Tech Law Journal Daily E-Mail Alert
Monday, May 6, 2013, Alert No. 2,557.
Home Page | Calendar | Subscribe | Back Issues | Reference
Senate Passes Internet Sales Tax Bill

5/6. The Senate amended and passed S 743 [LOC | WW], a bill to authorize states to compel out of state retailers to collect sales taxes on internet and other remote sales, by a vote of 69-27. See, Roll Call No. 113.

The Senate first approved an amendment by a vote of 70-24. See, Roll Call No. 112.

This bill, titled the "Marketplace Fairness Act", has not been passed by the House.

Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) introduced the House version of this bill, HR 684 [LOC | WW], on February 14, 2013. Leading co-sponsors include Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT).

Rep. Speier stated in a release that she is "grateful for the Senate’s leadership on and dedication to this issue. Now, it’s up to the House to act". She said that there is "momentum". Rep. Welch stated in a release that there is "strong bipartisan support".

Sen. Ron Wyden said that this bill is backed by "some of the biggest businesses in the country", which have "physical presence" in taxing states, to impose "new regulations onto the startups, onto the small businesses".

The House Judiciary Committee (HJC) has jurisdiction over this bill. Rep. Conyers, the ranking Democrat, praised the Senate's action in a release. He said that "This bipartisan legislation is a common-sense approach to leveling the playing field by removing a legal tax loophole which has unfairly advantaged out-of-state retailers for years. It does so without burdening small businesses or raising taxes of any kind. As the Senate has finished their work, I urge the House to promptly consider this much-needed legislation to help out our local retailers."

The House bill has 66 sponsors. However, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), the Chairman of the HJC, is not a sponsor. He stated in a release that "It is disappointing that the latest version of the Marketplace Fairness Act did not follow regular order in the Senate, but instead bypassed the Senate committee having the subject matter expertise. Consideration in the House will be more thoughtful."

Rep. Goodlatte continued that "I do not believe the Marketplace Fairness Act is sufficiently simplified yet. While it attempts to make tax collection simpler, it still has a long way to go. There is still not uniformity on definitions and tax rates, so businesses would still be forced to wade through potentially hundreds of tax rates and a host of different tax codes and definitions. There is also concern that despite disclaimers the bill could create due process type concerns regarding the ability for affected businesses to sufficiently petition for relief from aggressive state actions and could open the door for states to tax or even regulate beyond their borders. I am open to considering legislation concerning this topic but these issues, along with others, would certainly have to be addressed.  The Committee will also look at alternatives that could enable states to collect sales tax revenues without opening the door to aggressive state action against out-of-state companies."

The other members of the HJC who are sponsors of the bill are Democrats Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), and Rep. Theodore Deutsch (D-FL), and Republicans Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), and Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX).

During Senate debate on the bill Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) argued that "What this bill does is it precipitously overturns the law of the land, the law of the land upheld by the Supreme Court. It would, in unprecedented fashion, stipulate that State and local governments have taxing authorities over businesses that are located thousands and thousands of miles away. The sponsors are quick to point out that the Court allowed that Congress could enact this sort of extraterritorial taxation. But as the Senate has seen again and again, just because government can doesn't mean government should."

This is a reference to the Supreme Court's 1992 ruling in Quill v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298. The Supreme Court held that state and local taxing authorities are barred under the Commerce Clause from requiring remote sellers without a substantial nexus to the taxing jurisdiction to collect sales taxes for sales to persons within the jurisdiction.

However, the Supreme Court added that Congress may extend such authority. It wrote that "Congress is now free to decide whether, when, and to what extent the States may burden interstate mail order concerns with a duty to collect use taxes." (At 504 U.S. 318.)

Sen. Wyden continued that "I think this steers the Internet toward a dangerous path. It would, in effect, endorse the notion that Internet entities should be required to enforce laws outside their home jurisdiction. Foreign countries have long pressed that notion. Foreign countries have specifically pushed that notion, that the Internet ought to cede to their control. As it is already, many countries are seeking to put the United Nations in charge of the Internet's regulator-in-chief, and essentially, if we look at the philosophical foundation of this proposal, it endorses that world view."

Sen. Wyden also said that this bill "gives a leg up to foreign retailers".

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) responded that Sen. Wyden "is from the State of Oregon. Oregon is one of five States in the Nation with no State sales tax. For the record, they are Alaska, Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, and Delaware. Of those five States, four of those States -- all eight of those Senators -- are actively opposing this bill."

