This Week's Senate Committee Schedule

Senate committee action will be a bit slow with little legislative time left before the pre-election Congressional recess but here's the main items of interest this week. Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) has called two hearings to address the looming banking crisis. A hearing to "…examine recent regulatory actions regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac" will be held on Tuesday and the committee will meet on Thursday morning to discuss "…recent bank failures and the response of regulators."

It will be a busy week for Dodd as he takes the helm of the Foreign Relations Committee in Joe Biden's absence on Wednesday for a hearing on Russia's actions against Georgia that focuses on "consequences and responses" to that aggression.

But the big one this week takes place in Judiciary's Constitution Subcommittee, where the always-dependable -- and committee chairman -- Russ Feingold (D-WI) will make some noise about how the country can recover from seven years of the Bush administration shredding the U.S. Constitution.

The hearing on Tuesday, “Restoring the Rule of Law, ” will include testimony from legal and historical experts "…on what steps the next president and the next Congress must take to repair the damage done by the Bush Administration to the rule of law."

"The hearing is an effort to provide the next president with a full range of recommendations for reestablishing appropriate checks and balances in a variety of areas, including warrantless wiretapping, interrogation standards, detention policy, abuse of executive privilege, excessive government secrecy, violations of privacy and misleading Congress," reads a pre-hearing press release.

Hopefully, the hearing will focus more on recommendations for what Congress can do to get some fortitude and reassert itself as a balance to the executive branch.

Here's the full Senate Committee schedule for the week:

Aging

Sep 17, 2008 at 10:30 am: Hearings to examine direct-to-consumer medical device advertising, focusing on marketing and medicine

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Sep 16, 2008 at 10:00 am: Hearings to examine recent regulatory actions regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Sep 18, 2008 at 10:30 am: Hearings to examine recent bank failures and the response of regulators.

Sep 18, 2008 at 02:30 pm: Hearings to examine transparency in accounting, proposed changes to accounting for off-balance sheet entities.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Sep 16, 2008 at 10:00 am: The Committee will receive testimony regarding the consumer benefits of broadband service in areas such as education, job opportunities, telemedicine, and access to government resources.

Sep 17, 2008 at 10:30 am: Hearings to examine pending Corporation for Public Broadcasting nominations.

Sep 18, 2008 at 02:30 pm: The hearing will review the safety of over-the-road buses and the effectiveness of current Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations governing bus safety in preparation for the reauthorization of the Federal motor carrier safety programs during the next Congress. The Subcommittee expects to receive testimony from Federal officials, safety advocates, the bus industry, and others. (Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security Subcommittee)

Energy and Natural Resources

Sep 16, 2008 at 10:00 am: Hearings to examine the current state of vehicles powered by the electric grid and the prospects for wider deployment in the near future.

Sep 16, 2008 at 02:30 pm: Hearings to examine recent analyses of the role of speculative investment in energy markets. (Energy Subcommittee)

Environment and Public Works

Sep 16, 2008 at 10:00 am: Oversight hearings to examine the children's health protection efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Sep 18, 2008 at 10:00 am: Oversight hearings to examine clean-up efforts at federal facilities.

Finance

Sep 16, 2008 at 10:00 am: Hearings to examine aligning incentives, focusing on the case for delivery system reform.

Foreign Relations

Sep 17, 2008 at 10:00 am: Hearings to examine Russia's aggression against Georgia, focusing on the consequences and responses.

Sep 18, 2008 at 02:30 pm: Hearings to examine the Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation with India.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Sep 17, 2008 at 10:00 am: Hearings to examine 401 (k) plan fee disclosure, focusing on helping workers save for retirement.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Sep 17, 2008 at 10:00 am: Business meeting to consider the following legislation:

• S.3474, to amend title 44, United States Code, to enhance information security of the Federal Government
• S.3384, to amend section 11317 of title 40, United States Code, to require greater accountability for cost overruns on Federal IT investment projects
• H.R.2631, to strengthen efforts in the Department of Homeland Security to develop nuclear forensics capabilities to permit attribution of the source of nuclear material
• H.R.6098, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to improve the financial assistance provided to State, local, and tribal governments for information sharing activities
• H.R.3815, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to make full and efficient use of open source information to develop and disseminate open source homeland security information products
• S.3176, to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide mental health and substance abuse services, an original bill to establish a controlled unclassified information framework
• H.R.6073, to provide that Federal employees receiving their pay by electronic funds transfer shall be given the option of receiving their pay stubs electronically, to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for 8 weeks of paid leave for Federal employees giving birth
• S.3350, to provide that claims of the United States to certain documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt shall be treated as waived and relinquished in certain circumstances
• S.3477, to amend title 44, United States Code, to authorize grants for Presidential Centers of Historical Excellence
• H.R.5975 and S. 3317, bills to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 West Main Street in Waterville, New York, as the "Cpl. John P. Sigsbee Post Office"
• H.R.6092, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 Tallapoosa Street in Bremen, Georgia, as the "Sergeant Paul Saylor Post Office Building"
• S.3309, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2523 7th Avenue East in North Saint Paul, Minnesota, as the Mayor William "Bill" Sandberg Post Office Building
• H.R.6437, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 200 North Texas Avenue in Odessa, Texas, as the "Corporal Alfred Mac Wilson Post Office"

The committee will also consider the following nominations:

• Ruth Y. Goldway, of California, to be a Commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission
• Carol Waller Pope, of the District of Columbia, and Thomas M. Beck, of Virginia, both to be a Member of the Federal Labor Relations

Sep 18, 2008 at 02:00 pm: Hearings to examine the homeland security risks associated with the upcoming presidential transition, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) planning for the transition, and what remains to be done to prepare for the transition. (Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia Subcommittee)

Indian Affairs

Sep 18, 2008 at 09:30 am: Oversight hearings to examine federal declinations to prosecute crimes in Indian country.

Intelligence

Sep 18, 2008 at 02:30 pm: Closed hearings to examine certain intelligence matters.

Judiciary

Sep 16, 2008 at 10:15 am Hearings to examine restoring the rule of law. (Constitution Subcommittee)

Sep 16, 2008 at 02:30 pm: A hearing on “The Visa Waiver Program: Mitigating the program risks to ensure the safety of all Americans” (Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security Subcommittee)

Sep 17, 2008 at 09:30 am: Oversight hearings to examine the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sep 18, 2008 at 10:00 am: Business meeting to consider the following legislation:

• S. 3259: Consumer Credit Fairness Act
• S. Res. 540: A resolution recognizing the historical significance of the sloop-of-war USS Constellation as a reminder of the participation of the United States in the transatlantic slave trade and of the efforts of the United States to end the slave trade
• H.R. 3971: Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2008

The committee will also consider the following nominations:

• Clark Waddoups, to be United States District Judge for the District of Utah
• Michael M. Anello, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California
• Mary Stenson Scriven, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida
• Christine M. Arguello, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado
• Philip A. Brimmer, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado
• Gregory G. Garre, of Maryland, to be Solicitor General of the United States

Rules and Administration

Sep 15, 2008 at 11:00 am: Voter Registration for Wounded Warriors: S. 3308, the “Veterans Voter Support Act.”

Veterans' Affairs

Sep 17, 2008 at 09:30 am: Hearings to examine the nomination of Patrick W. Dunne, of New York, to be Under Secretary for Benefits of the Department of Veterans Affairs.