[House Report 112-740]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
112th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 112-740
_______________________________________________________________________
Union Calendar No. 543
ACTIVITIES
of the
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT
AND GOVERNMENT REFORM
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
JANUARY 2013
(Pursuant to House Rule XI, 1(d)(1))
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov
http://www.house.gov./reform
January 1, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM
DARRELL E. ISSA, California, Chairman
DAN BURTON, Indiana ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland,
JOHN L. MICA, Florida Ranking Minority Member
TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York
MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York
PATRICK T. McHENRY, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of
JIM JORDAN, Ohio Columbia
JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio
CONNIE MACK, Florida JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts
TIM WALBERG, Michigan WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri
JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts
JUSTIN AMASH, Michigan JIM COOPER, Tennessee
ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York GERALD E. CONNNOLLY, Virginia
PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona MIKE QUIGLEY, Illinois
RAUL R. LABRADOR, Idaho DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois
PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee PETER WELCH, Vermont
JOE WALSH, Illinois JOHN A. YARMUTH, Kentucky
TREY GOWDY, South Carolina CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut
DENNIS A. ROSS, Florida JACKIE SPEIER, California
BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas
MIKE KELLY, Pennsylvania
Lawrence J. Brady, Staff Director
John D. Cuaderes, Deputy Staff Director
Robert Borden, General Counsel
Linda A. Good, Chief Clerk
David Rapallo, Minority Staff Director
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
----------
House of Representatives,
Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform,
Washington, DC, January 1, 2013.
Hon. John A. Boehner,
Speaker, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Speaker: In accordance with Rule XI(1)(d)(1) of
the Rules of the House of Representatives, I respectfully
submit the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's
fourth semiannual activities report for the 112th Congress.
Sincerely,
Darrell Issa,
Chairman.
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
I. Legislation Activities............................................2
II. Oversight Activities.............................................32
III.Summary of Committee Oversight Plan..............................69
IV. Summary of Actions Taken and Recommendations Made with Respect to
the Oversight Plan...............................................71
V. Summary of Any Additional Oversight Activities Undertaken, and Any
Recommendations Made or Actions Taken Thereon...................103
VI. Delineation of any Hearings Held Pursuant to Clauses 2 (n), (o), or
(p).............................................................107
Union Calendar No. 543
112th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 112-740
======================================================================
ACTIVITIES OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM
_______
January 1, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Darrell E. Issa, from the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, submitted the following
R E P O R T
ACTIVITIES OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM,
112TH CONGRESS, 2D SESSION, JANUARY 2013
FOURTH SEMIANNUAL ACTIVITIES REPORT
The number one priority of this Congress was to foster
private sector job creation and get Americans back to work.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is
uniquely positioned to conduct a broad-based, economy-wide
examination of the barriers that stand in the way of job growth
and economic recovery. In his 2011 State of the Union Address,
the President called for a government-wide examination of
regulations, to ``help our companies compete'' and to ``knock
down barriers that stand in the way of their success.''
During the 112th Congress, the Committee held numerous
hearings, including those at both the full committee and the
subcommittee levels, to examine how the rules proposed and
implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Department of Interior, the Department of Labor, and the
General Services Administration, among others, have hurt job
creation. The Full Committee has advanced the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act, as well as the Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act of
2012, and a moratorium on ``Midnight Rules'' or major rules
offered by a lame duck president.
Private sector economic growth is not only held back by
regulatory barriers standing in the way of small, medium-sized,
and large businesses, but also by the uncertainty surrounding
our nation's skyrocketing debt. The Committee's unique position
to oversee all federal government agencies and functions, as
well as our role in crafting federal workforce and government
management legislation, gave us the opportunity to promote
private sector economic growth by reducing fraud, abuse, and
mismanagement in government spending, and improving government
performance.
During the 112th Congress, the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform held 199 oversight hearings and reported 74
bills and resolutions to the House for consideration, including
the restoration of the successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship
Program, bills dealing with tax accountability for federal
employees and contractors, transparency of grants, protecting
whistleblowers, reducing the size of the federal workforce
through attrition, modernizing the Federal Information Security
Management Act, and reforming the United States Postal Service.
The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, a bipartisan
transparency spending bill sponsored by the Chairman and
Ranking Member and reported by the Committee, was adopted by
the House of Representatives on a unanimous voice vote in April
2012.
To carry out its duties most effectively, the Committee
established seven standing subcommittees: the Subcommittee on
Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy; the
Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and
Financial Management; the Subcommittee on Health Care, District
of Columbia, Census and the National Archives; the Subcommittee
on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations;
the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and
Government Spending; the Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs; and the
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform.
I. Legislative Activities
BILLS ENACTED INTO LAW
H.R. 1308, to amend the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission
Act to extend the termination date for the Commission, and for
other purposes. Introduced by Rep. Elton Gallegly on April 1,
2011, passed the House on May 12, 2011, and became Public Law
112-13.
H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights
Act of 2012. Introduced by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on May 13,
2011, passed House on August 1, 2012, and became Public Law
1905.
H.R. 2061, Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011.
Introduced by Rep. Richard Hanna on May 31, 2011, passed the
House on November 2, 2011, and became Public Law 112-73.
H.R. 2297, to promote the development of the Southwest
waterfront in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
Introduced by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton on June 22, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on November 3, 2011,
ordered favorably reported to the House by voice vote; and
passed in the House on December 6, 2011, as amended by voice
vote. Became Public Law 112-143.
H.R. 3237, the SOAR Technical Corrections Act. Introduced
by Rep. Trey Gowdy on October 18, 2011, passed the House on
December 6, 2011, and became Public Law 112-92.
H.R. 3902, District of Columbia Special Election Reform
Act. Introduced by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton on February 6,
2012. History: Marked up by the Committee on February 7, 2012,
ordered reported favorably by voice vote; and passed by the
House on February 29, 2012, by voice vote. Passed the House on
February 29, 2012, and became Public Law 112-145.
H.R. 4155, the Veterans Skills to Jobs Act. Introduced by
Rep. Jeff Denham on March 7, 2012. History: Marked up by the
Committee on June 27, 2012 and passed by voice vote (amended);
passed the House on July 9, 2012, by a vote of 369-0, and
became Public Law 112-147.
H.R. 6634, to change the effective date for the Internet
publication of certain financial disclosure forms. Introduced
by Rep. Eric Cantor on December 5, 2012, passed the House on
December 5, 2012, and became Public Law 112-207.
S. 300, Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of
2011. Introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley on February 8, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on October 13, 2011,
ordered reported favorably by unanimous consent. Committee
filed report on January 27, 2012 (H. Rept. 112-376, Part 1).
Passed House on August 1, 2012, and became Public Law 112-194.
S. 743, Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012.
Introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka on April 6, 2011. Became Public
Law 112-199.
S. 1302, a bill to authorize the Administrator of General
Services to convey a parcel of real property in Tracy,
California, to the City of Tracy. Introduced by Sen. Barbara
Boxer on June 29, 2011, passed the House on May 7, 2012, and
became Public Law 112-119.
S. 1998, the DART Act. Introduced by Sen. Scott Brown on
December 15, 2011. Passed House on December 12, 2012.
BILLS PASSED BY THE HOUSE
H.R. 459, Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012.
Introduced by Rep. Ron Paul on January 26, 2011. History:
Marked up by the Committee on June 27, 2012, and passed by
voice vote (amended). Reported by the Committee on July 25,
2012 (H. Rept. 112-607), and passed the House on July 25, 2012
by a vote of 327-98.
H.R. 471, Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act.
Introduced by Rep. John Boehner on January 26, 2011. History:
Marked up by the Committee on March 10, 2011, and ordered
favorably reported by a vote of 21 ayes to 14 nays; H. Rept.
112-36 filed on March 17, 2011; and passed the House on March
30, 2011, by a vote of 225-195.
H.R. 538, Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act.
Introduced by Rep. Henry Cuellar on February 8, 2011. History:
Marked up by the Committee on April 18, 2012, and ordered
reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote. Committee filed
a report on June 15, 2012 (H. Rept. 112-534). Passed House on
September 11, 2012.
H.R. 665, Excess Federal Building and Property Disposal Act
of 2011. Introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz on February 11,
2011. History: Marked up by the Committee on November 17, 2011,
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote; H. Rept.
112-402 filed on February 27, 2012; and passed by the House on
March 20, 2012 by a vote of 403-0.
H.R. 828, Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2011.
Introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz on February 28, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on April 13, 2011, and
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.
Committee filed report on June 23, 2011 (H. Rept. 112-115).
Passed the House on July 31, 2012 by a vote of 263-114.
H.R. 1255, Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2011.
Introduced by Rep. Steve Womack on March 30, 2011, with primary
referral to the Committee on Appropriations. History: The
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform did not act on
H.R. 1255; and it was passed by the House on April 1, 2011, by
a vote of 221-201.
H.R. 1734, Civilian Property Realignment Act. Introduced by
Rep. Jeff Denham on May 4, 2011, with the primary referral to
the Committee on Transportation. History: The Committee on
Transportation reported the bill on February 1, 2012 (H. Rept.
112-384, Part 1); the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform discharged with bill; and on February 7, 2012, it was
passed by the House by a vote of 259-164.
H.R. 2105, Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation
Reform and Modernization Act of 2011. Introduced by Rep. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen on June 3, 2011. History: Passed House on December
14, 2011 by a vote of 418-2.
H.R. 2146, DATA Act. Introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa on
June 13, 2011. History: Marked up by the Committee on June 22,
2011, ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a voice vote.
H. Rept. 112-260 filed on October 25, 2011; and was passed by
the House on April 25, 2012, by voice vote.
H.R. 3581, Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2012.
Introduced by Rep. Scott Garrett on December 7, 2011, with a
primary referral to the Committee on the Budget. History: On
January 31, 2012, report filed by the Committee on the Budget
(H. Rept. 112-380, Part 1), discharged by the Committees on
Oversight and Government Reform and Ways and Means; was passed
by the House on February 7, 2012, by a vote of 245-180.
H.R. 3835, to extend the pay limitation for Members of
Congress and Federal employees. Introduced by Rep. Sean Duffy
on January 27, 2012, passed by the House on February 1, 2012,
by a vote of 309-117.
H.R. 4053, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery
Improvement Act of 2012. Introduced by Mr. Towns on February
16, 2012. History: Marked up by the Committee on September 20,
2012 and was favorably reported, by voice vote, as amended.
Report filed (H. Rept. 112-698). Passed House on December 13,
2012, by a vote of 402-0.
H.R. 4078, Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job
Creation Act. Introduced by Rep. Tim Griffin on February 17,
2012. History: Marked up by the Committee on April 26, 2012,
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a vote of 21 Ayes to
16 Nays. Reported by the Committee on the Judiciary on April
27, 2012 (H. Rept. 112-461, part 1), and reported by the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on July 20, 2012
(H. Rept. 112-461, part 2). Passed House on July 26, 2012 by a
vote of 245-172.
H.R. 4257, Federal Information Security Amendments Act of
2012. Introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa on March 26, 2012.
History: Marked up by the Committee on April 18, 2012 and
ordered reported favorably; H. Rept. 112-455 filed on April 26,
2012; and passed by the House on April 26, 2012, by voice vote.
H.R. 4365, to amend title 5, United States Code, to make
clear that accounts in the Thrift Savings Fund are subject to
certain Federal tax levies. Introduced by Rep. Ann Marie
Buerkle on April 17, 2012. History: Marked up by the Committee
on April 18, 2012, ordered reported favorably, as amended, by
voice vote (H. Rept. 112-630). Passed House by a vote of 414-6-
1 on August 1, 2012.
H.R. 4631, Government Spending Accountability Act of 2012.
Introduced by Rep. Joe Walsh on April 25, 2012. History: Marked
up by the Committee on June 27, 2012 and reported favorably by
voice vote (amended). Report filed by the Committee on
September 11, 2012 (H. Rept. 112-664) and House passed by voice
vote.
H.R. 6324, Cutting Federal Unnecessary and Expensive
Leasing Act of 2012. Introduced by Rep. Richard Hanna on August
2, 2012. History: Passed House on September 19, 2012 by voice
vote.
H.R. 6364, the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act.
Introduced by Rep. Ted Poe on September 10, 2012. History:
Passed House by voice vote on December 12, 2012.
H. Con. Res. 134, Condemning, in the strongest possible
terms, the heinous atrocities that occurred in Aurora,
Colorado. Passed House and sent to Senate on 7/27/12.
H. Res. 391, Expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives regarding the terrorist attacks launched
against the United States on September 11, 2001, on the 10th
anniversary of that date. History: H. Res. 391 was introduced
on September 7, 2011; the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform did not act on H. Res. 391; and it was agreed to by the
House on September 9, 2011, without objection.
H. Res. 775, Condemning the shooting that killed six
innocent people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek,
Wisconsin, on August 5, 2012. Introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan on
September 10, 2012. History: Passed House on September 13, 2012
by voice vote.
S. 627, Budget Control Act of 2011. Introduced by Senator
Patrick Leahy on March 17, 2011. History: The Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform did not act on S. 627; and it
was agreed to by the House on July 29, 2011, by a vote of 218-
210.
S. 1379, the D.C. Courts and Public Defender Service Act of
2011. Introduced by Senator Akaka on July 18, 2011. History:
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform did not act on
S. 1379, and it was agreed to by the House on December 13, 2012
by voice vote.
S. 3315, the GAO Mandates Revision Act of 2012. Introduced
by Senator Carper on June 20, 2012. History: The Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform did not act on S. 3315, and it
was agreed to by the House on December 13, 2012 by voice vote.
BILLS PASSED BY THE COMMITTEE
H.R. 373, Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency
Act of 2011. Introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx on January 20,
2011. History: Marked up by the Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform on September 21, 2011, and ordered reported favorably to
the Full Committee, as amended, by a recorded vote of 5 ayes to
4 nays; marked up by the Committee on November 17, 2011, and
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a vote of 22 ayes to
12 nays. Committee filed a report on May 16, 2012 (H. Rept.
112-483, Part 1).
H.R. 829, Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2011.
Introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz on February 28, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on April 13, 2011, and
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.
H.R. 899, to amend title 41, United States Code, to extend
the sunset date for certain protests of task and deliver order
contracts. Introduced by Rep. James Lankford on March 3, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on March 10, 2011, and
ordered reported favorably, by voice vote; H. Rept. 112-37
filed on March 17, 2011.
H.R. 1470, to amend title 5, U.S.C., to extend the
probationary period applicable to appointments in the civil
service, and for other purposes. Introduced by Rep. Dennis Ross
on April 8, 2011. History: Marked up by the Committee on April
13, 2011, and ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a vote
of 15 ayes to 14 nays. Report filed by the Committee on June
23, 2011 (H. Rept. 112-116).
H.R. 1974, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act.
Introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley on May 24, 2011. History:
Marked up by the Committee on June 22, 2011, ordered reported
favorably, as amended, by a voice vote.
H.R. 2008, Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting Act
of 2011. Introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa on May 26, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on April 26, 2012, ordered
reported favorably, by voice vote. Report filed on June 15,
2012 (H. Rept. 112-536).
H.R. 2309, Postal Reform Act of 2011. Introduced by Rep.
Darrell Issa on June 23, 2011. History: Marked up by the
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and
Labor Policy on September 21, 2011, and ordered reported
favorably to the Full Committee, as amended, by a recorded vote
of 8 ayes to 5 nays. Marked up by the Committee on October 13,
2011, ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a recorded
vote of 22 Ayes to 18 Nays. Committee filed report on January
12, 2012 (H. Rept. 112-363, Part 1).
H.R. 3029, Reducing the Size of the Federal Government
Through Attrition Act of 2011. Introduced by Rep. Mick Mulvaney
on September 22, 2011. History: Marked up by the Committee on
November 3, 2011, ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a
recorded vote of 23 Ayes to 14 Nays. Committee filed a report
on December 19, 2011 (H. Rept. 112-334).
H.R. 3071, Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011.
Introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns on September 29, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on November 17, 2011,
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by voice vote.
H.R. 3124, Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of
2011. Introduced by Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay on October 6, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on October 13, 2011,
ordered reported favorably by unanimous consent.
H.R. 3262, Government Results Transparency Act. Introduced
by Rep. Frank Guinta on October 26, 2011. History: Marked up by
the Committee on November 3, 2011, ordered reported favorably
by voice vote.
H.R. 3289, Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of
2011. Introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa on November 1, 2011.
History: Marked up by the Committee on November 3, 2011,
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a recorded vote of
35 Ayes to 0 Nays. Committee filed report on May 30, 2012 (H.
Rept. 112-508, Part 1).
H.R. 3433, GRANT Act. Introduced by Rep. James Lankford on
November 16, 2011. History: Marked up by the Committee on
November 17, 2011, ordered reported favorably, as amended, by
voice vote. Committee filed report on May 16, 2012 (H. Rept.
112-484).
H.R. 3609, Taxpayers Right to Know Act. Introduced by Rep.
James Lankford on December 8, 2011. History: Marked up by the
Committee on April 26, 2012, ordered reported favorably, as
amended, by voice vote.
H.R. 3813, Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of
2012. Introduced by Rep. Dennis Ross on January 24, 2012.
History: Marked up by the Committee on February 7, 2012,
ordered reported favorably, as amended, by a vote of 22 Ayes to
16 Nays. Report filed on February 9, 2012 (H. Rept. 112-394,
Part 1).
H.R. 4363, Federal Employees Phased Retirement Act.
Introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa on February 17, 2012. History:
Marked up by the Committee on April 18, 2012, ordered reported
favorably, as amended, by voice vote. Report filed on June 15,
2012 (H. Rept. 112-535).
H.R. 4607, Midnight Rule Relief Act of 2012. Introduced by
Rep. Reid Ribble on April 24, 2012. History: Marked up by the
Committee on April 26, 2012, ordered reported favorably, by
voice vote. Report filed on June 1, 2012 (H. Rept. 112-513,
Part 1). Also referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, which
discharged the bill on June 1, 2012.
H.R. 6016, the Government Employee Accountability Act.
Introduced by Mr. Kelly. History: Marked up by the Committee on
June 27, 2012 and was favorably reported to the House, as
amended, by voice vote.
POSTAL NAMING MEASURES
Enacted
H.R. 298, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 500 East Whitestone Boulevard in
Cedar Park, Texas, as the ``Army Specialist Matthew Troy Morris
Post Office Building''.
H.R. 771, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1081 Elbel Road in Schertz, Texas, as
the ``Schertz Veterans Post Office''.
H.R. 789, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 20 Main Street in Little Ferry, New
Jersey, as the ``Sergeant Matthew J. Fenton Post Office''.
H.R. 793, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in
Inverness, California, as the ``Specialist Jake Robert Velloza
Post Office.''
H.R. 1369, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1021 Pennsylvania Avenue in
Hartshorne, Oklahoma, as the ``Warren Lindley Post Office''.
H.R. 1423, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 115 4th Avenue Southwest in Ardmore,
Oklahoma, as the ``Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post
Office.''
H.R. 1632, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 5014 Gary Avenue in Lubbock, Texas,
as the ``Sergeant Chris Davis Post Office''.
H.R. 1843, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 489 Army Drive in Barrigada, Guam, as
the ``John Pangelinan Gerber Post Office Building''.
H.R. 1975, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 281 East Colorado Boulevard in
Pasadena, California, as the ``First Lieutenant Oliver Goodall
Post Office Building''.
H.R. 2062, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 45 Meetinghouse Lane in Sagamore
Beach, Massachusetts, as the ``Matthew A. Pucino Post Office''.
H.R. 2079, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 10 Main Street in East Rockaway, New
York, as the ``John J. Cook Post Office.''
H.R. 2149, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 4354 Pahoa Avenue in Honolulu,
Hawaii, as the ``Cecil L. Heftel Post Office Building''.
H.R. 2213, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 801 West Eastport Street in Iuka,
Mississippi, as the ``Sergeant Jason W. Vaughn Post Office''.
H.R. 2244, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 67 Castle Street in Geneva, New York,
as the ``Corporal Steven Blaine Riccione Post Office''.
H.R. 2415, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 11 Dock Street in Pittston,
Pennsylvania, as the ``Trooper Joshua D. Miller Post Office
Building''.
H.R. 2422, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 45 Bay Street, Suite 2, in Staten
Island, New York, as the ``Sergeant Angel Mendez Post Office''.
H.R. 2660, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 122 North Holderrieth Boulevard in
Tomball, Texas, as the ``Tomball Veterans Post Office''.
H.R. 2767, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 8 West Silver Street in Westfield,
Massachusetts, as the ``William T. Trant Post Office
Building''.
H.R. 3004, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 260 California Drive in Yountville,
California, as the ``Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post
Office Building''.
H.R. 3220, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 170 Evergreen Square SW in Pine City,
Minnesota, as the ``Master Sergeant Daniel L. Fedder Post
Office.''
H.R. 3246, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 15455 Manchester Road in Ballwin,
Missouri, as the ``Specialist Peter J. Navarro Post Office
Building.''
H.R. 3247, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1100 Town and Country Commons in
Chesterfield, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Matthew P.
Pathenos Post Office Building.''
H.R. 3248, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 112 South 5th Street in Saint
Charles, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Drew W. Weaver Post
Office Building.''
H.R. 3276, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 2810 East Hillsborough Avenue in
Tampa, Florida, as the ``Reverend Abe Brown Post Office
Building.''
H.R. 3412, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1421 Veterans Memorial Drive in
Abbeville, Louisiana, as the ``Sergeant Richard Franklin
Abshire Post Office Building.''
H.R. 3413, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1449 West Avenue in Bronx, New York,
as the ``Private Issaac T Cortes Post Office.''
H.R. 3501, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 125 Kerr Avenue in Rome City,
Indiana, as the ``SPC Nicholas Scott Hartge Post Office.''
H.R. 3772, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 150 South Union Street in Canton,
Mississippi, as the ``First Sergeant Landres Cheeks Post Office
Building.''
S. 349, a bill to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 4865 Tallmadge Road in
Rootstown, Ohio, as the ``Marine Sgt. Jeremy E. Murray Post
Office.''
S. 655, a bill to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 95 Dogwood Street in Cary,
Mississippi, as the ``Spencer Byrd Powers, Jr. Post Office''.
S. 1412, a bill to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 462 Washington Street, Woburn,
Massachusetts, as the ``Officer John Maguire Post Office''.
Passed by the House
H.R. 2158, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 14901 Adelfa Drive in La Mirada,
California, as the ``Wayne Grisham Post Office.'' Sponsored by
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA).
H.R. 2338, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 600 Florida Avenue in Cocoa, Florida,
as the ``Harry T. and Harriette Moore Post Office.'' Sponsored
by Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL).
H.R. 2548, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 6310 North University Street in
Peoria, Illinois, as the ``Charles `Chip' Lawrence Chan Post
Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL).
H.R. 2896, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in
Jersey City, New Jersey, as the ``Judge Shirley A. Tolentino
Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ).
*H.R. 3378, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 220 Elm Avenue in Munising, Michigan,
as the ``Elizabeth L. Kinnunen Post Office Building.''
Sponsored by Rep. Dan Benishek (R-MI).
H.R. 3477, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 133 Hare Road in Crosby, Texas, as
the ``Army First Sergeant David McNerney Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX).
H.R. 3593, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 787 State Route 17M in Monroe, New
York, as the ``National Clandestine Service of the Central
Intelligence Agency NCS Officer Gregg David Wenzel Memorial
Post Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY).
H.R. 3637, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 401 Old Dixie Highway in Jupiter,
Florida, as the ``Roy Schallern Rood Post Office Building.''
Sponsored by Rep. Thomas Rooney (R-FL).
*H.R. 3869, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 600 East Capitol Avenue in Little
Rock, Arkansas, as the ``Sidney `Sid' Sanders McMath Post
Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR).
H.R. 3870, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 6083 Highway 36 West in Rose Bud,
Arkansas, as the ``Nicky `Nick' Daniel Bacon Post Office.''
Sponsored by Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR).
H.R. 3892, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 8771 Auburn Folsom Road in Roseville,
California, as the ``Private First Class Victor A. Dew Post
Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA).
H.R. 3912, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 110 Mastic Road in Mastic Beach, New
York, as the ``Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Timothy Bishop (D-NY).
*H.R. 4062, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1444 Main Street in Ramona,
California, as the ``Nelson `Mac' MacWilliams Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA).
*H.R. 4389, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 19 East Merced Street in Fowler,
California, as the ``Cecil E. Bolt Post Office''. Sponsored by
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA).
H.R. 5738, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 15285 Samohin Drive in Macomb,
Michigan, as the ``Lance Cpl. Anthony A. DiLisio Clinton-Macomb
Carrier Annex.'' Sponsored by Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI).
H.R. 5788, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 103 Center Street West in Eatonville,
Washington, as the ``National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson
Post Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. David Reichert (R-WA).
H.R. 5837, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 26 East Genesee Street in
Baldwinsville, New York, as the ``Corporal Kyle Schneider Post
Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY).
H.R. 5954, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 320 7th Street in Ellwood City,
Pennsylvania, as the ``Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA).
*H.R. 6587, to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 225 Simi Village Drive in Simi
Valley, California, as the ``Postal Inspector Terry Asbury Post
Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA).
FULL COMMITTEE BUSINESS MEETINGS HELD
Jan. 25, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Organization
Meeting.
Mar. 10, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting.
Summary:
H.R. 899 (Lankford)--To amend title 41, United States Code, to extend
the sunset date for certain protests of task and deliver order
contracts.
H.R. 899 was ordered reported favorably by voice
vote, a quorum being present.
H.R. 793 (Woolsey)--To designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in
Inverness, California, as the ``Specialist Jake Robert Velloza
Post Office.''
H.R. 793 was ordered reported favorably by
unanimous consent, a quorum being present.
H.R. 471 (Boehner)--``Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act,''
or ``SOAR Act.''
Issa amendment in the nature of a substitute--agreed
to by voice vote, a quorum being present.
Norton amendment in the nature of a substitute (to
the Issa amendment)--defeated by a record vote of 12
ayes to 21 noes.
Voting aye: Platts, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Connolly, Braley, Welch, and
Murphy.
Voting no: Issa, Burton, Turner, McHenry, Jordan,
Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle,
Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy,
Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
H.R. 471 was ordered favorably reported, as
amended, a quorum being present, by a vote of 21 ayes to 14
nays.
Voting aye: Issa, Burton, Turner, McHenry, Jordan,
Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle,
Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy,
Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Voting no: Platts, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Connolly, Quigley, Braley,
Welch, Murphy, and Speier.
Apr. 13, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting.
Summary:
H.R. 829 (Chaffetz)--the Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of
2011.
Chaffetz amendment in the nature of a substitute--
agreed to by voice vote, as amended.
Connolly amendment to the Chaffetz substitute--
defeated by voice vote.
Speier amendment to the Chaffetz substitute--agreed
to by voice vote.
Quigley amendment to the Chaffetz substitute--ruled
out-of-order (non-germane)
Tierney amendment to the Chaffetz substitute--ruled
out-of-order (non-germane)
H.R. 829 was ordered reported favorably by
voice vote, as amended, a quorum being present.
H.R. 828 (Chaffetz)--the Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of
2011.
Chaffetz amendment in the nature of a substitute--
agreed to by voice vote, as amended.
Lynch amendment to the Chaffetz substitute--agreed to
by voice vote, as amended.
-- Issa asked unanimous consent to change
``90'' to ``60'' on page 2, line 10 of the
amendment. There was no objection.
Davis amendment to the Chaffetz substitute--defeated
by voice vote.
H.R. 828 was ordered reported favorably, as
amended, by voice vote, a quorum being present.
H.R. 1470 (Ross-FL)--To amend title 5, U.S.C., to extend the
probationary period applicable to appointments in the civil
service, and for other purposes.
Ross amendment in the nature of a substitute--agreed
to by voice vote.
Connolly amendment to the Ross substitute--ruled out-
of-order (non-germane)
Cummings amendment to the Ross substitute--defeated
by a vote of 13 ayes to 14 noes.
Voting aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Davis,
Braley, Murphy and Speier.
Voting no: Issa, Burton, Platts, Chaffetz, Walberg,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross and Farenthold.
H.R. 1470 was ordered favorably reported, as
amended, a quorum being present, by a vote of 15 ayes to 14
nays.
Voting aye: Issa, Burton, McHenry, Chaffetz, Walberg,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta and Farenthold.
Voting no: Platts, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Davis,
Braley, Murphy, and Speier.
H.R. 1423 (Cole)--To designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 115 4th Avenue Southwest in Ardmore,
Oklahoma, as the ``Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post
Office.''
H.R. 1423 was ordered favorably reported by
unanimous consent, a quorum being present.
June 22, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting.
Summary:
H.R. 2146 (Issa), the DATA Act.
Issa offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
Speier offered an amendment to the substitute
amendment--adding language on page 28, regarding the
review of Federal funds rewarded. The amendment was
agreed to by voice vote.
Connolly offered an amendment to the substitute. He
then withdrew his amendment.
Quigley offered an amendment to the substitute
amendment regarding a tax expenditures report.
-- Issa asked unanimous consent to amend the
Quigley amendment by adding language after line
10. There was no objection.
-- The Quigley amendment, as amended, was
agreed to by voice vote.
Welch offered an amendment to the substitute
amendment which inserted language regarding the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, and also added language
regarding Federal funds.
-- Issa asked unanimous consent to add the
words ``to the extent practicable'' to
coordinate the amendment with the earlier
Speier amendment language pertaining to page
28, line 22 of the substitute. There was no
objection.
-- The Welch amendment, as amended, was agreed
to by voice vote.
Cummings offered an amendment en bloc. He then
withdrew his amendment.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute, as
amended, was agreed to by voice vote. H.R. 2146 was ordered
reported favorably by voice vote, as amended, a quorum being
present.
H.R. 1974 (Quigley), the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports
Act.
Quigley offered an amendment adding language
regarding technical changes to reports. The amendment
was agreed to by voice vote.
H.R. 1974 was ordered reported favorably by voice
vote, as amended, a quorum being present.
H.R. 2061 (Hanna), the Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011.
Issa offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
H.R. 2061 was ordered reported favorably by voice
vote, as amended, a quorum being present.
Activity Report of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
The Activity Report was ordered reported favorably
by voice vote, a quorum being present.
The following postal naming bills were considered en bloc:
H.R. 789 (Rothman), a bill to designate the facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 20 Main Street in
Little Ferry, New Jersey, as the ``Sergeant Matthew J. Fenton
Post Office'';
H.R. 1843 (Bordallo), a bill to designate the facility of
the United States Postal Service located at 489 Army Drive in
Barrigada, Guam, as the ``John Pangelinan Gerber Post Office
Building'';
H.R. 1975 (Schiff), a bill to designate the facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 281 East Colorado
Boulevard in Pasadena, California, as the ``First Lieutenant
Oliver Goodall Post Office Building'';
H.R. 2062 (Keating), a bill to designate the facility of
the United States Postal Service located at 45 Meetinghouse
Lane in Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts, as the ``Matthew A.
Pucino Post Office'';
H.R. 2149 (Hanabusa), a bill to designate the facility of
the United States Postal Service located at 4354 Pahoa Avenue
in Honolulu, Hawaii, as the ``Cecil L. Heftel Post Office
Building'';
H.R. 2213 (Nunnelee), a bill to designate the facility of
the United States Postal Service located at 801 West Eastport
Street in Iuka, Mississippi, as the ``Sergeant Jason W. Vaughn
Post Office'' and
H.R. 2244 (Hanna), a bill to designate the facility at the
United States Postal Service located at 67 Castle Street in
Geneva, New York, as the ``Corporal Steven Blaine Riccione Post
Office.''
The Chairman asked Unanimous Consent to favorably
report the bills. There was no objection.
Oct. 13, 2011, 10:30 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting.
Summary:
H.R. 2309 (Issa), the ``Postal Reform Act of 2011.''
Ross offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
Lankford offered an amendment (#103) to the Ross ANS
to add a section to the bill, ``Retiree Health Care
Benefit Payment Deferral.'' The amendment was agreed to
by voice vote.
Cummings offered a substitute (#35) to the Ross ANS.
The amendment was defeated by a recorded vote of 16
Ayes to 17 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, and Murphy.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash,
Meehan, DesJarlais, Gowdy, Ross, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Ross offered an amendment (#104) to the Ross ANS to
strike part of Sec. 401 (``Adequacy, Efficiency, and
Fairness of Postal Rates'') and insert new language.
The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
Lynch offered a substitute (#36) to the Ross ANS. The
amendment was defeated by a recorded vote of 17 Ayes to
20 Nays.
Voting Aye: Platts, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, and Murphy.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Turner, McHenry,
Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash,
Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Gowdy,
Ross, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Chaffetz offered an amendment (#177) to the Ross ANS
to strike section 111 (``Frequency of Mail Delivery'')
and insert new language. The amendment was agreed to by
a voice vote.
Clay offered an amendment (# 21) to the Ross ANS to
strike part of Sec. 501 (Sec. 702. ``Advocate for
competition''). The amendment failed by a recorded vote
of 16 Ayes to 22 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, and Murphy.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Buerkle offered an amendment (#132) to the Ross ANS
to add language at the end of Sec. 104 regarding
limiting retail facilities identified for closure. The
amendment was agreed to by a recorded vote of 21 Ayes
to 17 Nays.
Voting Aye: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Gowdy,
Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Voting Nay: Amash, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, and Murphy.
Norton offered an amendment (#92) to the Ross ANS to
add Sense of Congress language regarding collective
bargaining agreements. The amendment was agreed to by
U.C.
Chaffetz offered an amendment (#131) to the Ross ANS
adding a paragraph to Sec. 211 regarding economic
savings. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
Norton offered an amendment (#96) to the Ross ANS
striking subsection (c) of Sec. 112 (``Efficient and
Flexible Universal Postal Service'') and replacing it
with new language. The amendment failed by a recorded
vote of 16 Ayes to 22 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, and Murphy.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Meehan offered an amendment (#8) to the Ross ANS
regarding Sec. 202(b)(1) (``Commencement of a Control
Period''). The amendment was agreed to by voice vote,
as amended by the Platts amendment (#18).
Platts offered an amendment (#18) to the Meehan
amendment (#8). The amendment was agreed to by voice
vote.