He argued that since the bill exempts sellers with "less than $1 million in Internet sales" per year from the mandate of the bill, "this bill will affect the big boys, such as Amazon and eBay", and not "the small Internet retailers".

Grover Norquist, head of the Americans for Tax Reform, sent a letter to the sponsor of the Senate bill, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), with numerous questions. For example, he asked, "What measures protect businesses from tax audits, court proceedings and penalties like tax liens imposed on a business by state departments of revenue where the business has no physical presence? How will businessmen and women be protected over time from politicians in a different state that they cannot vote for or against? Is there a danger of establishing taxation without representation?"

See also, story titled "Senate Invokes Cloture on Internet Sales Tax Bill" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,552, April 22, 2013, and story titled "Senate Adjourns Until May 6 Without Passing Internet Sales Tax Bill" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,554, April 24, 2013.

President Obama Picks Mike Froman to be USTR

5/2. President Obama gave a speech in which he announced that he would nominate Mike Froman to be the U.S. Trade Representative.

He currently works in the Executive Office of the President as Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs. Before joining the Obama administration he worked at Citgroup. He worked in the Department of the Treasury during the Clinton administration.

President Obama said that "we went to law school together".

Demetrios Marantis has been the acting USTR since former USTR Ron Kirk resigned.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (SFC), stated in a release that "With an ambitious trade agenda ahead, Mike Froman is the right choice for U.S. Trade Representative. USTR is an effective, nimble agency, and by choosing Mr. Froman to lead it, the administration is sending a clear signal that trade is a top priority. He has been an instrumental player in trade negotiations over the last four years and will hit the ground running."

Sen. Baucus added that "Strengthening our trade ties with Europe and across the Pacific is one of my top priorities for the next year and a half, and I’m eager to work with the administration to make sure those trade agreements bolster our economy and create jobs, including through swift passage of trade promotion authority."

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the ranking Republican on the SFC, which has jurisdiction over this appointment, stated in a release that "By negotiating and enforcing strong trade agreements that open up these markets to U.S. exports, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative plays a critical role in keeping our economy competitive and our standard of living high. With ongoing negotiations to conclude a Trans-Pacific Partnership, which will cover over one-third of all world trade, and negotiations for an agreement with the European Union on the horizon, the President’s nominee must have the trade expertise, political will and leadership skills necessary to effectively lead this small but important agency."

Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee (HWMC) stated in a release that "I welcome the President’s nomination of Mike Froman to lead USTR. I look forward to continuing to work with him to promote a robust trade agenda, including bipartisan trade promotion authority legislation, to create good jobs in America. I am confident that his skills and experience will stand him in good stead as he leads the Administration's trade policy and takes the helm at one of the most professional and productive agencies in the U.S. government."

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), Chairman of the HWMC's Subcommittee on Trade, stated in the same release that "I applaud the President’s nomination of Mike Froman to lead USTR. I support Mike's selection and believe that today's announcement bolsters the Administration's commitment to finalizing trade agreements that open up new markets and create strong enforcement mechanisms."

President Obama Picks Democratic Fund Raiser for Secretary of Commerce

5/2. President Obama gave a speech in which he announced that he would nominate Penny Pritzker to be Secretary of Commerce. She is a billionaire from Chicago who has given and raised massive amounts of money for Democratic candidates and committees.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings also disclose that she has made a few contributions to Republicans -- for example, to former Rep. Denny Hastert (R-IL), who represented an Illinois district near Chicago.

She is a member of the Pritzker family, which founded the Hyatt hotels.

The Department of Commerce (DOC) includes many technology related components, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is tasked with many spectrum related functions, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which Obama has ordered to write cyber security regulatory standards for the private sector.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), who has received campaign funding from Pritzker, stated in a release that "Penny Pritzker will bring a successful background in the private sector to the Commerce Department. Her leadership will help spur greater innovation across our economy and make us more competitive around the world."

Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), who has also received campaign funding from Pritzger, stated in a release that "The federal government can do much more to support private sector expansion and the creation of quality jobs. Penny Pritzker’s decades of business experience would greatly assist her in leading this effort as President Obama’s Commerce Secretary nominee."

Other Presidents have involved the DOC with political fund raising and organizing. Former President Nixon's first term Secretary of Commerce, Maurice Stans, left the DOC to raise money to re-elect Nixon to a second term.

The first President Bush named Robert Mosbacher his Secretary of Commerce. His primary qualifications were that he had led former President Ford's fundraising efforts in 1976, and Bush's in 1980 and 1988. Similarly, former President Clinton named Ron Brown, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, his first Secretary of Commerce.

