Senate panel to weigh police militarization

A Senate panel will hold an oversight hearing next week about the militarization of local police forces.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) called for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, after police used federally donated military equipment against protesters in Ferguson, Mo.

{mosads}On Tuesday, committee members will hear from police and Defense Department officials, as well as a St. Louis photojournalist who documented the events this summer.

Police in the St. Louis suburb used some military equipment gifted through federal grant programs to quell riots in Ferguson, after unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer.

Several Senate committees will also hold a hearing to advance some of President Obama’s executive and judicial nominations.

Notably missing from the Senate hearing list is anything on the administration’s response to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). However, the Senate Intelligence Committee is holding two “closed” hearing next but the topics of those are not public.

Details on these and other Senate hearings follow:

Senate Aging

– Sept. 10, “Indebted for Life: Older Americans and Student Loan Debt”

2:15 p.m., 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

– Sept. 10, “Nomination of Lisa Afua Serwah Mensah”

10 a.m., 328A Russell Senate Office Building

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

– Sept. 9, “Wall Street Reform: Assessing and Enhancing the Financial Regulatory System”

10 a.m., 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Environment and Public Works

– Sept. 9, “Nominations of Jeffery Baran and Stephen Burns to be Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission”

10 a.m., 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Foreign Relations

– Sept. 10, “Nominations”

10:30 a.m., 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

– Sept. 9, “Nomination of Sharon Block to serve as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board”

10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

– Sept. 9, “Oversight of Federal Programs for Equipping State and Local Law Enforcement”

10:30 a.m., 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building

– Sept. 10, “Cybersecurity, Terrorism, and Beyond: Addressing Evolving Threats to the Homeland”

9:30 a.m., 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Judiciary

– Sept. 9, “Nominations”

10 a.m., 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building

– Sept. 11, “Executive Business”

10 a.m., 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Rules and Administration

– Sept. 10, “Election Assistance Commission Nominations”

10 a.m., 301 Russell Senate Office Building

Senate Veterans’ Affairs

– Sept. 9, “The State of VA Health Care”

10 a.m., 216 Hart Senate Office Building