Dr. John Sullivan, ACVFA Chairman, welcomed attendees and thanked George Washington University for the use of the day’s venue. He noted that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs is preparing to rewrite the Foreign Assistance Act. Several of the people present today have attended one of the listening sessions conducted by the staff of the Foreign Affairs Committee in preparation for that effort, one with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), one with private companies, and one with democracy support organizations. It is rare, and quite welcome for the Foreign Affairs Committee to reach out in this way for public consultation before beginning to write. The public can continue to submit ideas through the committee’s Web site, and the staff appears to be taking that public input seriously.