Connolly offered an amendment (#91) to the Ross ANS
to strike titles I, II, and III of the bill and insert
a new title I. The amendment was defeated by a recorded
vote of 17 Ayes to 22 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and
Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Turner offered an amendment en bloc (3 parts--
amendments #59, #60 and #101) to the Ross ANS. There
was no objection to a unanimous consent request to add,
``as listed in the National Register of Historic
Places'' after the word ``district'' in amendment #59
of the en bloc. The amendment was agreed to by voice
vote.
Davis offered an amendment (#38) to the Ross ANS to
strike section 311 (``Postal Service Workers'
Compensation Reform''). The amendment was withdrawn.
Davis offered an amendment (#39) to the Ross ANS to
strike section 403 (``Rate Preferences for Nonprofit
Advertising''). There was no objection to a unanimous
consent request to substitute the language from
amendment #105 (makes three changes to section 403).
The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
Lankford offered an amendment (#133) to the Ross ANS
to add a section to title I of the bill,
``Applicability of Procedures Relating to Closures and
Consolidations.'' The amendment was agreed to by voice
vote.
Towns offered an amendment (#23) to the Ross ANS to
add a GAO study and report on the effects of proposed
closures and consolidations on minority communities.
The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
Murphy offered an amendment (#93-Norton) to strike
subsections (g) and (i) of section 211, and to strike
sections 304 and 305 of the bill. The amendment was
defeated by a recorded vote of 17 Ayes to 22 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and
Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Murphy offered an amendment (#52) to the Ross ANS to
strike section 112 (c) of the bill and insert other
language (``Reaffirmation of Public Appeal''). The
amendment was withdrawn.
Braley offered an amendment (#30) to the Ross ANS to
strike subtitle A (``Commission on Postal
Reorganization'') of title I of the bill, and to strike
section 112 (``Efficient and Flexible Universal Postal
Service'') of the bill. The amendment was defeated by a
recorded vote of 17 Ayes to 22 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and
Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farentold, and Kelly.
Braley offered an amendment (#32) to the Ross ANS to
add a subsection at the end of section 104, ``Annual
Plan.'' The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
Yarmuth offered an amendment (#11) to the Ross ANS to
strike section 409 (``Appropriations Modernization'')
of the bill. The amendment was defeated by a recorded
vote of 17 Ayes to 23 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and
Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
The Ross amendment in the nature of a substitute, as
amended, was agreed to by voice vote. The bill, H.R.
2309, as amended, was favorably reported to the House,
a quorum being present, by a recorded vote of 22 Ayes
to 18 Nays.
Voting Aye: Issa, Burton, Mica, Turner, McHenry,
Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash,
Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Voting Nay: Platts, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and
Speier.
H.R. 3124 (Clay), the ``Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of
2011.''
S. 300, the ``Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2011.''
There was no objection to the unanimous consent request to
favorably report H.R. 3124 and S. 300 to the House.
Nov. 3, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Business
Meeting. Summary:
H.R. 3029 (Mulvaney), the ``Reducing the Size of the Federal Government
Through Attrition Act of 2011.''
Meehan offered an amendment (#010) exempting law
enforcement officers from being defined as Federal
employees (for purposes of sec. 2 of the bill). The
amendment was withdrawn.
Cummings offered an amendment (#107) inserting a
section adding reporting requirements for various
government agencies. Mr. Issa offered an amendment (2nd
degree) to the Cummings amendment, which required only
the Office of Management and Budget to submit a report.
The Issa amendment was agreed to by voice vote. The
Cummings amendment, as amended by the Issa 2nd degree
amendment, was agreed to by voice vote.
Cooper offered an amendment (#014) which changed the
replacement rate ratio from 1-3 to 2-3. The amendment
was withdrawn.
Yarmuth offered an amendment (#018) which exempted
agencies that provide services to veterans. The
amendment was defeated by a recorded vote of 9 Ayes to
12 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Towns, Norton, Tierney, Lynch,
Connolly, Davis, Yarmuth, and Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Platts, Jordan, Chaffetz, Lankford,
Buerkle, Gosar, Meehan, DesJarlais, Guinta, Farenthold,
and Kelly.
Lynch offered an amendment (#039) in the nature of a
substitute (ANS). The amendment was defeated by voice
vote.
Lynch offered an amendment (#038) adding a new
section, ``Reduction in Procurement of Service
Contracts.'' Mr. Issa offered an amendment (2nd degree)
to the Lynch amendment, which added language regarding
waiver authority. The Issa amendment was agreed to by
voice vote. The Lynch amendment, as amended by the Issa
2nd degree amendment, was agreed to by voice vote.
The bill, H.R. 3029, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by a recorded
vote of 23 Ayes to 14 Nays.
Voting Aye: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, McHenry,
Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash,
Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, Kelly and Cooper.
Voting Nay: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Quigley,
Davis, Braley, Yarmuth and Speier.
H.R. 3289 (Issa), the ``Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of
2011.''
Cummings asked Unanimous Consent to change the title
of the bill to the ``Platts-Van Hollen Whistleblower
Protection Enhancement Act of 2011.'' There was no
objection.
Tierney offered an amendment (#001) to Sec. 201,
``Protection of Intelligence Community
Whistleblowers.'' The amendment was agreed to by voice
vote.
Braley offered an amendment (#035) regarding jury
trials. The amendment was defeated by a recorded vote
of 13 Ayes to 20 Nays.
Voting Aye: Platts, Cummings, Maloney, Norton,
Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Braley,
Yarmuth and Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, McHenry, Jordan,
Chaffetz, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle, Gosar,
Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy, Ross,
Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
Speier offered an amendment which added a Government
Accountability Office study. The amendment was agreed
to by voice vote.
The bill, H.R. 3289, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by a recorded
vote of 35 Ayes to 0 Nays.
Voting Aye: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, McHenry,
Jordan, Chaffetz, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle,
Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy,
Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, Kelly, Cummings, Maloney,
Norton, Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper,
Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Braley, Yarmuth and Speier.
Voting Nay: none.
H.R. 3262 (Guinta), the ``Government Results Transparency Act.''
The bill, H.R. 3262, was ordered favorably reported to the
House, a quorum being present, by voice vote.
H.R. 3237 (Gowdy), the ``SOAR Technical Corrections Act.''
Mr. Issa offered an amendment to replace section 3,
``Nationally Norm-Referenced Standardized Tests.'' The
amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
The bill, H.R. 3237, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by voice vote.
H.R. 2297 (Norton), to promote the development of the Southwest
waterfront in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
Norton offered an ANS. The amendment was agreed to by
voice vote.
The bill, H.R. 2297, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by voice vote.
The following postal naming bills were reported favorably to the House,
by U.C.:
H.R. 298, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 500 East Whitestone Boulevard
in Cedar Park, Texas, as the ``Army Specialist Matthew Troy
Morris Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. John Carter
(R-TX).
H.R. 2079, To designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 10 Main Street in East
Rockaway, New York, as the ``John J. Cook Post Office.''
Sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).
H.R. 2158, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 14901 Adelfa Drive in La
Mirada, California, as the ``Wayne Grisham Post Office.''
Sponsored by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA).
H.R. 2415, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 11 Dock Street in Pittston,
Pennsylvania, as the ``Trooper Joshua D. Miller Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA).
H.R. 2422, To designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 45 Bay Street, Suite 2, in
Staten Island, New York, as the ``Sergeant Angel Mendez Post
Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY).
H.R. 2660, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 122 North Holderrieth
Boulevard in Tomball, Texas, as the ``Tomball Veterans Post
Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).
H.R. 2767, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 8 West Silver Street in
Westfield, Massachusetts, as the ``William T. Trant Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. John Olver (D-MA).
H.R. 3004, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 260 California Drive in
Yountville, California, as the ``Private First Class Alejandro
R. Ruiz Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson
(D-CA).
H.R. 3220, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 170 Evergreen Square SW., in
Pine City, Minnesota, as the ``Master Sergeant Daniel L. Fedder
Post Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN).
H.R. 3246, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 15455 Manchester Road in
Ballwin, Missouri, as the ``Specialist Peter J. Navarro Post
Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO).
H.R. 3247, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 1100 Town and Country Commons
in Chesterfield, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Matthew P.
Pathenos Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Todd Akin
(R-MO).
H.R. 3248, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 112 South 5th Street in Saint
Charles, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Drew W. Weaver Post
Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO).
S. 1412, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 462 Washington Street, Woburn,
Massachusetts, as the ``Officer John Maguire Post Office.''
Nov. 17, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting.
Summary:
H.R. 665 (Chaffetz), the ``Excess Federal Building and Property
Disposal Act of 2011.''
Quigley offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
Connolly offered an amendment to the Quigley ANS that
allows properties appropriate only for park land to be
exempt from the pilot program. The Connolly amendment
was agreed to by voice vote.
The Quigley ANS, as amended, was agreed to by
voice vote.
The bill, H.R. 665, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by voice vote.
H.R. 3071 (Towns), the ``Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011.''
Issa offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
McHenry offered an amendment to the Issa ANS
regarding prohibition of the use of any non-official
electronic mail account, program or system.
Cummings offered an amendment (2nd degree) to the
McHenry amendment that would create exemptions to the
prohibition. The Cummings amendment was defeated by
voice vote.
The McHenry amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
The Issa ANS, as amended, was agreed to by voice
vote.
The bill, H.R. 3071, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by voice vote.
H.R. 3433 (Lankford), the ``Grant Reform and New Transparency Act of
2011.''
Connolly offered an amendment to replace the
requirement that winning grant proposals be posted
online with a requirement that abstracts of such
proposals be posted. The amendment was defeated by
voice vote.
Cummings offered an amendment to strike a subsection
regarding disclosure of peer reviewers.
Lankford offered an amendment (2nd degree) to the
Cummings amendment that would allow the actual names of
peer reviewers to remain private. The Lankford
amendment was further amended by a Lankford U.C.
request to add the language ``and title (or a unique
identifier)'' after ``name''. There was no objection.
The Lankford amendment to the Cummings amendment was
agreed to by voice vote.
The Cummings amendment, as amended by the Lankford
amendment, was agreed to by voice vote.
The bill, H.R. 3433, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by voice vote.
H.R. 373 (Foxx), the ``Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency
Act of 2011.''
Lankford offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
Connolly offered an amendment to the Lankford ANS
regarding accounting for benefits in UMRA analyses. The
Connolly amendment was defeated by voice vote.
Cummings offered an amendment to the Lankford ANS
regarding consultation with private parties. The
amendment was defeated by a recorded vote of 10 Ayes to
22 Nays.
Voting Aye: Cummings, Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch,
Cooper, Connolly, Welch, Murphy and Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
The ANS was agreed to by voice vote.
The bill, H.R. 373, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by a recorded
vote of 22 Ayes to 12 Nays.
Voting Aye: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
Voting Nay: Cummings, Maloney, Kucinich, Tierney,
Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Davis, Welch, Murphy and
Speier.
Feb. 7, 2012, 1:30 p.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting:
Summary:
H.R. 3813 (Ross), the Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of
2012.
1. Mr. Ross offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
2. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to the Ross ANS
limiting the increase in employee pension contributions to
those earning more than $100,000 per year. The amendment was
defeated by voice vote.
3. Ms. Norton offered an amendment to the Ross ANS
expressing the sense of Congress that a portion of the savings
from the bill should be directed to the Office of Personnel
Management to increase its capacity to process retirement
claims and eliminate the backlog of claims. The amendment was
defeated by voice vote.
4. Mr. Lynch offered an amendment to the Ross ANS to make
increased employee contributions inapplicable during a pay
freeze year. The amendment was defeated by a roll call vote of
17 Ayes to 21 Nays.
Ayes: Platts, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Quigley,
Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and Speier.
Nays: Issa, Burton, Mica, Turner, McHenry, Jordan,
Chaffetz, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle, Gosar,
Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy, Ross,
Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
5. Mr. Davis offered an amendment to the Ross ANS to
strike section 4 of the bill. The amendment was defeated by a
roll call vote of 15 Ayes to 22 Nays.
Ayes: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton, Kucinich,
Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Davis, Braley, Welch,
Yarmuth, Murphy, and Speier.
Nays: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner, McHenry,
Jordan, Chaffetz, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle,
Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy,
Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
6. Mr. Kucinich offered an amendment to the Ross ANS to
strike section 3 of the bill. The amendment was defeated by a
roll call vote of 15 Ayes to 22 Nays.
Ayes: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton, Kucinich,
Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Davis, Braley, Welch,
Yarmuth, Murphy, and Speier.
Nays: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner, McHenry,
Jordan, Chaffetz, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle,
Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy,
Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
7. Mr. Lynch offered an amendment (with Mr. Chaffetz) to
the Ross ANS to allow federal employee contributions to the
Thrift Savings Fund of a retiring employee's accrued annual
leave. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
8. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to the Ross ANS
limiting the increase in employee pension contributions to
those earning more than $30,000 per year. The amendment was
defeated by voice vote.
The Ross ANS, as amended, was agreed to by voice
vote.
The bill, H.R. 3813, as amended, was ordered favorably
reported to the House, a quorum being present, by a recorded
vote of 22 Ayes to 16 Nays.
Ayes: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner, McHenry,
Jordan, Chaffetz, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle,
Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy,
Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, and Kelly.
Nays: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton, Kucinich,
Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Braley,
Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and Speier.
H.R. 3902 (Norton), the District of Columbia Special Election Reform
Act.
The bill, H.R. 3902, was ordered reported favorably to the
House, a quorum being present, by voice vote.
The Chair asked unanimous consent to favorably
report 12 postal naming bills to the House. There was no
objection.
Postal naming bills:
H.R. 3276, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 2810 East Hillsborough Avenue
in Tampa, Florida, as the ``Reverend Abe Brown Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL).
H.R. 3378, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 220 Elm Avenue in Munising,
Michigan, as the ``Elizabeth L. Kinnunen Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Dan Benishek (R-MI).
H.R. 3412, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 1421 Veterans Memorial Drive
in Abbeville, Louisiana, as the ``Sergeant Richard Franklin
Abshire Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Charles
Boustany (R-LA).
H.R. 3413, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 1449 West Avenue in Bronx, New
York, as the ``Private Isaac T. Cortes Post Office.'' Sponsored
by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY).
H.R. 3477, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 133 Hare Road in Crosby,
Texas, as the ``Army First Sergeant David McNerney Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX).
H.R. 3501, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 125 Kerr Avenue in Rome City,
Indiana, as the ``SPC Nicholas Scott Hartge Post Office.''
Sponsored by Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN).
H.R. 3593, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 787 State Route 17M in Monroe,
New York, as the ``National Clandestine Service of the Central
Intelligence Agency NCS Officer Gregg David Wenzel Memorial
Post Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY).
H.R. 3637, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 401 Old Dixie Highway in
Jupiter, Florida, as the ``Roy Schallern Rood Post Office
Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Thomas Rooney (R-FL).
H.R. 3772, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 150 South Union Street in
Canton, Mississippi, as the ``First Sergeant Landres Cheeks
Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-
MS).
H.R. 3869, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 600 East Capitol Avenue in
Little Rock, Arkansas, as the ``Sidney `Sid' Sanders McMath
Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR).
H.R. 3870, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 6083 Highway 36 West in Rose
Bud, Arkansas, as the ``Nicky `Nick' Daniel Bacon Post
Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR).
H.R. 3892, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 8771 Auburn Folsom Road in
Roseville, California, as the ``Private First Class Victor A.
Dew Post Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA).
April 18, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee Business
Meeting. Summary:
H.R. 4364 (Issa)--the Recess Appointment Restoration Act.
The bill was withdrawn.
H.R. 4257 (Issa)--the Federal Information Security Amendments Act of
2012.
1. Mr. Chaffetz offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
The Chaffetz amendment was agreed to by voice vote;
the bill, H.R. 4257, was ordered favorably reported to
the House, as amended, by voice vote.
H.R. 538 (Cuellar)--the Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act.
1. Mr. Issa offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
The Issa amendment was agreed to by voice vote; the
bill, H.R. 538, was ordered favorably reported to the
House, as amended, by voice vote.
H.R. 4365 (Buerkle)--to amend title 5, United States Code, to make
clear that accounts in the Thrift Savings Fund are subject to
certain Federal tax levies.
1. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to add a section at
the end of the bill to require that any revenue generated shall
be deposited in the general fund of the U.S. Treasury to be
used solely for deficit reduction.
The Cummings amendment was agreed to by voice vote;
the bill, H.R. 4365, was ordered favorably reported to
the House, as amended, by voice vote.
H.R. 4363 (Issa)--the Federal Employee Phased Retirement Act.
1. Mr. Lynch offered an amendment to add a section to the
end of the bill allowing phased retirees to deposit lump sum
payments for annual leave into their Thrift Savings Plan
accounts.
Mr. Issa asked unanimous consent to modify the Lynch
amendment to require phased retirees to work for at
least one year in order to deposit lump sum payments
for annual leave into their Thrift Savings Plan
accounts. There was no objections.
The Lynch amendment, as amended by the Issa
amendment, was agreed to by voice vote.
2. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to add a subsection to
section 2 of the bill (``Cost Savings to be Used Solely for
Retirement Purposes'').
The Cummings amendment was defeated by voice vote.
3. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to add a section to
the end of the bill (``Sec. 3. Treatment of Certain Surplus
Postal Retirement Contributions'').
Mr. Cummings withdrew his amendment.
The bill, H.R. 4363, was ordered favorably reported to the
House, as amended, by voice vote.
April 26, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee Business
Meeting.
The following legislation was considered:
To amend title 5, United States Code, to comply with the
reconciliation directive included in section 201 of the
Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2013, H.
Con. Res. 112 (Committee Print--Reconciliation
Recommendations).
1. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS). The amendment was withdrawn.
2. Mr. Chaffetz offered an amendment which added a section:
Sec. 503. Contributions to Thrift Savings Fund of Payments for
Accrued or Accumulated Leave. The amendment was agreed to by
voice vote.
3. Mr. Lynch offered an amendment which added a section:
Sec. 503. Pharmacy Benefit Management Services and
Pharmaceutical Pricing Agreements Under FEHBP. The amendment
was withdrawn.
The Committee Print of the Reconciliation Recommendations,
as amended, was agreed to by a recorded vote of 19 Yeas to 15
Nays.
Yeas: Issa, Burton, Turner, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg,
Lankford, Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan,
DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and
Kelly.
Nays: Cummings, Towns, Norton, Kucinich, Tierney,
Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Welch,
Yarmuth, Murphy and Speier.
H.R. 2008 (Issa)--the Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting Act
of 2011.
The bill was ordered reported favorably to the House by
voice vote.
H.R. 4078 (Griffin-AR)--the Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act of 2012
1. Mr. Issa offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
2. Mr. Yarmuth offered an amendment to the Issa ANS
regarding exception for the health or safety of members of the
Armed Forces or veterans.
3. Mr. Issa offered an amendment (second degree) to the
Yarmuth amendment. The Issa amendment limits the exception to
regulations issued by the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans' Affairs. The Issa amendment was agreed
to by voice vote. The Yarmuth amendment, as amended by the Issa
second degree amendment, was agreed to by voice vote.
4. Mr. Davis offered an amendment to the Issa ANS regarding
exception for the health and safety of senior citizens. The
amendment was withdrawn.
5. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to the Issa ANS
regarding exception for the health or safety of children. The
amendment was defeated by a recorded vote of 16 Yeas to 20
Nays.
Yeas: Cummings, Towns, Norton, Kucinich, Tierney,
Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Braley,
Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy and Speier.
Nays: Issa, Burton, Turner, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador,
Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta,
Farenthold and Kelly.
6. Ms. Maloney offered an amendment to the Issa ANS
regarding exception for equal protection for women and
minorities.
7. Mr. Issa offered an amendment (second degree) to the
Maloney amendment striking the proposed language in subsection
(d) and replacing it with broader language regarding exception
for equal protection and civil rights. The Issa amendment was
agreed to by voice vote.
The Maloney amendment, as amended by the Issa
second degree amendment, was agreed to by voice vote.
8. Mr. Kucinich offered an amendment to the ANS regarding
exception for limiting oil speculation. The amendment was
defeated by a recorded vote of 16 Yeas to 20 Nays.
Yeas: Cummings, Towns, Norton, Kucinich, Tierney,
Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Braley,
Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy and Speier.
Nays: Issa, Burton, Turner, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador,
Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta,
Farenthold and Kelly.
The Issa ANS was agreed to by a voice vote, as amended. The
bill, H.R. 4078, was ordered reported favorably to the House,
as amended, by a recorded vote of 21 Yeas to 16 Nays.
Yeas: Issa, Burton, Mica, Turner, Jordan, Chaffetz,
Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle, Gosar,
Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy, Ross,
Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
Nays: Cummings, Towns, Norton, Kucinich, Tierney,
Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Braley,
Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy and Speier.
H.R. 4607 (Ribble)--the Midnight Rule Relief Act of 2012.
The bill, H.R. 4607, was ordered reported favorably to the
House, by voice vote.
H.R. 3609 (Lankford)--the Taxpayers Right to Know Act.
Mr. Lankford offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
1. Mr. Quigley offered an amendment to the Lankford ANS to
insert a new subsection, ``Taxpayer Receipt.'' The amendment
was defeated by a recorded vote of 17 Yeas to 19 Nays, with one
voting ``Present.''
Yeas: Amash, Meehan, Cummings, Towns, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth and Murphy.
Nays: Issa, Burton, Mica, Turner, Jordan, Chaffetz,
Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador,
DesJarlais, Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and
Kelly. Present: Speier.
2. Ms. Speier offered an amendment to the Lankford ANS
regarding sole-source contracts. The amendment was withdrawn.
3. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to the Lankford ANS
that would exempt legislative branch offices from the
definition of agency given in the legislation. The amendment
was withdrawn.
The Lankford ANS was agreed to by voice vote. The bill,
H.R. 3609, was ordered reported favorably to the House, as
amended, by voice vote.
S. 1302--To authorize the Administrator of General Services to convey a
parcel of real property in Tracy, California, to the City of
Tracy
The Chairman asked unanimous consent that the bill, S.
1302, be ordered reported favorably to the House. There was no
objection.
June 20, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting.
The following legislation was considered:
A Report recommending that the House of Representatives
find Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General, in Contempt of
Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
1. Mr. Welch offered an amendment to add language to the
Executive Summary stating that contempt proceedings at this
time are unwarranted because the Committee has not met with
former Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
The amendment was defeated by a recorded vote of 14 Yeas to
23 Nays.
Voting Yea: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Lynch, Connolly, Quigley, Davis,
Braley, Welch, Murphy and Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
2. Mr. Lynch offered an amendment asking for an itemized
accounting of the costs associated with the Fast and Furious
investigation.
The amendment was defeated by a vote of 15 Yeas to 23 Nays.
Voting Yea: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Quigley,
Davis, Braley, Welch, Murphy and Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
3. Ms. Maloney offered an amendment to add language to the
Executive Summary stating that contempt proceedings at this
time are unwarranted because the Committee has not held a
public hearing with the former head of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Kenneth Melson.
The amendment was defeated by a vote of 16 Yeas to 23 Nays.
Voting Yea: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Murphy and Speier.
Voting Nay: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
4. Mr. Gowdy offered an amendment to update the contempt
resolution with regard to the receipt of a letter from the
Deputy Attorney General minutes before the start of the hearing
that indicated that the President intended to assert executive
privilege over certain documents covered by the subpoena.
The amendment was agreed to by a vote of 23 Yeas to 17
Nays.
Voting Yea: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
Voting Nay: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy and
Speier.
The Resolution was favorably reported, as amended, to the
House, a quorum being present, by a vote of 23 Yeas to 17 Nays.
Voting Yea: Issa, Burton, Mica, Platts, Turner,
McHenry, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Lankford,
Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais,
Walsh, Gowdy, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold and Kelly.
Voting Nay: Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton,
Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly,
Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy and
Speier.
June 27, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting.
The following legislation was considered:
H.R. 459 (Paul)--the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011
1. Mr. Issa offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute (ANS).
2. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to the Issa ANS
striking portions of section 2. The amendment was withdrawn.
3. Mr. Cummings offered an amendment to the Issa ANS adding
``Sec. 3. Audit of Loan File Reviews Required by Enforcement
Actions.'' The amendment was agreed to by a voice vote.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended,
was agreed to by a voice vote. H.R. 459, as amended, was
favorably reported to the House, by voice vote, a quorum being
present.
H.R. 4155 (Denham)--the Veteran Skills to Jobs Act
1. Mr. Issa offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute. The amendment was agreed to by a voice vote.
H.R. 4155, as amended, was favorably reported to the House,
by voice vote, a quorum being present.
H.R. 4631 (Walsh)--the Government Spending Accountability Act (GSA Act)
of 2012
1. Mr. Walsh offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute. The amendment was agreed to by a voice vote.
H.R. 4631, as amended, was favorably reported to the House,
by voice vote, a quorum being present.
H.R. 6016 (Kelly)--the Government Employee Accountability Act
1. Mr. Kelly offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute. The amendment was agreed to by a voice vote.
H.R. 6016, as amended, was favorably reported to the House,
by voice vote, a quorum being present.
Semi-annual Activities Report of the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform
The third semiannual activities report was favorably
reported to the House, by voice vote, a quorum being present.
The Chairman asked unanimous consent that the following
postal naming bills be ordered reported favorably to the House.
There was no objection.
1. H.R. 1369, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 1021 Pennsylvania Avenue in
Hartshorne, Oklahoma, as the ``Warren Lindley Post Office.''
Sponsored by Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK).
2. H.R. 2338, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 600 Florida Avenue, as the
``Harry T. and Harriette Moore Post Office.'' Sponsored by Rep.
Bill Posey (R-FL).
3. H.R. 2896, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr.
Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the ``Judge Shirley A.
Tolentino Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Donald
Payne (D-NJ).
4. H.R. 3912, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 110 Mastic Road in Mastic
Beach, New York, as the ``Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull
Post Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Timothy Bishop (D-
NY).
5. H.R. 4389, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 19 East Merced Street in
Fowler, California, as the ``Cecil E. Bolt Post Office.''
Sponsored by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA).
6. H.R. 5738, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 15285 Samohin Drive in Macomb,
Michigan, as the ``Lance Cpl. Anthony A. DiLisio Clinton-Macomb
Carrier Annex.'' Sponsored by Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI).
7. H.R. 5788, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 103 Center Street West in
Eatonville, Washington, as the ``National Park Ranger Margaret
Anderson Post Office.'' Sponsored by Rep. David Reichert (R-
WA).
8. H.R. 5837, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 26 East Genesee Street in
Baldwinsville, New York, as the ``Corporal Kyle Schneider Post
Office Building.'' Sponsored by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY).
Sept. 20, 2012--Full Committee Business Meeting. The
following legislation was considered:
The Chairman asked unanimous consent to discharge the
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and
Labor Policy from consideration, as necessary, and that the
following report and bills be ordered reported favorably to the
House:
Committee Report: The Citizen's Guide to Using the Freedom
of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to Request
Government Records;
H.R. 4053, the Improper Payments Elimination and
Recovery Improvement Act of 2012, as amended;
H.R. 5954, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 320 7th Street in Ellwood
City, Pennsylvania, as the ``Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post
Office Building;'' and
H.R. 5738, to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 15285 Samohin Drive in Macomb,
Michigan, as the Lance Cpl. Anthony A. DiLisio Clinton-Macomb
Carrier Annex.''
There was no objection.
SUBCOMMITTEE BUSINESS MEETINGS HELD
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor
Policy:
Sept. 21, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy Business
Meeting. Summary:
H.R. 2309 (Issa), the Postal Reform Act of 2011.
Mr. Lynch made a point of order on the jurisdiction
regarding Sec. 311 of the bill. The Chair ruled against
the point of order.
Mr. Connolly made a point of order to appeal the
ruling of the Chair. A motion was made to table the
appeal of the ruling. The motion was agreed to by a
vote of 6 ayes to 4 nays.
Voting Aye: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Walberg
and Issa.
Voting Nay: Lynch, Connolly, Davis and Cummings.
Ross offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
Connolly offered an amendment (#92) to the ANS to
strike section 111 of the bill. The amendment was
defeated by a roll call vote of 7 nays to 4 ayes.
Voting Nay: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Mack, Walberg, Gowdy
and Issa.
Voting Aye: Lynch, Connolly, Davis and Cummings.
Lynch offered an amendment (#28) to the ANS to strike
titles I, II, and III and insert the text of his postal
bill, H.R. 1351. The amendment was defeated by a roll
call vote of 8 nays to 4 ayes.
Voting Nay: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Gowdy and Issa.
Voting Aye: Lynch, Connolly, Davis and Cummings.
Chaffetz offered an amendment (# 174) to the ANS to
cut the number of days the post office delivers mail.
The amendment was withdrawn.
Davis offered an amendment (# 31) to the ANS to
strike section 311 of the bill. The amendment was
defeated by a roll call vote of 8 nays to 4 ayes.
Voting Nay: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Gowdy and Issa.
Voting Aye: Lynch, Connolly, Davis and Cummings.
Davis offered an amendment (#32) to the ANS to strike
section 403 of the bill. The amendment was defeated by
a roll call vote of 8 nays to 4 ayes.
Voting Nay: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Gowdy and Issa.
Voting Aye: Lynch, Connolly, Davis and Cummings.
Lynch offered an amendment (# 29) to the ANS to add a
Title--OVERPAYMENT OFFERS OBLIGATION. The amendment was
defeated by a roll call vote of 8 nays to 5 ayes.
Voting Nay: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Gowdy and Issa.
Voting Aye: Lynch, Norton, Connolly, Davis and
Cummings.
Connolly offered an amendment (#96) to the ANS to add
a section regarding alternate Postal Service programs.
The amendment was defeated by a roll call vote of 8
nays to 5 ayes.
Voting Nay: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Gowdy and Issa.
Voting Aye: Lynch, Norton, Connolly, Davis and
Cummings.
Lynch offered an amendment (#26) to the ANS to strike
section 113 of the bill. The amendment was defeated by
a roll call vote of 8 nays to 5 ayes.
Voting Nay: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Gowdy and Issa.
Voting Aye: Lynch, Norton, Connolly, Davis and
Cummings.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to
by voice vote. H.R. 2309, as amended, was ordered reported
favorably to the full committee by a recorded vote of 8 ayes to
5 nays.
Voting Aye: Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack,
Walberg, Gowdy and Issa.
Voting Nay: Lynch, Norton, Connolly, Davis and
Cummings.
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental
Relations and Procurement Reform:
Sept. 21, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform Business Meeting. Summary:
H.R. 373 (Foxx), the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act
of 2011.
Lankford offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
Connolly offered an amendment to the substitute. He
then withdrew his amendment.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to
by voice vote.
H.R. 373, as amended, was ordered reported
favorably by a recorded vote of 5 ayes to 4 noes.
Voting Aye: Lankford, Kelly, Chaffetz, Labrador, and
Meehan.
Voting No: Connolly, Murphy, Lynch and Cummings.
II. Oversight Activities
FULL COMMITTEE HEARINGS HELD
Jan. 26, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Hearing on
``Bailouts and the Foreclosure Crisis: Report of the Special
Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program
(``SIGTARP'').'' Witnesses: The Honorable Neil Barofsky,
Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief
Program; The Honorable Tim Massad, Acting Assistant Secretary
for Financial Stability and Chief Counsel, U.S. Department of
the Treasury.
Feb. 10, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Business Meeting
regarding the Oversight Plan, and Full Committee Hearing,
``Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation.'' Witnesses: Mr. Jay
Timmons, CEO, National Association of Manufacturers; Mr. Tom
Nassif, President and CEO, Western Growers Association; Mr.
Harry Alford, CEO, Black Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Michael J.
Fredrich, President, MCM Composites, LLC; Mr. Jack Buschur,
Buschur Electric; Mr. James Gattuso, Senior Research Fellow in
Regulatory Policy, The Heritage Foundation; Mr. Sidney Shapiro,
Center for Progressive Reform; Ms. Karen Kerrigan, President
and CEO, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council; and Mr.
Jerry Ellig, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center.
Feb. 17, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Hearing ``Waste
and Abuse: The Refuse of the Federal Spending Binge.''
Witnesses: Hon. Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senate; Mr. Andrew
Moylan, Vice President of Government Affairs, National
Taxpayers Union; Mr. Thomas A. Schatz, President, Citizens
Against Government Waste; Ms. Debra Cammer, Vice President and
Partner, IBM; Hon. Gene L. Kodaro, Comptroller General of the
United States, U.S. Government Accounting Office; Veronique de
Rugy, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center; Mr.
Vincent Frakes, Federal Policy Manager, Center for Health
Transformation; Mr. Gary Kalman, Director, Federal Legislative
Office, U.S. PIRG.
Feb. 28, 2011, 10:30 a.m.--Joint Hearing with Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure on ``America's Presidential
Libraries: Their Mission and Their Future.'' Witnesses: Hon.
David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, National
Archives and Records Administration; Mr. Thomas Putman,
Director, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Mr.
R. Duke Blackwood, Director, Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library; Thomas Schwartz, Ph.D., Illinois State Historian,
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; Ms. Anna
Eleanor Roosevelt, Chair, Board of Directors, The Roosevelt
Institute; and Martha Kumar, Ph.D., Professor, Towson
University.
Mar. 3, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing, ``The
Refuse of the Federal Spending Binge II: How U.S. Taxpayers are
Paying Double for Failing Government Programs.'' Witnesses:
Hon. Thomas M. Davis, III, Director of Federal Government
Affairs, Deloitte & Touche LLP; Hon. Gene L. Dodaro,
Comptroller General of the United States, U.S. Government
Accountability Office; and Ms. Ryan Alexander, President,
Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Mar. 8, 2011, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee field hearing,
``The Foreclosure Crisis'' at the University of Maryland School
of Law located at 500, W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD
21201. Witnesses: Hon. Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland;
Hon. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore; Mr. Mark
Kaufman, Commissioner of Financial Regulation, MD Department of
Labor, Licensing and Regulation; Mr. Kevin Jerron Matthews,
Homeowner; Ms. Jane A. Wilson, Chair, Board of Directors, St.
Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Inc.
Mar. 17, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``The Freedom of Information Act: Crowd-Sourcing Government
Oversight.'' Witnesses: Ms. Miriam Nisbet, Director, Office of
Government Information, National Archives and Records
Administration; Mr. Daniel Metcalfe, Executive Director,
Collaboration on Government Secrecy; Mr. Rick Blum,
Coordinator, Sunshine in Government; Mr. Tom Fitton, President,
Judicial Watch; Ms. Angela Canterbury, Director of Public
Policy, Project on Open Government.
