Chronology of Committee Work

Gaming the Tax Code: Public Subsidies, Private Profits, and Big League Sports in New York

This hearing will examine whether the use of the federal tax code to subsidize the construction of professional sports stadiums and arenas furthers the public interest. This is the third hearing held by the Subcommittee on this subject and the first hearing to examine alleged improprieties in the financing process of the new Yankee Stadium.

Subcommittee Widens Investigation of New Yankee Stadium Deal

Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich, Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, today requested documents relating to a provision in the new Yankee Stadium deal.

Kucinich Investigates Accuracy of Valuations for the New Yankee Stadium Made to Federal Agencies and Investors

Chairman Dennis J. Kucinich sent letters to the New York Yankees and various federal and city agencies in his investigation into the accuracy of statements made pertaining to the financing of the New Yankee Stadium.

Kucinich Expands Investigation into Delays in Veterans’ Payments

In his ongoing investigation into the concerns surrounding the “VA Retro” program, Chairman Dennis J. Kucinich requested documents from the Department of Defense relating to DoD’s implementation of Combat-Related Special Compensation.

Assessing State and Local Regulations to Reduce Dental Mercury Emissions

This hearing will examine existing state and local government initiatives and regulations aimed at reducing dental mercury emissions, evaluate their success, and document the lessons learned. This hearing follows up on concerns raised during the Subcommittee’s first hearing on environmental risks of and regulatory responses to mercury dental fillings, in November 2007.

Targeting Federal aid to neighborhoods distressed by the subprime mortgage crisis

Joint Hearing

Chairman Dennis Kucinich
Domestic Policy Subcommittee
Oversight and Government Reform Committee

And

Chairwoman Maxine Waters
Housing & Community Opportunity Subcommittee
Financial Services Committee

Neighborhoods: the blameless victims of the subprime mortgage crisis

These hearings will serve to focus attention on the consequences to neighborhoods when foreclosed properties fail to sell, and when owners abandon them.

Is USDA Accounting for Costs to Farmers Caused by Contamination from Genetically Engineered Plants?

This hearing will examine the impact on farmers caused by contamination of conventional and organic crops by genetically engineered plants. The hearing will also examine the responsiveness of the U. S. Department of Agriculture to the concerns of farmers.

The National Drug Control Strategy, Budget, and Compliance: Priorities and Accountability at ONDCP

The hearing will examine: (1) the priorities of the 2008 National Drug Control Strategy; (2) the priorities of the Fiscal Year 2009 National Drug Control Budget; and (3) ONDCP’s compliance with the ONDCP Reauthorization Act of 2006.

Assessing The Environmental Risks of the Water Bottling Industry’s Extraction of Groundwater

This hearing will examine the environmental issues presented when water bottling plants extract groundwater and spring water from water sources in rural communities.

What the October Wildfires Reveal About Preparedness In Southern California

On October 21, a wildfire began in Witch Creek, a rural area in the foothills of San Diego. At the height of the disaster, 23 fires were burning. By the time all the fires were contained, 368,000 acres of land had been burned; 1,700 homes were destroyed; and 10 people died.

Chairman Kucinich Initiates Congressional Oversight Of The Perry Nuclear Power Plant Shutdown And NRC Response

In response to the emergency closure of FirstEnergy’s Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) today requesting a briefing on the findings of its special inspection of the facility.

Environmental Risks Of And Regulatory Response To Mercury Dental Fillings

This hearing will examine the environmental risks of mercury in dental fillings (known as dental mercury amalgam) and the government’s regulatory response to it.

Evaluating The Labor Department In New Orleans: DOL’s Performance In Investigating and Prosecuting Wage and Hour Violations And Protecting Guest Workers

This hearing continues an investigation that began earlier this year into the adequacy of labor law enforcement in New Orleans during the period following Hurricane Katrina. The field hearing will take a closer look at the performance of the New Orleans District Office of the US Department of Labor since the hurricane.

Upholding the Spirit of the CRA: Do CRA Ratings Accurately Reflect Bank Practices?

