105th Congress (1997 - 1998)
January 7, 1997 - December 15, 1997
Senate Committee Meetings by Date
Compiled from the Congressional Record's Daily Digests via Thomas at thomas.loc.gov
1997/01/07
Daily Digest, Tuesday, January 7, 1997; pages D1 - D26
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending committee business.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/09
Daily Digest - Thursday, January 9, 1997; pages D27 - D32
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AIR BAG SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings to
examine air bag safety, receiving testimony from Senator Kempthorne; Ricardo
Martinez, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; James
Hall, Chairman, and Elaine B. Weinstein, Chief, Safety Studies Division, both
of the National Transportation Safety Board; Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen,
Andrew Card, Susan M. Cischke, Chrysler Corporation, Lou Camp, Ford Motor
Company, and Bob Lange, General Motors Corporation, all on behalf of the
American Automobile Manufacturers Association, and Janet Dewey, Air Bag Safety
Campaign, all of Washington, D.C.; Philip Hutchison, Association of
International Automobile Manufacturers, and Brian O'Neill, Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety, D30both of Arlington, Virginia; Charles H. Pulley,
Automotive Occupant Restraints Council, Lexington, Kentucky; Kathleen Jones,
Blacksburg, Virginia; and Robert Sanders, Parents Coalition for Air Bag
Warnings, Baltimore, Maryland.
[Page: D30]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
GULF WAR ILLNESSES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee held hearings to examine Persian
Gulf War illnesses, receiving testimony from Jesse Brown, Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, Kenneth Kizer, Under Secretary for Health, and Stephen L.
Lemons, Acting Under Secretary for Benefits, all of the Department of Veterans
Affairs; George J. Tenet, Acting Director, Nora Slatkin, Executive Director,
and Sylvia Copeland, Executive Officer, Office of Weapons, Technology, and
Proliferation, all of the Central Intelligence Agency; and Joyce C. Lashof,
Chair, and Philip J. Landrigan, Member, both of The Presidential Advisory
Committee on Persian Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/20
Daily Digest - Monday, January 20, 1997; pages D34 - D36
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/21
Daily Digest - Tuesday, January 21, 1997; pages D37 - D40
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Committee on the Budget: Committee held hearings to examine the state of the
United States economy and economic outlook, receiving testimony from Alan
Greenspan, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
[Page: D38]
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: On Monday, January 20, committee ordered
favorably reported the nomination of Madeleine Korbel Albright, of the
District of Columbia, to be Secretary of State.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/22
Daily Digest - Wednesday, January 22, 1997; pages D41 - D44
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee ordered favorably
reported an original resolution (S. Res. 20) requesting $1,747,544 for
operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28,
1998, and $1,792,747 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998
through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress, and
announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on Production
and Price Competitiveness: Senators Cochran (Chairman), Roberts, Helms,
Grassley, Gramm, Kerrey, Daschle, Johnson, and Landrieu. Subcommittee on
Marketing, Inspection, and Product Promotion: Senators Coverdell (Chairman),
Helms, Cochran, McConnell, Baucus, Kerrey, Landrieu. Subcommittee on Forestry,
Conservation, and Rural Revitalization: Senators Santorum (Chairman),
Grassley, Coverdell, Roberts, Craig, Conrad, Leahy, Daschle, and Baucus.
Subcommittee on Research, Nutrition, and General Legislation: Senators
McConnell (Chairman), Gramm, Craig, Santorum, Leahy, Conrad, and Johnson.
NOMINATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of William S. Cohen, of Maine, to be Secretary of Defense.
Prior to this action, committee concluded hearings on the nomination of Mr.
Cohen, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators McCain, Snowe, and
Collins, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
NOMINATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
on the nomination of Andrew M. Cuomo, of New York, to be Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators
D'Amato and Moynihan and Henry G. Cisneros, Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported an original resolution requesting $3,448,034 for operating
expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and
$3,539,227 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998 through
February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress, and
approved subcommittee chairmen and the creation of the following new
subcommittee: Subcommittee on Manufacturing and Competitiveness.
NOMINATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings on the nomination of William M. Daley, of Illinois, to be Secretary
of Commerce, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Moseley-Braun
and Durbin and Representative Hyde, testified and answered questions in his
own behalf. Testimony was also received from Donald Rumsfeld, Chicago,
Illinois.
BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on S.J. Res. 1,
proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require a
balanced budget, after receiving testimony from Senators Craig, Lautenberg,
Graham, Conrad, Bryan, and Dorgan; former Senator Paul Simon; Stuart M.
Gerson, former Assistant and Acting Attorney General, Department of Justice;
David R. Malpass, Bear, Stearns Company, Inc., New York, New York; Alan B.
Morrison, Public Citizen, Washington, D.C.; and Eugene Lehrmann, American
Association of Retired Persons, Madison, Wisconsin.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported
an original resolution requesting $4,113,888 for operating expenses for the
period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $4,223,533 for the
period from March 1, 1998 through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress, and
announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on Children and
Families: Senators Coats (Chairman), Gregg, Frist, Hutchinson, Collins,
D43McConnell, Jeffords, Dodd, Bingaman, Wellstone, Murray, Reed, and Kennedy.
[Page: D43]
Subcommittee on Aging: Senators Gregg (Chairman), Hutchinson, Warner,
Jeffords, Mikulski, Murray, and Kennedy. Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety: Senators Frist (Chairman), Jeffords, Coats, DeWine, Enzi, Collins,
Kennedy, Harkin, Mikulski, Bingaman, and Reed. Subcommittee on Employment and
Training: Senators DeWine (Chairman), Jeffords, Enzi, Warner, McConnell,
Wellstone, Kennedy, Dodd, and Harkin.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/23
Daily Digest - Thursday, January 23, 1997; pages D46 - D48
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education and Related Agencies concluded hearings to examine the role of
the Federal Government in assisting certain students improve their academic
standing, focusing on approaches to improving English language skills and the
use of ebonics, after receiving testimony from Representative Waters; Carolyn
M. Getridge, Oakland Unified School District, and Toni Cook and Michael
Lampkins, both of the Oakland Board of Education, all of Oakland, California;
Amos C. Brown, National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., San Francisco,
California; Orlando L. Taylor, Howard University Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences, and Michael Casserly, Council of the Great City Schools, both of
Washington, D.C.; Robert L. Williams, Washington University, St. Louis,
Missouri; William Labov, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and
Armstrong Williams, Los Angeles, California.
MEDICARE REFORM
Committee on the Budget: Committee held hearings on proposals to reform the
Medicare system and budget implications of Medicare policy, receiving
testimony from Jacob J. Lew, Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget;
Gail R. Wilensky, Project HOPE, Bethesda, Maryland, former Administrator,
Health Care Financing Administration; H. Edward Frech III, University of
California, Santa Barbara; and Karen Davis, Commonwealth Fund, New York, New
York.
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, January 28.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
resolution requesting $4,362,646 for operating expenses for the period from
March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $4,480,028 for operating expenses
for the period from March 1, 1998 through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/27
Daily Digest - Monday, January 27, 1997; pages D49 - D50
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/28
Daily Digest - Tuesday, January 28, 1997; pages D52 - D56
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
resolution requesting $4,953,132 for operating expenses for the period from
March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $5,082,521 for operating expenses
for the period from March 1, 1998 through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress, and
announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on Agriculture,
Rural Development, and Related Agencies: Senators Cochran (Chairman), Specter,
Bond, Gorton, McConnell, Burns, Bumpers, Harkin, Kohl, Byrd, and Leahy.