Mar. 31, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Why Isn't the Department of Homeland Security Meeting the
President's Standard on FOIA?'' Witnesses: Ms. Mary Ellen
Callahan, Chief Privacy Officer, The Privacy Office, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security; Mr. Charles K. Edwards, Acting
Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security; Mr. Ivan Fong, General
Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security; Mr. John Verdi, Senior Counsel, Director of
Open Government Project, Electronic Privacy Information Center.
Apr. 5, 2011, 9:45 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Are Postal Workforce Costs Sustainable?'' Witnesses: Hon.
Louis J. Giuliano, Chairman, U.S. Postal Service Board of
Governors; Hon. James C. Miller, III, Governor, U.S. Postal
Service Board of Governors; Hon. Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster
General and CEO, United States Postal Service; and Mr. Cliff
Guffey, President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO.
Apr. 14, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``State and Municipal Debt: Tough Choices Ahead.'' Witnesses:
Hon. Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin; Hon. Peter Shumlin,
Governor of Vermont; Andrew Biggs, Ph.D., Resident Scholar,
American Enterprise Institute; Mr. Mark Mix, President,
National Right to Work Committee; Robert Novy-Marx, Ph.D.,
Professor of Finance, University of Rochester Simon Graduate
School of Business; and Desmond Lachman, Ph.D., Resident
Scholar, American Enterprise Institute.
Apr. 18, 2011, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Policies Affecting High Tech Growth and Federal Adoption of
Industry Best Practices'' located at the Council Chambers of
the San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose,
CA. Witnesses: Mr. Milo Medin, Vice President for Access
Services, Google; Mr. Stuart McKee, National Technology
Officer, U.S. Public Sector, Microsoft; and Mr. Patrick
Quinlan, President, Rivet Software.
Apr. 19, 2011, 8:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation: Assessing the
Cumulative Impact of EPA Regulation on America's Farmers''
located at Salinas City Council Chambers, 200 Lincoln Avenue,
Salinas, California. Witnesses: Mr. Tom Nassif, President and
CEO, Western Growers Association; Mr. Jim Bogart, President,
Gowers/Shippers Association of Central California; Mr. Richard
R. Smith, Owner, Paraiso Vineyards; Mr. Norm Groot, Executive
Director, Monterey County Farm Bureau; Mr. Mike Jarrard, Mann
Packing Co., Inc.; Mr. Mark Murai.
Apr. 21, 2011, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Federal Policies Affecting Innovation and Job Growth in the
Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industries'' located at Atkinson
Hall, the University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman
Drive, La Jolla, CA. Witnesses: David Gollaher, M.D., President
and CEO, California Healthcare Institute; Mr. Duane J. Roth,
CEO, Connect; Mr. Joseph D. Panetta, President and CEO, BIOCOM;
Mr. Alexis Lukianov, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer, NuVasive, Inc.; Ms. Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor,
University of California, San Diego.
May 3, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Presidential Records in the New Millennium: Updating the
Presidential Records Act and Other Federal Recordkeeping
Statutes to Improve Electronic Records Preservation.''
Witnesses: Hon. David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United
States, National Archives and Records Administration; Mr. Brook
Colangelo, Chief Information Officer, Office of Administration,
Executive Office of the President.
May 6, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee field hearing
entitled, ``Pathways To Energy Independence: Hydraulic
Fracturing And Other New Technologies, `` held at the Kern
County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1115 Truxtun Avenue,
Bakersfield, California. Witnesses: Assemblywoman Shannon
Grove, 32nd District of California; Mr. Rock Zierman, CEO,
California Independent Petroleum Association; William F.
Whitsitt, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Devon Energy; Mr.
Steve Layton, President, E&B Natural Resources Management
Corporation; and Mr. Tupper Hull, Vice President Western States
Petroleum Association.
May 10, 2011, 12:30 p.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``The Future of Capital Formation.'' Witnesses: Hon. Mary
Schapiro, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
Ms. Meredith Cross, Director of the Division of Corporation
Finance, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Mr. Barry E
Silbert, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Second Market,
Inc.; Mr. Eric Koester, Chief Operation Officer and Founder,
Zaarly, Inc.; Richard W. Rahn, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Cato
Institute; Mr. Jon Macey, Sam Harris Professor of Corporate
Law, Securities Law and Corporate Finance, Yale Law School;
Hon. Roel Campos, Partner, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell, LLP.
May 12, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Politicizing Procurement: Will President Obama's Proposal
Curb Free Speech & Hurt Small Business?'' Witnesses: The
Honorable Daniel Gordon, Administrator for Office of Federal
Procurement Policy, OMB; Mr. Alan Chvotkin, Senior Vice
President, Professional Services Counsel; Mr. Mark Renaud,
Partner, Wiley Rein, LLP; Ms. M.L. Mackey, CEO, Beacon
Interactive Systems; Ms. Lawrie Hollingsworth, President, Asset
Recovery Technologies, Inc.; Mrs. Marion Blakey, President and
CEO, Aerospace Industries Association; Mr. Brad Smith,
Professor Capital University Law School.
May 24, 2011, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Pain at the Pump: Policies that Suppress Domestic Production
of Oil and Gas.'' Witnesses: Hon. Lisa P. Jackson,
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; and Hon. David
J. Hayes, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior.
June 2, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Making the Gulf Coast Whole Again: Assessing the Recovery
Efforts of BP and the Obama Administration After the Oil
Spill.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Haley Barbour, Governor,
State of Mississippi; Mr. Craig Taffaro, President, St.
Bernard's Parish, LA; Mr. Bill Williams, Commissioner, Gulf
County, FL; Mr. Cory Kief, President, Offshore Towing, Inc.;
Mr. Frank Rusco, Director, Energy and Science Issues,
Government Accountability Office; Mr. Michael Bromwich,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and
Enforcement, U.S. Department of the Interior.
June 13, 2011, 1:00 p.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Obstruction of Justice: Does the Justice Department Have to
Respond to a Lawfully Issued and Valid Congressional
Subpoena?'' Witnesses: Mr. Morton Rosenberg, Former Specialist
in American Public Law, American Law Division, Congressional
Research Service, Library of Congress; Mr. Todd Tatelman,
Legislative Attorney, Congressional Research Service's American
Law Division; Mr. Louis Fisher, Scholar in Residence, The
Constitution Project; Professor Charles Tiefer, Commissioner,
Commission on Wartime Contracting.
June 14, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Achieving Transparency and Accountability in Federal
Spending.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Earl Devaney, Chairman,
Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board; Ms. Ellen
Miller, Executive Director, Sunlight Foundation; Mr. Patrick
Quinlan, Chief Executive Officer, Rivet Software; Ms. Kim
Wallin, Controller, State of Nevada; Mr. Craig Jennings,
Director of Federal Fiscal Policy, OMB Watch.
June 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Operation Fast and Furious: Reckless Decisions, Tragic
Outcomes.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Charles E. Grassley,
Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary; Ms.
Josephine Terry, Mother of Late Border Agent Brian Terry; Ms.
Michelle Terry Balogh, Sister of Late Border Agent Brian Terry;
Mr. Robert Heyer, Cousin of Late Border Agent Brian Terry;
Special Agent John Dodson, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives, Phoenix Field Division; Special Agent
Olindo ``Lee'' Casa, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives, Phoenix Field Division; Special Agent Peter
Forcelli, Group Supervisor, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives, Phoenix Field Division; The Honorable
Ronald Weich, Assistant Attorney General. U.S. Department of
Justice
June 17, 2011, 12:30 p.m.--Full Committee Field hearing
entitled, ``Unionization Through Regulation: The NLRB's Holding
Pattern on Free Enterprise'' located at the Charleston County
Council Chambers, The Lonnie Hamilton Building, 4045 Bridge
View Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina. Witnesses: Mr.
Philip Miscimarra, Labor Attorney, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP;
Mr. Neil Whitman, President, Dunhill Staffing Systems;
Professor Julius G. Getman, Earl E. Sheffield Regents Chair,
University of Texas at Austin School of Law; Ms. Cynthia
Ramaker, Employee, The Boeing Company (Testifying on Her Own
Behalf); Mr. Lafe Solomon, Acting General Counsel, National
Labor Relations Board; The Honorable Nikki Haley, Governor of
the State of South Carolina; The Honorable Alan Wilson,
Attorney General of the State of South Carolina.
June 21, 2011, 1:00 p.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``The Hatch Act: The Challenges of Separating Politics from
Policy.''
Witnesses: Mr. Richard W. Painter, Professor of Corporate
Law, University of Minnesota Law School, Former Associate White
House Counsel to President George W. Bush 2005-2007; Mr. Scott
A. Coffina, Partner, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads,
LLP, Former Associate White House Counsel to President George
W. Bush 2007-2009; Ms. Ana Galindo-Marrone, Hatch Act Unit
Chief, U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
July 7, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Cybersecurity: Assessing the Nation's Ability to Address the
Growing Cyber Threat.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Greg Shaffer,
Acting Deputy Under Secretary, National Protection and Programs
Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Mr. James A.
Baker, Associate Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of
Justice; Mr. Robert J. Butler, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Cyber Policy, U.S. Department of Defense; Mr. Ari Schwartz,
Senior Internet Policy Advisor, National Institute of Standards
and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce.
July 14, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Consumer Financial Protection Efforts: Answers Needed.''
Witness: The Honorable Elizabeth Warren, Assistant to the
President and Special Adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury
for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
July 26, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Operation Fast and Furious: The Other Side of the Border.''
Witnesses: Mr. Darren Gil, Former ATF Attache to Mexico; Mr.
Lorren Leadmon, ATF Intelligence Operations Specialist; Special
Agent Jose Wall, ATF Senior Special Agent, Tijuana, Mexico;
Special Agent William Newell, Former ATF Special Agent in
Charge, Phoenix Field Division; Special Agent Carlos Canino,
ATF Acting Attach to Mexico; Special Agent William McMahon, ATF
Deputy Assistant Director for Field Operations (West, including
Phoenix and Mexico).
July 27, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Disposal of Federal Real Property: Legislative Proposals.''
Witnesses: The Honorable Jason Chaffetz, Member of Congress;
The Honorable Mike Quigley, Member of Congress; The Honorable
Jeff Denham, Member of Congress; The Honorable Daniel Werfel,
Controller, Office of Management and Budget; Mr. David Foley,
Deputy Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, U.S. General
Services Administration; Ms. Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director, Budget Analysis Division, Congressional Budget
Office; Mr. Joseph Moravec, Former Commissioner, Public
Buildings Administration, U.S. General Services Administration;
Ms. Maria Foscarinis, Executive Director, National Center on
Homelessness & Poverty.
Sept. 14, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``How A Broken Process Leads to Flawed Regulations.''
Witnesses: John Graham, Ph. D., Dean, Indiana University School
of Public and Environmental Affairs, former OIRA Administrator;
Mrs. Robbie LeValley, Co-owner, Homestead Meats, Member of the
Board of Directors, National Cattlemen's Beef Association; Mr.
David Arkush, Director, Public Citizen's Congress Watch; Mr.
David Barker, Owner, Vida Preciosa International, Inc.; Mr.
Mathew Palmer, Flight Attendant, Delta Air Lines (testifying on
his own behalf); The Honorable Cass Sunstein, Administrator,
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget.
Sept. 22, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``How Obama's Green Energy Agenda is Killing Jobs.'' Witnesses:
The Honorable Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor, United States
Department of Energy; Mr. Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary,
United States Department of Energy; The Honorable Keith Hall,
Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States
Department of Labor.
Oct. 4, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Where is the Peace Dividend? Examining the Final Report to
Congress of the Commission on Wartime Contracting.'' Witnesses:
Commissioner Clark Kent Ervin, Commission on Wartime
Contracting; Commissioner Katherine Schinasi, Commission on
Wartime Contracting; Commissioner Michael J. Thibault, Co-
Chair, Commission on Wartime Contracting; Commissioner Robert
J. Henke, Commission on Wartime Contracting; Commissioner
Christopher Shays, Co-Chair, Commission on Wartime Contracting;
Commissioner Charles Tiefer, Commission on Wartime Contracting;
Commissioner Dov S. Zakheim, Commission on Wartime Contracting;
Commissioner Grant S. Green (Invited), Commission on Wartime
Contracting.
Nov. 1, 2011, 1:00 p.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Lights Out II: Should EPA Take A Step Back to Fully Consider
Utility MACT's Impact on Job Creation?'' Witnesses: The
Honorable Kenneth Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General,
Commonwealth of Virginia; The Honorable Robert Perciasepe,
Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
Josh Bivens, Ph.D., Economist, Economic Policy Institute.
Nov. 14, 2011, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Delphi Pension Fallout: Federal Government Picked Winners and
Losers, So Who Won and Who Lost?'' Witnesses: Mr. Steve Gebbia;
Mr. Chuck Cunningham; Mr. Den Black; Mr. Bruce Gump; Ms. Mary
Miller; Mr. Tom Rose; Ms. Barbara Bovbjerg, Managing Director,
Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, Government
Accountability Office; Mr. Vincent K. Snowbarger, Deputy
Director for Operations, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Nov. 16, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Pay for Performance: Should Fannie and Freddie Executives Be
Receiving Millions in Bailouts?'' Witnesses: Mr. Michael J.
Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fannie Mae;
Mr. Charles E. ``Ed'' Haldeman, Jr., Chief Executive Officer,
Freddie Mac; Mr. Edward J. DeMarco, Acting Director, Federal
Housing Finance Agency.
Dec. 1, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``HHS and the Catholic Church: Examining the Politicization of
Grants.'' Witnesses: Mr. George Sheldon, Acting Assistant
Secretary, Administration for Children and Families, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services; Mr. Eskinder Negash,
Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement , Administration for
Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
Dec. 14, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``The Leadership of the Nuclear Regulatory Committee.''
Witnesses (all from Nuclear Regulatory Commission): The
Honorable Gregory Jaczko, Chairman; The Honorable George E.
Apostolakis, Commissioner; The Honorable William C. Ostendorff,
Commissioner; The Honorable Kristine L. Svinicki, Commissioner;
The Honorable William D. Magwood, IV, Commissioner; Mr. William
Borchardt, Executive Director for Operations; and Mr. Steven
Burns, General Counsel.
Dec. 14, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``HHS and the Catholic Church: Examining the Politicization of
Grants (minority day of hearing).'' Witnesses: Ms. Florrie
Burke, Consultant, Anti-Human Trafficking/Human Rights/
Collaborations and Chair Emeritus, Freedom Network USA; and Ms.
Andrea Powell, Executive Director and Co-Founder, FAIR Girls.
Feb. 1, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Uncharted Territory: What are the Consequences of President
Obama's Unprecedented ``Recess'' Appointments.'' Witnesses: The
Honorable Mike Lee, United States Senator (R-UT); The Honorable
C. Boyden Gray, Founding Partner, Boyden Gray & Associates; Mr.
Andrew J. Pincus, Partner, Mayer Brown; Mr. Michael J.
Gerhardt, Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor in Constitutional
Law University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Law; Mr. David
B. Rivkin, Partner, Baker Hostetler, LLP; Mr. Mark A. Carter,
Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP.
Feb. 2, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Fast and Furious: Management Failures at the Department of
Justice.'' Witness: The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney
General of the United States.
Feb. 8, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``The Right to Choose: Protecting Workers from Forced Political
Contributions.'' Witnesses: Ms. Claire Waites, 8th Grade
Science Teacher, Bay Minette, Alabama; Ms. Sally Coomer, Home
Healthcare Agency Owner, Home Healthcare Provider, Carnation,
Washington; Mr. Terry Bowman, Line Worker, Ford Motor Company;
and Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt, Ph.D., Willard and Margaret Carr
Professor of Labor and Employment Law, Maurer School of Law,
Indiana University of Bloomington.
Feb. 13, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Exploring all the Energy Options and Solutions: South Texas
as a Leader in Creating Jobs and Strengthening the Economy''
held at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, TX.''
Witnesses: Ms. Elizabeth Ames Jones, Chairman, Railroad
Commission of Texas; Mr. Charif Souki, Chief Executive Officer,
Cheniere Energy, Inc.; Mr. Jeff Weis, Executive Vice President,
Orion Drilling Company LLC; Mr. Scott Stanford, Operations
Manager, Royal Offshore, Royal Production Company, Inc.; Mr.
Mark Leyland, Senior Vice President, Offshore Wind Projects,
Baryonyx Corporation; Mr. Roland C. Mower, President and Chief
Executive Officer, Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development
Corporation; and Mr. Robert E. Parker, President, Repcon, Inc.
Feb. 15, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Why Reshuffling Government Agencies Won't Solve the Federal
Government's Obesity Problem.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Mark
R. Warner, United States Senator from Virginia; The Honorable
Ron Johnson, United States Senator from Wisconsin; Paul C.
Light, Ph.D., Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service,
Robert Wagner School of Public Service; The Honorable Dan
Blair, President and CEO, National Academy of Public
Administration; Mr. Robert Shea, Principal, Grant Thornton,
LLP; and Mr. Max Stier, President and CEO, Partnership for
Public Service.
Feb. 16, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Separation of Church and State: Has the Obama Administration
Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?''
Witnesses: The Most Reverend William E. Lori, Roman Catholic
Bishop of Bridgeport, CT, Chairman Ad Hoc Committee for
Religious Liberty, United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops; The Reverend Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, President, The
Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod; C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D, Graves
Professor of Moral Philosophy, Union University; Rabbi Meir
Soloveichik, Director, Straus Center for Torah and Western
Thought, Yeshiva University and Associate Rabbi, Congregation
Kehilath Jeshurun; Craig Mitchell, Ph.D, Associate Professor of
Ethics, and Chair, Ethics Department, Associate Director of the
Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement, Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary; Mr. John H. Garvey, President,
The Catholic University of America; Dr. William K. Thierfelder,
President, Belmont Abbey College; Dr. Samuel W. ``Dub'' Oliver,
President, East Texas Baptist University; Dr. Allison Dabbs
Garrett, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Oklahoma
Christian University; Laura Champion, M.D., Medical Director,
Calvin College Health Services; and Barry W. Lynn, Esq.,
Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church
and State.
Feb. 28, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Government 2.0: GAO Unveils New Duplicative Program Report.
Witnesses: The Honorable Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of
the United States, U.S. Government Accountability Office; and
The Honorable Tom Coburn, United States Senate.
March 8, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Food Stamp Fraud as a Business Model: USDA's Struggle to
Police Store Owners.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Kevin
Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer
Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture; The Honorable Phyllis
K. Fong, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Ms.
Jennifer Hatcher, Senior Vice President, Government and Public
Affairs, Food Marketing Institute; and The Honorable Kenya Mann
Faulkner, Inspector General, Pennsylvania Office of Inspector
General.
March 19, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee field hearing
entitled, ``Failure to Recover: The State of Housing Markets,
Mortgage Servicing Practices, and Foreclosures'' to be held at
the Brooklyn Borough Hall, located at 209 Joralemon Street,
Brooklyn, NY. Witnesses: Mr. Morris Morgan, Deputy Comptroller
for Large Bank Supervision, Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency; Ms. Suzanne G. Killian, Senior Associate Director for
the Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Federal Reserve
System; Mr. Alfred M. Pollard, General Counsel, Federal Housing
Finance Agency; Ms. Sheila Sellers, National Mortgage Outreach
Executive Bank of America; Mr. Eric J. Schuppenhauer, Senior
Vice President, Mortgage Banking--Core Servicing and Borrower
Assistance Executive, JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA; Mr. Joe Ohayon,
Senior Vice President, Community Relations, Wells Fargo Home
Mortgage; Mr. Jeff Jaffee, Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer,
CitiMortgage; The Honorable Arthur M. Schack Supreme Court
Justice, State of New York; Ms. Meghan Faux, Deputy Director,
South Brooklyn Legal Services; and Mr. Edward Pinto, Resident
Fellow, American Enterprise Institute.
March 20, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing
entitled, ``Oversight of the Department of Energy's Stimulus
Spending.'' Witness: The Honorable Steven Chu, Secretary of
Energy.
March 21, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Europe's Sovereign Debt Crisis: Causes, Consequences for the
United States and Lessons Learned.'' Witnesses: The Honorable
Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury; and The
Honorable Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman, Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System.
March 26, 2012, 1:30 p.m.--Full Committee joint hearing
with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
entitled, ``TSA Oversight Part III: Effective Security or
Security Theater?'' Witnesses: Mr. Christopher L. McLaughlin,
Assistant Administrator for Security Operations, Transportation
Security Administration; Mr. Stephen Sadler, Assistant
Administrator for Intelligence and Analysis, Transportation
Security Administration; Mr. Stephen M. Lord, Director,
Homeland Security and Justice Issues, U.S. Government
Accountability Office; and Rear Admiral Paul F. Zukunft,
Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and
Stewardship, United States Coast Guard.
April 16, 2012, 1:30 p.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Addressing GSA's Culture of Wasteful Spending.'' Witnesses:
The Honorable Brian D. Miller, Inspector General, U.S. General
Services Administration; The Honorable Martha N. Johnson,
Former Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration; Mr.
Jeff Neely, Regional Commissioner, Public Buildings Service,
Pacific Rim Region (9), U.S. General Services Administration;
The Honorable Michael J. Robertson, Chief of Staff, U.S.
General Services Administration, Mr. David E. Foley, Deputy
Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, U.S. General Services
Administration; and The Honorable Daniel M. Tangherlini, Acting
Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration.
May 9, 2012, 1:00 p.m.--Joint Hearing of the Full Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure entitled, ``TSA Oversight
Part IV: Is TSA Effectively Procuring, Deploying, and Storing
Aviation Security Equipment and Technology?'' Witnesses: Mr.
David R. Nicholson, Assistant Administrator for Finance and
Administration and Chief Financial Officer, Transportation
Security Administration; Mr. Charles K. Edwards, Acting
Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security; and Mr.
Stephen M. Lord, Director, Homeland Security and Justice
Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office.
May 10, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Where Are All the Watchdogs? Addressing Inspector General
Vacancies.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Phyllis K. Fong,
Inspector General, United States Department of Agriculture, and
Chair, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and
Efficiency; The Honorable Brian D. Miller, Inspector General,
United States General Services Administration; Mr. Jake Wiens,
Investigator, Project on Government Oversight (POGO); and The
Honorable Daniel I. Werfel, Controller, Office of Federal
Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget.
May 31, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Rhetoric vs. Reality: Does President Obama Really Support an
`All-of-the-Above' Energy Strategy?'' Witnesses: Mr. Michael
Krancer, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection; Ms. Kathleen Sgamma, Vice-President of Government
and Public Affairs, Western Energy Alliance; Mr. Mark J. Perry,
Scholar, American Enterprise Institute; Mr. Daniel J. Weiss,
Senior Fellow and Director of Climate Strategy, Center for
American Progress Action Fund; Mr. Charles T. Drevna,
President, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers; and Mr.
Peter S. Glaser, Partner, Troutman Sanders LLP.
June 4, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee Field Hearing
entitled, ``EPA Overreach and the Impact on New Hampshire
Communities'', Exeter, New Hampshire. Witnesses: The Honorable
T.J. Jean, Mayor of Rochester, New Hampshire; Mr. Dean Peschel,
Peschel Consulting LLC; Mr. John C. Hall, Hall & Associates;
Mr. Peter Rice, Public Works Director, City of Portsmouth, New
Hampshire; and Mr. H. Curtis ``Curt'' Spalding, Regional
Administrator, EPA New England Headquarters, Region 1.
June 6, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee Hearing:
``Addressing Concerns About the Integrity of the U.S.
Department of Labor's Jobs Reporting'' Witnesses: Mr. Daniel
Moss, Executive Editor, Economy, Bloomberg News; Mr. Robert
Doherty, General Manager, United States at Reuters News; Ms.
Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director, Reporters Committee for
Freedom of the Press, Dr. Keith Hall, Senior Research Fellow,
Mercatus Center, George Mason University; Ms. Diana Furchtgott-
Roth, Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute; Mr. Carl
Fillichio, Senior Advisor for Communications and Public
Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor; Mr. John M. Galvin, Acting
Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; The Honorable
Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training,
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
June 18, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee Field Hearing,
``Tennessee Job Creation: Do Federal Government Regulations
Help or Hinder Tennessee's Economic Development? Held at the
Campus of Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro,
Tennessee. Witnesses: The Honorable Bill Haslam, Governor,
State of Tennessee; The Honorable Lamar Alexander, United
States Senate; The Honorable Bob Corker, United States Senate;
Mr. William ``Bill'' F. Hagerty, IV, Commissioner, Tennessee
Department of Economic and Community Development; Mr. Mark
Faulkner, Owner, Vireo Systems, Inc., (on behalf of the
National Federation of Independent Business); Mr. H. Grady
Payne, Chief Executive Officer, Conner Industries, Inc., Mr.
Scott Cocanougher, Chief Executive Officer, First Community
Bank of Bedford County; and Mr. Bob Bedell, Sales Unit Manager,
Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated (on behalf of the
Beverage Association of Tennessee).
July 10, 2012, 1:30 p.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Examining the Impact of ObamaCare on Job Creators and the
Economy.'' Witnesses: Mr. Jamie Richardson, Vice President,
White Castle System, Inc.; Mr. Michael Frederich, President and
Owner, MCM Composites; Ms. Mary Miller, CEO, JANCOA Janitorial
Services, Inc.; The Honorable Daniel Wolf, Massachusetts State
Senator, Founder and CEO, Cape Air; and John Goodman, Ph.D.,
President and CEO, National Center for Policy Analysis.
July 13, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee Field Hearing
entitled, ``America's Energy Future, Part I: A Review of
Unnecessary and Burdensome Regulations'' held at the University
of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma. Witnesses: Mr. C.
Michael Ming, Secretary of Energy, State of Oklahoma; Ms.
Patrice Douglas, Commissioner, Oklahoma Corporation Commission;
Mr. Mike McDonald, President and Co-owner, Triad Energy, Inc.,
President, Domestic Energy Producers Alliance; Ms. Patricia D.
Horn, Vice President for Governance and Environmental Health &
Safety, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company; Mr. Brian Woodard,
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Oklahoma Independent
Petroleum Association; and Mr. Joe Leonard, Environmental
Health and Safety Engineer, Devon Energy Corporation.
July 14, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee Field Hearing
entitled, ``America's Energy Future, Part II: A Blueprint for
Domestic Energy Production'' held at the North Dakota State
University, Fargo, North Dakota. Witnesses: Mr. Al R. Anderson,
Commissioner, North Dakota Department of Commerce; Mr. Lynn D.
Helms, Director, North Dakota Industrial Commission, Department
of Mineral Resources; Mr. Michael Ziesch, Manager, Labor Market
Information Center, Job Service North Dakota; Mr. Jack R.
Ekstrom, Vice President, Corporate and Government Relations,
Whiting Petroleum Corporation; Mr. Jack H. Stark, Senior Vice
President of Exploration, Continental Resources, Inc.; Mr.
Kevin Hatfield, Senior Director of Gathering Systems, Enbridge,
Inc.; and Mr. Henry (Tad) A. True, Vice President, Bridger
Pipeline LLC and Belle Fourche Pipeline, True Companies.
July 19, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``Continuing Oversight of Regulatory Impediments to Job
Creation: Job Creators Still Buried by Red Tape.'' Witnesses:
Mr. Paul A. Yarossi, President, HNTB Holdings, Ltd., on behalf
of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association; Mr.
Jim Hamby, Chief Executive Officer, Vision Bank; Mr. J. Billy
Pirkle, Senior Director EHS, Crop Production Services, Inc., on
behalf of the Agricultural Retailers Association, Mr. Howard
Williams, Vice President & General Manager, Construction
Specialties, Inc.; Mr. Steve Russell, Vice President, Plastics
Division, American Chemistry Council; and Mr. Barry Rutenberg;
Barry Rutenberg & Associates, Inc., on behalf of the National
Association of Home Builders.
July 25, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``GAO Report: The Obama Administration's $8 Billion Extralegal
Healthcare Spending Project.'' Witnesses: Mr. James C.
Cosgrove, Director, Health Care, U.S. Government Accountability
Office; Ms. Edda Emmanuelli-Perez, Managing Associate General
Counsel, U.S. Government Accountability Office; and Mr.
Jonathan Blum, Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for
Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
August 2, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``IRS: Enforcing ObamaCare's New Rules and Taxes.'' Witnesses:
Mr. Mark Everson, Vice Chairman, Alliantgroup; Ms. Nina Olson,
National Taxpayer Advocate, Internal Revenue Service; Professor
Timothy Jost, Washington and Lee University; Mr. Michael
Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute; Mr.
Douglas Shulman, Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service.
Sept. 20, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Full Committee hearing entitled,
``IG Report: The Department of Justice's Office of the
Inspector General Examines the Failures of Operation Fast and
Furious.'' Witness: The Honorable Michael E. Horowitz;
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice.
October 10, 2012, 12:00 p.m.--Full Committee hearing
entitled, ``The Security Failures of Benghazi.'' Witnesses: Lt.
Col. Andrew Wood, Utah National Guard, U.S. Army; Mr. Eric
Nordstrom, Regional Security Officer, U.S. Department of State;
Ms. Charlene R. Lamb, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
International Programs, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U.S.
Department of State; and the Honorable Patrick F. Kennedy,
Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of State.
November 29, 2012, 2:00 p.m.--Full Committee hearing
entitled, ``1 in 88 Children: A Look Into the Federal Response
to Rising Rates of Autism.'' Witnesses: Alan Guttmacher, M.D.,
Director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health;
Coleen Boyle, Ph.D., Director of the National Center on Birth
Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; Mr. Bob Wright, Co-Founder, Autism
Speaks; Mr. Scott Badesch, President, Autism Society; Mr. Mark
Blaxill, Board Member, SafeMinds; Mr. Bradley McGarry,
Coordinator of the Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst,
Mercyhurst University; Mr. Michael John Carley, Executive
Director, Global & Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership; and
Mr. Ari Ne'eman, President, Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
December 12, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Full Committee hearing
entitled, ``HGH Testing in the NFL: Is the Science Ready?''
Witnesses: Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, Ph.D., Principal Deputy
Director, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services; Larry Bowers, Ph.D., Chief Science
Officer, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency; Mr. Richard M. Butkus, NFL
Hall of Fame Member, I Play Clean (iplayclean.org); Linn
Goldberg, M.D., F.A.C.S.M., Head, Division of Health Promotion
& Sports Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University; Mr.
Mike Gimbel, Director, Powered by Me!, University of Maryland
St. Joseph Medical Center.
SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS AND HEARINGS HELD
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor
Policy:
Mar. 2, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Federal Workforce,
U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing, ``Pushing the
Envelope: The Looming Crisis at USPS.'' Witnesses: Hon. Patrick
Donahoe, Postmaster General, USPS; Ms. Ruth Goldway, Chair,
Postal Regulatory Commission; Mr. Phil Herr, Director, Physical
Infrastructure Issues, U.S. GAO; Jim Sampey, Executive Vice
President and Chief Operations Officer, Valpak; Mr. Arthor
Sackler, Coordinator, Coalition for a 21st Century Postal
Service; and Mr. Frederic Rolando, Director of Legislative and
Political Affairs, National Association of Letter Carriers
(AFL-CIO).
Mar. 9, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing, ``Are
Federal Workers Underpaid?'' Witnesses: Hon. John Berry,
Director, Office of Management and Budget; Mr. Andrew Biggs,
Ph.D., Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Mr.
James Sherk, Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics, The
Heritage Foundation; Mr. Max Stier, President, Partnership for
Public Service; and Ms. Colleen Kelley, National President,
National Treasury Employees Union.
Apr. 13, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Federal Employees' Compensation Act: A Fair
Approach?'' Witnesses: Mr. Gary Steinberg, Acting Director,
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of
Labor; Mr. Douglas Fitzgerald, Director, Division of Federal
Employees' Compensation, U.S. Department of Labor; Mr. Bill
Siemer, Assistant IG for Investigations, USPS; Ms. Lisa
McManus, President and CEO, Contract Claim Services, Inc., Ms.
Milagros Rodriguez, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist,
AMGE.
May 12, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal Workforce,
U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy hearing entitled, ``Where
Have All the Letters Gone?--The Mailing Industry and Its
Future.'' Witnesses: Mr. Dave Riebe, President of Logistics and
Distribution, Quad/Graphics; Mr. Jerry Cerasale, Senior Vice
President, Government Affairs, Direct Marketing Association;
Mr. Rob Melton, Vice President of Specialty Paper, Domtar; and
Mr. Todd Haycock, Director, Postal Services, 3i Infotech, North
America.
May 26, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on the Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Rightsizing the Federal Workforce.'' Witnesses:
Hon. Cynthia M. Lummis, U.S. House of Representatives; Hon.
Thomas Marino, U.S. House of Representatives; Mr. Andrew G.
Biggs, Resident Scholar, AEI; and Mr. William R. Dougan,
National President, National Federation of Federal Employees.
June 1, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on the Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Official Time: Good Value for the Taxpayers?''
Witnesses: Hon. Phil Gingrey, M.D., U.S. House of
Representatives; Mr. Timothy Curry, Deputy Associate Director,
Partnership and Public Relations, U.S. Office of Personnel
Management; Mr. James Sherk, Senior Policy Analyst in Labor
Economics, The Heritage Foundation; Mr. F. Vincent Vernuccio,
Labor Policy Counsel, CEI; Mr. John Gage, National President,
American Federation of Government Employees.
June 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Postal Infrastructure: How Much Can We Afford?''
Witnesses: Mr. David Williams, Vice President, Network
Operations Management, United States Postal Service; Mr. Dean
Granholm, Vice President, Delivery and Post Office Operations,
United States Postal Service; Mr. Phillip Herr, Director,
Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability
Office; Mr. Michael Winn, President, Greylock Associates, LLC;
Mr. Joe Hete, President and CEO, ATSG, Inc.; Mr. Cliff Guffey,
President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO.
July 27, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``The Thrift Savings Plan: Helping Federal Employees
Achieve Retirement Security.'' Witnesses: Mr. Gregory Long,
Executive Director, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board;
Mr. Clifford Dailing, Chairman, Employee Thrift Advisory
Council, Secretary-Treasurer, National Rural Letter Carriers'
Association; Mr. Joseph Beaudoin, President, National Active
and Retired Federal Employees Association.
