; Sheila Greenwood to be assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development for congressional and intergovernmental relations; Susan Peppler to be assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development for community planning and development; Joseph Murin to be president of the Government National Mortgage Association; Luis Aguilar, Troy Paredes and Elisse Walter, each to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Donald Marron to be a member of the President's Council of Economic Advisors; and Michael Fryzel to be a member of the National Credit Union Administration Board of Directors. 538 Dirksen.

Senate Appropriations (2:30 p.m.): Energy and Water Development Subcommittee holds a hearing on Energy Information Administration's (EIA) forecasts for oil and gasoline prices, and the EIA's budget request for FY2009 to determine if the request provides for better forecasting and analysis'. Guy Caruso, administrator of the Energy Information Administration, testifies. 192 Dirksen.

THE HOUSE

The House is in session and will meet at 10 a.m. for legislative business.

Committees

House Small Business (10 a.m.): Regulations, Health Care and Trade Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Impact of Online Advertising on Small Firms.” Tim Carter, founder OF Askthebuilder.com, Cincinnati, Ohio; Paul Sanar, founder and CEO of SkyFacet.com, New York, N.Y.; Rob Snell, co-owner of GunDogSupply.com, Starkville, Miss.; Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, New York, N.Y.; Richard Lent, founder and CEO of AgencyNet, New York, N.Y., testify. 1539 Longworth.

House Rules (3:30 p.m.): Meets to formulate a rule on H.R.6052, the “Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008.” H-313, U.S. Capitol.

House Oversight and Government Reform (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at K-Town (Kaiserslautern Military Community Center): One Year Later.” The hearing will focus on the investigation into the construction of the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center (Ramstein Air Base, Germany) is the largest U.S. military community outside the continental United States. Witnesses TBA. 2154 Rayburn.

House Judiciary (2 p.m.): Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Executive Office for United States Attorneys.” Richard Delonis of the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys; Kenneth Melson, director of the Justice Department's Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys; Jonathan Turley, professor of public interest law at George Washington University Law School; Heather Williams, federal public defender for the District of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., testify. 2141 Rayburn.

House Foreign Affairs (2 p.m.): Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee holds a hearing on “More Than Just the 123 Agreement: The Future of U.S.-Indo Relations.” The 123 Agreement refers to Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act of 1954, titled “Cooperation with Other Nations,” which establishes an agreement for cooperation as a prerequisite for nuclear deals between the U.S. and any other nation. Stephen Cohen, senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution; Teresita Schaffer, director of the South Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Walter Andersen, associate director of the South Asia Studies Program and professorial lecturer at the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, testify. 2172 Rayburn.

House (Select) Energy Independence and Global Warming (9:30 a.m.): Holds a joint hearing with the House (Select) Intelligence Committee's Intelligence Community Management Subcommittee on “National Security Implications of Global Climate Change.” Thomas Fingar, deputy director of national intelligence for analysis and chairman of the National Intelligence Council; Rolf Mowatt-Larsen, director of intelligence and counterintelligence at the Energy Department; Margaret Beckett, former foreign minister of the United Kingdom; Vice Adm. Paul Gaffney, president of Monmouth University and former president of the National Defense University; Kent Hughes Butts, professor of political-military strategy at the U.S. Army War College's Center for Strategic Leadership; Marlo Lewis, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute; and Lee Lane, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, testify. 210 Cannon.

House Education and Labor (11:15 a.m.): Meets to markup H.R.3289, the “Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2007,” which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve early education. 2175 Rayburn.

House Appropriations (10 a.m.): Meets to markup the FY2009 Energy and Water appropriations bill; FY2009 Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill and the FY2009 Financial Services appropriations bill. 2359 Rayburn.

House Agriculture (11 a.m.): Holds a hearing on trading in energy markets. 1300 Longworth.

House Armed Services (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on ”China: Recent Security Developments.” Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs James Shinn; and Air Force Maj. Gen. Philip Breedlove, vice director for strategic plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testify. 2118 Rayburn.

House Energy and Commerce (10 a.m.): Health Subcommittee holds a markup of the “Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment, and Easing Communication through Healthcare Technology Act of 2008.” 2322 Rayburn.

House Foreign Affairs (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on ”Foreign Assistance Reform: Rebuilding U.S. Civilian Development and Diplomatic Capacity in the 21st Century.” Peter McPherson, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and former administrator of U.S. Agency for International Development); Brian Atwood, dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, and former administrator of U.S. Agency for International Development, testify. 2172 Rayburn.

House Homeland Security (2 p.m.): Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee holds a hearing on “The Goodyear Explosion: Ensuring Our Nation is Secure by Developing a Risk Management Framework for Homeland Security.” The hearing will focus on the investigation of the elements that contributed to the June 11 explosion of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Chemical Plant in Houston, Texas. Homeland Security Undersecretary for National Protection and Programs Robert Jamison; Norman Rabkin, managing director for homeland security and justice at the Government Accountability Office; James Jay Carafano, assistant director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and senior research fellow in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation; Raymond McInnis, former employee of the Goodyear Plant in Houston and widower of Gloria McInnis, who was killed at the plant on June 11; John Morawetz, director of the International Chemical Workers Union Center for Worker Health and Safety Education; John Paczkowski, director of emergency management and security at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, testify. 311 Cannon.

House Natural Resources (11 a.m.): Meets to markup a resolution dealing with an emergency withdrawal of certain federal lands near Grand Canyon National Park; H.R.415, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers; H.R.1286, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail; H.R.1210, to authorize the exchange of certain land in Grand, San Juan, and Uintah Counties, Utah; H.R.6041, to re-designate the Rio Grande American Canal in El Paso, Texas, as the “Travis C. Johnson Canal”; H.R.1907, to authorize the acquisition of land and interests in land from willing sellers to improve the conservation of, and to enhance the ecological values and functions of, coastal and estuarine areas to benefit both the environment and the economies of coastal communities; and H.R.3227, to direct the secretary of the Interior to continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. 1324 Longworth.

House Oversight and Government Reform (2 p.m.): Government Management, Organization, and Procurement Subcommittee holds a hearing on “ID Cards: Reissuing Border Crossing Cards.” Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Tony Edson; Colleen Manaher, director of Customs and Border Protection's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, Homeland Security Department; Jess Ford, director of international affairs and trade at the Government Accountability Office; Aaron Fuller, president of Computer Sciences Corporation, Inc.; Rick Patrick, senior vice president for federal programs at L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc.; and William Alsbrooks, former group vice president for General Dynamics' Information Systems Credential Technology Group, testify. 2154 Rayburn.

House Science and Technology (10 a.m.): Meets to markup H.R.4174, the “Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2007”; H.R.5618, the “National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2008”; the “Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2008.” 2318 Rayburn.

House Transportation and Infrastructure (2 p.m.): Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Implementation of the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement and Safety Act of 2006.” Carl Johnson, administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Transportation Department; Calvin Scovel III, inspector general of the Transportation Department; John Sammon, assistant administrator for transportation sector network management at the Transportation Security Administration, Homeland Security Department, testify. 2167 Rayburn.