Here is information about Senator Grassley's schedule this week. The Senate is in session.
Senator Grassley will meet with Iowans from the Conservation Districts of Iowa, Cedar Valley Hospice, Christians United for Israel, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the National Downs Syndrome Congress, and the National Association of Elementary and Secondary Principals.
He also will meet with Iowa students from Waverly, Spirit Lake, and Carroll.
Senator Grassley will meet with Iowa families visiting Washington from Ankeny, Treynor, Pella, Nevada, Cedar Rapids, Oskaloosa, Knoxville, Pella, Randalia, Auburn, Waukon, Goose Lake, Altoona, Waterloo, and West Des Moines.
Senator Grassley will be a guest this week on public affairs programs hosted by Mike Savage on KBUR Radio in Burlington, Jim Fischer on WOC Radio in Davenport, and Fred Hoffman of KCPS Radio in Burlington.
On Tuesday, July 17, at 10 a.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in an Agriculture Committee oversight hearing regarding the Dodd-Frank financial reform enacted two years ago. Gary Gensler, the Chairman of the Commodities Future Trading Commission is scheduled to testify. Senator Grassley will question the Chairman about the CFTC's oversight of Peregrine Financial in Cedar Falls, which has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, with $215 million in customer funds missing. The CFTC is responsible for regulating commodity markets, and the Agriculture Committee has legislative and oversight responsibility for the CFTC.
On Wednesday, July 18, at 10 a.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in a Judiciary Committee hearing on Improving Forensic Science in the Criminal Justice System. Senator Grassley is Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. In 1997, Senator Grassley took on the cause of Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, a whistleblower who exposed problems with the FBI crime lab, which had lost accreditation due to its shortcomings in forensic science and led to landmark reform recommendations from the Inspector General for the Department of Justice. Today, Senator Grassley is questioning the FBI and the Justice Department to obtain more information about what has led to the present-day largest post-conviction review ever done by the FBI due to flawed forensic work in federal and local cases nationwide.
On Wednesday, July 18, at 10 a.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in a mark-up by the Finance Committee of international trade legislation, including the Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion (ENFORCE) Act; Citrus, Cotton and Wool Trust Funds; amendments to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), technical corrections to the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) ; Burma Sanctions; and Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Russia and Moldova.
On Wednesday, July 18, at 2:30 p.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in a hearing of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control about Responding to the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic. Senator Grassley is co-chair of the drug caucus. According to a recent survey by Monitoring the Future, a University of Michigan study of U.S. students and young adults funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, prescription drugs are the second-most abused category of drugs after marijuana.
On Thursday, July 19, at 10 a.m. (ET), in Dirksen 226, Senator Grassley will participate in the Judiciary Committee's weekly executive business meeting. The nomination of Frank Paul Geraci Jr. to be United States District Judge for the Western District of New York, Fernando M. Olguin to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, Malachy Edward Mannion to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Matthew W. Brann to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Charles R. Breyer to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission may be considered. In addition, S.285, a bill for the relief of Sopuruchi Chukwueke, and S.3276, the Federal Aviation Administration Sunsets Extension Act of 2012 may be considered by committee members.