Nov. 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Back to the Basics: Is OPM Meeting its Mission?''
Witnesses: The Honorable John Berry, Director, U.S. Office of
Personnel Management; Mr. Matthew Perry, Chief Information
Officer, U.S. Office of Personnel Management; The Honorable
Patrick E. McFarland, Inspector General, U.S. Office of
Personnel Management; Mr. Jeffrey E. Cole, Deputy Assistant
Inspector General for Audits, U.S. Office of Personnel
Management; Mr. Pasquale ``Pat'' M. Tamburrino, Jr., Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy,
U.S. Department of Defense; Ms. Valerie C. Melvin, Director,
Information Management and Human Capital Issues, U.S.
Government Accountability Office; Mr. Patrick W. Manzo,
Executive Vice President, Global Customer Service and Chief
Privacy Officer, Monster Worldwide, Inc.; and Mr. Mark Conway,
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Monster
Worldwide, Inc.
Jan. 25, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Retirement Readiness: Strengthening the Federal
Pension System.'' Witnesses: Mr. Charles ``Chuck'' Grimes,
Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Office of Personnel Management;
Andrew Biggs, Ph. D., Resident Scholar, American Enterprise
Institute; Mr. Pete Sepp, Executive Vice President, National
Taxpayers Union; Mr. David B. Snell, Director of Retirement
Benefits, National Active and Retired Federal Employees
Association (NARFE); The Honorable Howard Coble (NC-06); The
Honorable Mike Coffman (CO-06); The Honorable Robert J. Dold
(IL-10); The Honorable Tim Griffin (AR-02); and The Honorable
Richard B. Nugent (FL-05).
Feb. 29, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Honoring George Washington's Legacy: Does America
Need a Reminder?'' Witnesses: The Honorable Frank Wolf, Member
of Congress; Mr. Richard Brookhiser, Author of George
Washington on Leadership; Ms. Anne D. Neal, President, American
Council of Trustees and Alumni; Ms. Lucia Henderson, Vice
Regent, District of Columbia Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
March 27, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing
entitled, ``Can a USPS-Run Health Plan Help Solve its Financial
Crisis?'' Witnesses: Mr. Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General
and CEO, United States Postal Service; Mr. Walton Francis,
Author and Federal Health Care Expert.
May 16, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Federal Workforce,
U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy hearing entitled, ``Hatch
Act: Options of Reform.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Carolyn N.
Lerner, Special Counsel, U.S. Office of Special Counsel;
Special Counsel Lerner will be accompanied by: Ms. Ana Galindo-
Marrone, Chief, Hatch Act Unit, U.S. Office of Special Counsel;
The Honorable Irvin B. Nathan, Attorney General, District of
Columbia; The Honorable Jon J. Greiner, Former Utah State
Senator; Mr. Scott A. Coffina, Partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath
LLP; and Mr. Jon Adler, National President, Federal Law
Enforcement Officers Association.
Subcommittee on Government Organization Efficiency and Financial
Management:
Feb. 16, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing,
``Making Sense of the Numbers: Improving the Federal Financial
Reporting Model.'' Witnesses: Mr. Thomas Allen, Chairman, The
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board; Mr. Jonathan D.
Breul, Executive Director, IBM Center for the Business of
Government; Mr. Michael J. Hettinger, Executive Director, Grant
Thornton LLP.
Mar. 9, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing, ``A
Look at the FY10 Consolidated Financial Report of the U.S.
Government.'' Witnesses: Hon. Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller
General of the United States, U.S. GAO; Hon. Daniel I. Werfel,
Controller, Office of Management and Budget; and Hon. Richard
L. Gregg, Fiscal Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of the
Treasury.
Mar. 10, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Joint hearing of the Subcommittee
on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private
Programs and the Subcommittee on Government Organization,
Efficiency and Financial Management entitled, ``Financial
management, Work Force, and Operations at the SEC: Who's
Watching Wall Street's Watchdog?'' Witnesses: Hon. Mary
Schapiro, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
Mr. Jeffrey Risinger, Director, Office of Human Resources, SEC;
Mr. Jonathan Katz, Former Secretary, SEC; Mr. Stephen J.
Crimmins, K & L Gates, LLP; Ms. Helen Chairman, Attorney at
Law, Baker and Poliakoff, LLP.
Mar. 11, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Red to Black: Improving Collection of Delinquent
Debt Owed to the Government.'' Witness: David Lebryk,
Commissioner, Financial Management Service, Department of the
Treasury.
Apr. 15, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Improper Payments: Finding Solutions.'' Witnesses:
Hon. Daniel Werfel, Controller, OMB; and Ms. Kay L. Daly,
Director, Financial Management and Assurance, U.S. GAO.
May 13, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency, and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Financial Management at the Department of Homeland
Security.'' Witnesses: Ms. Peggy Sherry, Deputy Chief Financial
Officer and Acting CFO, DHS.
June 2, 2011, 12:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency, and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``IRS E-file and Identity Theft.'' Witnesses: Mr. Jim
White, Director of Strategic Issues, Government Accountability
Office; Ms. Sharon Hawa, Identity Theft Victim; Ms. Lori
Petraco, Identity Theft Victim; Ms. LaVonda Thompson, Identity
Theft Victim; The Honorable Douglas H. Shulman, Commissioner,
Internal Revenue Service.
July 28, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Improper Medicare Payments: $48 Billion in Waste?''
Witnesses: The Honorable Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General,
Office of the Inspector General, Health & Human Services; Ms.
Michelle Snyder, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services; Ms. Kay Daly, Director of
Financial Management and Assurance, Government Accountability
Office; Ms. Kathleen King, Director of Health Care, Government
Accountability Office.
Sept. 23, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``The Department of Defense: Challenges in Financial
Management.'' Witnesses: Mr. Mark Easton, Deputy Chief
Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Defense; Mr. Daniel
Blair, Deputy Inspector General for Auditing, Office of
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense; Mr. Asif Khan,
Director of Financial Management and Assurance, Government
Accountability Office.
Oct. 27, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Internal Control Weaknesses at the Department of
Homeland Security.'' Witnesses: Ms. Peggy Sherry, Deputy Chief
Financial Officer, Department of Homeland Security; Mr. Robert
West, Chief Information Security Officer, Department of
Homeland Security; Mr. John McCoy, Deputy Assistant Inspector
General for Audits, Office of the Inspector General, Department
of Homeland Security.
Nov. 4, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Identity Theft and Tax Fraud: Growing Problems for
the Internal Revenue Service.'' Witnesses: The Honorable
Richard Nugent (FL-05), U.S. House of Representative; The
Honorable J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration; Mr. Steven T. Miller, Deputy Commissioner for
Services & Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service; Mr. Ronald A.
Cimino, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Matters,
Tax Division, United States Department of Justice.
Dec. 7, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management and
Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and
the National Archives joint hearing entitled, ``A Medicaid
Fraud Victim Speaks Out: What's Going Wrong and Why?''
Witnesses: Mr. Richard West, Victim of Medicaid Fraud; Ms.
Robin Page West, Attorney, Cohan, West & Karpook, P.C.; Ms.
Angela Brice-Smith, Director, Medicaid Integrity Group, Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Mr. Gary Cantrell, Assistant
Inspector General for Investigations, Office of the Inspector
General, Health & Human Services; Ms. Carolyn Yocom, Director,
Health Care, Government Accountability Office; Ms. Valerie
Melvin, Director, Information Management and Human Capital
Issues, Government Accountability Office.
Feb. 7, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Solutions Needed: Improper Payments Total $115
Billion in Federal Misspending.'' Witnesses: The Honorable
Thomas R. Carper, Chairman, Subcommittee on Federal Financial
Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and
International Security, Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs, United States Senate; The Honorable
Daniel I. Werfel, Controller, Office of Management and Budget;
Mr. Mike Wood, Executive Director, Recovery Accountability and
Transparency Board; and Ms. Beryl Davis, Director of Financial
Management and Assurance, Government Accountability Office.
March 1, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``The Status of Government Financial Management: A
Look at the FY2011 Consolidated Financial Statements.''
Witnesses: The Honorable Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of
the United States, U.S. Government Accountability Office; The
Honorable Daniel I. Werfel, Controller, Office of Federal
Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget; and The
Honorable Richard L. Gregg, Fiscal Assistant Secretary, U.S.
Department of the Treasury.
March 22, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Joint Hearing of the
Subcommittee on Government Operations, Efficiency and Financial
Management and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial
Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and
International Security entitled, ``New Audit Finds Problems in
Army Military Pay.'' Witnesses: LTC Kirk Zecchini, U.S. Army
Reserve; Mr. Asif Khan, Director, Financial Management and
Assurance, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Mr. James
Watkins, Director, Accountability and Audit Readiness,
Department of the Army; Ms. Jeanne M. Brooks, Director,
Technology & Business Architecture Integration, Office of the
Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, Department of the Army; and Mr.
Aaron Gillison, Deputy Director, Defense Finance and Accounting
Service--Indianapolis, Department of Defense.
April 19, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Problems at the Internal Revenue Service: Closing
the Tax Gap and Preventing Identity Theft.'' Witnesses: Mr.
Steven T. Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Service and
Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service; Ms. Nina E. Olson,
National Taxpayer Advocate, Internal Revenue Service; The
Honorable J. Russell George, Inspector General, Treasury
Inspector General for Tax Administration; Mr. James R. White,
Director, Strategic Issues, U.S. Government Accountability
Office.
June 7, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Assessing Medicare and Medicaid Program
Integrity.'' Witnesses: Peter Budetti, M.D., Director of Center
for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid; Ms.
Ann Maxwell, Regional Inspector General for Evaluation and
Inspections, Office of the Inspector General for Health & Human
Services; Ms. Carolyn Yocom, Director of Health Care, Medicaid,
U.S. Government Accountability Office; Ms. Kathleen King,
Director of Health Care, Medicare, U.S. Government
Accountability Office.
August 1, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Unresolved Internal Investigations at DHS:
Oversight of Investigation Management in the Office of the DHS
IG.'' Witnesses: Mr. Charles K. Edwards, Acting Inspector
General, Department of Homeland Security; Mr. David V. Aguilar,
Acting Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
Department of Homeland Security; and Mr. Daniel H. Ragsdale,
Acting Deputy Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security.
November 14, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Trade Adjustment Assistance for U.S. Firms:
Evaluating Program Effectiveness and Recommendations.''
Witnesses:
November 29, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management hearing
entitled, ``Identity Theft and Tax Fraud: Growing Problems for
the Internal Revenue Service, Part 4.'' Witnesses: Ms. Beth
Tucker, Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support, Internal
Revenue Service; The Honorable J. Russell George, Inspector
General, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; Ms.
Nina E. Olson, National Taxpayer Advocate, Internal Revenue
Service; and Mr. James R. White, Director, Strategic Issues,
U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the
National Archives:
Mar. 1, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program: Keeping
the Door Open.'' Witnesses: Mr. Ronald Holassie, Senior, Bishop
Carroll High School; Ms. Lesly Alvarez, 8th Grader, Sacred
Heart School; Ms. Sheila Jackson, Mother of DC OSP Student; Ms.
Latasha Bennett, Mother of DC OSP Student; Mr. Kevin Chavous,
Chairman, Black Alliance for Education Options; Patrick Wolf,
Ph.D., University of Arkansas; Ms. Betty North, Principal and
CEO, Preparatory School of D.C.; and Ramona Edelin, Executive
Director, D.C. Association of Public Charter Schools.
Mar. 15, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Obamacare: Why the Need for Waivers?'' Witnesses:
Mr. Steven B. Larsen, J.D., Deputy Administrator and Director,
Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Mr. Edmund F.
Haislmaier, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Health Policy
Studies, The Heritage Foundation; Mr. Scoot Wold, Esq.,
Shareholder, Hitesman & Wold, P.A.; and Ms. Judy Feder, Ph.D.,
Professor, Georgetown University.
Apr. 5, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia., Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Waste, Abuse and Mismanagement in Government Health
Care.'' Witnesses: Ms. Deborah Taylor, CFO, Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services; Peter Budetti, M.D., Deputy
Administrator for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services; Mr. Gerald T. Roy, Deputy Inspector General
for Investigations, Office of Inspector General, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services; Hon. Loretta Lynch,
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Mr. David
Botsko, Inspector General, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment
System; Ms. Jean MacQuarrie, Vice President for Client
Services, Thomson Reuters; Mr. Michael Cannon, Director of
Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute; and Ms. Rachel Klein,
Deputy Director for Health Policy, Families USA.
May 12, 2011, 8:45 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``The District of Columbia's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget:
Ensuring Fiscal Sustainability.'' Witnesses: Hon. Vincent Gray,
Mayor, District of Columbia; Hon. Kwame Brown, Chairman, D.C.
City Council; Natwar Gandhi, Ph.D., Chief Financial Officer,
District of Columbia; Mr. Matt Fabian, Managing Director,
Municipal Market Advisors; and Alice Rivlin, Ph.D., Brookings
Institution.
June 2, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``FDA Medical Device Approval: Is There a Better
Way?'' Witnesses: Congressman Erik Paulsen, Member of Congress,
R-Minnesota, 3rd District; Dr. Jeffrey (Jeff) Shuren, Director,
Centers for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug
Administration; Mr. Jack W. Lasersohn, General Partner, The
Vertical Group; David L. Gollaher, PhD, President and CEO,
California Healthcare Institute (CHI); Dr. Rita Redberg,
Professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco,
Editor of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
June 24, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Is
There a Security Gap?'' Witnesses: Mr. Richard Sarles, General
Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority; Chief Michael Taborn, Metro Transit
Police Division; Chief Cathy Lanier, Metropolitan Police
Department; Mr. Anthony Griffin, County Executive, Fairfax
County Government.
July 12, 2011, 1:00 p.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Fulfilling a Legal Duty: Triggering a Medicare Plan
from the Administration.'' Witnesses: Mr. Jonathan Blum, Deputy
Administrator and Director, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services; Dr. Charles P. Blahous III, Public Trustee of Social
Security and Medicare; Dr. Joseph Antos, Wilson H. Taylor
Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy, American
Enterprise Institute; Mr. James C. Capretta, Fellow, Ethics and
Public Policy Center; Dr. Paul N. Van de Water, Senior Fellow,
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
July 28, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Impact of Obamacare on Job Creators and Their
Decision to Offer Health Insurance.'' Witnesses: Mr. Andrew
Puzder, CEO, CKE Restaurants; Mr. Grady Payne, Connor
Industries, Inc.; Mr. Will Morey, President and CEO, Morey's
Pier; Ms. Victoria J. Braden, President and CEO, Braden Benefit
Strategies, Inc.; Mr. Michael J. Brewer, President, Lockton
Benefit Group; Mr. Terry Gardiner, Vice President, Small
Business Majority.
Sept. 21, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Examining Abuses of Medicaid Eligibility Rules.''
Witnesses: Mr. Stephen Moses, President, Center for Long-Term
Care Reform; Mr. David Dorfman, Attorney, Law Offices of David
A. Dorfman; Ms. Janice Eulau, Assistant Administrator, Medicaid
Services Division, Suffolk County Department of Social
Services; The Honorable Julie Hamon, Director, Illinois
Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
Oct. 6, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Obamacare's Employer Penalty and its Impact on
Temporary Workers.'' Witnesses: Mr. Ed Lenz, Senior Vice
President, American Staffing Association; Mr. John Uprichard,
President/CEO, Find Great People International; Mr. Tav Gauss,
President/CEO, The Action Group--Human Resources Solution; Mr.
Topher Spiro, Managing Director, Health Policy, The Center for
American Progress.
Oct. 27, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Examining Obamacare's Hidden Marriage Penalty and
Its Impact on the Deficit.'' Witnesses: Douglas Holtz-Eakin,
Ph.D., President, American Action Forum, Former CBO Director;
Ms. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute
for Policy Research; Richard Burkhauser, Ph.D., Professor of
Economics, Cornell University; Sara R. Collins, Ph.D., Vice
President, Affordable Health Insurance, The Commonwealth Fund.
Nov. 30, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Drug Shortage Crisis: Lives are in the Balance.''
Witnesses: Michelle Hudspeth, M.D., Division Director of
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Medical University of South
Carolina; Mr. Walter Kalmans, President, Lontra Ventures; Mr.
Ted Okon, Executive Director, Community Oncology Alliance;
Scott Gottlieb, M.D., Resident Fellow, American Enterprise
Institute; Kasey K. Thompson, Pharm.D., Vice President, Office
of Policy, Planning and Communications, American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists.
Dec. 7, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management and
Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and
the National Archives joint hearing entitled, ``A Medicaid
Fraud Victim Speaks Out: What's Going Wrong and Why?''
Witnesses: Mr. Richard West, Victim of Medicaid Fraud; Ms.
Robin Page West, Attorney, Cohan, West & Karpook, P.C.; Ms.
Angela Brice-Smith, Director, Medicaid Integrity Group, Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Mr. Gary Cantrell, Assistant
Inspector General for Investigations, Office of the Inspector
General, Health & Human Services; Ms. Carolyn Yocom, Director,
Health Care, Government Accountability Office; Ms. Valerie
Melvin, Director, Information Management and Human Capital
Issues, Government Accountability Office.
Jan. 24, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``McPherson Square: Who Made the Decision to Allow
Indefinite Camping in the Park?'' Witnesses: Mr. Jonathan
Jarvis, Director, National Park Service; Ms. Cathy Lanier,
Chief, Metropolitan Police Department; Mr. Paul Quander, Jr.,
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, District of
Columbia; Mohammad Akhter, M.D., Director, District of Columbia
Department of Health; Mr. Timothy Zick, Cabell Research
Professor of Law, William and Mary School of Law.
March 6, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``The Pros and Cons of Making the Census Bureau's
American Community Survey Voluntary.'' Witnesses: The Honorable
Ted Poe, Member of Congress; The Honorable Robert Groves,
Ph.D., Director, U.S. Census Bureau; Andrew Biggs, Ph.D.,
Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute; Lawrence Yun,
Ph.D., Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors; and
Mr. Patrick Jankowski, Vice President, Research, Greater
Houston Partnership.
April 25, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Joint hearing of the
Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and
National Archives and the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs,
Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing entitled,
``Is Government Adequately Protecting Taxpayers from Medicaid
Fraud?'' Witnesses: The Honorable Charles E. Grassley, United
States Senator from Iowa; The Honorable Michele Bachmann,
United States Representative from Minnesota; Gabriel E.
Feldman, M.D.; Local Medical Director for the Personal Care
Services Program, New York City; Christine Ellis, D.D.S.,
M.S.D., Orthodontist, University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center; David Feinwachs, M.H.A., M.A., J.D, Ph.D., Former
General Counsel, Minnesota Hospital Association; Claire Sylvia,
J.D., Partner, Phillips & Cohen, LLP; Lucinda Jesson, J.D.,
Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services; Cindy
Mann, J.D., Director, Center for Medicaid and State Operations,
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and Ms. Carolyn L.
Yocom, Director, Health Care, United States Government
Accountability Office.
July 10, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Examining the Impact of ObamaCare on Doctors and
Patients.'' Witnesses: Dick Armstrong, M.D., Chief Operating
Officer, Docs4PatientCare; The Honorable Jeff Colyer, M.D., Lt.
Governor, State of Kansas; Mr. Kelvyn Cullimore, Jr., Chairman,
President and CEO, Dynatronics; Eric Novack, M.D., Phoenix
Orthopedic Consultants; Ms. Sally Pipes, President and CEO,
Pacific Research Institute; and Mr. Ron Pollack, Founding
Executive Director, Families USA.
July 19, 2012, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Changes to the Heights Act: Shaping Washington,
D.C., for the Future.'' Witnesses: Ms. Harriet Tregoning,
Director, Office of Planning, District of Columbia; Dr. Natwar
Gandhi, Chief Financial Officer, District of Columbia; Mr.
Marcel Acosta, Executive Director, National Capital Planning
Commission; Mr. Roger Lewis, Professor Emeritus, University of
Maryland School of Architecture; Mr. Christopher Collins,
Counsel, District of Columbia Building Industry Association;
and Ms. Laura Richards, Member of the Board of Trustees and
past Chairman, Committee of 100 on the Federal City.
July 24, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Meth Revisited: Review of State and Federal Efforts
to Solve the Domestic Methamphetamine Production Resurgence.''
Witnesses: The Honorable R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, Office
of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the
President; Mr. Ronald Brooks, Director, Northern California
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), President,
National Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition (NNOAC);
Mr. Jason Grellner, Detective Sergeant, Franklin County
Narcotics Enforcement Unit, State of Missouri, President,
Missouri Narcotic Officers Association (MNOA); Mr. Donald (Max)
Dorsey, II, Lieutenant/Supervisory Special Agent, South
Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), State of South
Carolina; Mr. Rob Bovett, District Attorney, Lincoln County,
State of Oregon; Mr. Marshall Fisher, Director, Mississippi
Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), State of Mississippi.
Sept. 20, 2012, 2:00 p.m.--Subcommittee on Health Care,
District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives hearing
entitled, ``Examining the Administration's Failure to Prevent
and End Medicaid Overpayments.'' Witnesses: Mr. John Hagg,
Director of Medicaid Audits, Office of Inspector General,
Department of Health and Human Services; and Ms. Penny
Thompson, Deputy Director, Center for Medicaid and CHIP
Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign
Operations:
Mar. 2, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on National Security,
Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing, ``U.S.
Military Leaving Iraq: Is the State Department Ready?''
Witnesses: Mr. Grant S. Green, Commissioner, Commission on
Wartime Contracting; Mr. Michael Thibault, Co-Chair, Commission
on Wartime Contracting; Mr. Stuart Bowen, Jr., Special
Inspector General, Office of the Special Inspector General for
Iraq Reconstruction; Ambassador Patrick Kennedy, Under
Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of State; Ambassador
Alexander Vershbow, Assistant Secretary for International
Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense; Mr. Frank
Kendall, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Acquisition,
Technology and Logistics, U.S. Department of Defense.
Mar. 16, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing,
``TSA Oversight Part 1: Whole Body Imaging.'' Witnesses: Hon.
Sharon Cissna, Representative, Alaska State House of
Representatives; Mr. Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director,
Electronic Privacy Information Center; Mr. Fred H. Cate, Senior
Policy Advisor, Centre for Information Policy Leadership,
Hunton & Williams; David J. Brenner, Ph.D., Center for
Radiological Research, Columbia University; Mr. Stewart A.
Baker, Partner, Steptoe and Johnson, LLP; Mr. Lee Kair,
Assistant Administrator for Security Operations, TSA; and Mr.
Robin E. Kane, Assistant Administrator for Security Technology,
TSA.
Apr. 14, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Tsunami Warning, Preparedness, and Interagency
Cooperation: Lessons Learned.'' Witnesses: William Leith,
Ph.D., Acting Associate Director for National Hazards, U.S.
Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior; Mr. Kenneth
D. Murphy, Regional Administrator--Region X, FEMA; Ms. Mary
Glackin, Dep. Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, U.S.
Department of Commerce; Mr. John W. Madden, Director Division
of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, State of Alaska;
and Ms. Nancy Ward, Regional Adminstrator, FEMA.
Apr. 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations and Natural
Resources Committee's Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests
and Public Lands joint hearing entitled, ``The Border: Are
Environmental Laws and Regulations Impeding Security and
Harming the Environment?'' Witnesses: Hon. Silvestre Reyes,
Member of Congress; Mr. Ronald Vitiello, Deputy Chief, U.S.
Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security; Ms. Kim Thorsen, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law
Enforcement, Security and Emergency Management, U.S. Department
of the Interior; Mr. Jay Jensen, Deputy Under Secretary for
Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Department of
Agriculture; Mr. George Zachary Taylor National Association of
Former Border Patrol Officers; Mr. Gene Wood, National
Association of Former Border Patrol Officers; Mr. Jim Chilton,
Chilton Ranch; and Ms. Anu Mittal, Director, Natural Resources
and Environment, U.S. GAO.
May 4, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on National Security,
Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing entitled, ``Is
This Any Way to Treat Our Troops? Part III: Transition
Delays.'' Witnesses: Mr. John Medve, Executive Director, VA/DOD
Collaboration Service, U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs;
Mr. Dan Bertoni, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income
Security, U.S. GAO; Ms. Lynn Simpson, Acting Principal Deputy
Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, U.S.
Department of Defense; Mr. Mark Bird, IT Team Assistant
Director, U.S. GAO; and Mr. Randall B. Williamson, Health Care
Team Director, U.S. GAO.
May 11, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on National Security,
Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing entitled,
``USAID: Following the Money.'' Witnesses: Hon. Rajiv Shah,
Administrator, U.S. AID; and Hon. Donald Gambatesa, IG, U.S.
AID.
May 25, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on National Security,
Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing entitled,
``Cybersecurity: Assessing the Immediate Threat to the United
States.'' Witnesses: Rear Admiral Michael A. Brown, Director,
Cybersecurity Coordination, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security; Mr. James A. Lewis, Director of Technology and Public
Policy Program, CSIS; Mr. Sean McGurk, Director, National
Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security; Mr. Dean Turner, Director,
Global Intelligence Network Symantec Security Response; Mr.
Phillip Bond, President, TechAmerica.
June 24, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Joint hearing of the Subcommittee
on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations
with the Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittees on the
Western Hemisphere and the Middle East and South Asia entitled,
``Venezuela's Sanctionable Activity.'' Witnesses: The Honorable
Daniel Benjamin, Ambassador-at-Large, Coordinator for
Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State; Mr. Kevin Whitaker,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere
Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Mr. Thomas Delare, Director
for Terrorism Finance and Economic Sanctions Policy, U.S
Department of State; Mr. Adam J. Szubin, Director, Office of
Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury.
July 13, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``TSA Oversight Part 2: Airport Perimeter Security.''
Witnesses: Mr. John Sammon, Assistant Administrator, U.S.
Transportation Security Administration; Mr. Rafi Ron,
President, New Age Security Solutions, Former Directory of
Security Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion International Airport; Mr. Stephen
M. Lord, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, U.S.
Government Accountability Office; Mr. William Parker,
Inspector, K-9 Unit, Amtrak Police Department; Mr. TJ ``Jerry''
Orr, Airport Director and Operator, Charlotte International
Airport.
Sept. 15, 2011, 10:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Defense Department Contracting in Afghanistan: Are
We Doing Enough to Combat Corruption?'' Witnesses: Mr. Gary J.
Motsek, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program
Support, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
(Logistics & Material Readiness), Office of the Under Secretary
of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics), U.S.
Department of Defense; Mr. Kim Denver, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Procurement, U.S. Department of
Defense; Brigadier General Stephen Townsend, USA, Director,
Joint Staff Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell, U.S.
Department of Defense.
Oct. 12, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Status Report on the Transition to a Civilian-Led
Mission in Iraq.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Patrick F. Kennedy,
Under Secretary for Management, United States Department of
State; The Honorable Alexander Vershbow, Assistant Secretary
for International Security Affairs, United States Department of
Defense; The Honorable Alan F. Estevez, Assistant Secretary for
Logistics and Materiel Readiness, United States Department of
Defense.
Nov. 15, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Progress of the Obama Administration's Policy
Towards Iran.'' Witnesses: Mr. Mark Dubowitz, Executive
Director, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Kenneth M.
Pollack, Ph.D., Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy,
Brookings Institution; Suzanne Maloney, Ph.D., Senior Fellow,
Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings
Institution; Mr. Adam J. Szubin, Director, Office of Foreign
Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury; Mr. Henry T.
Wooster, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near
Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Colin H. Kahl,
Ph.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle
East, U.S. Department of Defense.
Dec. 7, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Oversight in Iraq and Afghanistan: Challenges and
Solutions.'' Witnessses: The Honorable Gordon S. Heddell,
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense; The Honorable
Harold W. Geisel, Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Department of
State; Mr. Michael G. Carroll, Acting Inspector General, U.S.
Agency for International Development; Mr. Stuart W. Bowen,
Inspector General, Special Inspector General for Iraq
Reconstruction; Mr. Steven J. Trent, Acting Inspector General,
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
Feb. 29, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Preventing Stolen Valor: Challenges and
Solutions.'' Witnesses: Mr. Lernes Hebert, Director of Officer
and Enlisted Personnel Management, Office of the Under
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, U.S.
Department of Defense; Colonel Jason Evans, Adjutant General,
U.S. Army; Colonel Kari Mostert, Director of Awards and
Decorations, U.S. Air Force; Mr. James Nierle, President,
Department of the Navy's Board of Decorations & Medals, U.S.
Navy; Mr. Scott Levins, Director, National Personnel Records
Center; Mr. Joseph Davis, Director of Public Affairs, Veterans
of Foreign Wars; and Mr. C. Douglas Sterner, Curator, Military
Times Hall of Valor.
March 29, 2012, 8:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Are Changes in Security Policy Jeopardizing USAID
Reconstruction Projects and Personnel in Afghanistan?''
Witnesses: Mr. Steven J. Trent, Acting Inspector General,
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction; and
Mr. J. Alexander Their, Assistant to the Administrator and
Director of the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs;
U.S. Agency for International Development.
June 28, 2012, 9:15 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Assessment of the Transition from a Military to a
Civilian-Led Mission in Iraq.'' Witnesses: The Honorable
Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management, U.S.
Department of State; Mr. Peter F. Verga, Chief of Staff for the
Under Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense; The
Honorable Mara Rudman, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for the
Middle East; U.S. Agency for International Development; Mr.
Michael J. Courts, Acting Director, International Affairs and
Trade, U.S. Government Accountability Office; The Honorable
Harold W. Geisel, Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Department of
State; Mr. Joseph T. McDermott, Special Deputy Inspector
General for Southwest Asia, U.S. Department of Defense; Mr.
Michael G. Carroll, Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Agency for
International Development; and Mr. Stuart W. Bowen, Jr.,
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
July 18, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Taking Care of Our Veterans: What is the Department
of Veterans Affairs Doing to Eliminate the Claims Backlog?''
Witnesses: The Honorable Allison Hickey, Under Secretary for
Benefits, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Gerald
Manar, Deputy Director, National Veterans Service, Veterans of
Foreign Wars of the United States; and Mr. Joseph A. Violante,
National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans.
July 24, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Dawood National Military Hospital, Afghanistan:
What Happened and What Went Wrong?'' Witnesses: Colonel
Schuyler K. Geller, MD, United States Air Force (Retired);
Colonel Gerald N. Carozza, Jr., Judge Advocate, United States
Army (Retired); Colonel Mark F. Fassl, United States Army,
Captain Steven Andersen, United States Coast Guard; and Mr.
Daniel R. Blair, Deputy Inspector General for Auditing,
Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General.
Sept. 12, 2012, 9:45 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``Dawood National Military Hospital, Afghanistan:
What Happened and What Went Wrong? Part II.'' Witnesses:
Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV, United States Army;
Major General Gary S. Patton, United States Army; and The
Honorable Kenneth P. Moorefield, Deputy Inspector General for
Special Plans and Operations, U.S. Department of Defense.
Sept. 13, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``SIGAR Report: Document Destruction and Millions of
Dollars Unaccounted for at the Department of Defense.''
Witnesses: Mr. John F. Sopko, Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction.
Sept. 20, 2012, 2:00 p.m.--Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations hearing
entitled, ``SIGAR Report: Document Destruction and Millions of
Dollars Unaccounted for at the Department of Defense. Part
II.'' Witnesses: Mr. John F. Sopko, Special Inspector General
for Afghanistan Reconstruction; The Honorable Allen F. Estevez,
Assistant Secretary for Logistics and Materiel Readiness, U.S.
Department of Defense; Lieutenant General Brooks L. Bash, USAF,
Director for Logistics, Joint Staff, U.S. Department of
Defense; Mr. Donald L. ``Larry'' Sampler, Jr., Deputy Assistant
to the Administrator, Office of Afghanistan & Pakistan Affairs,
U.S. Agency for International Development.
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government
Spending:
Feb. 16, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing,
``The Stimulus: Two Years Later.'' Witnesses: John Taylor,
Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Stanford University; Russell
Roberts, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Mercatus Center, George
Mason University; Christina Romer, Ph.D., Professor of
Economics, University of California at Berkeley; Jared
Bernstein, Ph.D., Office of the Vice President, The White
House; J.D. Foster, Ph.D., Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow in the
Economic of Fiscal Policy, The Heritage Foundation; Mr. Alex
Brill, Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Mr.
Andrew Busch, Global Currency and Public Policy Strategist, BMO
Capital Markets Investment Banking Division; Mr. Chris Edwards,
Director of Tax Policy Studies, Cato Institute; Josh Bivens,
Ph.D., Economic Policy Institute.
Mar. 9, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing,
``Assessing the Cumulative Impact of Regulation on U.S.
Manufacturers.'' Witnesses: Mr. Aris Papadopolous, CEO and
Chairman, Portland Cement Association; Ms. Donna Harman, CEO,
American Forest and Paper Association; Mr. Michael P. Walls,
Vice President, Regulatory and Technical Affairs, American
Chemistry Council; Mr. Michael Kamnikar, Senior Vice President,
Forging Industry Association, Ellwood Group; Mr. Bernard
Schimmel, Vice President, Technical Services, Boral Bricks,
Inc.; and Mr. David C. Foerter, Executive Director, Institute
of Clean Air Companies (ICAC).
Mar. 16, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing,
``Project Labor Agreements and the Cost of Doing Business in
the Construction Industry.'' Witnesses: Mr. John Ennis, CEO,
Ennis Electric, Inc.; Ms. Linda Figg, FIGG Engineering Group;
Dale Belman, Ph.D., MSU School of Industrial and Labor
Relations; Mr. John Biagas, Bay Electric Inc.; Mr. Maurice
Baskin, American Builders and Contractors, Inc.; Mr. Daniel
Gordon, Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy,
Executive Office of the President; Mr. Robert Peck,
Commissioner of Public Buildings, GSA; and David Michaels,
Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Occupational Health and Safety,
U.S. Department of Labor.
Apr. 6, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government hearing entitled,
``Assessing the Impact of Greenhouse Gas Regulations on Small
Business.'' Witnesses: Mr. Joe Rajkovacz, Director of
Regulatory Affairs, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers
Association; David Kreutzer, Ph.D., Research Fellow in Energy
Economics and Climate Change, The Heritage Foundation; Mr.