President Obama's first Secretary of Commerce was Gary Locke, a former Governor of the state of Washington, who is now Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. John Bryson then served as Secretary of Commerce for less than one year. Rebecca Blank has been the acting Secretary of Commerce for almost one year.

Obama Picks Shelanski for OMB Post

4/25.  President Obama nominated Howard Shelanski to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, in the Executive Office of the President's (EOP) Office of Management and Budget (OMB). See, White House news office release and release.

His area of expertise is antitrust law and economics. Moreover, he has also focused on application of antitrust to intellectual property, information technology and communications.

He received both a Ph.D. in economics and J.D. from UC Berkeley. He clerked for Judge Stephen Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals (DCCir) and Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court. He then worked for the law firm of Kellogg Huber. He also briefly was Chief Economist at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

He then worked at UC Berkeley, from 1999 through 2009. He transferred to Georgetown University law school in 2011. However, for the past four years he has mostly worked at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), first as Deputy Director for Antitrust in the  Bureau of Economics (BE), and now as Director of the FTC's BE.

See also, Shelanski's Georgetown biography page.

People and Appointments

5/6. President Obama nominated Colin Bruce to be a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. See, White House news office release and release. He has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 24 years.

5/6. President Obama nominated Sara Lee Ellis to be a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. See, White House news office release and release. She works in the Chicago, Illinois office of the law firm of Schiff Hardin. Her law firm biography page states that she "has extensive experience in representing clients charged with federal white collar crimes from the target stage of the investigation through the appellate process".

5/6. President Obama nominated Andrea Wood to be a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. See, White House news office release and release. She is a trial attorney in the Chicago, Illinois office of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She previously worked for the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. She clerked for Judge Diane Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals (7thCir).

5/6. David Strickler and Jesse Feder were appointed Copyright Royalty Judges at the Library of Congress (LOC). Strickler taught basic economics courses at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey. Feder was an attorney employed by the Business Software Alliance (BSA). See, LOC release.

About Tech Law Journal

Tech Law Journal publishes a free access web site and a subscription e-mail alert. The basic rate for a subscription to the TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert is $250 per year for a single recipient. There are discounts for subscribers with multiple recipients.

Free one month trial subscriptions are available. Also, free subscriptions are available for federal elected officials, and employees of the Congress, courts, and executive branch. The TLJ web site is free access. However, copies of the TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert are not published in the web site until two months after writing.

For information about subscriptions, see subscription information page.

Tech Law Journal now accepts credit card payments. See, TLJ credit card payments page.

Solution Graphics

TLJ is published by David Carney
Contact: 202-364-8882.
carney at techlawjournal dot com
3034 Newark St. NW, Washington DC, 20008.

Privacy Policy
Notices & Disclaimers
Copyright 1998-2013 David Carney. All rights reserved.

In This Issue
This issue contains the following items:
 • Senate Passes Internet Sales Tax Bill
 • President Obama Picks Mike Froman to be USTR
 • President Obama Picks Democratic Fund Raiser for Secretary of Commerce
 • Obama Picks Shelanski for OMB Post
 • People and Appointments
Washington Tech Calendar
New items are highlighted in red.
Tuesday, May 7

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for morning hour, and at 12:00 NOON for legislative business. The House will consider non-technology related items. See, Rep. Cantor's schedule.

The Senate will meet at 10:00 AM. It will consider the nomination of of David Medine to be Chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB).

9:00 AM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee (ISTAC) will meet in open session. This session will also be teleconferenced. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Page 24160. Location: DOC, Hoover Building, Room 3884, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, NW.

9:00 AM - 1:45 PM. The New America Foundation (NAF) will host an event titled "The Drone Next Door". The speakers will include Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ). See, notice and registration page. Location: NAF, Suite 400, 1899 L St., NW.

9:30 AM. The Senate Appropriations Committee's (SAC) Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch will hold a hearing on the budget for the Library of Congress. See, notice. Location: Room 192, Dirksen Building.

10:00 AM. The House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) will meet to mark up numerous bills. See, agenda. Location: Room 2128, Rayburn Building.

