Daybook

SENATE

COMMITTEE MEETINGS 10 a.m. APPROPRIATIONS Defense Subcommittee. Hearing on the National Guard and Reserve FY09 budget overview. Air Force Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. John Bradley; Navy Reserve Chief Vice Adm. John Cotton; Marine Corps Reserve Commander Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz; National Guard Bureau Chief Lt. Gen. Steven Blum; Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn; Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley. Location: Room 192, Dirksen

9:30 a.m. FOREIGN RELATIONS Full Committee. Hearing on the global food problems. Henrietta Fore, USAID; Chairman Edward lazear, Council of Economic Advisers; Josetts Sheeran, UNFAO; M. Peter McPherson, National Association of State Universities and land-Grant Colleges; James Lyons, Oxfam America. Location: Room 419, Dirksen.

10 a.m. COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION Consumer Affairs, Insurance and Automotive Safety Subcommittee. Hearing on plastic additives in consumer products. Norris Alderson, FDA; Marilyn Wind, CPSC; John Peterson Myers, Environmental Health Services; Elizabeth Hitchcock, USPIRG; Steve Hentges, American Chemistry Council. Location: Room 253, Russell.

10 a.m. SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Full Committee. Roundtable discussion on reducing unemployment and increasing business opportunities for veterans. Location: Room 428A, Russell.

10:30 a.m. SPECIAL AGING Full Committee. Hearing on the future of Alzheimer’s disease. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Rudy Tanzi, Harvard medical School; Chuck Jackson, Alzheimer’s patient, Albany, Ore.; Suzanne Carbone, Alzheimer’s caregiver, Rockville, Md. Location: Room 106, Dirksen.

3 p.m. HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security Subcommittee. Hearing on oversight of the National Archives. Archivist of the U.S. Allen Weinstein; Linda Koontz, GAO; Paul Brachfeld, NARA; Patrice McDermott, OpenGovernment.org; Thomas Blanton, National Security Archives. Location: Room 342, Dirksen.

HOUSE

10 a.m. FLOOR SCHEDULE Meets for legislative business. Highlights: Possible Consideration of H.R. Iraq-Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations bill. Possible Consideration of Conference Report on H.R. 2419 - Food and Energy Security Act of 2007.

10 a.m. FINANCIAL SERVICES Full Committee. Hearing on the causes of the current pressures on the world’s food system. Robert Watson, Director, International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development; Raj Patel, UC-Berkeley; former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios; Arvind Subramanian, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Eva Clayton, formerly of the UNFAO. Location: Room 2128, Rayburn.

10 a.m. HOMELAND SECURITY Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response. Hearing on “Advancing Public Alert and Warning Systems to Build a More Resilient Nation. Major General Martha Rainville (Ret.), Assistant Administrator, National Continuity Programs, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security; Derek Poarch, Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Federal Communications Commission; Mr. Randall C. Duncan MPA, CEM, Director, Sedgwick County Emergency Management, Sedgwick County, Kansas; Mr. John R. Gibb, Director, New York State Emergency Management Location: Room 311, Cannon.

10 a.m. OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM Full Committee. Hearing on FDA drug and medical device regulations and state liability claims. Dennis and Kimberly Quaid, parents of newborn twins, Thomas Boone Quaid and Zoe Grace Quaid, who were victims of a heparin overdose; William H. Maisel, Director, Medical Device Safety Institute, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston; Aaron S. Kesselheim, Harvard Medical School; David A. Kessler, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco; David Vladeck, Georgetown University Law Center; Gregory Curfman, Editor, New England Journal of Medicine; Christine Ruther, President & Chief Engineer, C&R Engineering, Inc.; Utah State Representative David Clark, National Conference of State Legislatures. Location: Room 2154, Rayburn.

10 a.m. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Full committee. Hearing on water supply challenges for the 21st century. Robert Wilkinson, University of California-Santa Barbara; Stephen Parker, National Research Council; Jonathan Overpeck, University of Arizona; David Sunding, University of California-Berkeley; Marc Levinson, JP Morgan Chase; Roger Palwarty, NOAA. Location: Room 2318, Rayburn.