David D. Doniger, Policy Director, Climate Center, Natural
Resources Defense Council; Mr. Keith Holman, Deputy Executive
Director, National Lime Association; Ms. Gina McCarthy,
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation,
U.S. EPA; and Ms. Claudia Rodgers, Deputy Chief Counsel, Office
of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration.
Apr. 20, 2011, 9:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation in the
Northeast Part I'' located at Irondequoit Town Hall, 1280 Titus
Avenue, Irondequoit, NY. Witnesses: Mr. Mike Medina, President,
Optimax; Ms. Rebecca A. Meinking, Executive Vice President,
Radec Corporation; Mr. Bill Pollock, CEO, Optimation; Mrs.
Cathy Martin, President, Monroe County Farm Bureau; Mr.
Jonathan L. Taylor, Oakridge Dairy; Mr. John Teeple, Teeple
Farms, Inc.; Ms. Jolene Bender, Supervisor, Town of Marion; Ms.
Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive; and Sheriff Barry
Virts, Wayne County.
Apr. 20, 2011, 3:00 p.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation in the
Northeast Part II'' located at South Side Innovation Center,
2610 S. Salina Street, Syracuse, NY. Witnesses: Mr. Jud Gostin,
President, Sensis Corporation; Mr. Steve Lefebvre, President,
Empire ABC; Mr. Andrew Reeves, Owner, Reeves Farms; Mrs. Nancy
Hourigan, Owner, Hourigan's Dairy Farm; Mr. Tom DeMarree,
Owner, Demree Orchards; Mr. Orrin MacMurray, Chairman, C & S
Companies; Mr. Travis Glazier, Director of Intergovernmental
Relations, Onondaga County Executive; and Mr. Thomas Squires,
Cayuga County Administrator.
May 25, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``How Federal Reserve Policies Add to Hard Times at
the Pump.'' Witnesses: Mr. Vincent R. Reinhart, Resident
Scholar, AEI; Robert Murphy, Ph.D., Economist, Institute for
Energy Research; Dean Baker, Ph.D., Co-Director, Center for
Economic Policy Research; Mr. Greg Wannemacher, President,
Wannemacher Total Logistics; and Ms. Karen Kerrigan, President
and CEO, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council.
June 1, 2011, 2:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``Duplication, Overlap, and Inefficiencies in Federal
Welfare Programs.'' Witnesses: Ms. Patricia Dalton, Chief
Operating Officer, Government Accountability Office; Mr. Robert
Rector, Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation; Mr.
John Mashburn, Executive Director, The Carleson Center for
Public Policy; Ms. Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, Executive Director, Ohio
Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks.
June 22, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending ``Lasting
Implications of the General Motors Bailout.'' Witnesses: Mr.
Ron Bloom, Former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the
Treasury, U.S. Department of the Treasury; Mr. Vince
Snowbarger, Deputy Director, Pension Benefits Guaranty
Corporation; Mr. Dan Ikenson, Associate Director, Herbert A.
Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute;
Mr. Bruce Gump, Vice Chairman, Delphi Salaried Retiree
Association; Dr. Thomas Kochan, Professor, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology; Ms. Shikha Dalmia, Senior Analyst,
Reason Foundation.
July 8, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Joint Hearing of the Subcommittee
on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government
Spending and the Committee on Education and the Workforce's
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
entitled, ``The Gainful Employment Regulation: Limiting Job
Growth and Student Choice.'' Witnesses: Dr. Dario A. Cortes,
President, Berkeley College; Ms. Karla Carpenter, Graduate of
Herzing University; Dr. Anthony Carnevale, Director, Center on
Education and Workforce, Georgetown University; Mr. Harry C.
Alford, President and CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce.
July 14, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``EPA's Appalachian Energy Permitorium: Job Killer or
Job Creator?'' Witnesses: The Honorable Shelley Moore Capito
(R, WV-2), U.S. House of Representatives; Mr. Tom Mackall,
President, Sterling Mining; Mr. Chris Hamilton, Senior Vice
President, West Virginia Coal Association; Mr. Joe Lovett,
Executive Director, Appalachian Center for Economy and the
Environment; Mr. Roger Horton, Chairman, Safety Committee Local
5958, Co-Chair, Mountain Top Mining Coalition; Mr. John
Stilley, President, Amerikohl Mining Inc.; Ms. Nancy Stoner,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, United States
Environmental Protection Agency; Ms. Margaret E. Gaffney-Smith,
Chief, Regulatory Community of Practice, Army Corps of
Engineers.
July 26, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``Lights Out: How EPA Regulations Threaten Affordable
Power and Job Creation.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Robert
Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection
Agency; Ms. Janet Henry, Deputy General Counsel, American
Electric Power; Mr. Mike Carey, President, Ohio Coal
Association; Dr. Joel Schwartz, Professor of Environmental
Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health.
Sept. 13, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``Take Two: The President's Proposal to Stimulate the
Economy and Create Jobs.'' Witnesses: Professor John Taylor,
Mary and Robert Raymond Professor of Economics at Stanford
University and the George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Economics
at the Hoover Institution; Ms. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Senior
Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Dr. Heather Boushey, Senior
Economist, Center for American Progress; Mr. Peter Schiff, CEO,
Euro Pacific Capital Inc.; Mr. Brink Lindsey, Senior Scholar,
Kauffman Foundation.
Oct. 12, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``Running on Empty: How the Obama Administration's
Green Energy Gamble Will Impact Small Business and Consumers.''
Witnesses: Mr. Jeremy Anwyl, CEO, Edmunds.com; Marlo Lewis,
Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute; Mr.
Roland Hwang, Transportation Program Director, Natural
Resources Defense Council; Mr. Scott Grenerth, Independent
Trucker, Owner-Operator Independent Driver's Association; The
Honorable David Strickland, Administrator, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration; The Honorable Gina McCarthy,
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation,
Environmental Protection Agency; Ms. Margo Oge, Director of the
Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Environmental
Protection Agency.
Nov. 2, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``The Green Energy Debacle: Where Has All the
Taxpayer Money Gone?'' Witnesses: The Honorable Gregory H.
Friedman, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Energy; Mr.
Elliot Lewis, Assistant Inspector General, U.S. Department of
Energy; W. David Montgomery, Ph.D., Senior Vice President,
National Economic Research Associates, Inc.; Mr. Greg Kats,
President, Capital-E; Mr. Brett McMahon, Vice President of
Business Development, Miller & Long Concrete Construction.
Nov. 30, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``The Price of Uncertainty: How Much Could DOT's
Proposed Billion Dollar Service Rule Cost Customers this
Holiday Season?'' Witnesses: Mr. Ed Nagle III, President and
CEO, Nagle Companies; Mr. Glen Keysaw, Executive Director of
Transportation/Logistics, Associated Food Stores, Inc.; Mr.
Robb MacKie, President and CEO, American Bakers Association;
Mr. Frank Miller, Director of Logistics, Badcock & More; Mr.
Henry Jasny, Vice President & General Counsel, Advocates for
Highway and Auto Safety; Jesse David, Ph.D., Senior Vice
President, Edgeworth Economics; The Honorable Anne S. Ferro,
Administrator, Department of Transportation Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration.
Jan. 25, 2012, 8:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``Vole Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA Know and When Did
They Know It?'' Witnesses: The Honorable David L. Strickland,
Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
U.S. Department of Transportation; Mr. Daniel F. Akerson,
Chairman and CEO, General Motors; and Mr. John German, Senior
Fellow, The International Council on Clean Transportation.
April 25, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Joint hearing of the
Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and
National Archives and the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs,
Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing entitled,
``Is Government Adequately Protecting Taxpayers from Medicaid
Fraud?'' Witnesses: The Honorable Charles E. Grassley, United
States Senator from Iowa; The Honorable Michele Bachmann,
United States Representative from Minnesota; Gabriel E.
Feldman, M.D.; Local Medical Director for the Personal Care
Services Program, New York City; Christine Ellis, D.D.S.,
M.S.D., Orthodontist, University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center; David Feinwachs, M.H.A., M.A., J.D, Ph.D., Former
General Counsel, Minnesota Hospital Association; Claire Sylvia,
J.D., Partner, Phillips & Cohen, LLP; Lucinda Jesson, J.D.,
Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services; Cindy
Mann, J.D., Director, Center for Medicaid and State Operations,
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and Ms. Carolyn L.
Yocom, Director, Health Care, United States Government
Accountability Office.
May 16, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus and Government Spending hearing entitled,
``The Obama Administration's Green Energy Gamble: What Have All
the Taxpayer Subsidies Achieved?'' Witnesses: Mr. Jim Nelson,
President and CEO, Solar3D, Inc.; Mr. Greg Kats, President,
Capital-E; Mr. Craig Witsoe, CEO, Abound Solar, Inc.; Mr. Brian
D. Fairbanks, President and CEO, Director, Nevada Geothermal
Power, Inc.; Mr. Michael J. Ahearn, Chairman of the Board of
Directors, First Solar, Inc.; and Mr. John M. Woolard,
President and CEO, BrightSource Energy, Inc.
June 19, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus and Government Spending hearing entitled,
``The Obama Administration's Green Energy Gamble Part II: Were
All the Taxpayer Subsidies Necessary?'' Witnesses: Mr. David
Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy, Inc.; Mr. Walter C.
Rakowich, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Prologis, Inc.; Mr.
Robert S. Mancini, Chief Executive Officer, Cogentrix Energy,
LLC; Ms. Dita Bronicki, Chief Executive Officer, Ormat
Technologies, Inc.; and Ms. Veronique de Rugy, Senior Research
Fellow, Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
July 18, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending hearing
entitled, ``The Administration's Bet on Abound Solar: Assessing
the Costs to the American Taxpayers.'' Witnesses: Mr. Craig
Witsoe, Former Chief Executive Officer, Abound Solar, Inc.; Mr.
Tom Tiller, Former Chairman of the Board, Abound Solar, Inc.;
Mr. David Frantz, Acting Executive Director, Loan Programs
Office, U.S. Department of Energy; Mr. Jonathan Silver, Former
Executive Director, Loan Program Office, U.S. Department of
Energy; Ms. Veronique De Rugy, Senior Research Fellow. Mercatus
Center at George Mason University; and Mr. Gregory Kats,
President, Capital E.
July 31, 2012, 8:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending Field
Hearing entitled, ``The Green Agenda and the War on Coal:
Perspectives from the Ohio Valley'' held at the Ohio University
Eastern Campus, St. Clairsville, Ohio. Witnesses: Mr. Bob
Hodanbosi, Chief, Division of Air Pollution Control, Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency; The Honorable Andy Thompson,
Representative, Ohio House of Representatives; Mr. Anthony
Ahern, President/CEO, Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc.
and Buckeye Power Inc.; Mr. Tom Mackall, President, East
Fairfield Coal Company; Mr. Shawn Garvin, Administrator, Region
3, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Mr. Bharat Mathur,
Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 5, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and
Private Programs:
Feb. 9, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing,
``State and Municipal Debt: The Coming Crisis?'' Witnesses: Ms.
Nicole Gelinas, Manhattan Institute; Mr. David Skeel, S. Samuel
Arsht Professor of Corporate Law, University of Pennsylvania
Law School; Ms. Eileen Norcross, Mercatus Center, George Mason
University; Ms. Iris J. Lav, Senior Advisor, Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities.
Mar. 10, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Joint hearing of the Subcommittee
on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private
Programs and the Subcommittee on Government Organization,
Efficiency and Financial Management entitled, ``Financial
Management, Work Force, and Operations at the SEC: Who's
Watching Wall Street's Watchdog?'' Witnesses: Hon. Mary
Schapiro, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
Mr. Jeffrey Risinger, Director, Office of Human Resources, SEC;
Mr. Jonathan Katz, Former Secretary, SEC; Mr. Stephen J.
Crimmins, K & L Gates, LLP; Ms. Helen Chairman, Attorney at
Law, Baker and Poliakoff, LLP.
Mar. 15, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``State and Municipal Debt: The Coming Crisis? Part
II.'' Witnesses: Hon. Daniel Liljenquist, Utah State Senator;
Ms. Robin Prunty, Managing Director, Standard & Poor's; Dean
Baker, Ph.D., Center for Economic Policy and Research; Mr.
Robert Kurtter, Moody's Investors' Service; and Andrew Biggs,
Ph.D., The American Enterprise Institute.
Mar. 30, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services, and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing,
``Has Dodd-Frank Ended Too Big to Fail?'' Witnesses: Hon. Neil
Barofsky, Special IG for TARP; and Hon. Tim Massad, Acting
Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability and Chief Counsel,
U.S. Department of the Treasury.
May 11, 2011, 2:00 p.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``Transparency as an Alternative to the Federal
Government's Regulation of Risk Retention.'' Witnesses: Mr.
Edward DeMarco, Acting Director, Federal Housing Finance
Agency; Anthony B. Sanders, Ph.D., Professor, George Mason
University; Mr. Joshua Rosner, Managing Director, Graham Fisher
& Co., Inc.; and Ms. Janneke Ratcliffe, Executive Director,
Center for Community Capital, UNC.
May 24, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``Who's Watching the Watchmen? Oversight of the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.'' Witnesses: Hon.
Elizabeth Warren, Special Advisor to the Secretary of the
Treasury for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Mr. Todd
Zywicki, Foundation Professor of Law, George Mason University;
David S. Evans, Ph.D., Chairman, Global Economics Group; Mr.
Adam Levitin, Associate Professor of Law, Georgetown University
Law Center; and Mr. Andrew Pincus, Partner, Mayer Brown Rowe &
Maw, LLP.
June 22, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services, and the Bailout of Public and Private Programs
hearing entitled, ``The Changing Role of the FDIC.'' Witnesses:
The Honorable Sheila Bair, Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation.
Sept. 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services, and the Bailout of Public and Private Programs
hearing entitled, ``Crowdfunding: Connecting Investors and Job
Creators.'' Witnesses: Ms. Meredith Cross, Director, Division
of Corporation Finance, Security Exchange Commission; Ms. Dana
Mauriello, Founder and President, Profounder; Mr. Jeff Lynn,
Chief Executive Officer, Seedrs Limited; Mr. Sherwood Neiss,
Cofounder, FLAVORx; Mr. Micheal Migliozzi, Managing Partner,
Forza Migliozzi, LLC; Mr. Mercer Bullard, Associate Professor
of Law, The University of Mississippi.
Sept. 22, 2011, 2:00 p.m.--Joint Hearing of the
Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public
and Private Programs and the Committee on Financial Services
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations entitled,
``Potential Conflicts of Interest at the SEC: The Becker
Case.'' Witnesses: The Honorable Mary Shapiro, Chairman, U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission; Mr. H. David Kotz,
Inspector General, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Mr.
David M. Becker, Former General Counsel, U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Nov. 2, 2011, 10:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services, and the Bailout of Public and Private Programs
hearing entitled, ``America's Innovation Challenge: What
Obstacles do Entreprenuers Face?'' Witnesses: Mr. Eric Koester,
Co-founder and CEO, Zaarly, Inc.; Ms. Lonna Williams, CEO,
Ridge Diagnostics; Tsvi Goldenberg, Ph.D., CEO, eema.
Nov. 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services, and the Bailout of Public and Private Programs
hearing entitled, ``How Roadblocks in Public Markets Prevent
Job Creation on Main Street.'' Witnesses: Mr. Eric Noll,
Executive Vice President and Co-Head of U.S. Listings and Cash
Execution, NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.; Mr. Joseph Mecane, Executive
Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for U.S.
Markets, NYSE Euronext.
Dec. 15, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``What the Euro Crisis Means for Taxpayers and the
U.S. Economy, Pt I.'' Witnesses: Desmond Lachman, Ph.D.,
Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Anthony
Sanders, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Real Estate Finance,
George Mason University; Mr. Douglas J. Elliott, Fellow,
Economic Studies, Initiative on Business and Public Policy,
Brookings Institute; Mr. Joshua Rosner, Managing Director,
Graham Fisher & Company, Inc.; and Mr. Bert Ely, Principal, Ely
& Company, Inc.
Dec. 16, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``What the Euro Crisis Means for Taxpayers and the
U.S. Economy, Pt II.'' Witnesses: Mr. William C. Dudley,
President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Mr. Steven
B. Kamin, Director, Division of International Finance, Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and Mr. Mark Sobel;
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International
Monetary and Financial Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Jan. 24, 2012, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``How Will the CFPB Function Under Richard Cordray?''
Witness: Mr. Richard Cordray, Director, Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau.
April 17, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``The SEC's Aversion to Cost-Benefit Analysis.''
Witnesses: The Honorable Mary Schapiro, Chairman, U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission; Henry Manne, Ph.D., Dean
Emeritus, George Mason University School of Law; Ms. Jacqueline
McCabe, Executive Director for Research, Committee on Capital
Markets Regulation; Mr. Mercer E. Bullard, Jessie D. Puckett,
Jr., Lecturer and Associate Professor of Law, The University of
Mississippi School of Law; Mr. J.W. Verret, Assistant Professor
Law, George Mason University School of Law; and Mr. H. David
Kotz, Managing Director, Gryphon Strategies, (Former Inspector
General, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission).
June 26, 2012, 2:00 p.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``The JOBS Act in Action: Overseeing Effective
Implementation That Can Grow American Jobs.'' Witnesses: Brian
Cartwright, Ph. D., Scholar-in-Residence, Marshall School of
Business, University of Southern California, Senior Advisor,
Patomak Global Partners, LLC, Former General Counsel, U.S.
Securities & Exchange Commission; Mr. Alon Hillel-Tuch Co-
Founder and Chief Financial Officer of RocketHub Inc.; C.
Steven Bradford, J.D., Professor of Law, University of Nebraska
College of Law; and Mr. John Coffee, Jr., Professor of Law,
Columbia University Law School.
June 28, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``The JOBS Act in Action Part II: Overseeing
Effective Implementation of the JOBS Act at the SEC.'' Witness:
The Honorable Mary Schapiro, Chairman, U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission.
July 10, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services, and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``The Administration's Auto Bailouts and the Delphi
Pension Decisions: Who Picked the Winners and Losers?''
Witnesses: The Honorable Christy Romero, Special Inspector
General for the Troubled Assets Relief Program, United States
Treasury Department; Mr. Ron Bloom, Former Member of the
Automotive Task Force, United States Treasury Department; Mr.
Matthew Feldman, Former Member of the Automotive Task Force,
United States Treasury Department; Mr. Harry Wilson, Former
Member of the Automotive Task Force, United States Treasury
Department; Ms. Nikki Clowers, Director, Financial Markets and
Community Investment, Government Accountability Office; and Mr.
Todd Zywicki, Professor of Law, George Mason University.
July 24, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs hearing
entitled, ``Credit Crunch: Is the CFPB Restricting Consumer
Access to Credit?'' Witnesses: Mr. Richard Cordray, Director,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Mr. Douglas Fecher,
President and CEO, Wright-Patt Credit Union, Inc.; Mr. Steven
I. Zeisel Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Consumer
Bankers Association; Mr. Michael D. Calhoun; President, Center
for Responsible Lending; Dr. Mark A. Calabria, Director of
Financial Regulation Studies, Cato Institute.
Sept. 13, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Joint hearing of the
Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services, and Bailouts of
Public and Private Programs and the Committee on Financial
Services' Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government
Sponsored Enterprises entitled, ``The JOBS Act: Importance of
Prompt Implementation for Entrepreneurs, Capital Formation, and
Job Creation.'' Witnesses: Mr. Rory Eakin, Co-Founder and Chief
Operating Officer, CircleUp; Ms. Alison Bailey Vercruysse,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, 18 Rabbits; Mr. Jeffrey
Van Winkle, Treasurer, National Small Business Administration;
Mr. Naval Ravikant, Co-Founder, AngelList; and Mr. Robert B.
Thompson, Peter P. Weidenbruch Jr. Professor of Business Law,
Georgetown University Law Center.
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental
Relations and Procurement Reform:
Feb. 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing, ``Unfunded Mandates and Regulatory Overreach.''
Witnesses: Mayor Patrice Douglas, City of Edmond, OK; Ms. Susan
Dudley, George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center;
Ms. Denise M. Fantone, Director, Strategic Issues, U.S. GAO;
Mr. Anthony H. Griffin, County Executive, Fairfax County, VA.
Mar. 11, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing, ``Transparency Through Technology: Evaluating
Federal Open-Government Initiatives.'' Witnesses: Ms. Ellen
Miller, Executive Director, Sunlight Foundation; Danny Harris,
Ph.D., Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Education;
Mr. Christopher L. Smith, Chief Information Officer, U.S.
Department of Agriculture; Mr. Jerry Brito, Senior Research
Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University; and Hon.
Danny Werfel, Controller, Office of Federal Financial
Management, OMB.
Mar. 30, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
hearing, ``Unfunded Mandates and Regulatory Overreach Part
II.'' Witnesses: Hon. Joni Cutler, South Dakota State Senator;
Mr. Raymond J. Keating, Chief Economist, Small Business &
Entrepreneurship Council; and Mr. John C. Arensmeyer, Founder
and CEO, Small Business Majority.
Apr. 7, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``Regulatory Barriers to American
Indian Job Creation.'' Witnesses: Ms. Mary L. Kendall, Acting
Inspector General, Department of the Interior; Ms. Anu K.
Mittal, Director, Natural Resources and Environment Team, U.S.
GAO; Ms. Patricia Douville, Council Member, Rosebud Sioux
Tribe; and Hon. Ron Allen, Chairman, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.
May 25, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform entitled, ``Unfunded Mandates, Regulatory Burdens and
the Role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.''
Witness: Hon. Cass Sunstein, Administrator, Office of
Information Regulatory Affairs, OMB.
June 3, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform entitled, ``H.R. 735 and Project Labor Agreements:
Restoring competition and Neutrality to Government Construction
Projects.'' Witnesses: The Honorable John Sullivan, U.S. House
of Representatives; Mr. Dan Gordon, Administrator, Federal
Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget; Ms. Susan
Brita, Deputy Administrator, U.S. General Services
Administration; Mr. Maurice Baskin, Counsel, Associated
Builders and Contractors, Inc.; Mr. David Tuerk, Professor and
Chairman, Suffolk University and Beacon Hill Institute; Mr.
Kirby Wu, President, Wu & Associates; Mr. Mike Kennedy,
Counsel, The Associated General Contractors of America.
June 23, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform entitled, ``Improving Oversight and Accountability in
Federal Grant Programs.'' Witnesses: Ms. Jeanette Franzel,
Managing Director, Financial Management Assurance Team,
Government Accountability Office; Ms. Natalie Keegan, Analyst
in American Federalism & Emergency Management Policy,
Congressional Research Service; Ms. Cynthia Schnedar, Acting
Inspector General, Department of Justice; The Honorable Danny
Werfel, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management,
Office of Management and Budget; The Honorable Tom Coburn,
United States Senate.
July 14, 2011. 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``Transparency and Federal Management
IT Systems.'' Witnesses: Mr. Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief
Information Officer, The Office of Management and Budget; The
Honorable Roger Baker, Assistant Secretary for Information and
Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Lawrence
Gross, Deputy Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of the
Interior; Mr. Owen Barwell, Acting Chief Financial Officer,
U.S. Department of Energy; Mr. Joel Willemssen, Managing
Director of Information Technology Issues, Government
Accountability Office.
Oct. 6, 2011, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, and Intergovernmental Relations and
Procurement Reform hearing entitled, ``Protecting Taxpayer
Dollars: Are Federal Agencies Making Full Use of Suspension and
Debarment Sanctions?'' Witnesses: Mr. William T. Woods,
Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, Government
Accountability Office; Mr. Steven Shaw, Deputy General Counsel
for Contractor Responsibility, Officer of the Air Force General
Counsel; Mr. Richard A. Pelletier, Suspension and Debarment
Official, Environmental Protection Agency; Nick Nayak, Ph.D.,
Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security; Ms.
Nancy Gunderson, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Grants
and Acquisition Policy and Accountability, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
Nov. 2, 2011, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, and Intergovernmental Relations and
Procurement Reform hearing entitled, ``Are Government
Contractors Exploiting Worker's Overseas? Examining Enforcement
of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.'' Witnesses: Ms.
Liana Wyler, Senior Analyst, Congressional Research Service;
Mr. David Isenberg, Independent Analyst and Writer; Mr. Nick
Schwellenbach, Director of Investigations, Project on
Government Oversight; Mr. Sam W. McCahon, Founder, McCahon Law;
Ms. Evelyn R. Klemstine, Assistant Inspector General for
Audits, U.S. Department of State; The Honorable Kenneth P.
Moorefield, Deputy Inspector General for Special Plans &
Operations, U.S. Department of Defense; Ms. Linda Dixon,
Combating Trafficking in Persons Program Manager, U.S.
Department of Defense; Mr. Michael P. Howard, Chief Operating
Officer, Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES).
Nov. 16, 2011, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, and Intergovernmental Relations and
Procurement Reform hearing entitled, ``On the Frontlines of
Acquisition Workforce's Battle Against Taxpayer Waste.''
Witnesses: Mr. Daniel Gordon, Administrator, Office of Federal
Procurement Policy, Executive Office of the President; Mr. John
Hutton, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, U.S.
Government Accountability Office; Mr. Roger Jordan, Vice
President, Government Relations, Professional Services Council;
Ms. Donna Jenkins, Director, Federal Acquisition Institute,
General Services Administration; Ms. Katrina McFarland,
Director, Defense Acquisition University.
Feb. 7, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``Jobs for Wounded Warriors:
Increasing Access to Contracts for Service Disabled Veterans''
Witnesses: The Honorable Bill Johnson, United States House of
Representatives (OH-6); The Honorable Max Cleland, Former
United States Senator from Georgia, Advocate for the Interests
of Disabled Veterans; Ms. Belinda Finn, Assistant Inspector
General, Veterans Administration Office of the Inspectors
General; Mr. James J. O'Neill, Assistant Inspector General for
Investigations, Veterans Administration Office of Inspectors
General; Mr. Rick Hillman, Managing Director, Forensic Audits
and Investigative Service, General Accountability Office; Mr.
Rick Weidman, Executive Director, Vietnam Veterans Association;
Mr. Andre Gudger, Director, Office of Small Business Programs,
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, Acquisition,
Technology & Logistics Department of Defense; Mr. Thomas Leney;
Executive Director; Small and Veteran Owned Business Programs;
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. William Puopolo,
President, Verissimo Global Inc.
Feb. 17, 2012, 9:30 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``How Much is Too Much? Examining
Duplicative IT Investments at DOD and DOE.'' Witnesses: Mr.
David A. Powner, Director, Government Accountability Office;
Ms. Teresa (Teri) Takai, Chief Information Officer, Department
of Defense; Mr. Michael W. Locatis, III, Chief Information
Officer, Department of Energy; and Mr. Richard Spires, Chief
Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security.
March 21, 2012, 2:00 p.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``FOIA in the 21st Century: Using
Technology to Improve Transparency in Government.'' Witnesses:
Ms. Melanie Ann Pustay, Director, Office of Information Policy,
United States Department of Justice; Ms. Miriam Nisbet,
Director, Office of Government Information Services, National
Archives & Records Administration; Mr. Andrew Battin, Director,
Office of Information Collection, Environmental Protection
Agency; and Mr. Sean Moulton, Director of Federal Information
Policy, OMB Watch.
March 27, 2012, 10:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``Labor Abuses, Human Trafficking, and
Government Contracts: Is the Government Doing Enough to Protect
Vulnerable Workers?'' Witnesses: The Honorable Richard
Blumenthal, United States Senator from Connecticut; The
Honorable Rob Portman, United States Senator from Ohio; The
Honorable Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador at Large, U.S. Department of
State; Ms. Cathy J. Read, Director, Office of Acquisitions
Management, U.S. Department of State; Ms. Evelyn R. Klemstine,
Assistant Inspector General for Audits, U.S. Department of
State; Mr. Richard T. Ginman, Director, Defense Procurement and
Acquisition Policy, U.S. Department of Defense; Ms. Sharon
Cooper, Director, Defense Human Resources Activity, U.S.
Department of Defense; and The Honorable Kenneth P. Moorefield,
Deputy Inspector General for Special Plans & Operations, U. S.
Department of Defense.
May 31, 2012, 1:30 p.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``Rhetoric vs. Reality, Part II:
Assessing The Impact of New Federal Red Tape on Hydraulic
Fracturing and American Energy Independence.'' Witnesses: Ms.
Lori Wrotenbery, Director, Oil and Gas Conservation Division,
Oklahoma Corporation Commission; Mr. Michael McKee, County
Commissioner, Uintah County, Utah; Robert Howarth, Ph.D.,
Director, Agriculture, Energy and Environment Program, Cornell
University; Mr. Michael Krancer, Secretary, Department of
Environmental Protection; Ms. Nancy Stoner; Acting Assistant
Administrator for Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
and Mr. Mike Pool, Deputy Director, U.S. Bureau of Land
Management.
June 28, 2012, 9:00 a.m.--Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform hearing entitled, ``Mandate Madness: When Sue and Settle
Just Isn't Enough.'' Witnesses: The Honorable E. Scott Pruitt,
Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma; Mr. Roger Martella,
Partner, Sidley Austin LLP, Mr. William Kovacs, Senior Vice
President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Mr. William Yeatman,
Assistant Director, Center for Energy and Environment,
Competitive Enterprise Institute; and Mr. Robert Percival,
Robert F. Stanton Professor of Law, Director, Environmental Law
Program, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of
Law.
III. Summary of Committee Oversight Plan
Pursuant to Rule X, Clause 2(d) of the Rules of the House,
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for the 112th
Congress adopted the following plan to guide the work of its
subcommittees and the full committee. Because of the
Committee's role as the principal oversight body of the federal
government and its mandate to investigate ``any matter at any
time,'' this plan did not preclude oversight and investigation
of other matters of importance to the American people.
The Committee's adopted plan indicates oversight in several
sectors, including:
Government Spending and Economic Stimulus--
including the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and other
economic stimulus programs.
Financial Sector Regulation--including the
implementation of Dodd-Frank, reviewing the FCIC, the creation
of the CFBP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the
recommendations of the Special Inspector General, including the
failure of the Home Affordable Mortgage Program, and the
Federal Housing Finance Agency's oversight of Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac.
Consumer Protection--including abuses by the
mortgage industry which, coupled with high unemployment and a
stagnant economy, have contributed to the foreclosure crisis.
Government Watchdogs--including the effectiveness
of federal government inspectors general and their freedom from
political interference, and ensuring the independence and
integrity of the Government Accountability Office, and the
federal government's actions on the recommendations in their
biannual High Risk Series and their new annual list of
duplicative, overlapping, and fractured federal programs.
Federal Financial Management--including the record
$125 billion in improper payments made in 2010, growth in non-
tax debt owed to the Federal Government, the persistent
inability of many federal agencies to achieve a clean audit,
and a comprehensive detailed review of financial management
systems in place in the Federal Government.
Federal Real Property Disposal--including the
proposal to use a Base Realignment and Closure style initiative
to reduce the federal deficit by disposing of excess property.
Government Contracting--including the transition
from primarily Department of Defense personnel to Department of
State support in Iraq, and the inclusion of mandated Project
Labor Agreements in federal construction contracts.
Open Government and Transparency--including
federal spending data accuracy, grant reform, the
implementation of the Government Performance and Review Act and
Performance.gov, compliance with the Presidential Records Act
and the Federal Records Act and the need to update those acts
to keep up with technology, political travel and the Hatch Act,
allegations of political interference with the Freedom of
Information Act, and a government-wide review of FOIA backlogs
and agency efforts to eliminate them.
Technology Policy--including the Committee's
ongoing oversight of the Federal Information Security
Management Act, and the emergence of a federal cybersecurity
policy.
Federal Regulation and the Regulatory Process--
including updating and strengthening the Unfunded Mandates
Review Act of 1995, reviewing the role of the White House
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in rulemaking, and
initiating a government-wide and economy-wide review of
regulatory impediments to job creation, and soliciting input
from the private sector.
Domestic Energy Production--including actions
taken by the Federal Government that have impeded the
development of domestic energy resources, including actions
taken to discourage the use of new and newly deployed
technologies, allegations of mismanagement and abuse at the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the reorganization of the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, and the
Administration's moratorium on issuing oil drilling permits in
the Gulf.
EPA Regulatory Actions and Litigation--including
the adequacy of the economic analysis of proposed rules,
enforcement and permitting decisions made by the Agency, and
the endangerment finding for greenhouse gases.
Healthcare and Drug Policy--including systemic
problems with medical device approval, prevalence of fraud and
abuse in Medicaid and Medicare, impediments faced by the
biotech industry, food safety, the Office of National Drug
Control Policy, and the issuance of waivers to companies and
states struggling to comply with provisions of the Affordable
Care Act and other implementation issues.
District of Columbia--including the District's use
of federal education funds and the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship
Program, D.C. fiscal management, and general oversight of the
D.C. government.
Information Policy--including the Census, the
National Archives and Records Administration, the Presidential
Library System, and the future of the Presidential Records Act.
Federal Workforce Policies--including pay and
benefits, the use of ``official time'' to conduct union
activities, and the appropriate size of the workforce.
United States Postal Service--focusing on policies
that will address the actual long-term fiscal sustainability of
USPS and avoid a taxpayer bailout.
National Security and Foreign Operations--
including the Department of Defense to State transition in
Iraq, waste and mismanagement at USAID, and the growing delays
in the transition process from DOD to Veterans Affairs health
care systems for wounded warriors.
Homeland Security--including ongoing problems with
financial management, operations and decision-making at the
Department of Homeland Security, and policies regarding privacy
and security at airports and the effectiveness of the
Transportation Security Administration.
IV. Summary of Actions Taken and Recommendations Made With Respect to
the Oversight Plan
STIMULUS SPENDING
The Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending held a hearing on the two-year
anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the
stimulus bill) to examine the effects of the stimulus on the
economy after two years. During ``The Stimulus: Two Years
Later'' hearing, economists and policy experts from a wide
range of universities and public policy institutes testified
about the results of the stimulus. Economist Russell Roberts at
George Mason University summed up the views of the majority of
the panel when he declared in his testimony that ``the results
have been deeply disappointing.''
