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Focuses on the plan of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee to hold hearings on the performance of the insurance industry in February 2003. Issues to be focused in the hearings; Arguments of optional federal charter advocates regarding terrorism insurance law; Groups that would benefit from a federal system; Move by state regulators to strengthen their own operations; Critique of insurers for use of debate for their advantage.

This article reports that major oil companies defended their top executives, saying that they did not make false statements at a joint hearing conducted by the U.S. Senate, last week. The issue centers around a question Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, asked five CEOs at last week's hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as to whether they or other company officials participated in Vice President Richard Cheney's energy task force in 2001. None of the CEOs confirmed that company officials did. Lautenberg responded by asking for a Justice Department inquiry. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee leaders made a separate request for clarification to the oil companies.

The article informs that the fight between technology companies over incompatible digital-music formats and their impact on consumers received a public hearing before a key House panel, but two of the biggest players in the debate were notably absent. During a hearing before the House Judiciary Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee, representatives of Apple Computer Inc. and RealNetworks Inc. did not testify. Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Smith, issued a stern warning to Apple, the maker of America's most popular portable music device, the iPod. He called the company's decision not to testify about interoperability of digital-music systems "a mistake."

When a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions subcommittee holds a hearing later this month on underage drinking, recent recommendations of a National Academies of Science report are likely to renew the debate over the best way to address the issue. The report — which calls for a comprehensive approach to a problem more prevalent among youth than smoking or taking drugs — includes several recommendations for lawmakers to consider. Among them are more stringent federal monitoring of alcohol advertising reaching underage youth as well as raising the beer tax as a way of paying for the nationwide strategy.

A proposal by United States Senate majority leader William Frist to make it easier to break filibusters against government nominations requiring Senate approval won support from several Republicans, but received harsh condemnation from most Democrats, at a hearing of the Senate Rules Committee as of June 2003. Frist won strong support from Rules chairman Trent Lott and senator John Cornyn. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Charles Schumer of New York, Edward Kennedy and others opposed the Frist plan.

The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee has planned a hearing on the Chile and Singapore trade deals on June 10, 2003 while the Finance panel is hoping to hold a hearing the week of June 16, 2003. So for the Chile and Singapore votes, lobbyists are focusing on 2003 House members, who are about to face their first big trade votes and who could serve as a significant pool of backers for business's trade agenda. Business and administration officials working the Chile and Singapore bills plan to point to the United States' economic woes when pitching the bills, describing expanded trade as good medicine for unemployment.

The U.S. House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittees faces some impediments posed by the U.S. administration under the U.S. President George W. Bush in several legislative hearings. Vacancies at many important posts in the department, including in the budget and legislative affairs offices, have prevented committee members and staff from forging the working relationships necessary to ensure clear communication between the homeland security panels and the Homeland Security Department. Another concern before the department is whether funds for the fiscal year 2003 appropriated to the constituent agencies before the department were operational and are being used for their intended purposes when they are transferred to the department's control.

Reports that U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has planned a hearing on asbestos litigation reform legislation in March 2003. Efforts of U.S. Judiciary ranking member Patrick Leahy and Judiciary chairman Orrin Hatch to arrive at a consensus on the legislation; Defendants in the litigation; Factors that will lead to the success of asbestos reform legislation.

The article reports that a Texas district judge told Representative Tom DeLay's lawyers that he won't schedule hearings in DeLay's money laundering and conspiracy case until after Christmas, a blow to the lawmaker's hopes to be exonerated quickly and reclaim his position as House majority leader. In a letter to DeLay's attorneys Wednesday, Senior Judge Pat Priest said he will be working on other cases and will not be available until December 27 to take up motions in DeLay's case. DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin had also asked Priest to tentatively schedule a trial for early January. Priest wrote that a trial date depends on whether the state appeals his decision earlier this week to dismiss another conspiracy charge.

This article reports on a news brief published in the newspaper "Santa Fe New Mexican," according to which, the speaker of the New Mexico House last week threw his support behind increasing the state's minimum wage to $7.50 an hour. The state minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. State House Speaker Ben Lujan said that a higher wage rate would be a top priority in the legislative session that convenes in January 2006. He and other supporters said that the increase will assist the working poor. Governor Bill Richardson supports a wage hike but has not decided how much of an increase to propose to lawmakers, according to a spokesman for the governor. The Association of Commerce and Industry of New Mexico, a business group, opposes the plan.