10 a.m. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee. Hearing on Amtrak reauthorization. Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi; Kevin Corbett, VP, DMJM Harris-AECOM; Jed Dodd, General Chairman, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees; Alexander Kummant, President, Amtrak; Ed Wytkind, President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO. Location: Room 2167, Rayburn.

10:15 a.m. EDUCATION AND LABOR Full Committee. Markup of H.R. 2744, “Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act” and H.R. 5876, “Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008.” Location: Room 2175, Rayburn.

10:30 a.m. WAYS AND MEANS Health Subcommittee. Hearing on health savings accounts and cost containments. Location: Room 1100, Longworth.

1 p.m. FOREIGN AFFAIRS Europe Subcommittee. Hearing on the expansion of the Visa Waiver Program. Assistant DHS Secretary Richard Barth; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Edson. Location: Room 2200, Rayburn.

2 p.m. FOREIGN AFFAIRS Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee. Hearing on U.S. assistance to South Asia. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher; Mark Ward, USAID. Location: Room 2172, Rayburn.

2 p.m. HOMELAND SECURITY Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection. Hearing on “Partnering with the Private Sector to Secure Critical Infrastructure: Has the Department of Homeland Security Abandoned the Resilience-Based Approach? Location: Room 311, Cannon.

2 p.m. HOUSE ADMINISTRATION Elections Subcommittee. Hearing on election contingency plans. Location: Room 1310, Longworth.

2 p.m. JUDICIARY Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee and Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee. Joint hearing on allegations of selective prosecution in the federal justice system. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn.

2 p.m. OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM Government Management, Organization and Procurement Subcommittee. Hearing on management of civil rights programs at the Agriculture Department. Location: Room 2154, Rayburn.

2 p.m. SELECT ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND GLOBAL WARMING Full Committee. Hearing on green buildings and green building policies can reduce energy costs and pollution. Actor Ed Norton; San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom; Kent Peterson, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers; Michelle moore, U.S. Green Building Council. Location: Room 2358, Rayburn.

2 p.m. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE Aviation Subcommittee. Hearing on consolidation in the aviation industry focusing on the proposed Delta-Northwest airlines deal. Location: Room 2167, Rayburn.

GENERAL

May 13 - 14, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. AERONAUTICS The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics holds a conference, “Inside Aerospace:An International Forum for Aviation and Space Leaders.” Contacts: Duane Hyland, 703/264-7510

May 14 - 16 PETROLEUM MARKETERS The Petroleum Marketers Association of America holds its Washington Conference and Day on the Hill. Contacts: 703/351-8000

8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. HEALTHCARE-PERINATAL SAFETY Members of Congress, healthcare experts and the Premier healthcare alliance hold a breakfast briefing to announce the Premier Perinatal Safety Initiative, a 21-month national collaborative designed to achieve flawless delivery of evidence-based care with the goal of eliminating preventable birth-related injuries and deaths. We will also announce an advisory committee of healthcare visionaries and opinion leaders who will serve as advisors to this project. Background: Today in the United States, there are three birth injuries for every 1,000 births, many of which are preventable. America ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in infant mortality with five deaths per 1,000 deliveries. Location: Room B-369, Rayburn House Office Building. Contacts: Devorah Goldburg, 202/879-8004

10 a.m. HUMANIST ASSOCATION The American Humanist Association holds a news conference to announce a new educational effort, the Kochhar Humanist Education Center. Location: National Press Club. Contacts: Fred Edwards, 202/238-9088

10 a.m. TRAFFICKING-ASYLUM Indian guest workers who aided in breaking a U.S.-Indian labor trafficking chain launch a hunger strike to demand that the government grant them continued prescnece status to participate in an ongoing Justice Department investigation into the alleged labor trafficking by a Northrop Grumman subcontractor. Location: Lafayette Park. Contacts: Stephen Boykewich, 504/655-0876