A follow-up hearing held by the Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending, held on
September 13th was entitled ``Take Two: The President's
Proposal to Stimulate the Economy and Create Jobs.'' This
hearing revisited the failure of the first stimulus to meet its
goals and discussed how the President's most recent proposal,
``The American Jobs Act,'' might suffer a similar fate. Experts
from academia, think tanks, and financial institutions
testified. On the President's proposal for more stimulus,
Professor John Taylor of Stanford University stated, ``I think
that makes it worse. Even the people who use these models to
say it's going to boost the economy, always emphasize it's
short-term. So it's not a fixing growth.'' In conjunction with
this hearing, the majority staff released a report entitled,
``Doubling down on failure: before asking for a new stimulus
package, will the Obama administration admit failure?'' which
compared the actual results of the 2009 stimulus with the
predicted outcomes to demonstrate that it failed even by its
self-imposed metrics for success. On Wednesday March 20th, the
full Committee held a hearing titled ``Oversight of the
Department of Energy's Stimulus Spending.'' The hearing
addressed the Committee's ongoing investigation of the
Department of Energy's weatherization and ``green energy'' loan
programs, with a particular focus on the administrative and
management-related challenges the DOE has faced in implementing
these programs. Secretary Chu testified, admitting in response
to questions from Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan that DOE
loaned out money to agencies with a 50% probability of failure.
Chu denied that political connections to the White House had
anything to do with the loans.
FINANCIAL SECTOR REGULATION
In January 2011, the Full Committee held a hearing entitled
``Bailouts and the Foreclosure Crisis: Report of the Special
Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program'' and
heard testimony from Neil Barofsky, Special Inspector General
for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). In his testimony
he concluded that ``the Home Affordable Modification Program
(``HAMP'')--has been beset by problems from the outset and,
despite frequent retooling, continues to fall dramatically
short of any meaningful standard of success.'' In late March,
the Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of
Public and Private Programs held a hearing entitled ``Has Dodd-
Frank Ended Too Big to Fail?'' Mr. Barofsky testified that the
costs of TARP included ``the increased moral hazard and
potentially disastrous consequences associated with the
continued existence of financial institutions that are `too big
to fail.''' Additionally in March, the TARP Subcommittee held a
Joint Hearing with the Subcommittee on Government Organization,
Efficiency and Financial Management on the state of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), entitled ``Financial
Management, Work Force, and Operations at the SEC: Who's
Watching Wall Street's Watchdog?'' where the Subcommittees
heard from SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro, as well as other
current and former SEC officials. In May, the Subcommittee on
TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private
Programs held a hearing, entitled ``Who's Watching the
Watchmen? Oversight of the Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau.'' The Subcommittee heard testimony from Elizabeth
Warren, Assistant to the President, and Special Advisor to the
Secretary of the Treasury, along with several experts from
universities and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, about the new
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
In June 2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled, ``The
Changing Role of the FDIC.'' At the hearing, Chairman Bair
explained the FDIC's new authority via the Dodd-Frank Act,
regulations regarding risk retention, new categorizations of
``systemically important financial institutions,'' and
suggested items for Congress to examine in years to come.
In September and October 2011, the Subcommittee held two
hearings on crowdfunding as a new and necessary means to
improve small business capital formation.
Additionally, in September, there was a Joint Hearing by
the House Oversight TARP Subcommittee and the House Financial
Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations entitled,
``Potential Conflicts of Interest at the SEC: The Becker
Case.'' The witnesses included SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, SEC
Inspector General H. David Kotz, and former SEC General Counsel
David Becker. At the hearing, Inspector General Kotz and
Chairman Schapiro recognized and admitted to structural
problems within the Commission's ethics office--which signed
off on David Becker's involvement with the liquidation of
Bernard Madoff Investment Securities LLC, despite a conflict of
interest--and announced reforms it would institute in the near
future.
In November 2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled
``How Roadblocks in Public Markets Prevent Job Creation on Main
Street,'' that focused on potential solutions to shortages of
liquidity for smaller and lesser known publicly traded
companies. The NYSE and the NASDAQ testified in support of the
Subcommittee's ideas on how to allow for public companies to
purchase liquidity support from broker-dealers.
In 2012, Committee staff continued its oversight of the use
of cost-benefit analysis at the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (``Commission''). On January 5th, Chairman Issa sent
a letter to Chairman Schapiro detailing the numerous flaws and
concerns arising out of the Commission's failure to properly
apply cost-benefit analysis to proposed regulations. On April
17th, in a hearing before the Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs, SEC
Chairman Mary Schapiro announced the Commission would be
adopting many of practices urged by Chairmen Issa and McHenry
in a series of letters in January and February. Commissioner
Gallagher personally credited this development to the
Committee. Since the April 17th hearing, Committee staff
drafted follow-up letters to Chairman Schapiro and the SEC
Office of the Inspector General. These letters lay out a
comprehensive plan to ensure implementation of the Committee's
recommendations.
On April 5th, 2012, President Obama signed the JOBS Act
into law. Three key components of the JOBS Act originated in a
letter from Chairman Issa dated March 22, 2011. In that letter,
the Chairman sought to motivate the Commission to remove
regulations that banned general solicitation, capped the number
of shareholders in non-public companies and effectively banned
an investing approach known as crowdfunding, which provides
ordinary investors the ability to invest a limited share of
their income in non-public small startups. As a result of a
series of letters and hearings, both in the Full Committee and
Chairman McHenry's TARP subcommittee, the House Financial
Services and Senate Banking Committees took up the ideas and
carried them forward as legislation, which eventually passed as
part of the JOBS Act this April. These regulatory changes will
enable increased capital formation by non-public companies,
which will enable additional investment while subject to less
costly regulation.
The Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts
of Public and Private Programs has engaged in careful oversight
of the SEC's implementation of Title II of the JOBS Act, which
lifts the ban on general solicitation for certain issuers of
equity. Documents provided to the Committee by the SEC revealed
that Chairman Schapiro deliberately slowed down the
implementation process in an effort to appease critics of the
legislation. The Subcommittee remains vigilant of further
delays, and will continue to press for faithful implementation
of the law.
In response to efforts by the Committee, the SEC adopted a
guidance document outlining mandatory policies regarding the
use of economic analysis in Commission rulemaking. The
Subcommittee is overseeing the further adoption of these
principles by self-regulatory organizations (SROs), which are
quasi-private regulatory entities subject to SEC oversight. The
Subcommittee is specifically working with the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Municipal Securities
Rulemaking Board, and the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (PCAOB).
The recent problems that resulted from Facebook's IPO
revealed potential flaws to the IPO structure, informational
asymmetry that may advantage institutional investors over
ordinary investors, and a pricing scheme that allocates pricing
power to potentially conflicted investment banks. On June 19,
2012, Chairman Issa wrote a letter to Chairman Schapiro asking
questions regarding this IPO process and seeking that the SEC
consider reforms. Chairman Issa then met with Chairman Schapiro
to discuss the same. Chairman Schapiro then provided her
written response on August 23, 2012.
On August 1, 2012, Chairman Issa wrote a letter to Fed
Chairman Ben Bernanke seeking answers to concerns raised by
multiple renowned experts regarding monetary policy. On August
22, 2012, Chairman Bernanke responded.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
On March 8, 2011, the full Committee held its first field
hearing in Baltimore, MD, entitled ``The Foreclosure Crisis.''
The Committee took testimony from Maryland Governor Martin
O'Malley, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mark
Kaufman of the Maryland Commission on Financial Regulation,
Jane Wilson from the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, and Iraq
war veteran Kevin Matthews, who was illegally locked out of his
home when his bank prematurely moved forward on a foreclosure.
On March 19, 2012, the full Committee held a field hearing
in Brooklyn, NY, entitled ``Failure to Recover: The State of
Housing Markets, Mortgage Servicing Practices and
Foreclosures.'' The Committee heard testimony from Morris
Morgan of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency,
Suzanne Killian of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Housing
Finance Agency General Counsel Alfred Pollard and
representatives from Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase Bank,
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and CitiMortgage. NY Supreme Court
Justice Arthur Schack, Meghan Faux of South Brooklyn Legal
Services and Edward Pinto of the American Enterprise Institute
also testified about impacts of the foreclosure crisis on our
housing markets.
GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS
In February 2011, the Full Committee held a hearing
entitled ``Waste and Abuse: The Refuse of the Federal Spending
Binge'' during which the Committee heard from the Comptroller
of the United States and several private sector witnesses about
the 2011 Government Accountability Office's High Risk List (an
ongoing series of GAO reports that detail the highest risk and
most problematic programs in the federal government). In early
March the Full Committee held another hearing entitled ``The
Refuse of the Federal Spending Binge II: How U.S. Taxpayers are
Paying Double for Failing Government Programs'' that examined a
new report by the GAO focusing on duplicative federal
government programs.
In June, the Government Organization, Efficiency and
Financial Management Subcommittee held a hearing entitled ``IRS
E-file and Identity Theft,'' which examined the growing problem
of tax fraud perpetuated by identity theft. Commissioner
Douglas Shulman testified and personally apologized to victims
of identity theft and tax fraud. The Subcommittee held a
follow-up hearing in November to address IRS's inability to
identify or prevent tax fraud.
The Subcommittee also addressed waste, fraud and abuse in
the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which were responsible for
almost $70 billion in improper payments in FY 2010. In July,
the Subcommittee addressed waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare
at a hearing entitled, ``Improper Medicare Payments: $48
Billion in Waste?,'' and in December the Subcommittee had a
Joint Hearing with the Subcommittee on Health Care, District of
Columbia, Census and the National Archives entitled ``A
Medicaid Fraud Victim Speaks Out: What's Not Working and Why?''
On February 15, 2012, the Full Committee held a hearing
examining proposals to reform the federal government so it is
more efficient, effective, and responsive to the American
public. Virginia Senator Mark Warner and Wisconsin Senator Ron
Johnson both testified alongside other government reform
experts.
On February 28, 2012, the Full Committee continued looking
at government reform from Comptroller General Gene Dodaro on
the update to the GAO duplicative program report. Oklahoma
Senator Tom Coburn, whose legislation created the report,
testified as well. Subcommittee Chairman James Lankford, who
has advanced legislation to help identify duplicative programs
for reduction, asked the Comptroller General to summarize the
cause of government duplication. Mr. Dodaro testified that
``basically many of these programs start out as well
intentions, perceptions of need, that there's always not a
well-documented case for that in the first place, and there's
an accumulation over time. I mean, the hundred programs in
Surface Transportation developed over decades. And there's
really not a regular process other than Congressional oversight
to look at whether or not these programs are working
effectively. I think in some cases, part of our recommendations
are to really tie funding to outcomes, and not just--there's a
perception that providing money fixes problems.''
The Full Committee held a hearing in May 2012, ``Where Are
All the Watchdogs? Addressing Inspector General Vacancies.''
The hearing examined how the community of Federal Inspectors
General is short-handed due to the absence of permanent
leadership in several agencies. In his opening remarks,
Chairman Issa noted that there are currently ten vacant IG
posts. Of those, eight are at agencies where the IG is
presidentially appointed. Four IG posts have been vacant for
more than 1,000 days. Five IG vacancies are at cabinet-level
departments. The State Department has been without a permanent
IG for more than four years.
FEDERAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
On March 9, 2011, the Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management held a
hearing entitled, ``A Look at the FY2010 Consolidated Financial
Statements of the U.S. Government'' during which the
Comptroller General of the United States testified that ``three
major impediments continued to prevent GAO from rendering an
opinion on the Federal Government's accrual-based consolidated
financial statements'' including ``financial management
problems at the Department of Defense'' and ``the Federal
Government's ineffective process for preparing the consolidated
financial statements.'' The Subcommittee held several other
hearings on federal financial management, including ``Making
Sense of the Numbers: Improving the Federal Financial Reporting
Model,'' ``A Look at the FY2010 Consolidated Financial
Statements of the U.S. Government,'' ``Improper Payments:
Finding Solutions,'' and ``Financial Management at the
Department of Homeland Security.''
On March 1, 2012, the Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management held a
hearing entitled ``The Status of Government Financial
Management: A Look at the FY2011 Consolidated Financial
Statements'' during which the Comptroller General of the United
States, Daniel Werfel of the Office of Management and Budget
and Richard Gregg of the U.S. Department of the Treasury
testified about the problems that exist in addressing continued
financial management issues. The Subcommittee held another
hearing on federal financial management on February 7, 2012,
entitled ``Solutions Needed: Improper Payments Total $115
Billion in Federal Misspending.'' Senator Thomas Carper (R-DE)
was present at the hearing to discuss a bill meant to help
reduce improper payments and other witnesses testified about
the problems that lead to improper payments and what we can do
to prevent them. On March 19, 2012, Reps. Todd Platts, Edolphus
Towns and Gerry Connolly sent a letter to the Committee on
Appropriations requesting that they consider the increased FY
2013 budget request of GAO, arguing the agency is ``a critical
tool in identifying waste and misspending'' in federal
government programs.
The Committee has continued its focus on strong federal
financial management, and is monitoring the Department of
Defense in its goal to produce auditable financial statements
by 2017. On September 23, 2011, the Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management held a
hearing entitled ``The Department of Defense: Challenges in
Financial Management'' to address shortcomings in DoD's current
systems and problems the Department will face in trying to
become auditable. The Subcommittee also addressed financial
management concerns at the Department of Homeland Security in
its October 27, 2011, hearing, ``Internal Control Weaknesses at
the Department of Homeland Security.'' Peggy Sherry, Acting
Chief Financial Officer of DHS, testified about significant
weaknesses found in DHS's controls over its financial
management IT systems. In September, Rep. Todd Platts sent a
letter to the White House expressing concern over DHS's lack of
a Senate-confirmed Chief Financial Officer. In November, the
White House acknowledged Mr. Platts' letter and nominated Ms.
Sherry as CFO at DHS.
On March 22, 2012, the Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management held a joint
hearing with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial
Management, Government Information, Federal Services and
International Security entitled ``New Audit Finds Problems in
Army Military Pay.'' The hearing investigated a GAO audit
finding that the Army faces challenges in achieving audit
readiness due to ``continuing deficiencies'' with payroll
processes and controls. The Subcommittee took testimony from
Asif Khan of GAO, Aaron Gillison of DOD, and Jim Watkins and
Jeanne Brooks of the Department of the Army. LTC Kirk Zecchini
also testified about his personal experience with military pay
problems during his 28 years in the U.S. Army Reserve.
On June 7, 2012, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the
effectiveness of improper payment detection methods at the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The hearing
addressed two programs, the National Medicaid Audit Program and
the Medicare-Medicaid Data Match program. While both of them
are supposed to prevent improper payments and fraud, they both
save less money than they cost taxpayers, resulting in a
negative return on investment. The Subcommittee heard testimony
from the Inspector General for Medicaid, as well as CMS
officials and GAO.
On November 29, 2012, the Subcommittee held a hearing
focusing on identity theft related tax fraud. This was the
fourth hearing on this problem the Subcommittee held during the
112th Congress. Because of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS)
inability to detect fraud, the government could lose as much as
$21 billion over the next 5 years due to identity theft related
tax fraud. Witnesses included IRS, GAO, the Taxpayer Advocate
Service, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration.
FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY DISPOSAL
In May 2011, Chairman Issa sent a letter to the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) asking for an estimate of
President Obama's ``Civilian Property Realignment Act.'' In
June, the Committee received a response from CBO which stated
in part that the ``Legislation would probably not result in a
significant increase in proceeds from the sale of federal
properties.'' Furthermore, CBO estimates that the legislation
would increase both direct and discretionary federal spending.
In July 2011, the Committee held a hearing entitled
``Disposal of Federal Real Property: Legislative Proposals.''
At the hearing, Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director at
CBO's Budget Analysis Division, testified on CBO's analysis of
the President's proposed property disposal legislation. She
testified that, ``CBO's review of the President's proposal
concluded that it was not likely to significantly increase
receipts from sales of federal property in part because there
is only a limited amount of excess property with significant
market value and there are numerous legal, practical, and
political obstacles to the sale of such property.''
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING
The Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and
Foreign Operations conducted a hearing entitled ``U.S. Military
Leaving Iraq: Is the State Department Ready?'' Several
officials from the Departments of State and Defense testified,
as well as commissioners from the Commission on Wartime
Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the Commissioners,
Grant Green, testified that ``this hearing poses the question,
`U.S. Military Leaving Iraq: Is the State Department Ready?'
The short answer is `no,' and the short reason for that answer
is that establishing and sustaining an expanded U.S. diplomatic
presence in Iraq will require State to take on thousands of
additional contractor employees that it has neither funds to
pay nor resources to manage.''
On September 15, 2011, the Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations conducted a
hearing entitled ``Defense Department Contracting in
Afghanistan: Are We Doing Enough to Combat Corruption?'' The
hearing examined the Defense Department's investigation and
handling of contractor payments to possible criminal patronage
networks and the Taliban. Officials from the Defense Department
and the Army acknowledged that oversight of the Host Nation
Trucking contracts was inadequate and could have led to
payments to insurgents.
On October 4, 2011, the full Committee conducted a hearing
entitled ``Where is the Peace Dividend? Examining the Final
Report to Congress of the Commission on Wartime Contracting.''
The hearing featured the Commissioners of the Commission on
Wartime Contracting and examined waste, fraud, and abuse in
contingency contracting practices and expenditures in Iraq and
Afghanistan as set forth in the August 31, 2011 Final Report of
the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the hearing, Chairman Lankford asked ``Did you run into
situations where it was a sole source, and you would see a need
for suspension or debarment, but instead of actually debarring
them, they would say, `They're essential. We can't function
without them. So we know they're a bad actor, but we don't have
any other folks that can help us.''' Commissioner Shays
responded ``Countless times.''
On October 6th, 2011, the Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform conducted a hearing entitled ``Protecting Taxpayer
Dollars: Are Federal Agencies Making Full Use of Suspension and
Debarment Sanctions?'' The hearing focused on a recent
Government Accountability Office report, ``Suspension and
Debarment: Some Agency Programs Need Greater Attention, and
Government wide Oversight Could is improved.'' Witnesses from
GAO and various government agencies testified regarding wide
disparities in Executive branch agencies' use of suspension and
debarment. At the hearing, Chairman Lankford asked ``Common
sense would seem to suggest these agencies are not looking for
and thus not uncovering fraud on the part of their contractors.
In some cases, though, these agencies may simply accept poor
performance or staff may not complete the file of paperwork or
help others avoid the same bad contractors in the future.''
On November 2, 2011, Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and
Procurement Reform conducted a hearing entitled ``Are
Government Contractors Exploiting Workers Overseas? Examining
Enforcement of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.'' The
hearing explored federal agency implementation of the
provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and
allegations of abusive labor practices by prime and
subcontractors performing services in Iraq and Afghanistan, as
well as at other United States embassies and consulates.
Witnesses included representatives from CRS and GAO, as well as
the Inspectors General from the State Department and Department
of Defense. Sam McMahon, a lawyer who specializes in
trafficking cases, testified ``The problem is transparency and
reporting. There are not enough agents on the ground to report
this conduct. It has to be the responsibility of the prime
contractor. But now the prime contractor has no incentive and
all the disincentive in the world to report the conduct. It
makes the prime contractor look bad if they do report it, and
they get no incentive for engaging in reporting.''
On November 16, 2011, the Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and
Procurement Reform conducted a hearing entitled ``On the
Frontlines in the Acquisition Workforce's Battle Against
Taxpayer Waste.'' The hearing examined the critical role of
federal government acquisition professionals who are charged
with ensuring that government procurements are competitive and
effectively overseen so as to avoid waste, fraud, abuse, and
mismanagement. The hearing highlighted the obligations and
challenges of the acquisition workforce in the face of the
evolving complexities of the current acquisition system.
Witnesses included the Administrator for the Office of Federal
Procurement Policy, as well as witnesses from defense
Acquisition University and Federal Acquisition Institute. Dan
Gordon, OFPP Administrator, testified that ``My priority number
one has been strengthening the federal acquisition workforce.
That means look for opportunities for training. It means do
outreach. We need to- the second priority is fiscal
responsibility. We need to buy less. We need to buy smarter.
One of the benefits of buying smarter is that it reduces the
burden on the federal acquisition workforce. Strategic
sourcing, by having vehicles in place government-wide means
that individual contracting officers don't need to run
competitions for contracts. That reduces their workload and is
helpful. Rebalancing our relationship with contractors, whether
it's improving the communication, part of Mythbusters, or
seeing to it that we're doing better contract oversight.''
On November 17, the full Committee conducted a Business
Meeting. One measure considered was H.R. 3433, the Grant Reform
and New Transparency (GRANT) Act of 2011. The bill was approved
by a voice vote. The legislation, introduced by Oversight
Subcommittee on Technology and Information Policy Chairman
James Lankford, R-Okla., directs agencies to establish uniform
standards for how they notice, award, and disclose the tens of
billions of taxpayer dollars spent each year through 1,670
discretionary grant programs.
On February 7, 2012, the Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform held a hearing entitled ``Jobs for Wounded Warriors:
Increasing Access to Contracts for Service Disabled Veterans,''
which examined the systemic and pervasive failure of the
federal government to provide Congressionally-mandated economic
opportunities to wounded warriors. Subsequently, a draft bill
was prepared to address contracting inequalities for veteran-
owned small businesses when competing for government contracts
within the small business programs authorized by Section 8a of
the Small Business Act. The bill is currently awaiting
additional sponsors and has been referred to the House Veterans
Committee. At the hearing, Congressman Meehan asked ``Why is
the Department of Veterans Affairs doing a fairly decent job of
at least meeting their goal--3%--and some of the other critical
agencies, HHS and others, sort of so woefully behind? What do
they do well that the other agencies don't do to meet their 3%
requirement?''
On February 17, 2012, the Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform held a hearing entitled ``How Much is Too Much?
Examining Duplicative IT Investments at DOD and DOE.'' The
hearing addressed whether government agencies have adequate
processes and procedures in place to avoid wasting taxpayer
money by buying redundant or overlapping IT systems that
perform functions such as acquisition management, case
management or document management. Based upon the findings and
conclusions of this hearing and the full Committee hearing on
waste and duplication held on February 28, 2012, draft
legislation entitled ``the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act
(FITARA)'' has been prepared to address greater efficiencies in
the Government's use and acquisition of IT goods and services.
The draft bill has been posted online in September 2012 to
solicit input from all stakeholders. On Dec. 3, 2012, Reps.
Issa and Connolly gave a keynote speech at the Nextgov Prime
conference, further advancing this ``good government''
bipartisan IT reform initiative.
On March 27, 2012, the Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform held a hearing entitled ``Labor Abuses, Human
Trafficking, and Government Contracts: Is the Government Doing
Enough to Protect Vulnerable Workers? This hearing was a follow
up to the Subcommittee's November 2, 2011 hearing highlighting
potential widespread abuses of workers providing labor to U.S.
government contractors. The hearing examined proposals designed
to end the practice of trafficking submitted by the Department
of Defense, Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel &
Readiness, and the Office of Inspectors General from the
Department of State and Department of Defense. It addressed
proposed legislation to enhance oversight to end abusive labor
practices in overseas contracting. At the hearing, Senator Rob
Portman testified that, ``This cuts across all party lines,
philosophical lines because it's really about something much
more fundamental. And that's who we are as a people. It's about
respecting and protecting human dignity. This legislation, as
my colleague has talked about, is designed to ensure that the
contracting dollars that come from our taxpayers after all are
spent in a manner that's consistent with our deeply held values
as a nation. And it's a lot of money--over $20 billion a year
in Afghanistan and Iraq alone.'' Based upon the findings from
this hearing and the anti-trafficking hearing on November 2,
2012, Chairman Lankford introduced bipartisan and bicameral
legislation enhancing anti-trafficking protecting. These
provisions were passed as part of the FY 2013 National Defense
Authorization Act.
OPEN GOVERNMENT AND TRANSPARENCY
In late March, the Full Committee held a hearing entitled,
``Why Isn't the Department of Homeland Security Meeting the
President's Standard on FOIA?'' and issued a staff report
entitled ``A New Era of Openness? How and Why Political Staff
at DHS Interfered with the FOIA Process'' to determine why DHS
was not following President Obama's promise of more openness
and transparency. Chairman Issa began the hearing by outlining
DHS's FOIA problems, saying ``now two full years into the Obama
administration, Congressional investigators have uncovered
evidence that career FOIA professionals at DHS have been
compromised in their statutory compliance by the intrusion of
DHS political staff into the department's FOIA procedures.''
The Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform held a
hearing in March to examine how technology could be used to
create transparency entitled ``Transparency Through Technology:
Evaluating Federal Open-Government Initiatives.'' In June,
based on the Committee's oversight work, Chairman Issa
introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act
(DATA), which will make Federal spending data uniformly
downloadable and machine-readable. The same month, the
Committee reported the DATA Act to the House, and Sen. Mark
Warner introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
In July, the Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the
failure of Federal agencies' management systems to produce
useful, accurate information on grants, contracts, and other
spending. Then-Federal CIO Vivek Kundra testified that open-
government policies can save taxpayers' money by illuminating
waste, but only if the government ensures the accuracy and
usefulness of its data. The Committee collected information on
agency financial management data systems, and released its
findings publicly online after the hearing. Meanwhile, the
Committee continued its aggressive oversight of agencies'
failures to produce auditable financial statements, including
hearings by the Subcommittee on Government Organization,
Efficiency and Financial Management on financial control
weaknesses at the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.
In March 2012, the Subcommittee on Technology, Information
Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and Procurement Reform
held a hearing entitled, ``FOIA in the 21st Century: Using
Technology to Improve Transparency in Government.'' The purpose
of the hearing was to examine ways to better utilize technology
to meet federal FOIA obligations and solicit stakeholder
opinions about the best ways to do so. Witnesses at the hearing
included Miriam Nisbet, Director of the National Archives and
Records Administration's Office of Government Information
Services; Andrew Battin, Director of the Environmental
Protection Agency's Office of Information Collection; Melanie
Ann Pustay, Director of the Department of Justice's Office of
Information Policy; and Sean Moulton, Director of OMB Watch's
Federal Information Policy Division. Hearing testimony
revealed, among other things, that the Obama Administration's
FOIA compliance was substantially below the compliance rate of
the two prior administrations. The Committee released a staff
report scorecard in conjunction with the hearing.
In April 2012, Chairman Issa sent a letter to Attorney
General Eric Holder requesting clarification of the Department
of Justice's recent publication of a notice referencing its
Office of Information Policy as a ``FOIA Ombudsman.'' Chairman
Issa questioned the characterization and noted that DOJ's use
of the term conflicted with the statutorily established role of
the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of
Government Information Services, which was effectively set up
to serve as a federal FOIA ombudsman. Chairman Issa also
requested further information from DOJ to determine the
agency's basis for classifying OIP as the authority for
resolving federal FOIA disputes, and noted that ``DOJ's
proposal to offer dispute resolution between agencies and FOIA
requesters oversteps its statutory authority.''
In September 2012, the Committee passed a Full Committee
bipartisan staff report on The Citizen's Guide to Using the
Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to
Request Government Records. It also received the results of a
study conducted by the Government Accountability Office on the
status of FOIA within the Obama Administration.
In October 2012, Chairman Issa sent a letter to Acting
Director Jeffrey Zients at the Office of Management and Budget
requesting the list of outdated or duplicative reports as
required by Government Performance and Results Modernization
Act (GPRAMA) of 2010 (P.L. 111-352). This list was required to
be published in the 2013 Budget of the United States Government
(the Budget) on February 13, 2012. The Budget stated that this
list of excess reports had been posted on the Performance.gov
website for public comment, but the list has not been posted as
of December 14, 2012. According to the Budget, agencies
proposed more than 450 low-priority plans and reports for
Congress to consider eliminating or consolidating. In total,
these reports cost government employees 200,000 hours to
prepare and result in nearly 30,000 pages. Once the Committee
receives this information, steps will be taken to work with the
Administration to eliminate the waste of taxpayer dollars that
result from the production of unnecessary, outdated or
duplicative agency reports.
INFORMATION POLICY
The full Committee held a joint hearing in February 2012
with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
entitled ``America's Presidential Libraries: Their Mission and
Their Future'' at which the Archivist of the United States and
several directors of individual presidential libraries
testified about the services that presidential libraries
provide to Americans. The full Committee also held a hearing on
``Presidential Records in the New Millennium: Updating the
Presidential Records Act and Other Federal Recordkeeping
Statutes to Improve Electronic Records Preservation.'' The
Archivist of the United States and the Chief Information
Officer of the White House Office of Administration testified
about possible improvements to the Presidential Records Act
that could arise from current technological advances.
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
In May 2011, the National Security, Homeland Defense and
Foreign Operations Subcommittee held a hearing,
``Cybersecurity: Assessing the Immediate Threat to the United
States'' to examine cybersecurity. Several private sector
witnesses testified, as well as Sean McGurk from the National
Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security,
who informed the Subcommittee that ``The United States
confronts a combination of known and unknown vulnerabilities,
strong and rapidly expanding adversary capabilities, and a lack
of comprehensive threat and vulnerability awareness.''
In July 2011, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee
held a hearing, ``Cybersecurity: Assessing the Nation's Ability
to Address the Growing Cyber Threat'' to further examine
cybersecurity. Witnesses from across the Federal Government, to
include the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of
Justice, the Department of Defense, and the Department of
Commerce, discussed the cyber threat as well as the need to
develop stronger strategic partnerships with the private
sector. Witnesses responded to questions related to the
aggressive nature of cyber attacks and the growing need to
address weaknesses in the nation's information technology
supply chain. The hearing also included a thorough discussion
of the Administration's current cybersecurity legislative
proposal.
On April 26, 2012, on a unanimous voice vote, the Federal
Information Security Amendments Act of 2012 (H.R. 4257) was
approved by the House of Representatives. During the House
Oversight and Government Reform Full Committee Markup on April
18, 2012, the bill was also approved on a unanimous bipartisan
voice vote. H.R. 4257 enhances the Federal Information Security
Management Act (FISMA) of 2002 by improving the framework for
securing information technology systems. It also establishes a
mechanism for stronger oversight of information technology
systems by focusing on automated and continuous monitoring of
cybersecurity threats and regular ``threat assessments.''
FEDERAL REGULATION AND THE REGULATORY PROCESS
From the beginning of the 112th Congress, excessive federal
regulation and the regulatory process hindering job creation
has been a priority of the Committee, and the Committee held a
series of hearings on the subject. In February, the Full
Committee held a hearing entitled ``Regulatory Impediments to
Job Creation'' during which the Committee heard from a variety
of business leaders and policy experts. The Committee also
released a 97-page staff report entitled ``Assessing Regulatory
Impediments to Job Creation'' to document specific examples of
government regulations that businesses say hinder job creation.
In April 2011, the Committee held a field hearing in San
Jose, California on ``Policies Affecting High Tech Growth and
Federal Adoption of Industry Best Practices.'' The Committee
heard from several leaders in the tech industry about how
government regulations affect their businesses, including
Google and Microsoft. The Full Committee held two more field
meetings on federal regulation in April entitled, ``Regulatory
Impediments to Job Creation: Assessing The Cumulative Impact of
EPA Regulation on Farmers'' and ``Federal Policies Affecting
Innovation and Job Growth In the Biotech and Pharmaceutical
Industries.''
The Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending also held a series of hearings on the
topic: ``Assessing the Cumulative Impact of Regulation on U.S.
Manufacturers,'' ``Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation: The
Cost of Doing Business in the Construction Industry,''
``Assessing the Impact of EPA Greenhouse Gas Regulations on
Small Business,'' ``Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation in
the Northeast Part I,'' and ``Regulatory Impediments to Job
Creation in the Northeast Part II.'' Additionally, the
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform held several
hearings on the subject: ``Unfunded Mandates and Regulatory
Overreach,'' ``Unfunded Mandates and Regulatory Overreach Part
II,'' and ``Regulatory Barriers to American Indian Job
Creation.''
In June 2011, the Full Committee held a field hearing in
Charleston County, South Carolina entitled, ``Unionization
Through Regulation: The NLRB's Holding Pattern on Free
Enterprise'' to examine the National Labor Relations Board's
(NLRB) decision to sue The Boeing Company for alleged unfair
labor practices connected to the company's decision to build
``Dreamliner'' 787s in South Carolina. The hearing exposed how
the NLRB's action against Boeing would impact the thousands of
Boeing employees at a non-union worksite in South Carolina.
In September 2011, the Full Committee held a hearing
entitled ``How a Broken Process Leads to Flawed Regulation.''
The hearing focused on the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs' oversight of federal regulatory agencies, the
regulatory process, and the impact of regulations on the
economy. The Committee released a 34 page report in conjunction
with the hearing, which detailed the multiple ways federal
agencies seek to advance a political agenda, while avoiding the
transparency and the checks and balances of the congressionally
designed system. The Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs,
Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending also held a series
of hearings to better understand the employment impacts of
various regulations: ``The Gainful Employment Regulation:
Limiting Job Growth and Student Choice,'' ``Lights Out: How EPA
Regulations Threaten Affordable Power and Job Creation,'' and
``The Price of Uncertainty: How Much Could DOT's Proposed
Billion Dollar Hours of Service Rule Cost Consumers This
Holiday Season.''
On January 2, 2012, the Subcommittee held a hearing
entitled, ``Volt Vehicle Fire: What Did NHTSA Know and When Did
They Know It?'' At this hearing, the Subcommittee examined
safety issues surrounding the lithium-ion battery system of the
Chevrolet Volt and similar safety concerns of other advanced
vehicle technologies. The question before the Committee was
whether the Federal Government's partial ownership of General
Motors created an inappropriate conflict-of-interest for the
regulator responsible for evaluating the safety concerns
surrounding GM's marquee vehicle, the Chevy Volt. Mr. Daniel F.
Akerson, Chairman and CEO of General Motors and David L.
Strickland, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration testified at the hearing.
From the beginning of the 112th Congress, excessive federal
regulation and the regulatory process hindering job creation
has been a priority of the Committee, and the Committee held a
series of hearings on the subject. In June and July 2012, the
full Committee held a series of field hearings to focus on the
continuing regulatory burden and to hear from job creators
outside of Washington, DC. Also in July, the full Committee
held a hearing and released a comprehensive staff report on the
same topic. Soon after, three regulatory reform bills reported
out of the full Committee earlier in the 112th Congress passed
the House. In the fall, the Committee inquired with the Office
of Budget and Management Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs (OIRA) about the status of various regulatory
documents.
