Congress

Today in Congress: July 16, 2009

Reuters

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THE SENATE

The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m. ET to resume consideration of S.1390, the Department of Defense Authorization Act. There will be a possible cloture vote on a hate crimes amendment introduced by Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Committees

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (2:30 p.m.): Contracting Oversight Subcommittee holds a hearing on Alaska native corporations contracting. Shay Assad, acting deputy undersecretary for acquisition and technology/director of defense procurement and acquisition policy at the Defense Department; Joseph Jordan, associate administrator for government contracting and business development at the Small Business Administration; Debra Ritt, assistant inspector general for auditing in the Small Business Administration's Office of Inspector General; Sarah Lukin, executive director of the Native American Contractors Association; Jacqueline Johnson Pata, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians; Mark Lumer, senior vice president for federal programs at Cirrus Technology, Inc.; and Christina Schneider, CFO of the Purcell Construction Corporation, will testify. 342 Dirksen.

Senate Judiciary (9 a.m.): Holds a hearing on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The nominee (if the committee does not complete its questioning on Wednesday) will testify. 216 Hart.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on the nominations of Christine Griffin, to be deputy director of the Office of Personnel Management; and Stuart Nash, to be an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The nominees will testify. 342 Dirksen.

Senate Foreign Relations (2:30 p.m.): Holds a hearing on the nominations of Anne Elizabeth Derse to be ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania; Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr., to be ambassador to Switzerland, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein; Howard Gutman to be Ambassador to Belgium; and David Thorne, to be ambassador to Italy and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as ambassador to San Marino. The nominees will testify. 419 Dirksen.

Senate Environment and Public Works (9:30 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Ensuring and Enhancing U.S. Competitiveness while Moving toward a Clean Energy Economy.” John Doerr, partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB); John Krenicki, vice chairman of GE, and president and CEO of GE Energy Infrastructure; Julian Wong, senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress Action Fund; and Harry Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, will testify. 406 Dirksen.

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (10 a.m.): Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Competition in the Health Care Marketplace.” Richard Feinstein, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition; Len Nichols, director of the New America Foundation's Health Policy Program; David Balto, senior fellow at the Center For American Progress; Mark Riley, executive vice president of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association; and Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, will testify. 253 Russell.

Senate Armed Services (9 a.m.): Holds a closed briefing on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty follow-on agreement. Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller of the Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation; and Assistant Defense Secretary for Global Strategic Affairs Michael Nacht, brief the committee. SVC-217, U.S. Capitol.

THE HOUSE

The House meets a 10:00 a.m. to take up complete consideration of H.R. 3183, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Also, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will swear-in Rep.-elect Judy Chu (D-Calif.).

Committees

House Homeland Security (10 a.m.): Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Combating Border Violence: The Role of Interagency Coordination in Investigations.” Kumar Kibble, deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Investigations; Anthony Placido, assistant administrator for intelligence at the Drug Enforcement Agency; and Bill McMahon, deputy assistant director Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, will testify. 311 Cannon.

House Science and Technology (11 a.m.): Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Providing Aviation Weather Services to the Federal Aviation Administration.” David Powner, director of information technology management issues at the Government Accountability Office; Jack Hayes, assistant administrator of the National Weather Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and Richard Day, senior vice president for operations, air traffic organization at the Federal Aviation Administration, will testify. 2318 Rayburn.

House Financial Services (2 p.m.): Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Regulatory Restructuring: Safeguarding Consumer Protection and the Role of the Federal Reserve.” Federal Reserve Board Governor Elizabeth Duke; Patricia McCoy, professor of law at the University of Connecticut School of Law; Lauren Saunders, managing attorney at the National Consumer Law Center; Jim Carr, COO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition; and Oliver Ireland, partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP, will testify. 2128 Rayburn.

House Foreign Affairs (10 a.m.): International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight “Chinese Interrogation vs. Congressional Oversight: The Uighurs at Guantanamo.” Allan Liotta, principal director of detainee affairs at the Defense Department; Jason Pinney, counsel to Uighur detainees, Bingham McCutchen, LLP' Bruce Fein, principal of The Litchfield Group; and Tom Parker, policy director of Amnesty International USA's Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights, will testify. 2172 Rayburn.

House Budget (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Budgeting for Nuclear Waste Management.” Christopher Kouts, acting director of the Energy Department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management; Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Hertz of the Justice Department's Civil Division; and Kim Cawley, chief of the Congressional Budget Office's Natural and Physical Resources Cost Estimates Unit, will testify. 210 Cannon.

House Armed Services (2 p.m.): Holds a hearing on “Prosecuting Law of War Violations: Reforming the Military Commissions Act of 2006.” Navy Judge Advocate General Vice Adm. Bruce MacDonald; Air Force Judge Advocate General Lt. Gen. Jack Rives; Army Judge Advocate General Lt. Gen. Scott Black, and Brig. Gen. James Walker, staff judge advocate to the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, will testify. 2118 Rayburn.

House Oversight and Government Reform (10 a.m.): The full committee and Domestic Policy Subcommittee hold a joint hearing on “Bank of America and Merrill Lynch: How Did a Private Deal Turn Into a Federal Bailout? Part III.” Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson testifies. 2154 Rayburn.

House Financial Services (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Community and Consumer Advocates' Perspectives on the Obama Administration's Financial Regulatory Reform Proposals.” Joseph Flatley, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, representing the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders; Oliver Ireland, partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP; Edmund Mierzwinski, consumer program director for the Public Interest Research Groups; Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza; Travis Plunkett, legislative director for the Consumer Federation of America; John Taylor, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition; and Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, will testify. 2128 Rayburn.

House Transportation and Infrastructure (2 p.m.): Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Green Buildings Offer Multiple Benefits: Cost Savings, Clean Environment, and Jobs.” Kevin Kampschroer, acting director of the General Services Administration's Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings; Drury Crawley, lead mechanical engineer in the Energy Department's Office of Building Technologies; Ray Uhalde, senior advisor at the Labor Department; James Helsel Jr., treasurer of the National Association of Realtors, will testify. 2167 Rayburn.