The article reports that Senate Judiciary Chairman Specter said Thursday he might schedule a markup as early as this month on a bill to overhaul the nation's bankruptcy laws. Speaking at the panel's executive business meeting, Specter said he had considered moving the bill through the committee next Thursday. He later suggested marking it up on a different date, perhaps later this month, in order to accommodate Democrats' request for hearings on the legislation. The bipartisan bill, introduced this week by Finance Chairman Grassley, is similar to bankruptcy legislation that passed the House last year, but stalled in the Senate amid controversy over Democratic-favored abortion language.

The article focuses on the U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for President George W. Bush's nominee to head the Commerce Department. The hearing was dominated by trade issues, including efforts by the administration to modify rules governing agricultural exports to Cuba. Senator Byron Dorgan reiterated at the hearing his claim that the U.S. Treasury Department has broken the law by requiring banks to apply for and receive a specific license to make deposits from Cuban payments. Treasury officials have countered that the department is issuing the licenses to make sure the Cuban people get food in a "humanitarian" fashion, and was in part a response to banks citing confusion over Cuban trade rules.

The House Appropriations Committee has put the financial year 2005 military construction spending bill back on track after the uniformed service chiefs agreed to testify before the panel this month. That testimony is expected to begin with Chief of Naval Operations Vern Clark, as early as next week at a hearing originally scheduled for Thursday that has been postponed due to funeral ceremonies for former U.S. President, Ronald Reagan. The Pentagon's decision to allow the service chiefs to testify ends a nearly three-month standoff that has put the Military Construction appropriations bill, originally expected to be among the first to clear Congress along with financial year 2005 Defense and Homeland Security spending bills, somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Lawmakers faced off during a Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing over whether stock option rules proposed recently by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) will benefit or harm U.S. workers. FASB's proposal or exposure draft issued in March 2004, would require companies to include the value of all employee stock options in their earnings reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. FASB has missed the boat badly on this particular issue and is in danger of doing significant harm to our economy," said Senator Robert Bennett. Bennett stressed he is in favor of expensing stock options and FASB's independence, but is extremely disappointed that the board did not adequately take into consideration public comment when handing down its rule.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced details for next week's public hearing in Charlotte, North Carolina, on whether media companies are meeting their local broadcast obligations, as of October 15, 2003. The meeting will be the first in a series of six public hearings that will be held in various cities over the next eight months. These hearings will be conducted by the FCC new "localism" task force. FCC chairman Michael Powell launched the task force in August 2003 amid criticism over the commission's new media ownership rules.

Robert Georgine, former chairman of a union-owned insurance company known as Ullico Inc., will refuse to testify before the Congress over accusations that he has set up exclusive stock trades that earned some labor leaders 6 million dollar in questionable profits. Georgine is scheduled to testify at a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing into the stock deals to be held on June 17, 2003.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing to reach a consensus on a Medicare prescription drug-and-reform proposal, being developed by Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley. A 10-page documentation menu containing options for Medicare Advantage, a preferred provider organization, which would give Medicare beneficiaries more benefits than currently covered. It also includes a 'standard' drug benefit with 275 dollars deductible annually, after which Medicare would pay half the cost of beneficiaries' medications up to a limit of 3,450 dollars. Low-income beneficiaries would get additional help.

Work in the seat of the U.S. Government on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. paused on Wednesday as lawmakers minded reports proliferating about the increasing dominance of U.S. troops in Iraq. Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle said that while he is pleased with the progress of U.S. troops in Iraq, he agrees with President George W. Bush that challenges remain, and the international community must play a key role in rebuilding Iraq. Legislative meetings, hearings and other activities scheduled to be undertaken by various committees and subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

Reports on the announcement made by U.S. House Energy and Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee chairman Cliff Stearns with regard to the conduct of hearing of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Steps taken by FASB after the corporate scandal of Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc.; Plans of Stearns to address issues which he introduced in the 107th Congress.

Reports on the plan of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee to hold a confirmation hearing on or around January 28, 2003 on the nomination of Treasury Secretary John Snow. Confirmation hearing to serve as a forum for discussion of tax policy options; Plans of the committee to hold a separate hearing on economic growth options to be rescheduled.