In June 2012, the full Committee held field hearings in New
Hampshire and Tennessee. In Exeter, New Hampshire, the
Committee heard from a coalition of New Hampshire communities
concerned about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)
regulation of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
permits. In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the Committee heard from
multiple businesses, small and large, across a wide-range of
sectors concerned about whether federal government regulations
were helping or hindering Tennessee's economic development.
In July 2012, the full Committee held field hearings in
Oklahoma and North Dakota. In Edmond, Oklahoma, the Committee
heard from state and business representatives in the energy
sector about how federal regulations are impeding domestic
energy production in Oklahoma. In Fargo, North Dakota, the
Committee also heard from representatives in the energy sector
about how North Dakota, and in particular, the oil production
in the Bakken Shale Formation, can serve as a blueprint for the
rest of America's domestic energy production.
Also in July 2012, the full Committee held a hearing in
Washington, DC, entitled, ``Continuing Oversight of Regulatory
Impediments to Job Creation: Job Creators Still Buried by Red
Tape'' and released a comprehensive staff report by the same
title. The hearing, and the 116-page staff report, documented
specific examples of government regulations that businesses say
hinder job creation. During the hearing, the Committee heard
from a variety of business leaders who discussed a host of
environmental and financial services regulations that spark
uncertainty and impede growth. The following week, the House
debated three regulatory reform bills that were reported out of
the Committee earlier in the 112th Congress--H.R. 373, the
Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2011,
H.R. 4078, the Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act of 2012, and H.R.
4607, the Midnight Rule Relief Act of 2012. These bills were
included in a comprehensive regulatory reform bill, H.R. 4078,
the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act that
passed the House on a bipartisan basis.
In September, October, and November 2012, through a series
of letters and a staff briefing, the Committee inquired with
OIRA about the status of the past due Spring 2012 Unified
Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, the
final 2012 Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of
Federal Regulations, and any plans for a potential ``midnight
rule'' period after the Presidential election.
DOMESTIC ENERGY PRODUCTION
In May 2011, the Full Committee held a hearing entitled
``Pain at the Pump: Policies that Suppress Domestic Production
of Oil and Gas'' where EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
testified. The Committee also released a staff report the same
day entitled ``Impact of Statements by President, Energy
Secretary about Raising Energy Costs on Americans Seen in
Administration Policies.'' Chairman Darrell Issa introduced the
hearing by stating that ``the United States has the largest
reserves in the world--resources that can provide good-paying
American jobs and fuel our economic expansion. Standing between
that energy and U.S. consumers is an obstacle course of
government red tape, regulation, delays and obfuscations.'' In
May, the Full Committee held a field hearing in Bakersfield,
California entitled, ``Pathways to Energy Independence:
Hydraulic Fracturing and Other New Technologies.'' Also in May,
the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and
Government Spending held a hearing on ``How Federal Reserve
Policies Add to Hard Times at the Pump'' to determine how
actions of the Federal Reserve increase the price of gas for
consumers.
In June 2011 the Committee released a 36-page majority
staff report, ``The BP Oil Spill Recovery Effort: The Legacy of
Choices Made by the Obama Administration,'' which documented
how the decisions made by the Obama Administration delayed
relief to the citizens of the Gulf Coast, while simultaneously
hindering development of our natural resources. In conjunction
with this report, the Full Committee held a hearing, ``Making
the Gulf Coast Whole Again: Assessing the Recovery Efforts of
BP and the Obama Administration After the Oil Spill,'' where
the Committee heard directly from Gulf Coast residents about
how the response was affecting their daily lives and ability to
earn a living.
In September 2011, the Full Committee held a hearing
entitled, ``How Obama's Green Energy Agenda is Killing Jobs,''
which explored the implications of government programs designed
to transition the United States from traditional energy sources
to ``green,'' or renewable, energy for purpose of job creation
and economic growth. At this hearing, the Chairman released a
36-page report which explained why the Administration's policy
to favor ``Green Job'' creation over traditional job creation
is fundamentally flawed and actually detrimental to the
economic recovery. The Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs,
Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending also held a series
of hearings to examine the impact of Administration policies on
domestic energy production. In July, the Subcommittee heard
from a diverse panel of Americans negatively affected by EPA's
policy with respect to the permitting process of coal mining in
Appalachia at its hearing entitled, ``EPA's Appalachian Energy
Permitorium: Job Killer or Job Creator?'' Witnesses at the
hearing included West Virginia Congresswoman Shelley Moore
Capito, as well as mining executives from Pennsylvania, Ohio,
West Virginia and a union representative from Local 5958 and
Co-Chair of the Mountain Top Mining Coalition.
In February 2012, the Full Committee traveled to Corpus
Christi, Texas for a field hearing entitled, ``Exploring All
the Energy Options and Solutions: South Texas as a Leader in
Creating Jobs and Strengthening the Economy.'' This hearing
analyzed the contributions that Texas, particularly South
Texas, is making to power the American economy. According to
the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Texas produces more
energy than any other in the Union. It ranks number one in
crude oil production and Texas refineries account for one-
fourth of the total amount of U.S. petroleum refining capacity.
Texas also leads the country in natural gas production,
producing approximately 30 percent of the nation's supply. Ms.
Elizabeth Ames Jones, Chairman of the Railroad Commission of
Texas testified, along with several energy executives.
In March 2012, the Full Committee began to examine the
manner in which DOE has spent stimulus funds and held a hearing
entitled, ``Oversight of the Department of Energy's Stimulus
Spending,'' at which Secretary Chu testified. In conjunction
with this hearing, the Committee issued two majority staff
reports: ``The Department of Energy's Weatherization Program:
Taxpayer Money Spent, Taxpayer Money Lost''; and ``The
Department of Energy's Disastrous Management of Loan Guarantee
Programs.'' The Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs held a
follow up hearing on May 16, 2012, entitled, ``The Obama
Administration's Green Energy Gamble: What Have All The
Taxpayer Subsidies Achieved?'' Executives from Abound Solar,
First Solar, Nevada Geothermal, among others testified before
the Subcommittee.
On May 31, 2012, the Full Committee held a hearing
entitled, ``Rhetoric vs. Reality: Does President Obama Really
Support an ``All-of-the-Above'' Energy Strategy?'' This hearing
questioned President Obama's claim of support for all forms of
domestic energy production. Witnesses revealed that his
Administration continues to be engaged in regulatory efforts
aimed to slow down production of fossil fuels. The same day,
the Subcommittee on Technology held a companion hearing
entitled, ``Rhetoric vs. Reality, Part II: Assessing the Impact
of New Federal Red Tape on Hydraulic Fracturing and American
Energy Independence.'' The Subcommittee hearing took a close
look at the impact of two federal actions to regulate the
practice of hydraulic fracturing, which could damage efforts to
become energy independent. Witnesses included state regulators
from Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Utah, as well as
representatives from the EPA and DOI.
In July 2012, the Committee held a series of hearings about
``America's Energy Future.'' These hearings focused on the
natural gas, oil, and coal industries. The Committee held these
hearings at the sources of these important domestic fossil
resources, traveling to Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Ohio.
The Full Committee held the first fielding hearing on
domestic energy production in Edmond, Oklahoma, entitled
``America's Energy Future, Part I: A Review of Unnecessary and
Burdensome Regulations.'' The Committee received testimony from
a diverse panel of energy experts, including a state regulator,
an environmental engineer, a wildcatter, and a major utility
company. The witnesses offered an in-depth explanation of the
competence of state regulation, and explained how recent
federal regulations impacting the natural gas industry--
particularly from the EPA and the Department of the Interior--
have been duplicative, unnecessary, and unduly burdensome. The
Committee also received testimony that several recent EPA
regulations were justified by widely-rejected, if not
disingenuous, science.
The Full Committee then traveled to Fargo, North Dakota for
a field hearing entitled, ``America's Energy Future Part II: A
Blueprint for Domestic Energy Production,'' which specifically
explored the shale oil boom occurring in western North Dakota.
Thanks to technological breakthroughs in horizontal drilling
and hydraulic fracturing, North Dakota oil production has
created thousands of jobs and made America even more energy
independent. The Committee heard testimony that within a few
short years, North Dakota has become the second largest oil
producing state in the United States. This hearing also looked
at some of the challenges and regulatory red tape that face
shale oil production. Some of the major discussions at the
hearing were the failure of President Obama to approve the
Keystone XL pipeline and the difficulty in constructing
pipelines to move North Dakota oil safely and quickly to
refineries throughout the country. During the hearing, the
Committee heard testimony from North Dakota state officials,
oil producers, and pipeline executives.
Later in July, the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs,
Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending traveled to St.
Clairsville, Ohio for a held a field hearing entitled ``The
Green Agenda and the War on Coal: Perspectives from the Ohio
Valley.'' The Subcommittee heard testimony stating that coal is
the single most common source of electricity in the United
States, and its production provides economic support and
creates high-paying jobs throughout the Ohio River Valley and
Appalachia. This hearing also examined the challenges to the
production and use of coal in a region that is blessed with
abundant supplies of the resource. The hearing took testimony
from area state officials, coal producers, and electricity
suppliers who are all concerned about the Obama
Administration's hostile anti-coal regulations. The hearing
also took testimony from regional officials of the EPA, who are
charged with implementing these regulations.
As a culmination of the hearings conducted through the
summer, the Committee released a staff report entitled ``None
of the Below: The Truth About President Obama's Actions Against
Domestic Energy Production'' on November 1, 2012. This report
summarized the Committee's findings during its energy hearings
conducted in Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Ohio. It outlines the
steps President Obama's political appointees at EPA and DOI
have taken to restrict or regulate into nonexistence the
production of oil, natural gas, and coal. The report suggests
that while the President claims to want to use an ``all of the
above'' energy strategy, his Administration's regulatory
hostility toward fossil resources show that a more accurate
name for his strategy would be ``none of the below.''
EPA REGULATORY ACTIONS AND LITIGATION
The Full Committee held a field hearing in Salinas,
California, on ``Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation:
Assessing The Cumulative Impact of EPA Regulation on Farmers''
where the Committee heard from a variety of farmers and small
business leaders about how EPA rules hinder job creation.
Richard Smith, the owner of Paraiso Vineyards, told the
Committee ``legislators presumably intend to codify good ideas.
Unfortunately, most legislation is followed by regulatory fiats
by unelected boards and/or staff; these subsequent `rules'
often complicate and/or compromise the original good
intentions.'' The Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus
Oversight and Government Spending held a hearing entitled,
``Assessing the Impact of EPA Greenhouse Gas Regulations on
Small Businesses.'' During the hearing, Keith Holman, Deputy
Executive Director of the National Lime Association,
highlighted the negative effects of EPA regulations on small
business owners when he stated that ``while the GHG rules took
effect only three months ago, we already see a chilling effect
on lime companies' plans to modernize or expand their plants
because of the great uncertainty surrounding GHG permitting.
This in turn makes it less likely that lime companies will
create new jobs.''
In November 2011, the Full Committee held a hearing
entitled: ``Lights Out II: Should EPA Take A Step Back to Fully
Consider Utility MACT's Impact on Job Creation.'' This hearing
featured testimony from Virginia Attorney General Kenneth
Cuccinelli, II and the Deputy Administrator of U.S. EPA, Robert
Perciasepe. According to General Cuccinelli, ``The MACT rule,
while raising electricity prices generally, directly increases
prices for electricity produced by coal. As I noted before,
Appalachian Power supplies a significant portion of the
electricity in southwest Virginia, and a majority of its power
supply is generated from coal. So the poorest citizens of my
state will face the largest electric price increases because of
the MACT rule.'' At this hearing, Mr. Perciasepe conceded that
EPA's jobs analysis failed to look at the impact that higher
energy prices would have on employment.
The Committee has also launched an investigation into the
Administration's fuel economy standards for light and heavy
duty vehicles jointly issued by EPA, the California Air
Resources Board (CARB), and the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). The Committee is concerned that these
standards were negotiated in secret, outside the scope of law,
and could generate significant negative impacts for consumers.
In furtherance of this investigation, the Subcommittee on
Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending
also held a hearing on October 2011 entitled ``Running on
Empty: How the Obama Administration's Green Energy Gable Will
Impact Small Business and Consumers.'' At this hearing, Jeremy
Anwyl, C.E.O. of Edmunds.com testified that auto executives
felt they had a ```gun to their head,' and by that I think they
are referring to the threat of a California opt-out, California
waiver.''
In August 2012, the Committee issued a majority staff
report, entitled ``A Dismissal of Safety, Choice, and Cost: The
Obama Administration's New Auto Regulations,'' which documented
the findings of the Committee's investigation. The report
explained how EPA and the Obama Administration coerced auto
manufacturers to accept highly stringent standards outside of
the process required by law and at the expense of consumer
choice, safety, and affordability. According to one auto
executive, EPA and CARB sought to ``force substantial and
increasing numbers of advanced technology vehicles into the
market; the cost of those vehicles (to customers and/or to the
automakers) was clearly not a significant concern.''
In July 2012, the Subcommittee on Technology, Information
Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform held
a hearing entitled ``Mandate Madness: When Sue-and-Settle Just
Isn't Enough.'' The hearing examined the Obama Administration's
use of legally-binding settlement agreements with environmental
lobbying groups to effectuate major policy shifts. These
agreements are often the product of closed-door negotiations
between the EPA and environmental groups--states, industry,
stakeholders, and the public have no voice in the process. The
Committee received testimony from experts including the
Attorney General of Oklahoma and the former General Counsel of
the EPA. The hearing highlighted two particularly troubling
examples of sue-and-settle tactics: EPA's New Source
Performance Standards for coal-fired power plants, and the
EPA's Regional Haze program.
HEALTHCARE AND DRUG POLICY
The Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia,
Census and the National Archives held a hearing entitled,
``Obamacare: Why the Need for Waivers'' in mid March 2011 to
examine the process by which the Administration awards waivers
to exempt certain companies from the new healthcare law.
Chairman Trey Gowdy began the hearing by asking in his opening
statement ``in light of over 1000 companies requesting waivers
from the burdens of this law, what did the President mean when
he said, `if you like your health insurance, you can keep it'
and where are the failings of this law that necessitate a
waivers process?'' The Subcommittee then heard from several
experts. In April, the Subcommittee held a hearing on
government-run healthcare programs entitled ``Waste, Abuse and
Mismanagement in Government Healthcare'' during which the
Subcommittee heard from a variety of public and private sector
experts at the federal and state level about government
healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
In June 2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled ``FDA
Medical Device Approval: Is There a Better Way?'' The Committee
heard from Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, a top political appointee at
FDA, as well as a panel of experts on delays in the FDA
approval process for medical devices. In July 2011, the
Subcommittee held a hearing titled ``Fulfilling a Legal Duty:
Triggering a Medicare Plan from the Administration'' in
response to the Obama Administration's failure to comply with
their legal requirement to introduce legislation to reduce
Medicare's reliance on general revenue. At the hearing, Chuck
Blahous, one of the two public trustees of the Medicare program
testified that Congress should use the Medicare cuts in the
Affordable Care Act to extend the solvency of Medicare rather
than increasing government spending on new health care
entitlement programs. The Subcommittee held two hearings this
year focused on Obamacare's impact on employers and jobs. The
first hearing was titled ``Impact of Obamacare on Job Creators
and Their Decision to Offer Health Insurance'' and consisted of
a panel of employers testifying about the law's employer
mandate to offer health insurance as well as several of the
law's new regulations and taxes. At the hearing, Andrew Puzder,
CEO of CKE Restaurants testified, ``[T]he ironically named
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act presents all
American businesses with huge regulatory and economic hurdles
that inhibit economic growth. . . . Apart from the actual
burden of this legislation, it has contributed to the sense--
which is quite common among our franchisees--that their own
government has no idea how businesses operate and no
sensitivity whatsoever to the challenges they and their
consumers are confronting in these difficult times.''
The second hearing titled ``Obamacare's Employer Penalty
and Its Impact on Temporary Workers'' focused on the adverse
impact that President Obama's health care law will have on
staffing firms and temporary workers. During the question
period, Mr. Gowdy spoke to witness John Uprichard, President
and CEO of Find Great People International: ``The thing that I
was struck by when you and I met and talked is there wasn't a
partisan comment that came out of your mouth . . . I, to this
day, do not know your politics, and frankly it's none of my
business. The entire extent of our conversation was your
concern for whether or not you were going to have to lay off
your workers because of this.''
In September 2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled
``Examining Abuses of Medicaid Eligibility Rules'' with witness
testimony about how non-indigent people can qualify for
Medicaid to pay for their long-term care services. Janice
Eulau, an assistant administrator for Medicaid Services in
Suffolk County, New York testified, ``We're seeing, you know,
people often come in and they have total resources of over
$300,000, $400,000 total. That's beyond their home, beyond pre-
paid burial expenses, beyond those things that they're allowed
to have . . . Probably most of the people that do some kind of
Medicaid planning could at least pay for three to six months of
care on their own, and many could pay for two years or more.''
In September 2011, Chairman Issa and Chairman Gowdy became
Members of the Repeal Community Living Assistance Services and
Supports Program (CLASS) Working Group with 12 other members of
the House and Senate. The working group produced a report
titled ``CLASS' UNTOLD STORY: Taxpayers, Employers, and States
on the Hook for Flawed Entitlement Program.'' The Committee
drafted two letters that were sent from the CLASS Working Group
to Secretary Sebelius with questions about the sustainability
of the CLASS Program as well as the Administration's plans to
implement the program. The efforts of the Repeal CLASS Working
Group were likely influential in the Administration's decision
to stop implementation of the CLASS Program due to serious
concerns about the program's sustainability.
The majority staff released a report in October 2011 with
estimates that we requested from the Joint Committee on
Taxation on the distributional impact of Obamacare's health
insurance tax subsidies. The report titled ``Uncovering the
True Impact of the Obamacare Tax Credits: Increases the
Deficit, Expands Welfare through the Tax Code, and Implements a
New Marriage Tax Penalty.'' In conjunction with the release of
the report, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled ``Examining
Obamacare's Hidden Marriage Penalty and Its Impact on the
Deficit''. One of the other issues explored at the hearing was
the incentive that employers will have to drop or reconfigure
workplace health insurance in order to take advantage of the
law's subsidies and pass costs to taxpayers.
In November 2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled
``Drug Shortage Crisis: Lives are in the Balance,'' which
focused on government laws and price controls that could be at
the root of the crisis. Ted Okon, executive director of
Community Oncology Alliance, testified that ``[f]aced with the
prospect of diminishing returns from low-priced, discounted,
and rebated drugs, the incentive to stay in the market is
reduced. This has led to fewer manufacturers producing these
products.''
The Subcommittee on Health Care continued its oversight of
waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the Medicaid program
with a December 2011 hearing titled ``A Medicaid Fraud Victim
Speaks Out: What's Going Wrong and Why?'' and a April 2012
hearing titled ``Is Government Adequately Protecting Taxpayers
from Medicaid Fraud?'' Both of the hearings were joint
subcommittee hearings; the December 2011 hearing was conducted
with the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency
and Financial Management, and the April 2012 hearing was
conducted with the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus
Oversight and Government Spending.
At the December 2011 hearing, the Subcommittees heard the
testimony of Richard West, a severely disabled Vietnam veteran
who was a victim of Medicaid fraud. Mr. West's Medicaid-
financed benefits were supposed to be provided by Maxim
Healthcare, but Maxim billed the Medicaid program for a
significant amount of care that Mr. West never received. Mr.
West contacted both the state of New Jersey and CMS to inform
them of the problem, but he was ignored. At the hearing, Mr.
West testified, ``They don't come out and say `We don't believe
you.' They just don't return your calls, don't answer your
letters, don't respond to your emails. You are a burden to
them, creating paperwork for them. It's easy for them to do
nothing.'' Ultimately, Mr. West filed a successful lawsuit
under the False Claims Act joined by the federal government,
which ended up recovering more than $150 million. Members on
both sides of the aisle were outraged with both Maxim's
fraudulent billing practices and with the government's lack of
effective oversight. Congressman Gowdy stated, ``This is why
people have lost trust in the institutions of government and
why our fellow citizens have so little trust that we are
spending their money as carefully as we would spend our own.''
The joint Subcommittee hearing co-chaired by Congressmen
Gowdy and Jordan featured testimony from three witnesses with
intimate knowledge of specific practices in three states that
led to massive amounts of taxpayer funds spent fraudulently
through the Medicaid program. Dr. Gabriel Feldman, who filed a
successful lawsuit against New York City, testified about the
presence of a Medicaid industrial complex in New York City that
enabled fraud in New York City's Medicaid-financed home health
care program. Dr. Christie Ellis, a Texas orthodontist,
testified about the scheme in Texas that resulted in Texas's
Medicaid program spending more on braces that the rest of the
Medicaid programs throughout the country spent on braces. Mr.
David Feinwachs, a former key employee of the Minnesota
Hospital Association, testified about a sophisticated scheme in
Minnesota that resulted in the state overpaying the state's
insurance companies that provided coverage to Medicaid
enrollees in order to leverage the federal Medicaid
reimbursement and cross-subsidize state-only health insurance
programs.
Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Congresswoman Michelle
Bachmann (R-MN) gave opening statements at the hearing based
upon their work uncovering the problems in Minnesota's program.
Congresswoman Bachmann stated, ``With limited information on
data quality, CMS cannot ensure that States' managed care rates
are appropriate, which places billions of federal and state
dollars at risk for misspending.' Billions of dollars at risk.
This is unacceptable. . . It appears that a lack of proper
auditing has fostered a breeding ground for Medicaid fraud.''
The final panel at the hearing consisted of CMS Medicaid
director Cindy Mann answering Members' questions about CMS'
failure to prevent or even detect the problems in New York,
Texas, and Minnesota. The Commissioner of Minnesota's
Department of Human Services Lucinda Jesson was also a witness
at the final hearing and she faced questions about both the
nature of UCare's $30 million repayment to the state and the
inappropriately high rates the state was paying insurance
companies through the Medicaid program.
In February 2012, the full Committee held a hearing titled
``Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama
Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of
Conscience?'' on the HHS mandate that all employer-provided
health insurance must cover contraception, abortifacients, and
sterilization procedures. The Committee heard from two panels
of witnesses that objected to the HHS rule and the narrow
religious exemption that would have required numerous faith-
based organizations to violate some of the central teachings of
their faith. Bishop William Lori testified, ``It is a question
of government reaching into the internal governance of
religious bodies and making a requirement contrary to church
teaching.'' Rabbi Meir Soloveichik testified, ``This is
absolutely an issue of religious freedom and only of religious
freedom. There are members of this Committee or of Congress or
of the Executive Branch who are concerned about access to
contraception. They can seek through legislation or otherwise
to ensure greater access to that. . . . What they cannot do--
and that's why we're here today--is to achieve this end by
trampling on the religious freedoms and liberty of conscience
of Americans.'' Dr. Allison Garrett, Senior Vice President for
Academic Affairs at Oklahoma Christian, testified, ``This
debate is not about whether women have the right to obtain
these drugs. Rather, this debate is about whether those who
believe that contraceptives or abortion-inducing drugs that
violate their religious convictions must pay for them. There is
a vast difference between the right to make a purchase for
oneself and requiring someone else to pay for it.''
The majority staff also released two reports in the first
half of 2012. In March 2012, the Committee released a report
entitled ``Impact of President Obama's Health Care Law on
Jobs.'' The report, which highlighted Congressional testimony
of numerous business owners, described how Obamacare's many
taxes and mandates will harm job creation. In April 2012, the
Committee released a report entitled ``Uncovering Waste, Fraud,
and Abuse in the Medicaid Program.'' The report, which
accompanied the joint Subcommittee hearing, described three
major instances of Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse and the
ongoing failure at CMS to adequately protect taxpayer dollars
spent through the program.
On July 10, 2012, the full Committee and the Subcommittee
on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and National
Archives each held a hearing examining the impact of the
President's health care law. In the morning, Mr. Gowdy chaired
a Subcommittee hearing entitled, ``Examining the Impact of
Obamacare on Doctors and Patients.'' Mr. Gowdy's opening
statement discussed the problems of expanding the Medicaid
program and the doctor shortage that will result from
Obamacare's increased subsidization of health insurance. Dr.
Gosar made clear that President Obama broke his promise that
Americans would not be able to keep their health insurance and
doctors. The Honorable Jeff Colyer, M.D., Lt. Governor, State
of Kansas, testified that, ``In Kansas you will not be able to
keep your more affordable plan under the ACA . . . We've now
got a one-size-fits-all that's much more expensive than what we
have in the state of Kansas. It may work in other states, but
it's not for us.'' Dick Armstrong, M.D., and Chief Operating
Officer of Docs4PatientCare testified, ``For the President to
say that `we are going to allow doctors to not be bureaucrats
anymore'--when you look at what's been done so far, we have
12,000 pages of regulations that we don't even know what they
say. How can that possibly not allow doctors to be bureaucrats?
That's just ridiculous.'' In addition, Eric Novack, M.D.,
Phoenix Orthopedic Consultants remarked, ``Ultimately, if the
goal was to provide more accessible care for the people who
need it at a more affordable rate, what I have seen in the past
two years is that we're going in exactly the opposite
direction.''
The afternoon hearing held by the Full Committee was
entitled, ``Examining the Impact of Obamacare on Job Creators
and the Economy.'' The hearing heard from several job creators
about the higher costs and burdens that Obamacare was creating
for them. Jamie Richardson, Vice-President of White Castle
Systems testified, ``The costs of health care reform have come
at the absolute worst time, and the fact that we can't even
calculate what the costs are going to be make it impossible for
restaurants, like White Castle, to be able to plan for the
future. So you can't commit to opening new restaurants and
going into new markets if you don't know what you'll be paying
a year and a half from now . . . It's paralytic.'' Ms. Mary
Miller, President and CEO of JANCOA, testified that the health
care law will devastate her mid-sized janitorial company and
will dramatically raise her labor costs.
On July 24, 2012, the Subcommittee held a hearing entitled,
``Meth Revisited: Review of State and Federal Efforts to Solve
the Domestic Methamphetamine Production Resurgence.'' The
purpose of the hearing was first to evaluate state and federal
views of current domestic methamphetamine production, which is
made possible by the current over-the-counter availability of
the essential methamphetamine precursor chemical
pseudoephedrine. Secondly, the hearing sought input from law
enforcement about potential, additional solutions to the
problem. Hearing testimony and statements for the record
revealed that methamphetamine production in the United States
is again rising dramatically, that methamphetamine producers
have developed ways to circumvent federal and state laws aimed
at reducing producer access to pseudoephedrine, and that many
law enforcement agencies and associations now favor returning
pseudoephedrine to a prescription requirement (as was the case
prior to 1976).
On July 25, 2012, the full Committee held a hearing on
GAO's unprecedented recommendation that CMS cancel a Medicare
demonstration project. The hearing was entitled, ``GAO Report:
The Obama Administration's $8 Billion Extralegal Healthcare
Spending Project.'' The Committee heard James Cosgrove,
Director of Health Care at GAO, discuss the flaws in the
project and how it is impossible that the project will
demonstrate anything. The Committee also heard Edda Emmanuelli-
Perez, Managing Associate General Counsel at GAO, discuss the
reasons GAO's legal experts believe Secretary Sebelius lacked
the legal authority to authorize the demonstration. According
to Emmanuelli-Perez, ``For our purposes in looking in the work
that we did as a legal matter, as well as Mr. Cosgrove, in
looking at the Demonstration, we cannot find how this
Demonstration is going to either test what it says it's testing
and from the legal standpoint, we cannot find that it meets the
criteria as based on the plain language of that statute.''
Chairman Issa asked Jonathan Blum, Deputy Administrator and
Director at the Center for Medicare at CMS, whether there is
any limit on what the Secretary of Health and Human Services
can spend on Medicare through demonstrations. Blum responded,
``It is my understanding that the demonstration law, the law
does not require any set limit to demonstrations.'' Moreover,
Dr. Cosgrove testified that the $8.3 billion spent on this
Demonstration comes from the Medicare trust funds and that all
seniors will face slightly higher premiums because of the
Demonstration.
On August 2, 2012, the full Committee held a hearing
entitled, ``IRS: Enforcing Obamacare's New Rules and Taxes.''
Former IRS Commissioner Mark Everson testified about many
difficulties that the IRS will confront in implementing
Obamacare. The National Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS, Nina
Olson, testified about steps the IRS has taken to implement
Obamacare and about her continued concerns about IRS
implementation of the law. At the hearing, Representative
Walberg asked what kind of information households will have to
update on their tax forms, due to the new Obamacare
requirements. Ms. Olson responded that individuals will be
responsible for informing the government if they experience a
salary increase at work, if they have a child, if a member of
the household dies, and if they move across states. Ms. Olson
testified that ``it's going to be a great learning curve . . .
[and] it will be a surprise to taxpayers if they don't update
their information.''
A key issue discussed at the hearing was IRS's rule that
extends Obamacare's premium-assistance tax credits to
individuals who purchase coverage in health insurance exchanges
established by the federal government. According to Michael
Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato
Institute, the IRS rule is illegal because it is inconsistent
with the text of the law that restricts the tax credits to
``Exchanges established by the State.'' Because the law's
employer and individual mandate tax penalties are tied to the
tax credits, the IRS rule apparently extends the law's major
penalties beyond congressional intent. Timothy Jost, law
professor at Washington and Lee University, disagreed with
Cannon's assessment at the hearing. IRS Commissioner Douglas
Shulman was the witness on the second panel to discuss both the
IRS rule as well as IRS's implementation of the law. Shulman
testified that he believed the language of the Obamacare
statute had ambiguity in about whether the tax credits were
solely intended for state exchanges. However, he testified that
IRS's legal experts came to the opinion that the credits would
be available in federal exchanges.
On September 20, 2012, Representative Gosar chaired a
hearing of the Subcommittee on Health Care, District of
Columbia, Census and National Archives that was entitled,
``Examining the Administration's Failure to Prevent and End
Medicaid Overpayments.'' The hearing focused on how CMS allowed
daily Medicaid payment rates for New York developmental centers
to exceed $5,000 per patient and CMS's plan to address these
overpayments. The Committee also released a Committee staff
report on that day on the same subject. The report contained a
calculation that New York State has received $15 billion in
federal Medicaid payments beyond what is allowable by federal
law because of these excessive payment rates. At the hearing,
Penny Thompson, Deputy Director at the Center for Medicaid and
CHIP Services at CMS, agreed that the ``payments for New York's
developmental are excessive and unacceptable . . . CMS's
current priority is to correct New York's payment rate so that
it is an economic and efficient rate as appropriate and
required by law. While, as you mentioned in your statement, we
had considered for a time a transition period, we have
ultimately decided to require an adjustment to proper payment
levels without a transition.'' In response to a question from
Dr. DesJarlais about what rate would satisfy the legal
requirement that Medicaid payments be efficient and economical,
Ms. Thompson stated that the Committee could ``expect to see a
rate that's at about one fifth of its current level.''
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The D.C. Subcommittee held a hearing in March 2011 on the
District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP).
The DCOSP's authorization ended in 2009, and the doors were
closed to new entrants. In fact, 216 students who had been
offered scholarships had those offers revoked. Subcommittee
Chairman Gowdy took testimony from parents and students
affected by the end of the successful DCOSP. In May 2011, the
subcommittee held a hearing on the fiscal sustainability of the
D.C. budget. Testimony was heard from Mayor Gray, Council
Chairman Kwame Brown, former control board chairwoman Alice
Rivlin, and D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi.
The D.C. Subcommittee held a hearing in June 2011 on the
security of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(WMATA). Our rail and subway systems have always been a
terrorist target, especially in our nation's capital. The
hearing examined policies in place to ensure all necessary
measures are being taken to protect the American people who use
the DC Metro system. To ensure this, the hearing focused on
coordination efforts between the several jurisdictions that
oversee the system and surrounding infrastructure to make
certain there are no security gaps between the federal, state,
local and related entities. Testimony was heard from WMATA
General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles, Metro Transit Police
Chief Michael Taborn, Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier,
and Fairfax County Executive Anthony Griffin.
In January 2012, the D.C. Subcommittee held a hearing on
the Administration's decision to allow indefinite camping by
individuals protesting with the ``Occupy DC'' movement in
McPherson Square, an area under the control of National Park
Service, and the consequences of that decision. Chairman Gowdy
took testimony from the Director of the National Park Service
Jonathan Jarvis, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department
Cathy Lanier, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice of the
District of Columbia Paul Quander, Jr., Director of the
District of Columbia Department of Health Mohammad Akhter,
M.D., and Mr. Timothy Zick, a Cabell Research Professor of Law
at William and Mary School of Law.
On July 19, 2012, the D.C. Subcommittee held a hearing on
the law that governs the city's building heights. Given that
this law was enacted over 100 years ago, the Committee was
interested in what, if any, modifications could be made to the
statute that would be mutually beneficial to the city's
residents and visitors alike. Chairman Gowdy heard testimony
from the Director of the DC Office of Planning Harriet
Tregoning, the Chief Financial Officer of the city Dr. Natwar
Gandhi, the Executive Director of the National Capital Planning
Commission Marcel Acosta, University of Maryland School of
Architecture Professor Emeritus Roger Lewis, the Counsel to the
District of Columbia Building Industry Association Christopher
Collins, and Ms. Laura Richards, Member of the Board of
Trustees and past Chairman, Committee of 100 on the Federal
City.
FEDERAL WORKFORCE
The Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service,
and Labor Policy held three hearings exploring issues affecting
the federal workforce. At the March 9, 2011 hearing entitled,
``Are Federal Workers Overpaid?'' Chairman Dennis Ross made it
clear that ``the Members of this Subcommittee recognize that
our talented federal workforce performs critically essential
missions throughout the government, on behalf of our nation. We
appreciate their service.'' Ross also noted that despite the
fact that the President had declared a two-year pay freeze,
roughly $1 billion worth of pay increases would be handed out
each year due to the practice of ``step'' or ``time-in-grade''
increases awarded purely on tenure. At that hearing, the
Subcommittee heard testimony from John Berry, director of the
Office of Personnel Management. Berry argued that those step
increases were necessary for employee retention, and promised
to work with subcommittee Chairman Ross and full committee
Chairman Issa to evaluate that policy. After the hearing, Ross
and Issa requested that GAO conduct a comprehensive pay and
benefit survey to answer key questions in dispute about the
comparability of federal employee and private sector pay (GAO-
12-564).