10:30 AM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (SHSGAC) will hold a hearing on S 744 [LOC | WW], the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act". See, notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

12:00 NOON - 1:15 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Antitrust Law will host an on site and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Antitrust and Patent Assertion Entities: The DOJ-FTC Joint Workshop". The speakers will be Michael Carrier (Rutgers School of Law), Erica Mintzer (DOJ Antitrust Division), Suzanne Munck (FTC), Scott Burt (MOSAID Technologies), Paul Melin (Nokia), and Mark Popofsky (Ropes & Gray). Free. No CLE credits. See, notice. Location: Morrison & Foerster, Suite 6000, 2000 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

1:00 - 2:30 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a webcast and teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Cyber Threats and Network Security Countermeasures: Keeping Your Intellectual Property and Secret Safe". The speakers will be Zal Azmi (CACI), Harlan Carvey (Applied Security), David Opderbeck (Seton Hall University Law School), and David Manning (Applied Security). Prices vary. CLE credits. See, notice.

2:00 PM. The House Appropriations Committee's (HAC) Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government will hold a hearing on the budget for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The witness will be SEC Chairman Mary Jo White. Location: Room 2359, Rayburn Building.

2:30 PM. The Senate Intelligence Committee (SIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters. See, notice. Location: Room 219, Hart Building.

6:00 - 8:15 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) will host an event titled "International Privacy: Working in the Global Cloud and Preparing for the EU’s New Privacy Approach". Prices vary. CLE credits. Registrations and cancellations due by 12:00 NOON on Wednesday, May 6. See, notice. Location: Covington & Burling, 11th floor, 1201 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

Wednesday, May 8

The House and Senate will meet in joint session at 10:30 AM for the purpose of hearing an address by Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea. See, Rep. Cantor's schedule.

8:30 - 10:00 AM. The RTI International will host a panel discussion titled "Robotic and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Inside the United States: Applications, Safety, Perceptions, and Privacy Concerns". The speakers will include Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY), Tim Gabel (RTI), David Schanzer (Duke Univ.), Peter Singer (Brookings Inst.), John McGraw, Joe Eyerman (RTI), Kenneth Mortensen, and Darryl Jenkins (Aviation Consulting). See, notice. Location: Ballroom, 13th floor, National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW.

9:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee's (SJC) Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism will hold a hearing titled "Cyber Threats: Law Enforcement and Private Sector Responses". The witnesses will be Jenny Durkan (U.S. Attorney, Western District of Washington), Joseph Demarest (Assistant Director of the FBI's Cyber Division), Kevin Mandia (Mandiant), Stewart Baker (Steptoe & Johnson), and Cheri McGuire (Symantec Corporation). Live and archived webcast. See, notice. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.

9:00 AM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee (ISTAC) will meet in closed session. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Page 24160. Location: DOC, Hoover Building, Room 3884, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues,  NW.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Deep9 Corporation v. Barnes & Noble, App. Ct. No. 2013-1031, an appeal from the U.S. District Court (WDWash) in a patent infringement case involving online databases associated with e-book readers. Panel G. Location: Courtroom 402, 717 Madison Place, NW.

12:15 PM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host an event titled "FCC Enforcement of the Emergency Alert System". The speakers will be FCC officials. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) states that this is an event of its Enforcement Committee. Free. Location: Wiley Rein, 1776 K St., NW.

12:15 - 1:45 PM. The DC Bar Association's Media Law Committee will hold its monthly brown bag lunch. Free. No CLE credits. For more information, call 202-626-3463. Reporters are barred. See, notice. Location: Washington Post, 1150, 15th St., NW.

POSTPONED. 1:00 PM. The House Judiciary Committee (HJC) will hold a hearing titled "Protecting U.S. Citizens' Constitutional Rights During the War on Terror". See, notice. Location: Room 2141 Rayburn Building.

2:00 PM. The House Foreign Affairs Committee's (HFAC) Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats will hold a hearing titled "The Threat of China’s Unsafe Consumables". See, notice. Location: Room 2172, Rayburn Building.

2:30 PM. The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) will hold a hearing titled "The Role of Immigrants in America's Innovation Economy". The witnesses will be Ruchi Sanghvi, Jeffrey Bussgang (Flybridge Capital Partners), Gwenne Hendricks (Caterpillar) and Stuart Anderson (National Foundation for American Policy). See, notice. Location: Room 253, Russell Building.

2:30 PM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold a hearing on the nomination of Patricia Smith to be a Judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. See, notice. Webcast. Location: Room 226, Rayburn Building.

Thursday, May 9

The House will meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business. The House will consider non-technology related items. See, Rep. Cantor's schedule.

Supreme Court conference day. See, Supreme Court calendar.

9:00 AM. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's (HOGRC) Subcommittee on Government Operations will hold a hearing titled "Federal Government Approaches to Issuing Biometric IDs". See, notice. Location: Room 2154, Rayburn Building.