The article offers information on the legislative hearing on the pending nomination of solicitor general of the U.S., Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The article reports on the legislative hearings attended by three oil company representatives to discuss the deadly rig explosion problem caused by continuance of oil spilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

The article reports on the schedules of the four hearings on the 2012 farm bill released by U.S. House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, in which the first hearing will be on April 30, 2010 in Iowa, followed on May 1, 2010 in Idaho, May 3, 2010 in California and may 4, 2010 in Wyoming.

The article reports that U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman and ranking member Susan Collins said that they plan to hold a hearing into the circumstances surrounding the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, which killed 13 people and injured 29 others.

The article reports on the initial hearing on the climatic changes legislation held by U.S. Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry and Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer.

The article reports on the hearing called by the U.S. House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee chairwoman Jane Harman for the changes made to the Homeland Security Department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

The article reports on the delay of the hearing regarding the Treasury Department's use of the $700 billion financial bailout fund announced by U.S. House committee.

The article reports on a new stimulus hearing requested by U.S. House Committee on Appropriations Republicans in December 2008. According to committee ranking member Jerry Lewis, House Appropriations Chairman David Obey scheduled a hearing without any consultation with the minority regarding the economic stimulus package. He invoked House and committee rules to request a hearing on the same topic where Republican-called witnesses could appear.

The article reports on the announcement of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee that New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine, a former Democratic senator, would testify at a hearing on the need for an economic stimulus package. Moreover, the committee also announced that the New Jersey governor will be joined by other governors including Vermont Republican James Douglas, vice chairperson of the National Governors Association, and Wisconsin Democratic Governor Jim Doyle.

The article reports on the plan of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy to hold a confirmation hearing for Eric Holder, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for attorney-general, during the week of January 5, 2009. The judiciary chairman backs Holder and wants to accelerate his nomination. However, the plan ignited criticism by some Republicans of Holder's failure as deputy attorney general under former President Bill Clinton to prevent the pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

The article reports that U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, the top official tasked with delivering a trouble-free transition to digital television signals, has admitted apprehensions about widespread glitches. The comment at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing came amid growing concerns on Capitol Hill that the government has vastly underestimated the challenge of making a nationwide leap in TV technology on February 17, 2009..

The article reports on the plan of the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee to undertake a hearing concerning the alleged diversion of U.S. funds for terrorists in Iraq. Accordingly, former chief investigator of Public Integrity Commission and former chairman of the National Investment Commission in Iraq are set to testify during the hearing. Furthermore, witnesses will identify officials who have enriched themselves by giving money to terrorists groups targeting U.S. soldiers.

The article reports that the U.S. House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee has heard widespread agreement on the need for a nationwide communications system that will allow local, state and national first-responders to share information swiftly in an emergency. However, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, Subcommittee Chairman Henry Cuellar, and ranking member Charles Dent, appeared skeptical that the national proposal would serve rural constituencies.

The article reports that the U.S. House Education and Labor Workforce Protections Subcommittee will hold a hearing to question Labor Department regulations that would add steps to the bureaucratic process to protect workers from toxic chemicals. Education and Labor Chairman George Miller has introduced legislation to prohibit the department from issuing the rules. The rules would require the agency to perform a risk assessment that would require an advance notice of proposed rulemaking.

The article reports that more than a dozen of U.S. Interior Department officials overseeing energy companies are cited for fixing contracts, working as private oil consultants, improperly accepting gifts, using drugs and having sex with oil company employees. The report by Inspector General Earl Devaney said that one former manager used cocaine and had sex with subordinates. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman has scheduled a hearing on the report.

The article reports on the U.S. Senate hearing which highlighted the issue concerning the subsidiary of Halliburton Co. whose contract work was blamed by witnesses for the electrocution of up to 13 Americans. The hearing was held by the Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) for the reason that Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs chairman Joseph Lieberman failed on the issue. DPC chairman Byron Dorgan explained that the hearing was intended to give the public information on the issue.

The article reports on the move of Republican Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Kevin Martin to launch a nationwide tour to enhance connection with the Democrats on the allegations regarding the abuses on the regulatory authority. It states that Martin has undergone outreach to Democrats, specifically members of Commerce's influential Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee. Furthermore, information regarding the hearings undertaken by Martin is also provided.