10 a.m. - 12 p.m. HEALTH CARE COSTS Milliman, Inc., holds a press briefing to release of the fourth annual “Milliman Medical Index” (MMI). The MMI explores actual data on the drivers of healthcare costs - including pharmaceutical costs, co-payments, and hospital costs - specific expenditures that a family pays for along with employer-sponsored coverage. The study also examines costs for families in 14 major metropolitan areas (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, and Washington). Location: National Press Club, Zenger Room. Contacts: Marjorie Taylor, 202/292-1195

11 a.m. AMUSEMENT RIDES Rep. Edward Markey holds a news conference to urge passage of a bill to allow federal safety inspections of amusement rides that are permanently located at amusement parks. Participants include family members of an accident victim. Location: Cannon Terrace. Contacts: Jessica Schafer, 202/225-2836

11 a.m. DARFUR Rep. Keith Ellison, Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox, members of the Save Darfur Coalition, others, hold a news conference to discuss Darfus and to press the administration to speed up deployment of UN peacekeepers. Location: Room 2456, Rayburn. Contacts: Suzanne Trimel, 212/633-4150

11 a.m. U.S.-COLOMBIA FTA Colombian trade union leaders, members of Congress and U.S. labor leaders hold a news conference to discuss the “current climate of fear” for Colombian trade unionists and to pledge opposition to the U.S.-Colombian Free Trade Agreement. Location: Upper Senate Park. Contacts: Alison Omens, 202/637-5018

11:45 a.m. BIGGER TRUCKS Families of victims of fatal truck crashes and members of Congress hold a news conference to protest a trucking industry group’s attempts to change federal truck safety laws by increasing truck weights to 97,000 pounds or more. Participants include Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Rep. James McGovern and Joan Claybrook of Public Citizen. Location: Room SC-6, Capitol. Contacts: Bill Bronrott, 202/270-4415

12 p.m. CANDIDATES HEALTH CARE The Aspen Institute Health Stewardship Project holds a news briefing to release the responses from the presidential candidates, John McCain, Barack Obama, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, to a questionnaire on health care reform. The projects director and co-chairs will provide analysis of the candidates responses and discuss the findings of a related, newly commissioned poll by Zogby International. The co-chairs will comment on where thye fees the candidates hit the mark and where they fall short. Representatives from the campaigns also have been invited to speak. Participants: Michelle McMurry, MD, PhD, Director, Aspen Institute Health Stewardship Project; Christine Todd Whitman, Former governor of New Jersey; Founder, Whitman Strategy Group; Mark Ganz, President and CEO, Regence BlueCross BlueShield; and Robert Honigberg, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, GE Healthcare; and Elizabeth Teisberg, Author and Associate Professor, University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Location: Room 385, Russell Senate Office Building. Contacts: Noah Bartolucci, 202/736-2536

12 p.m. IRAN-IRAQ-U.S. The Wilson International Center for Scholars holds a discussion on Iran, Iraq and the U.S., with Selig Harrison of the center. Location: 6th floor Moynihan Board Room, Wilson Center, Reagan Trade Building. Contacts: Sharon McCarter, 202/691-4016

12 p.m. OCEAN FISHERIES The Pew Environment Group hosts a telephone briefing to provide immediate insight and political analysis on a proposed fisheries rule issued Wednesday morning by NMFS, which outlines how the National Environmental Policy Act applies to federal ocean fisheries management actions. Contacts: Dave Bard, 202/486-4426

12 p.m. PETA-EGG PRODUCERS PETA holds a demonstration outside the meeting of the United Egg Producers with women in yellow bikinis in cages. Location: Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Ave. NW Contacts: Ashley Byrne (cell), 757/274-9675

12 p.m. - 2 p.m. HONG KONG-CHINA The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosts a discussion, “Hong Kongs Economic Cooperation with China.” Speaker: K.C., Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Moderator: Douglas H. Paal, director of the Carnegie China Program based in Washington and Beijing. Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Contacts: Jessica Jennings, 202/939-2265

3 p.m. FAMILY AGENDA House Republicans hold a news conference with Carly Fiorina to announce “The American Families Agenda,” to provide practical solutions to challenges and concerns facing families. Location: East Front Steps, Capitol. Contacts: Steve Dutton, 202/225-5071

• Compiled by the Associated Press and The Washington Times