Senate Digest: Committee meetings Dec. 1-5

Week of December 1 through December 5, 2009
Note that the House Committee on Ag considers climate change Dec. 2.....


Senate Chamber

On Tuesday, at approximately 10 a.m., Senate will continue consideration of H.R. 3590, Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act; following which, at 11:30 a.m., Senate will begin consideration of the nomination of Jacqueline H. Nguyen, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, and after a period of debate, vote on confirmation of the nomination at approximately 12 noon.
During the balance of the week, Senate may consider any cleared legislative and executive business.

Senate Committees


(Committee meetings are open unless otherwise indicated)

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: December 2, to hold hearings to examine over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives reform and addressing systemic risk, 9:30 a.m., SH-216.
Committee on Armed Services: December 2, to hold hearings to examine Afghanistan, 9 a.m., SD-106.
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: December 3, to hold hearings to examine the nomination of Ben S. Bernanke, of New Jersey, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 10 a.m., SD-106.

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Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: December 1, Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, to hold hearings to examine aviation safety, focusing on pilot fatigue, 10:15 a.m., SR-253.

December 2, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine transportation security challenges post-9/11, 10 a.m., SR-253.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: December 2, to hold hearings to examine policy options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, 10 a.m., SD-366.

December 3, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine H.R. 3276, to promote the production of molybdenum-99 in the United States for medical isotope production, and to condition and phase out the export of highly enriched uranium for the production of medical isotopes, 10 a.m., SD-366.

December 3, Subcommittee on National Parks, to hold hearings to examine S. 760, to designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the ``National World War I Memorial'', S. 1838, to establish a commission to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, S. 2097, to authorize the rededication of the District of Columbia War Memorial as a National and District of Columbia World War I Memorial to honor the sacrifices made by American veterans of World War I, S. 2722, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of adding the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, in the State of Wyoming, as a unit of the National Park System, S. 2726, to modify the boundary of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in the State of South Dakota, S. 2738, to authorize National Mall Liberty Fund D.C. to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor free persons and slaves who fought for independence, liberty, and justice for all during the American Revolution, H.R. 1849, to designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial, to establish the World War I centennial commission to ensure a suitable observance of the centennial of World War I, and H.R. 3689, to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. to establish a Vietnam Veterans Memorial visitor center, 2:30 p.m., SD-366.
Committee on Environment and Public Works: December 2, with the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, to hold an oversight hearing to examine the Federal Toxic and Substances Control Act, 2:30 p.m., SD-406.

December 3, Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife, to hold hearings to examine S. 373, to amend title 18, United States Code, to include constrictor snakes of the species Python genera as an injurious animal, S. 1519, to provide for the eradication and control of nutria in Maryland, Louisiana, and other coastal States, S. 1421, to amend section 42 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the importation and shipment of certain species of carp, S. 1965, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the State of Louisiana for a pilot program to develop measures to eradicate or control feral swine and to assess and restore wetlands damaged by feral swine, H.R. 2188, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to conduct a Joint Venture Program to protect, restore, enhance, and manage migratory bird populations, their habitats, and the ecosystems they rely on, through voluntary actions on public and private lands, S. 1214, to conserve fish and aquatic communities in the United States through partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation, to improve the quality of life for the people of the United States, H.R. 3537, to amend and reauthorize the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994, H.R. 3433, to amend the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to establish requirements regarding payment of the non-Federal share of the costs of wetlands conservation projects in Canada that are funded under that Act, and H.R. 509, to reauthorize the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004, 2 p.m., SD-406.
Committee on Foreign Relations: December 1, to hold hearings to examine the nomination of Rajiv J. Shah, of Washington, to be Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, 10 a.m., SD-419.

December 1, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine the nominations of Anne Slaughter Andrew, of Indiana, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica, David Daniel Nelson, of Minnesota, to be Ambassador to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Betty E. King, of New York, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, with the rank of Ambassador, Laura E. Kennedy, of New York, for the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service as United States Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, and Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, of California, for the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service as the United States Representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council, all of the Department of State, 2:30 p.m., SD-419.

December 3, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine Afghanistan, focusing on assessing the road ahead, 9 a.m., SH-216.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: December 1, business meeting to consider the nomination of Alan C. Kessler, of Pennsylvania, to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service, 12 noon, S-216, Capitol.

December 2, Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, to hold hearings to examine disaster case management, focusing on developing a comprehensive national program focused on outcomes, 2:30 p.m., SD-342.

December 3, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine the nomination of Caryn A. Wagner, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, 10 a.m., SD-342.
Committee on Indian Affairs: December 3, business meeting to consider pending calendar business; to be immediately followed by an oversight hearing to examine expanding dental health care in Indian Country; to be immediately followed by an oversight hearing to examine Contract Health Services, 2:15 p.m., SD-628.

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Committee on the Judiciary: December 1, to hold hearings to examine the nomination of O. Rogeriee Thompson, of Rhode Island, to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit, 10 a.m., SD-226.

December 2, Full Committee, to hold hearings to examine the Supreme Court, focusing on Americans' access to courts, 10 a.m., SD-226.