9:00 AM. The House Intelligence Committee (HIC) will hold a closed hearing titled "Ongoing Intelligence Activities". See, notice. Location: Room HVC-304, Capitol Building.

9:30 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold an executive business meeting. The agenda includes mark up of S 744 [LOC | WW], the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act". The agenda also includes consideration of the nominations of Srikanth Srinivasan (USCA/DCCir), Raymond Chen (USCA/FedCir), and Jennifer Dorsey (USDC/DNev). Live and archived webcast. See, notice. Location: Room 216, Hart Building.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Greenville Communications v. Cellco Partnership, App. Ct. No. 2012-1676, an appeal from the U.S. District Court (DNJ). Panel I. Location: Courtroom 201, 717 Madison Place, NW.

1:00 AM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Materials Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) will meet in partially closed session. The open portion of this meeting will also be teleconferenced. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Page 24161. Location: DOC, Hoover Building, Room 6087B, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, NW.

10:30 AM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host an event titled "open meeting". Location: FCC, Commission Meeting Room, TW-C305, 445 12th St., SW.

12:00 NOON - 1:00 PM. The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a teleconferenced panel discussion titled "March -- April Antitrust Update for In-House Counsel". The speakers will be Carter Simpson (SNR Denton), Amanda Butler, Claudia Higgins, Sebastian Jungerman and Terry Mazu (all of Kaye Sholer). Free. No CLE credits. See, notice.

2:30 PM. The Senate Intelligence Committee (SIC) will hold a closed hearing on undisclosed matters. See, notice. Location: Room 219, Hart Building.

Deadline to submit oppositions to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to the Petition for Reconsideration and Clarification [12 pages in PDF] filed by the US Telecom regarding the rural health care reform Report and Order [242 pages in PDF], adopted on December 12, 2012 and released on December 21, FCC 12-150 in WC Docket No. 02-60. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Page 24147.

Friday, May 10

Rep. Cantor's schedule states that no votes are expected in the House.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Alcatel Lucent v. Overstock.com, App. Ct. No. 2012-1629. Panel L. Location: Courtroom 201, 717 Madison Place, NW.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in A10 Networks v. Brocade Communications, App. Ct. No. 2012-1542, an appeal from the U.S. District Court (NDCal) in a patent infringement case involving server technology. Panel N. Location: Courtroom 203, 717 Madison Place, NW.

Monday, May 13

12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM. The American Bar Association's (ABA) Section of Antitrust Law will host a teleconferenced panel discussion titled "Antitrust and the First Amendment". The speakers will be Emilio Varanini (California Office of the Attorney General), Eugene Volokh (UCLA Law School), John Elwood (Vinson & Elkins), Hillary Greene (University of Connecticut Law School), Frank Pasquale (Seton Hall Law School), and David Meyer (Morrison & Foerster). Free. No CLE credits. See, notice.

3:00 PM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (SHSGAC) will hold a hearing on the nomination of Brian Deese to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). See, notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

Tuesday, May 14

8:45 AM - 1:30 PM. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will host an event titled "Seminar on Asia-Pacific Economic Integration". Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) is scheduled to speak at 8:50 AM. Hiroyuki Ishige (Ch/CEO of JETRO) is scheduled to speak at 9:35 AM. There will be a panel titled "New Developments in Asia Pacific Economic Integration" at 9:55 AM. The speakers will include Zhang Jianping (PRC's National Development and Reform Commission), Shujiro Urata (Waseda University), Hank Lim (Singapore Institute of International Affairs), Scott Miller (CSIS) and Michael Green (CSIS). Wendy Cutler (Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea, and APEC Affairs) will be the luncheon speaker. See, notice. Location: CSIS, 1800 K St., NW.

9:00 AM. The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Materials Processing Equipment Technical Advisory Committee (MPETAC) will meet in partially closed session. The open portion of this meeting will also be teleconferenced. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 79, April 24, 2013, at Page 24160-1. Location: DOC, Hoover Building, Room 3884, 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, NW.

10:00 AM - 12:15 PM. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) will host an event titled "Game Changer: Japan and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement". Kenichiro Sasae (Ambassador of Japan) will give the keynote address, followed by a panel discussion. The panelists will be Mac Destler (University of Maryland), Gordon Flake (Mansfield Foundation), Mireya Solis (Brookings Institution), and Claude Barfield (AEI). See, notice. Location: AEI, 12th floor, 1150 17th St., NW.

10:30 AM. The Senate Commerce Committee's (SCC) Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet will hold a hearing titled "State of Video". See, notice. Location: Room 253, Russell Building.