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 D582-D585 on May 22, 2019.
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: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
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 2020 for the Department of the Interior, after receiving testimony from David Bernhardt, Secretary of the Interior.
APPROPRIATIONS: MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Department of Defense concluded a closed hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2020 for the Missile Defense Agency, after receiving testimony from Lieutenant General Samuel A. Greaves, Director, Missile Defense Agency, Department of Defense.
AUTHORIZATION: DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported an original bill entitled, ``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020''.
PFAS RISKS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine legislation to address the risks associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), after receiving testimony from Lisa Daniels, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, Harrisburg, on behalf of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators; and Kimberly W. White, American Chemistry Council, Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group, and G. Tracy Mehan, III, American Water Works Association, all of Washington, D.C.
RECONCILIATION PROCESS IN AFGHANISTAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a closed hearing to examine the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, after receiving testimony from Zalmay Khalilzad, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Department of State.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the following business items:
S. 178, to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 249, to direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1025, to provide humanitarian relief to the Venezuelan people and Venezuelan migrants, to advance a constitutional and democratic solution to Venezuela's political crisis, to address Venezuela's economic reconstruction, to combat public corruption, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 1340, to authorize activities to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 31, to require certain additional actions in connection with the national emergency with respect to Syria, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. Res. 74, marking the fifth anniversary of Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity by honoring the bravery, determination, and sacrifice of the people of Ukraine during and since the Revolution, and condemning continued Russian aggression against Ukraine, with an amendment;
S. Res. 81, calling for accountability and justice for the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, with amendments;
S. Res. 135, expressing the gratitude and appreciation of the Senate for the acts of heroism and valor by the members of the United States Armed Forces who participated in the June 6, 1944, amphibious landing at Normandy, France, and commending those individuals for leadership and bravery in an operation that helped bring an end to World War II, with an amendment;
S. Res. 184, condemning the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, offering sincere condolences to the victims, to their families and friends, and to the people and nation of Sri Lanka, and expressing solidarity and support for Sri Lanka, with amendments;
S. Res. 188, encouraging a swift transfer of power by the military to a civilian-led political authority in the Republic of the Sudan, with amendments; and
The nominations of Jeffrey L. Eberhardt, of Wisconsin, to be Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, with the rank of Ambassador, Bridget A. Brink, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, Kenneth A. Howery, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden, Matthew S. Klimow, of New York, to be Ambassador to Turkmenistan, and John Jefferson Daigle, of Louisiana, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Cabo Verde, all of Department of State, and routine lists in the Foreign Service.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Daniel Aaron Bress, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Michael S. Bogren, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Michigan, who was introduced by Senator Peters, Stephanie Dawkins Davis, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, Jason K. Pulliam, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas, Frank William Volk, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of West Virginia, who was introduced by Senators Manchin and Capito, and David Austin Tapp, of Kentucky, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, who was introduced by Senator McConnell, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
SBA OFFICE OF ADVOCACY REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a joint hearing with the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management to examine reauthorization of the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, including S. 78, to ensure a complete analysis of the potential impacts of rules on small entities, S. 83, to amend section 203 of Public Law 94-305 to ensure proper authority for the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration, S. 1120, to amend chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the ``Regulatory Flexibility Act''), to ensure complete analysis of potential impacts on small entities of rules, S. 1339, to require greater transparency for Federal regulatory decisions that impact small businesses, S. 1420, to amend title 5, United States Code, to improve the effectiveness of major rules in accomplishing their regulatory objectives by promoting retrospective review, S. 1419, to require agencies to publish an advance notice of proposed rule making for major rules, S. 1409, to enhance the ability of the Office of the National Ombudsman to assist small businesses in meeting regulatory requirements and develop outreach initiatives to promote awareness of the services the Office of the National Ombudsman provides, after receiving testimony from Major L. Clark, III, Acting Chief Counsel, Office of Advocacy, Small Business Administration; Winslow Sargeant, International Council for Small Business, Great Falls, Virginia; John Arensmeyer, Small Business Majority, Washington D.C.; Jeanette Hernandez Prenger, ECCO Select, Kansas City, Missouri, on behalf of Women Impacting Public Policy; and Rick Baumann, Murrells Inlet Seafood, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
VETERANS' AFFAIRS LEGISLATION
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 123, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into a contract or other agreement with a third party to review appointees in the Veterans Health Administration who had a license terminated for cause by a State licensing board for care or services rendered at a non-Veterans Health Administration facility and to provide individuals treated by such an appointee with notice if it is determined that an episode of care or services to which they received was below the standard of care, S. 221, to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Under Secretary of Health to report major adverse personnel actions involving certain health care employees to the National Practitioner Data Bank and to applicable State licensing boards, S. 318, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish medically necessary transportation for newborn children of certain women veterans, S. 450, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to expedite the onboarding process for new medical providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to reduce the duration of the hiring process for such medical providers, S. 514, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the benefits and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to women veterans, S. 524, to establish the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs, S. 711, to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for mental health services from the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces, S. 746, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the accessibility of websites of the Department of Veterans Affairs to individuals with disabilities, S. 785, to improve mental health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, S. 805, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the processing of veterans benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to limit the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recover overpayments made by the Department and other amounts owed by veterans to the United States, to improve the due process accorded veterans with respect to such recovery, S. 850, to extend the authorization of appropriations to the Department of Veterans Affairs for purposes of awarding grants to veterans service organizations for the transportation of highly rural veterans, S. 857, to amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of special pension for Medal of Honor recipients, S. 980, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the provision of services for homeless veterans, S. 1101, to ensure that only licensed health care providers furnish disability examinations under a certain Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program for use of contract physicians for disability examinations, S. 1154, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an advisory committee on the implementation by the Department of Veterans Affairs of an electronic health record, an original bill entitled, ``Janey Ensminger Act of 2019'', and an original bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to continue to pay educational assistance or subsistence allowances to eligible persons when educational institutions are temporarily closed, after receiving testimony from Teresa Boyd, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health, and David Carroll, Executive Director, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, both of the Veterans Health Administration, and Beth Murphy, Executive Director, Compensation Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, all of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Melissa Bryant, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Michael C. Richardson, Wounded Warrior Project, Greg Nebhard, The American Legion, and Major General Jeffrey E. Phillips, USA (Ret.), Reserve Officers Association, all of Washington, D.C.
AGING AND DISABILITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine aging and disability in the 21st century, focusing on how technology can help maintain health and quality of life, after receiving testimony from Cara McCarty, Director of Curatorial, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Joseph F. Coughlin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, Cambridge; Brenda Gallant, Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Augusta; and Robert A. Mecca, Life and Independence for Today, St. Mary's, Pennsylvania.