This hearing will expose and explain how Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) exams may not reflect discriminatory practices by regulated banks, including the problems associated with regulatory discretion and new bank structures that were prohibited when Congress enacted the CRA. It will also analyze the detrimental affect of non-disclosure of fair lending exams on community participation and CRA enforcement.

UnitedHealth Group Concedes Nearly 11,000 Medicaid Children Enrolled With The Company In Maryland Have Not Seen A Dentist In 4+ Years; Few Dentists in Company’s Network Actually Serve Children

After publicly disputing a Congressional Committee’s finding of thousands of Medicaid enrolled children in Maryland who were not getting dental care to which they were entitled, UnitedHealth Group conceded the accuracy of that and other findings made by the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in a letter the company sent to Chairman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH).

Professional Sport Stadiums: Do They Divert Public Funds From Critical Public Infrastructure?

This hearing will examine whether or not public subsidies for professional sports stadiums divert funds and attention away from America’s public infrastructure. This is the subcommittee’s second hearing on the topic. On March 29, 2007, the Domestic Policy Subcommittee held a hearing that looked at the promises of economic prosperity that are made to cities which finance professional sports stadiums. The first hearing revealed that no evidence has been found to suggest that professional sports stadiums create jobs, raise incomes, or raise local tax revenues.

Combating Drug Abuse and Drug-related Crime: What Is Working in Baltimore

After a period of improvement, lethal and non-lethal violent crime in Baltimore is on the rise. The Domestic Policy Subcommittee hearing will examine innovative approaches to combating drug abuse, drug-related violence, and gang activity in Baltimore. The focus of the hearing will be on evaluating practical alternatives to incarceration to prevent drug use and drug-related violence. 

Will NIEHS’ New Priorities Protect Public Health?

The Domestic Policy Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine the impact on public health of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ (NIEHS) new research direction and priorities. A new emphasis on treating disease has come at the expense of preventive research, education and outreach.

ExxonMobil and Shell Answer Questions About Hot Fuels

Senior executives from two of the largest oil companies with operations in both the U.S. and Canada will testify at a Domestic Policy Subcommittee hearing on “hot fuels” and what appears to be a double standard in the way they measure gasoline.

“After Blackstone: Should Small Investors be Exposed to Risks of Hedge Funds?”

The Domestic Policy Subcommittee, which has oversight jurisdiction over the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), will hold a hearing to examine the possible risks presented to ordinary investors by the recent Blackstone Group L.P. (“Blackstone LP”) and similar upcoming initial public offerings (“IPOs”) of the management entities of hedge funds and private equity funds. The hearing will examine whether the SEC’s Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “’40 Act”) determination is likely to be accepted by the courts, whether existing investor protections are sufficient to protect ordinary investors from new risks, and whether new regulation is necessary.

Hearing on Adequacy of Labor Law Enforcement in New Orleans

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, breaking levees and flooding New Orleans with more than 100 billion gallons of water. The flooding killed at least 1,400 people in Louisiana, half of whom were from New Orleans, and left hundreds of thousands of others homeless.

Bill Will Improve Children's Dental Care Under Medicaid

Rep. Cummings, along with Subcommittee Chairman Kucinich, introduced “Deamonte’s Law,” a bill to increase children’s access to necessary dental services. The bill is named after 12-year-old Deamonte Driver, who died when an untreated tooth infection spread to his brain. In addition, Reps. Cummings and Kucinich wrote to CMS and HHS asking for documents related to children’s dental care in Medicaid.

Lethal Loopholes: Deficiencies in State and Federal Gun Purchase Laws

On Thursday, May 10, the Domestic Policy Subcommittee evaluated incompleteness in the federal database used for checking the criminal and mental health records of gun purchasers, as well as the inconsistencies in state compliance with federal gun purchase laws.

Alterations to the Guide to Children's Dental Care in Medicaid

A Domestic Policy Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday revealed that in 2001, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a contract to update a twenty-year-old guide to Medicaid and pediatric dentistry. Between the draft in late 2001 and the guide's publication in 2004, the document was significantly changed, with major portions deleted.

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