September 13, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — DAILY DIGEST D859 

Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 8:03 p.m., until 2 p.m. on Monday, September 17, 2012. (For Senate’s program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today’s 

Record on page S6389.) 

Committee Meetings 

(Committees not listed did not meet) 

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION 

BUREAU 

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: 

Committee concluded a hearing to examine holding 

the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accountable, focusing on a review of the semi-annual report 

to Congress, after receiving testimony from Richard 

Cordray, Director, Consumer Financial Protection 

Bureau. 

NOMINATIONS 

Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded 

a hearing to examine the nominations of Stephen D. 

Mull, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic 

of Poland, and Dawn M. Liberi, of Florida, to be 

Ambassador to the Republic of Burundi, both of the 

Department of State, after the nominees testified and 

answered questions in their own behalf. 

QUALITY OF DISABILITY BENEFIT 

AWARDS 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 

concluded a hearing to examine issues related to the 

quality of disability benefit awards involving 300 

case files of claimants under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplement Security Income (SSI) programs involving initial applications 

and subsequent levels of appeal, after receiving testimony from Patricia Jonas, Executive Director, Office 

of Appellate Operations, Debra Bice, Chief Administrative Law Judge, Douglas Stults, Hearing Office 

Chief Administrative Law Judge, Oklahoma City, 

Oklahoma Hearing Office, Thomas Erwin, Hearing 

Office Chief Administrative Law Judge, Roanoke, 

Virginia Hearing Office, and Ollie L. Garmon III, 

Regional Chief Administrative Law Judge, Atlanta 

Region, all of the Office of Disability Adjudication 

and Review, Social Security Administration. 

IMPROVING COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY 

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: 

Committee concluded a hearing to examine improving college affordability, focusing on a view from the 

states, after receiving testimony from Camille Preus, 

Oregon Department of Community Colleges and 

Workforce Development Commissioner, Salem; John 

G. Morgan, Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor, 

Nashville; Muriel A. Howard, American Association 

of State Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC; 

and David Longanecker, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Boulder, Colorado. 

BUSINESS MEETING 

Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the following business items: 

S. 675, to express the policy of the United States 

regarding the United States relationship with Native 

Hawaiians and to provide a process for the recognition by the United States of the Native Hawaiian 

governing entity, with an amendment in the nature 

of a substitute; 

S. 1345, to provide for equitable compensation to 

the Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation for the use of tribal land for the production 

of hydropower by the Grand Coulee Dam, with an 

amendment in the nature of a substitute; and 

S. 1684, to amend the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act of 2005, with 

amendments. 

IMPACTS OF THE CARCIERI AND 

PATCHAK DECISIONS 

Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an 

oversight hearing to examine the impacts of the 

Carcieri and Patchak decisions, after receiving testimony from Donald Laverdure, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Jefferson 

Keel, National Congress of American Indians 

(NCAI), Washington, DC; John Echohawk, Native 

American Rights Fund (NARF), Boulder, Colorado; 

and Colette Routel, William Mitchell College of 

Law, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

BUSINESS MEETING 

Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 645, to amend the National Child 

Protection Act of 1993 to establish a permanent 

background check system, with amendments. 

INTELLIGENCE 

Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed 

hearings on intelligence matters, receiving testimony 

from officials of the intelligence community. 

Committee recessed subject to the call. 

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