December 3, Full Committee, business meeting to consider S. 448, to maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for the federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media, S. 714, to establish the National Criminal Justice Commission, S. 1624, to amend title 11 of the United States Code, to provide protection for medical debt homeowners, to restore bankruptcy protections for individuals experiencing economic distress as caregivers to ill, injured, or disabled family members, and to exempt from means testing debtors whose financial problems were caused by serious medical problems, S. 1765, to amend the Hate Crime Statistics Act to include crimes against the homeless, S. 1353, to amend title 1 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1986 to include nonprofit and volunteer ground and air ambulance crew members and first responders for certain benefits, S. 678, to reauthorize and improve the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, and the nominations of Thomas I. Vanaskie, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, Louis B. Butler, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin, Denny Chin, of New York, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, Rosanna Malouf Peterson, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington, and William M. Conley, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin, and Susan B. Carbon, of New Hampshire, to be Director of the Violence Against Women Office, John H. Laub, of the District of Columbia, to be Director of the National Institute of Justice, Sharon Jeanette Lubinski, to be United States Marshal for the District of Minnesota, Mary Elizabeth Phillips, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Sanford C. Coats, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, and Stephen James Smith, to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of Georgia, all of the Department of Justice, 10 a.m., SD-226.
Select Committee on Intelligence: December 1, to hold hearings to examine the nominations of Philip S. Goldberg, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, and Caryn A. Wagner, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, 2:30 p.m., SH-216.

December 3, Full Committee, to hold closed hearings to consider certain intelligence matters, 2:30 p.m., S-407, Capitol.

House Committees


Committee on Agriculture, December 2, Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research, hearing to review the potential economic impacts of climate change on the farm sector, 10 a.m., 1300 Longworth.

December 3, Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research, hearing to review the costs and benefits of agriculture offsets, 10 a.m., 1300 Longworth.
Committee on Armed Services, December 2, hearing on assessing the Guam war claims process, 1 p.m., HVC.

December 2, Subcommittee on Readiness and the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, joint hearing on The New Walter Reed: Are We on The Right Track? 10 a.m., 210 HVC.

December 3, full Committee, hearing on Afghanistan: The Results of the Strategic Review,'' 1 p.m., 210 HVC.
Committee on Education and Labor, December 2, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, hearing on Examining the Delphi Bankruptcy's Impact on Workers and Retirees, 10:30 2175 Rayburn.
Committee on Energy and Commerce, December 2, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, hearing on Impacts of H.R. 3795, Over-the-Counter Derivatives Markets Act of 2009, on Energy Markets, 1 p.m., 2322 Rayburn.

December 2, Subcommittee on Health, hearing entitled ``Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations'' 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.

December 3, Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, hearing on the Calling Card Consumer Protection Act, 10 a.m., 2322 Rayburn.
Committee on Financial Services, December 2, to continue markup of the following bills: H.R. 3996, Financial Stability Improvement Act of 2009; and H.R. 2609, Federal Insurance Office Act of 2009, 9:30 a.m., followed by a hearing entitled ``FY09 FHA Actuarial Report,'' 10:30 a.m., 2128 Rayburn.

December 3, hearing on the following bills: H.R. 2266, Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act; and H.R. 2267, Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, 10 a.m., 2128 Rayburn.
Committee on Foreign Affairs, December 2, hearing on U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan, 1:30 p.m., 2172 Rayburn.

December 3, Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, hearing on Sudan: A review of the Administrations' New Policy and A Situation Update, 10 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
Committee on Homeland Security, December 3, hearing entitled ``The United States Secret Service and Presidential Protection: An Examination of a System Failure,'' 10 a.m., 311 Cannon.
Committee on the Judiciary, December 3, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, hearing on Protecting Employees in Airline Bankruptcies, 1:30 p.m., 2237 Rayburn.

December 3, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, hearing on the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, 10 a.m., 2141 Rayburn.
Committee on Natural Resources, December 2, hearing on H.R. 725, Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2009, 10 a.m., 1324 Longworth.
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, December 2, hearing entitled ``Will Arbitron's Personal People D1377Meter Silence Minority Owned Radio Stations?'' 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.

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December 2, Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, hearing entitled ``The 2010 Census: How Complete Count Committees, Local Governments, Philanthropic Organizations, Not-for-Profits, and the Business Community Can Contribute to a Successful Census,'' 2 p.m., 2154 Rayburn.

December 3, full Committee, hearing entitled ``Post-Katrina Recovery: Restoring Health Care in the New Orleans Region,'' 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.
Committee on Rules, December 2, to consider H.R. 4154, Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and Small Businesses Act of 2009, 3 p.m., H-313 Capitol.
Committee on Science and Technology, December 2, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, hearing on Ensuring the Safety of Human Space Flight, 10 a.m., 2318 Rayburn.

December 3, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, hearing on Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Technology: Finding the Path to Commercialization, 10 a.m., 2318 Rayburn.
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, December 2, Subcommittee on Aviation, hearing on Commercial Space Transportation, 10 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.

December 2, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, hearing on Stimulus Tracking Number 4: Ensuring Money Means Security when Building GSA Border Stations to Protect the U.S.A., 2 p.m., 2167 Rayburn.
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, December 2, hearing on VA Health Care Funding: Appropriations to Programs, 10 a.m., 334 Cannon.
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, December 2, hearing entitled ``The Administration's View on the State of Climate Science,'' 10 a.m., B-318 Rayburn.

Joint Meetings


Joint Economic Committee: December 4, to hold hearings to examine the employment situation for November 2009, 9:30 a.m., SH-216.
Joint Economic Committee: December 2, to hold hearings to examine unregulated markets, focusing on regulatory reform in the financial sector, 10 a.m., 210, Cannon Building.