An April 13th hearing examined the Federal Employee
Compensation Act, the ``workers' compensation'' system used by
federal agencies and the U.S. Postal Service, which has been
criticized for keeping some workers on its system who are long
since eligible for retirement. The Subcommittee found broad
consensus amongst agency IGs for reform of the system. In May,
the Subcommittee examined several proposals to reduce the size
of the federal workforce through attrition, bringing Rep.
Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, and Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania
before the committee to testify. After examining these and
other proposals at the hearing, Chairman Issa, Chairman Ross,
and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Jason Chaffetz,
introduced H.R. 2114, a bill to reduce the size of the federal
workforce by 10% by the year 2015 through attrition.
The Subcommittee continued its oversight of issues
affecting the federal workforce. At the June 1, 2011 hearing
entitled, ``Official Time: Good Value for the Taxpayer?''
Chairman Ross underscored the need for the federal government
to release information on official time usage in a timely
manner. In 2010, the federal government spent nearly three
million hours of official time on union activities, at a cost
of $138 million. Ross also expressed concern that little
evidence exists that official time is improving government
productivity. Chairman Ross also expressed concern that little
evidence exists that official time is improving government
productivity.
On July 27, 2011, Chairman Ross held a hearing to examine
the administration of the Thrift Savings Plan, including its
investment options, participation rates, and expenses. Greg
Long, Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift
Investment Board, discussed additional legislative changes
requested by the Board to ensure the plan continues to meet
participant needs.
During the November 15, 2011 hearing entitled, ``Back to
the Basics: Is OPM Meeting Its Mission?'' the Subcommittee
examined the Office of Personnel Management's efforts to
modernize the federal government's hiring and retirement claims
systems. The Subcommittee found OPM had no business plan to
move from the current antiquated, paper-based process and
reduce the backlog of 60,000 claims. The Subcommittee also
examined OPM's flawed launch of an in-house jobs board, for
which OPM Director Berry admitted the agency underestimated
both the systems and software challenges.
On January 25, 2012, the Subcommittee continued its review
of federal employee compensation with a hearing entitled,
``Retirement Readiness: Strengthening the Federal Pension
System.'' During the hearing, the Subcommittee focused on
options in reforming the federal pension system to bring it
more in line with the private sector workforce and ensure
pension benefits are available to current and future
annuitants. The Subcommittee examined the pension formula for
Members of Congress, which results in a more generous
retirement benefit.
On May 16, 2012, the Subcommittee held a hearing entitled,
``Hatch Act: Options for Reform.'' The hearing followed the
Committee's June 2011 hearing, at which a bipartisan panel
expressed support for making substantive changes in the Hatch
Act statute. The Subcommittee examined legislation introduced
to repeal the Hatch Act's arbitrary restrictions on state and
local government workers who seek to run for elected office,
and heard testimony from witnesses on the need for legislation
that preserves the intent of the Hatch Act and reflects the
realities of today's federal workplace. Subcommittee members
also discussed the intent behind the statutory exemption that
allows federal labor organizations and certain federal employee
organizations to solicit, accept, or receive political
contributions within their membership.
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
The Full Committee and the Subcommittee on Federal
Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy conducted
oversight of the United States Postal Service, regarding fiscal
sustainability and the prevention of a dollar for dollar
taxpayer-funded bailout. The Subcommittee held a hearing in
March with newly appointed Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe,
Postal Regulatory Commission Chair Ruth Goldway, and postal
industry experts to discuss what the Subcommittee called the
``Looming Crisis at USPS.'' The Subcommittee identified the key
concern with the fiscal health of USPS--workforce costs
represented 80% of expenses. Donahoe returned to testify to the
Full Committee on April 5, 2011, at a hearing examining the
sustainability of those costs in light of the recently signed
contract with the largest postal union, the American Postal
Workers Union. The Subcommittee also held a hearing featuring
testimony from the businesses that make up the rest of the
postal industry. The Committee is working on legislation that
will allow USPS to return to fiscal sustainability and avoid a
taxpayer funded bailout.
On June 15, 2011 the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce,
U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy conducted the Committee's
fourth oversight hearing of this Congress focusing on whether
the Postal Service could afford to maintain its current level
of infrastructure. The following week, Chairman Issa and
Subcommittee Chairman Ross introduced H.R. 2309, the Postal
Reform Act, a bill designed to immediately restructure and
reform USPS and prevent the need for a taxpayer funded bailout
of the Postal Service. On September 21, 2011 the Subcommittee
held a business meeting where an amended version of H.R. 2309
was favorably reported to the full committee by a recorded vote
of 8 to 5. At an October 13, 2011 business meeting, the full
committee considered H.R. 2309. During the markup, a proposal
to retroactively recalculate USPS pension liabilities to create
an artificial financial windfall for the Postal Service was
defeated by a vote of 17-20. After a total of 15 amendments
were adopted, H.R. 2309 was ordered reported to the House of
Representatives by a recorded vote of 22-18.
In March 2012, the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S.
Postal Service, and Labor Policy conducted an informational
hearing on a United States Postal Service proposal to take over
the administration of health care benefits from the Office of
Personnel Management. At the hearing, Postmaster General
Donahoe spoke in favor of the plan, arguing in his testimony
that a USPS-administered health plan would save $7 billion per
year. However, a second witness, Walton Francis, a federal
health care expert, strongly questioned whether the planned
savings were achievable.
CENSUS
On March 6, 2012, the Subcommittee on Health Care, District
of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives held a hearing
entitled: ``The Pros and Cons of Making the Census Bureau's
American Community Survey Voluntary.'' The successor to the
Census Long Form, the American Community Survey (ACS) is sent
to 3 million randomly selected addresses every year and under
provisions of title 13 and title 18, U.S.C., those selected are
legally obligated to complete the survey. The personal nature
of several of the questions, however, has raised privacy
concerns, which the hearing examined. Testifying at the
hearing, Representative Ted Poe argued that ``there is no
compelling state interest that should allow this intrusion into
private lives,'' and reiterated his support for H.R. 931, a
bill he has introduced to make the ACS voluntary. Other
witnesses at the hearing, including Robert Groves, then the
Director of the Census Bureau, argued that the information
compiled by the ACS is vital to the proper allocation of
federal spending and very useful to private sector businesses.
It was also discussed that making the ACS voluntary would
increase the costs of administering the survey, due to a lower
response rate.
NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN OPERATIONS
In May 2011, the Subcommittee on National Security,
Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations continued a series of
hearings on issues in wounded warrior care that examined the
transition of members of the military who are wounded in action
from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans
Affairs. The Subcommittee heard testimony from officials at the
Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs as well as the GAO
which had uncovered problems in the transition of members of
the military between the two departments. In May, the
Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign
Operations held a hearing entitled, ``USAID: Following the
Money'' to examine how efficiently USAID uses federal funds.
Rajiv Shah, Administrator of USAID, and Donald Gambatesa,
Inspector General for USAID testified before the Subcommittee.
In June 2011, the Subcommittee conducted hearing to examine
Venezuela's sanctionable activity and what steps the
Administration is taking to curtail that behavior. Also in
June, the Subcommittee heard testimony from senior government
witnesses about the state of our nation's cybersecurity. In
July, the Subcommittee held its second hearing examining the
TSA's efforts to secure airports and passengers. Members heard
testimony from private and public sector witnesses about
challenges and possible solutions.
In September 2011, the Subcommittee continued its oversight
of corruption along the military's supply chain in Afghanistan,
including whether the Pentagon has taken sufficient steps to
eliminate possible extortion. In October, the Subcommittee held
its second hearing on the progress of the Defense and State
Department transition to a civilian-led mission in Iraq.
In November 2011, the Subcommittee conducted a hearing to
examine whether the Obama Administration's diplomatic strategy
has made any impact on Iran's progress toward obtaining a
nuclear weapon. It also sought to determine whether the State
Department will be prepared to defend itself against Iranian
engagement in Iraq after the December 31, 2011, troop
withdrawal deadline. In December, the Subcommittee heard
testimony from the IG community about the challenges and
solutions for more effective oversight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In February 2012, the Subcommittee on National Security,
Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations continued its oversight
of Afghanistan operations by conducting a hearing entitled,
``Are Changes in Security Policy Jeopardizing USAID
Reconstruction Projects and Personnel in Afghanistan?'' The
Subcommittee addressed the potential impact of Afghanistan
President Hamid Karzai's Presidential Decree 62 upon the safety
and security of U.S. Agency for International Development
projects and personnel in Afghanistan. In particular, the
hearing examined the issues raised by a March 9, 2012
Management Alert sent to US Agency for International
Development Afghanistan Mission Director Dr. S. Ken Yamashita
by Acting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction Steven Trent. Members heard testimony from the
office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction, as well as a representative from USAID.
In March 2012, the Subcommittee on National Security,
Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations continued its oversight
of the Department of Veterans Affairs by conducting a hearing
entitled, ``Preventing Stolen Valor: Challenges and
Solutions.'' The Subcommittee addressed issues arising from the
fabrication of military service records and awards by those who
fraudulently seek to obtain personal and professional benefit.
In particular, the hearing examined the federal government's
ability to maintain adequate databases to track and promptly
access service records, as well as the extent to which those
records are made available to those seeking verification.
Members heard testimony from the Defense Department, the
National Archives and Records Administration, the veteran
community, and a private sector military records archivist.
In July 2012, the Subcommittee conducted a hearing to
examine the claims processing backlog at the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA). VA witnesses testified alongside
Veterans Service Organizations to assess the challenges in
eliminating the over 900,000 files waiting to be processed.
Also in July 2012, the Subcommittee held a hearing to
investigate the atrocities at Afghanistan's Dawood National
Military Hospital. Witnesses included current and former U.S.
military officers who testified about the hospital conditions,
as well as allegations that individuals sought to delay an
Inspector General investigation for political purposes.
In September 2012, the Subcommittee held a second hearing
regarding Dawood National Military Hospital. At this hearing,
senior U.S. military officers--as well as the Defense
Department Inspector General's office--responded to the
allegations raised by witnesses in July.
Also in September 2012, the Subcommittee conducted two
hearings to address potential waste, fraud, and abuse
associated with fuel provided to the Afghan National Security
Forces. In the first hearing, the Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction testified about millions unaccounted
for in fuel purchases to supply the ANSF, including allegations
that servicemembers shredded financial records. Representatives
from the Department of Defense responded to those findings in a
second hearing.
In October 2012, the Full Committee conducted a hearing to
examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of
Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and his colleagues in a
terrorist attack on 9/11 in Benghazi, Libya. Witnesses from the
Department of Defense and the Department of State testified
about the security posture in Libya, the resources devoted to
protecting our diplomats, and their knowledge of the attack and
its aftermath.
HOMELAND SECURITY
The Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and
Foreign Operations held a hearing in March on the use of full
body scanners by the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) in airports. The Subcommittee received testimony from
several experts in the private sector, as well as two TSA
administrators. The Subcommittee also heard testimony from
Sharon Cissna, a member of the Alaska State House of
Representatives, and a repeated victim of invasive TSA
searches. In April, the Subcommittee held a hearing entitled,
``Tsunami Warning, Preparedness and Interagency Cooperation:
Lessons Learned'' to understand the Federal Government's level
of preparation for a tsunami in the United States. Additionally
in April, the Subcommittee held a hearing on border security
entitled, ``The Border: Are Environmental Laws and Regulations
Impeding Security and Harming the Environment?'' A variety of
current and former government officials testified, including
former Border Patrol Agent George Zachary Taylor, who declared
that ``there is a tremendous difference of opinion between what
the Law Enforcement Officers working along the Arizona-Mexico
Border believe is the current state of National Security and
Public Safety there and what the Department of Homeland
Security Officials represent as the current state of National
Security and Public Safety along that very same border.''
In July, the Subcommittee heard testimony from senior
government witnesses about the state of our nation's
cybersecurity. Also in July, the Subcommittee held its second
hearing examining the TSA's efforts to secure airports and
passengers. Members heard testimony from private and public
sector witnesses about challenges and possible solutions.
In March 2012, the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
conducted a joint hearing entitled ``TSA Oversight Part III:
Effective Security or Security Theater?'' The Committees
examined the successes and challenges associated with Advanced
Imaging Technology, the Screening of Passengers by Observation
Techniques program, the Transportation Worker Identification
Credential, and other security initiatives administered by the
Transportation Security Administration. Members heard testimony
from senior Transportation Security Administration officials,
the Coast Guard, and the Government Accountability Office.
In May 2012, the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
conducted a joint hearing entitled, ``TSA Oversight Part IV: Is
TSA Effectively Procuring, Deploying, and Storing Aviation
Security Equipment and Technology?'' The Committees examined
issues associated with the procurement, deployment, and storage
of airport security related equipment. Members heard testimony
from the Transportation Security Administration, the Department
of Homeland Security Inspector General, and the Government
Accountability Office.
The Committee has been conducting oversight of TSA's
policies and programs since the agency's inception. The
Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, P.L. 107-71,
requires TSA to provide for the screening of individuals
boarding commercial aircraft. To comply with this requirement,
TSA has primarily relied upon technology to screen passengers
at airport checkpoints. In response to the Christmas Day
Bomber, however, TSA procured and deployed Advanced Imaging
Technology (``AIT'' also known as ``Whole Body Imaging'')
machines. Despite hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars
spent, Committee oversight has continued to unearth findings
indicating that whole body technology may not be as effective
as the Department envisioned.
Since last year, the Committee has been investigating
alternative options for passenger screening that may be more
effective than Advanced Imaging Technology. Accordingly, at the
request of the Committee, GAO is conducting tests examining
other potential screening mechanisms, including the utility of
an increased canine presence at airports.
The Committee has conducted oversight and investigations of
a broad range of other TSA policies and programs. To that end,
it continues to examine aviation security matters including
information sharing, federal workforce issues in managing
airport security, and the training and supervision of airport
screeners, and storage of equipment.
The Committee has been conducting oversight of U.S. Border
Patrol and Customs operations, intended to secure the Southwest
border. Since the Full Committee's July 9, 2009, hearing, drug
cartel-related violence in Mexico has continued to escalate in
both frequency and intensity. According to reports, ``2,826
people were killed in 2007; more than twice that number, 6,837,
in 2008; an additional forty per cent [sic], 9,614, in 2009;
and almost sixty per cent [sic] more, 15,273, last year [in
2010].'' Since December 2006, the total number of deaths in
Mexico has risen above 40,000. Most of these crimes occurred
within a short distance of the U.S. border, raising concerns
about the security of U.S. citizens. Meanwhile, the Committee
continues to conduct oversight in order to answer questions
about whether the U.S. Southwest border is adequately secured.
The Committee has been conducting oversight of
cybersecurity policy. In July 2011, the Oversight and
Government Reform Committee held a hearing, ``Cybersecurity:
Assessing the Nation's Ability to Address the Growing Cyber
Threat'' to further examine cybersecurity threats and
challenges. The Committee has been continuing its effort to
update FISMA and outdated cyber-related legislation.
V. Summary of Any Additional Oversight Activities Undertaken, and Any
Recommendations Made or Actions Taken Thereon
DOJ's Operation Fast and Furious--The Committee has been
investigating the Department of Justice's fundamentally flawed
gun trafficking investigation since February 2011. Operation
Fast and Furious relied on the tactic of ``gunwalking,'' where
ATF agents abandoned surveillance on known straw purchasers who
were obtaining weapons on behalf of Mexican drug cartels. Fast
and Furious allowed roughly 2,000 firearms to walk. Only a
fraction of the Fast and Furious guns have been recovered,
mostly at crime scenes in Mexico. This reckless operation
finally came to an end after the death of U.S. Border Agent
Brian Terry. The Committee has issued two subpoenas, one to
former ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson and another to
Attorney General Eric Holder. Although the Committee has
received approximately 7,000 responsive documents, the Justice
Department has refused, and continues to refuse, to comply
fully with the subpoena. The Committee has held five hearings
and conducted 25 transcribed interviews with both current and
former ATF and DOJ officials. On June 20, 2012, the Committee
voted to refer Attorney General Holder to the full House for a
contempt vote for failing to provide documents to Congress.
This vote occurred on June 28, 2012, when the full House held
Attorney General Holder in civil and criminal contempt. The
House filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on
August 13, 2012, seeking enforcement of its civil contempt
citation. This lawsuit is currently pending.
Oversight of the Community of Inspectors General--The
Committee is responsible for oversight of the community of
federal inspectors general. Toward that end, the full Committee
held a hearing on May 10, 2012 on the proliferation of vacant
IG posts during the Obama Administration. The Committee
provided oversight and support to the Securities and Exchange
Commission as the agency dealt with a crisis at its Office of
the Inspector General. The Committee also collected and logged
open and unimplemented IG recommendations for the fourth
consecutive year. The Committee plans to a hold a hearing which
will examine opportunities to trim waste and reduce
inefficiencies in the federal bureaucracy through the
implementation of IG recommendations.
Agency Conference Spending--On April 2, 2012, the General
Services Administration's Office of the Inspector General
issued a report finding significant waste and potential
criminal activity in conjunction with the planning and
execution of the Public Building Service's Western Regions
Conference (WRC). The WRC was held in October 2010 at the M
Resort and Spa, just off the Las Vegas strip. The conference
cost taxpayers approximately $840,000. On April 16, 2012, at a
full Committee hearing, Members examined the details
surrounding the WRC and the lessons learned. In an effort to
determine the extent of excessive conference spending across
the federal government, Chairman Issa wrote to all Cabinet-
level departments and additional agencies requesting conference
spending data. As an extension of this investigation, the
Chairman sent a letter to all departments and agencies
requesting data on overnight conferences attended by more than
50 employees. The Committee continues to receive, analyze, and
follow up on responses received pursuant to this request.
Conference Spending at the Department of Veteran Affairs--
The Committee is investigating wasteful conference spending at
the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). In July and August
2011, the VA Office of Human Resources held week-long
conferences at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida.
The conferences, which cost approximately $6.1 million, had
several questionable and wasteful expenditures, including
$52,000 for an 18-minute parody of the movie Patton and over
$97,000 for unnecessary promotional items such as highlighters,
hand sanitizers, and USB drives. Furthermore, VA spent
thousands of dollars on unnecessary pre-conference trips,
during which VA conference planners received improper gifts
from the hotels under consideration to serve as venues for the
conferences. On September 30, 2012, the Department of Veterans
Affairs Office of Inspector General issued a report finding
significant mismanagement, waste, and potential criminal
activity in conjunction with the planning and execution of
these conferences. The Committee has requested that VA produce
documents related to these conferences. Despite a personal
pledge of cooperation by Secretary Shinseki, the VA has been
largely uncooperative. The Committee will continue to pursue
production of these documents.
DARPA Contracting Conflicts--The Committee has conducted a
nine-month investigation into possible impropriety related to
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contracting. The
contracts in question were awarded over the last two years to a
company co-owned by DARPA Director Regina Dugan. The Committee
has reviewed thousands of documents produced by the Defense
Department and conducted transcribed interviews of current and
former DARPA officials. The Office of the Inspector General is
conducting an investigation simultaneously. OIG's findings,
when released, will be incorporated into the Committee's work.
Fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP)--In February 2012, Scripps Howard News Service published
the results of an investigation that found numerous SNAP
vendors who were previously disqualified from the program were
able to re-qualify due to lapses in the Department of
Agriculture's (USDA) vendor approval system. During a March
2012 full Committee hearing, witnesses at both the state and
federal level testified about how to address SNAP's flaws.
Although USDA's Under Secretary with responsibility for the
SNAP program assured Committee Members that fraud is declining,
the Pennsylvania Inspector General (PA IG) stated that caseload
trends in her office show the exact opposite. The PA IG bluntly
told the Committee that fraud in SNAP is on the rise. Following
the hearing, the Chairman sent a letter to the USDA Under
Secretary asking for clarification and offering to continue the
dialogue on methods to improve SNAP fraud prevention. SNAP is
the second largest program for the benefit of low-income
Americans behind Medicaid. Given the increasing numbers of SNAP
participants and the strong possibility of continued abuse, the
Committee will continue to ask questions regarding SNAP fraud
prevention.
USAID's ``Forward'' Initiative--Through the ``Forward''
Initiative, USAID plans to increase to 30% the share of U.S.
foreign assistance provided directly to developing country
governments, NGOs and for-profits by 2015. This plan raises
serious questions about how USAID will monitor the use of
taxpayer funds by governments that are often wracked by
corruption and rent-seeking behavior. Unfortunately, USAID
continues to refuse to turn over documents requested by the
Committee which detail the agency's efforts to evaluate the
public financial management systems of these countries which
will be the beneficiaries of U.S. taxpayer funds, instead
offering only access to some documents in camera. The Committee
has also learned that USAID General Counsel Lisa Gomer is under
investigation for alleged inappropriate contracting practices
related to Forward. The Committee plans to continue to press
USAID for answers, both about Ms. Gomer's conduct as well as
about how the agency plans to safeguard taxpayer funds provided
directly to foreign governments.
Investigation of Electronic Surveillance of FDA
Whistleblowers--Since January 2011, the Committee has been
investigating the use of computer monitoring software by FDA
management to surveil a group of whistleblowers working in the
Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Through a series of
document requests and transcribed interviews, the Committee has
learned that agency management failed to tailor the scope of
the surveillance to exclude whistleblower communications with
Congress, the Office of Special Counsel, and the
whistleblowers' personal attorneys. Such communications were
captured by the monitoring software and made available to
agency lawyers and managers. The Committee will continue to
gather facts to better understand how and why FDA management
failed to recognize the implications of spying on the protected
communications of whistleblowers.
Pushing the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Players
Association (NFLPA) to Implement an HGH Test--In August 2011,
the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to develop and implement a drug
testing program that would include a screen for human growth
hormone (HGH). The two sides have been unable to agree on the
terms by which players will be tested, and there is still no
test for HGH in the NFL. The Committee will continue to urge
both sides to resolve the players' concerns about the HGH test
that is used in international competition. On December 12,
2012, the Committee will hold its first hearing on this issue.
The hearing will educate Members about the dangers associated
with using HGH as a performance enhancer and hear testimony
about the reliability of the current version of the test for
HGH.
Investigation of National Institute of Standards &
Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)--As
a result of the Committee's work on excessive conference
spending, the Committee received information regarding the
following abuses allegedly occurring at NIST MEP: (1) excessive
spending on conferences, (2) funneling contracts to one
preferred vendor, (3) withholding government funds from MEP
centers not using the preferred vendor, and (4) misuse of
government credit cards. In an effort to uncover evidence of
this alleged misconduct, over a period of several months, the
Committee wrote letters to Patrick Gallagher, Director of NIST,
Acting Secretary Blank, and the Commerce Department Inspector
General, requesting documents and information about NIST MEP.
The Committee continues to receive and evaluate the responses
it has received.
Federal Maritime Commission--The Committee is investigating
allegations that Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Richard
Lindinsky used covert surveillance to improperly monitor
employees' computer activity, violating Commission personnel
regulations, and severely damaging morale at the agency. The
Committee requested, and has been receiving on a rolling basis,
documents from the FMC which corroborate many of these
allegations. The Committee will continue to investigate Mr.
Lidinsky's actions and work to ensure that the FMC provides
effective, nonpartisan regulation of the shipping industry.
Oversight of the Administration's Investigations of the
U.S. Secret Service Prostitution Scandal in Cartagena--In April
2012, at least 12 government employees engaged prostitutes in
advance of the President's visit to Cartagena, Colombia. In
addition to U.S. Secret Service agents, employees of the
Defense Department and White House may have brought prostitutes
into contact with sensitive security information and exposed
themselves to blackmail and other forms of leverage. While the
Defense Department employee in question faced a court martial,
the conduct of the White House employee has not been
independently evaluated. The White House Counsel's Office has
maintained that they conducted a thorough investigation, and
found no wrongdoing. The Counsel's Office, however, has refused
to explain how they reached the conclusion that nothing
improper occurred. The Committee has written the White House on
two separate occasions to request additional information. The
White House has so far refused to provide answers to these
legitimate questions, raising heightened concerns that it may
be concealing information. The Committee will continue to track
the various investigations of this matter--by the USSS,
Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General,
DOD, and the White House--to ensure they are thorough and fair.
To date, the Committee has received briefings and interviewed
witnesses, and reviewed thousands of pages of documents in
camera.
Politicization of the Office of Special Counsel--As a
result of the Committee's investigation of the U.S. Office of
Special Counsel's Hatch Act investigation and report regarding
political activity in the White House Office of Political
Affairs under the Bush Administration, the Committee continues
to monitor OSC and the White House regarding their respective
abilities to scrutinize Hatch Act compliance, resolve conflicts
in a timely manner, and ultimately protect taxpayer interests.
After a Subcommittee hearing on Hatch Act reform held on May
16, 2012, the Committee continued to identify instances of
Hatch Act violations in Executive Branch departments and
agencies, including a clear violation by the Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services. The Committee
continues to engage in discussions regarding meaningful Hatch
Act reform to reflect the technological and practical realities
of the modern Executive Branch.
Department of the Interior's Mistreatment of Drakes Bay
Oyster Company--Since early 2011, the Committee has been
investigating actions taken by the Department of the Interior
against Drakes Bay Oyster Company (DBOC), a family business
situated within Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) in
Northern California. DBOC and the Interior Department have been
embroiled in controversy for years over whether the Department
will grant a special use permit for the oyster farm to continue
operations. DBOC's lease expired on November 30, 2012. Interior
has been trying to oust the family from the seashore since
2005. According to DBOC, Interior exhibited a pattern of
producing false and misleading reports and leveling erroneous
accusations. Unsurprisingly, Interior Secretary Salazar
announced on November 29, 2012, that Interior will not be
granting DBOC a lease extension, giving the farm 90 days to
fold, and costing the jobs of 30 workers--15 of whom lived on
site with their families. DBOC subsequently filed suit against
the Interior Department. The Committee continues to investigate
the Department's alleged misconduct over the past several
years.
VI. Delineation of Any Hearings Held Pursuant to Clauses 2(n), (o), or
(p)
CLAUSE 2(N)
March 2, 2011--Pushing the Envelope: The Looming
Crisis at USPS (Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal
Service and Labor Policy)
April 5, 2011--Are Postal Workforce Costs
Sustainable? (Full Committee)
May 12, 2011--The District of Columbia's Fiscal
Year 2012 Budget: Ensuring Fiscal Sustainability (Subcommittee
on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National
Archives)
May 26, 2011--Rightsizing the Federal Workforce
(Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and
Labor Policy)
June 1, 2011--Official Time: Good Value for the
Taxpayer? (Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal
Service and Labor Policy)
June 1, 2011--Duplication, Overlap and
Inefficiencies in Federal Social Welfare Programs (Subcommittee
on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government
Spending)
June 14, 2011--Achieving Transparency and
Accountability in Federal Spending (Full Committee)
June 23, 2011--Improving Oversight and
Accountability in Federal Grant Programs (Subcommittee on
Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and
Procurement Reform)
July 14, 2011--Transparency and Federal Management
IT Systems (Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform)
September 13, 2011--Take Two: The President's
Proposal to Stimulate the Economy and Create Jobs (Subcommittee
on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government
Spending)
November 2, 2011--The Green Energy Debacle: Where
Has All the Taxpayer Money Gone? (Subcommittee on Regulatory
Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending)
November 16, 2011--Pay for Performance: Should
Fannie and Freddie Executives Be Receiving Millions in Bonuses?
(Full Committee)
March 27, 2012--Can a USPS-Run Health Plan Help
Solve its Financial Crisis? (Subcommittee on Federal Workforce,
U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy)
April 16, 2012--Addressing GSA's Culture of
Wasteful Spending (Full Committee)
May 10, 2012--Where Are All the Watchdogs?
Addressing Inspector General Vacancies (Full Committee)
August 1, 2012--Unresolved Internal Investigations
at DHS: Oversight of Investigation Management in the Office of
the DHS IG (Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency
and Financial Management)
Sept. 20, 2012--IG Report: The Department of
Justice's Office of the Inspector General Examines the Failures
of Operation Fast and Furious (Full Committee)
CLAUSE 2(O)
January 26, 2011--Bailouts and the Foreclosure
Crisis: Report of the Special Inspector General for the
Troubled Asset Relief Program (Full Committee)
February 16, 2011--Making Sense of the Numbers:
Improving the Federal Financial Reporting Model (Subcommittee
on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial
Management)
March 9, 2011--A Look at the FY2010 Consolidated
Financial Statements of the U.S. Government (Subcommittee on
Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management)
July 28, 2011--Improper Medicare Payments: $48
Billion in Waste? (Subcommittee on Government Organization,
Efficiency and Financial Management)
September 23, 2011--The Department of Defense:
Challenges in Financial Management (Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management)
March 1, 2012--The Status of Government Financial
Management: A Look at the FY2011 Consolidated Financial
Statements (Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency
and Financial Management)
March 22, 2012--New Audit Finds Problems in Army
Military Pay (Joint Hearing of the Subcommittee on Government
Operations, Efficiency and Financial Management and the Senate
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government
Information, Federal Services, and International Security)
CLAUSE 2(P)
March 10, 2011--Financial Management, Work Force,
and Operations at the SEC: Who's Watching Wall Street's
Watchdog? (Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and
Bailouts of Public and Private Programs)
March 16, 2011--TSA Oversight Part I: Whole Body
Imaging (Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense
and Foreign Operations)
March 30, 2011--Has Dodd-Frank Ended Too Big to
Fail? (Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of
Public and Private Programs)
March 31, 2011--Why Isn't the Department of
Homeland Security Meeting the President's Standard on FOIA?
(Full Committee)
April 5, 2011--Waste, Abuse and Mismanagement in
Government Health Care (Subcommittee on Health Care, District
of Columbia, Census and the National Archives)
May 10, 2011--Financial Management at the
Department of Homeland Security (Subcommittee on Government
Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management)
May 24, 2011--Who's Watching the Watchmen?
Oversight of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
(Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of
Public and Private Programs)
May 25, 2011--Cybersecurity: Assessing the
Immediate Threat to the United States (Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations)
June 2, 2011--Making the Gulf Coast Whole Again:
Assessing the Recovery Efforts of BP and the Obama
Administration After the Oil Spill (Full Committee)
June 2, 2011--IRS E-File and Identity Theft
(Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and
Financial Management)
June 2, 2011--FDA Medical Device Approval: Is
There a Better Way? (Subcommittee on Health Care, District of
Columbia, Census and the National Archives)
June 15, 2011--Postal Infrastructure: How Much Can
We Afford? (Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal
Service and Labor Policy)
June 22, 2011--Lasting Implications of the General
Motors Bailout (Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus
Oversight and Government Spending)
June 22, 2011--The Changing Role of the FDIC
(Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of
Public and Private Programs)
June 24, 2011--Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority: Is There a Security Gap? (Subcommittee on
Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National
Archives)
July 7, 2011--Cybersecurity: Assessing the
Nation's Ability to Address the Growing Cyber Threat (Full
Committee)
July 12, 2011--Fulfilling a Legal Duty: Triggering
a Medicare Plan from the Administration (Subcommittee on Health
Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives)
July 13, 2011--TSA Oversight Part 2: Airport
Perimeter Security (Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland
Defense and Foreign Operations)
July 14, 2011--Consumer Financial Protection
Efforts: Answers Needed (Full Committee)
July 27, 2011--Disposal of Federal Real Property:
Legislative Proposals (Full Committee)
September 15, 2011--Defense Department Contracting
in Afghanistan: Are We Doing Enough to Combat Corruption?
(Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and
Foreign Operations)
September 15, 2011--Crowdfunding: Connecting
Investors and Job Creators (Subcommittee on TARP, Financial
Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs)
September 21, 2011--Examining Abuses of Medicaid
Eligibility Rules (Subcommittee on Health Care, District of
Columbia, Census and the National Archives)
September 22, 2011--Potential Conflicts of
Interest at the SEC: The Becker Case (Subcommittee on TARP,
Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs)
October 4, 2011--Where is the Peace Dividend?
Examining the Final Report to Congress of the Commission on
Wartime Contracting (Full Committee)
October 12, 2011--Status Report on the Transition
to a Civilian-Led Mission in Iraq (Subcommittee on National
Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations)
November 2, 2011--America's Innovation Challenge:
What Obstacles Do Entrepreneurs Face? (Subcommittee on TARP,
Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs)
November 2, 2011--Are Government Contractors
Exploiting Workers Overseas? Examining Enforcement of the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act (Subcommittee on Technology,
Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement
Reform)
November 4, 2011--Identity Theft and Tax Fraud:
Growing Problems for the Internal Revenue Service (Subcommittee
on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial
Management)
November 14, 2011--Delphi Pension Fallout: Federal
Government Picked Winners and Losers, So Who Won and Who Lost?
(Full Committee)
November 15, 2011--Back to Basics: Is OPM Meeting
Its Mission? (Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal
Service and Labor Policy)
November 15, 2011--How Roadblocks in Public
Markets Prevent Job Creation on Main Street (Subcommittee on
TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private
Programs)
November 30, 2011--Drug Shortage Crisis: Lives are
in the Balance (Subcommittee on Health Care, District of
Columbia, Census and the National Archives)
Jan. 25, 2012--Retirement Readiness: Strengthening
the Federal Pension System (Subcommittee on Federal Workforce,
U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy)
February 7, 2012--Jobs for Wounded Warriors:
Increasing Access to Contracts for Service Disabled Veterans
(Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform)
February 28, 2012--Government 2.0: GAO Unveils New
Duplicative Program Report (Full Committee)
March 26, 2012--TSA Oversight Part III: Effective
Security or Security Theater? (Joint Hearing of the Full
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure)
April 19, 2012--Problems at the Internal Revenue
Service: Closing the Tax Gap and Preventing Identity Theft
(Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and
Financial Management)
April 25, 2012--Is Government Adequately
Protecting Taxpayers from Medicaid Fraud? (Joint hearing of the
Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and
National Archives and the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs,
Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending)
May 9, 2012--TSA Oversight Part IV: Is TSA
Effectively Procuring, Deploying, and Storing Aviation Security
Equipment and Technology? (Joint Hearing of the Full Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure)
June 7, 2012--Assessing Medicare and Medicaid
Program Integrity (Subcommittee on Government Organization,
Efficiency and Financial Management)
Sept. 20, 2012--Examining the Administration's
Failure to Prevent and End Medicaid Overpayments (Subcommittee
on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National
Archives)