The article reports that the U.S. House panel has authorized a subpoena of Douglas Feith regarding his voluntary testimony at the hearing. The issuance of subpoena causes Feith to appear at a U.S. House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee to reveal his testimony on the role of President George W. Bush's administration lawyers in crafting interrogation rules. Further, House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler states the need for authorization of the subpoena.

The article reports that U.S. House of Representative is expected to pass a bill that is set to decrease the regulatory burdens of credit unions, banks and thrifts. It is a revised bill that narrows down the definition of undeserved area demanding that 50% or more of the households have a yearly income that is less than $75,000. It also narrows what federal credit unions could offer to nonmembers as alternatives to payday loans and calls for an increase on the cap for commercial loans.

The article focuses on an appropriations bill in the U.S. which is set to allow law enforcement resources to trace and deport criminal illegal immigrants over raiding worksites. It will direct the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to spend $800 million to identify and deport illegal immigrants. The House Appropriations Committee will mark up the Fiscal Year 2009 Homeland Security spending bill to provide the Homeland Security Department $39.9 billion in discretionary spending.

The article focuses on a U.S. Interior Appropriations bill which has been mired in a dispute over energy-related amendments. It is held up over energy-related amendments that Republican members plan to offer including a proposal to fight a moratorium on drilling for oil between 50 and 200 miles offshore. Republicans are blaming Democrats for impeding their attempts to drill for the domestic supply of oil, while Democrats advise oil companies to drill on their 68 million acres under lease.

The article reports that a coalition has been mobilized to lobby against a provision in a housing assistance bill that prohibits a new standard deduction for homeowners to residents of any locality that increases its property tax rate. The coalition argues that the provision of Senator Whip Kyl will restrict state and local decisions and their abilities to support public health, safety and other services.

The article focuses on the plan of the U.S. Congress Democratic leaders to draft a version of the Medicare bill of Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus as part of an effort to move the legislation. The bill, which is designed to prevent a Medicare payment cut to physicians and cut back on extra payments, has failed to get enough votes in the Senate. Meanwhile, the Republicans remain hopeful that they would be able to negotiate a bipartisan Medicare bill.

The article reports that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is defending the testimony of its two of three officials at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing. The Democrats called all the testimonies as inaccurate and misleading. A spokeswoman of FAA has asserted that its Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Nicholas Sabatini and James Ballough, director of flight standards service, have testified truthfully in the hearing.

The article reports on a hearing of the U.S. House Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Though the members praised it for its rapid response to recent natural disasters, it was criticized for poor management and for the use of formaldehyde-laced trailers for housing. Subcommittee Chairman David Price pressed FEMA Director David Paulison on the status of a plan to improve his work force, which was due 11 months ago.

The article reports that U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Federal Financial Management Subcommittee Chairman Thomas Carper said that the Federal Information Security Management Act aimed at strengthening federal data security might be falling into the trap of complacency. Witnesses including Karen Evans, Office of Management and Budget's e-government administrator, pointed out in a hearing that internal efforts, and possibly legislation, are needed.

The article reports that Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates has told the House Science Committee that the U.S. position as a global leader in innovation is at risk and Congress, the administration and the next president must act decisively to maintain the momentum. Gates' appearance marked the committee's 50th anniversary and is likely his last congressional testimony before leaving his job at Microsoft in the summer to work full time for his foundation.

The article reports that U.S. House Global Warming Committee Chairman Edward Markey is asking the heads of the five major oil companies to testify April 1, 2008 on record crude oil and gasoline prices. Markey is asking the CEOs to voluntarily agree to testify but his spokesman pointed out that he also has subpoena power.

The article reports that U.S. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission ( MedPAC) Chairman Glenn Hackbarth said that traditional Medicare plans provide more benefits to Medicare beneficiaries than private Medicare Advantage plans. Hackbarth took particular aim at private fee-for-service plans, during a hearing of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. Panel Chairman Fortney (Pete) Stark said he couldn't agree more with MedPAC's Medicare Advantage recommendation.

The article reports that the effectiveness of the Federal Information Security Management Act intended to improve data security, will be questioned at a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Federal Financial Management Subcommittee hearing. Karen Evans, Office of Management and Budget's e-government administrator, and officials from Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will testify.