The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Senate Committee Meetings” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Daily Digest section on pages D752-D754 on July 12, 2017.
The Department oversees more than 500 million acres of land. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the department has contributed to a growing water crisis and holds many lands which could be better managed.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2018 for the Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, after receiving testimony from Rear Admiral Michael Weahkee, Acting Director, Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies approved for full committee consideration an original bill entitled, ``Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018''.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of David Joel Trachtenberg, of Virginia, to be a Principal Deputy Under Secretary, Owen West, of Connecticut, to be an Assistant Secretary, who was introduced by Senator Blumenthal, Ryan McCarthy, of Illinois, to be Under Secretary of the Army, and Charles Douglas Stimson, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of the Navy, who was introduced by former Representative Zinke, all of the Department of Defense, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a hearing to examine force multipliers, focusing on how transportation and supply chain stakeholders are combating human trafficking, after receiving testimony from Esther Goetsch, Truckers Against Trafficking, Englewood, Colorado; Keeli Sorensen, Polaris, and Samir Goswami, Issara Institute, both of Washington, D.C.; and Tomas J. Lares, Florida Abolitionist, Orlando.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably reported the following business items:
S. 822, to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to modify provisions relating to grants, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1447, to reauthorize the diesel emissions reduction program;
S. 1359, to amend the John F. Kennedy Center Act to authorize appropriations for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts;
S. 810, to facilitate construction of a bridge on certain property in Christian County, Missouri, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1395, to revise the boundaries of certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in Delaware;
5 General Services Administration resolutions; and
The nominations of Annie Caputo, of Virginia, and David Wright, of South Carolina, each to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Susan Parker Bodine, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE AND INNOVATION ACT
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the use of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and innovative financing in improving infrastructure to enhance safety, mobility, and economic opportunity, after receiving testimony from Anne Mayer, Riverside County Transportation Commission, Riverside, California; Jennifer Aument, Transurban, Tysons, Virginia; and Christopher Coes, Smart Growth America, Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of Mark Andrew Green, of Wisconsin, to be Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and routine lists in the Foreign Service.
TAYLOR FORCE ACT
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the Taylor Force Act, after receiving testimony from Senator Graham; Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C.; and Daniel B. Shapiro, The Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv, Israel.
AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE ASIA PACIFIC
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy concluded a hearing to examine American leadership in the Asia Pacific, focusing on promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, after receiving testimony from Murray Hiebert, and Robert R. King, both of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Derek Mitchell, United States Institute of Peace, all of Washington, D.C.
INDIAN AFFAIRS LEGISLATION
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 943, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an accurate comprehensive student count for the purposes of calculating formula allocations for programs under the Johnson-O'Malley Act, S. 1223, to repeal the Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Act, and S. 1285, to allow the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians to lease or transfer certain lands, after receiving testimony from Tony Dearman, Director, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of the Interior; Warren Brainard, Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Suislaw Indians, Coos Bay, Oregon; Donald R. Wharton, Native American Rights Fund, Boulder, Colorado; and Carla Mann, National Johnson O'Malley Association, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nomination of Christopher A. Wray, of Georgia, to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, after the nominee, who was introduced by former Senator Nunn, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
VISA OVERSTAYS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration concluded a hearing to examine the problem of visa overstays, focusing on a need for better tracking and accountability, after receiving testimony from John Roth, Inspector General, Office of Inspector General, Michael Dougherty, Assistant Secretary, Border, Immigration, and Trade, Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans, John Wagner, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection, and Louis A. Rodi, III, Deputy Assistant Director, National Security Investigations Division, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, all of the Department of Homeland Security.
HEALTHY AGING AND POSITIVE OUTCOMES
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine nourishing our golden years, focusing on how proper and adequate nutrition promote healthy aging and positive outcomes, after receiving testimony from Seth A. Berkowitz, Massachusetts General Hospital Division of General Internal Medicine and Diabetes Population Health Research Center, Boston; Connie W. Bales, Duke University School of Medicine, and Durham VA Medical Center Geriatrics Center, Durham, North Carolina; Elizabeth Pratt, Maine SNAP Education Program, Portland; and Pat Taylor, Penn Hills, Pennsylvania.