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary: Senators Gregg
(Chairman), Stevens, Domenici, McConnell, Hutchison, Campbell, Hollings,
Inouye, Bumpers, Lautenberg, and Mikulski. Subcommittee on Defense: Senators
Stevens (Chairman), Cochran, Specter, Domenici, Bond, McConnell, Shelby,
Gregg, Hutchison, Inouye, Hollings, Byrd, Leahy, Bumpers, Lautenberg, Harkin,
and Dorgan.
[Page: D53]
Subcommittee on District of Columbia: Senators Faircloth (Chairman),
Hutchison, and Boxer. Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development: Senators
Domenici (Chairman), Cochran, Gorton, McConnell, Bennett, Burns, Craig, Reid,
Byrd, Hollings, Murray, Kohl, and Dorgan. Subcommittee on Foreign Operations:
Senators McConnell (Chairman), Specter, Gregg, Shelby, Bennett, Campbell,
Stevens, Leahy, Inouye, Lautenberg, Harkin, Mikulski, and Murray. Subcommittee
on Interior: Senators Gorton (Chairman), Stevens, Cochran, Domenici, Burns,
Bennett, Gregg, Campbell, Byrd, Leahy, Bumpers, Hollings, Reid, Dorgan, and
Boxer. Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education:
Senators Specter (Chairman), Cochran, Gorton, Bond, Gregg, Faircloth, Craig,
Hutchison, Harkin, Hollings, Inouye, Bumpers, Reid, Kohl, and Murray.
Subcommittee on Legislative Branch: Senators Bennett (Chairman), Stevens,
Craig, Dorgan, and Boxer. Subcommittee on Military Construction: Senators
Burns (Chairman), Hutchison, Faircloth, Craig, Murray, Reid, and Inouye.
Subcommittee on Transportation: Senators Shelby (Chairman), Domenici, Specter,
Bond, Gorton, Bennett, Faircloth, Lautenberg, Byrd, Mikulski, Reid, Kohl, and
Murray. Subcommittee on Treasury, General Government, and Civil Service:
Senators Campbell (Chairman), Shelby, Faircloth, Kohl, and Mikulski.
Subcommittee on VA-HUD and Independent Agencies: Senators Bond (Chairman),
Burns, Stevens, Shelby, Campbell, Craig, Mikulski, Leahy, Lautenberg, Harkin,
and Boxer.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
The nomination of Andrew M. Cuomo, of New York, to be Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development; and
An original resolution (S. Res. 28) requesting $2,853,725 for operating
expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and
$2,928,278 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998 through
February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedures for the 105th Congress, and
announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on Securities:
Senators Gramm (Chairman), Shelby, Allard, Bennett, Faircloth, Dodd, Johnson,
Kerry, and Bryan. Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Regulatory
Relief: Senators Faircloth (Chairman), Allard, Enzi, Shelby, Mack, Grams,
Gramm, Bryan, Johnson, Boxer, Moseley-Braun, and Reed. Subcommittee on
International Finance: Senators Grams (Chairman), Hagel, Gramm, Bennett,
Moseley-Braun, Boxer, and Reed. Subcommittee on Housing Opportunity and
Community Development: Senators Mack (Chairman), Faircloth, Enzi, Shelby,
Allard, Hagel, Kerry, Reed, Dodd, Bryan, and Moseley-Braun. Subcommittee on
Financial Services and Technology: Senators Bennett (Chairman), Hagel, Mack,
Grams, Enzi, Boxer, Kerry, Dodd, and Johnson.
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Committee on the Budget: Committee held hearings on the Congressional Budget
Office assessment of the United States economy and budget for fiscal years
1998-2007, receiving testimony from June E. O'Neill, Director, Congressional
Budget Office.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably
reported an original resolution (S. Res. 26) requesting $2,431,871 for
operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28,
1998, and $2,494,014 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998
through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress, and
announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on
Transportation and Infrastructure: Senators Warner (Chairman), Robert Smith,
Kempthorne, Bond, Inhofe, Thomas, Baucus, Moynihan, Reid, Graham, and Boxer.
Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Control, and Risk Assessment: Senators Robert
Smith (Chairman), Warner, Inhofe, Allard, Sessions, Lautenberg, Moynihan,
Boxer, and Graham. Subcommittee on Drinking Water, Fisheries and Wildlife:
Senators Kempthorne (Chairman), Thomas, Bond, Warner, Hutchinson, Reid,
Lautenberg, Lieberman, and Wyden. Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private
Property, and Nuclear Safety: Senators Inhofe (Chairman), Hutchinson, Allard,
Sessions, Graham, Lieberman, and Boxer.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
resolution (S. Res. 27) requesting $3,329,727 for operating expenses for the
period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $3,416,328 for
operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998 through February 28,
1999.
[Page: D54]
Committee designated the following committee members to serve on the Joint
Committee on Taxation: Senators Roth, Chafee, Grassley, Moynihan, and Baucus;
and the following committee members to serve as congressional advisers on
trade policy and negotiations: Senators Roth, Chafee, Grassley, Moynihan, and
Baucus.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress, and
made the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on Health Care:
Senators Gramm (Chairman), Roth, Chafee, Grassley, Hatch, D'Amato, Nickles,
Jeffords, Rockefeller, Baucus, Conrad, Graham, Moseley-Braun, Bryan, and
Kerrey. Subcommittee on International Trade: Senators Grassley (Chairman),
Roth, Chafee, Hatch, D'Amato, Murkowski, Gramm, Lott, Mack, Moynihan, Baucus,
Rockefeller, Breaux, Conrad, Graham, Moseley-Braun, and Kerrey. Subcommittee
on Long-Term Growth, Debt and Deficit Reduction: Senators Mack (Chairman),
Murkowski, Lott, Graham, and Bryan. Subcommittee on Social Security and Family
Policy: Senators Chafee (Chairman), Nickles, Gramm, Jeffords, Breaux,
Moynihan, Rockefeller, and Moseley-Braun. Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS
Oversight: Senators Nickles (Chairman), Roth, Grassley, Hatch, D'Amato,
Murkowski, Lott, Jeffords, Mack, Baucus, Moynihan, Breaux, Conrad, Bryan, and
Kerrey.
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine the findings and
recommendations of the Advisory Commission to Study the Consumer Price Index,
receiving testimony from Michael J. Boskin, Stanford University, Stanford,
California, Ellen R. Dulberger, IBM Personal Computer Company, Somers, New
York, Robert J. Gordon, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and Zvi
Griliches and Dale Jorgenson, both of Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, all on behalf of the Advisory Commission to Study the Consumer
Price Index.
Hearings will continue on Thursday, January 30.
NOMINATION/ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee ordered favorably reported
the following business items:
The nomination of Alan M. Hantman, of New Jersey, to be Architect of the
Capitol;
An original resolution requesting $1,339,106 for operating expenses for the
period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $1,375,472 for
operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998 through February 28,
1999;
An original resolution (S. Res. 31) providing for members on the part of the
Senate of the Joint Committee on Printing (Senators Warner, Cochran,
McConnell, Ford, and Inouye), and the Joint Committee of Congress on the
Library (Senators Stevens, Warner, Cochran, Moynihan, and Feinstein); and
An original resolution (S. Res. 32) to authorize the printing of a collection
of the rules of the committees of the Senate.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress.
Prior to this action, committee concluded hearings on the nomination of Mr.
Hantman (listed above), after the nominee testified and answered questions in
his own behalf.
COMMITTEE BUDGET
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session and ordered
favorably reported an original resolution (S. Res. 30) requesting $2,506,182
for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28,
1998, and $2,574,036 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998
through February 28, 1999.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/29
Daily Digest - Wednesday, January 29, 1997; pages D57 - D59
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded hearings on proposals for
long-term reform of the Social Security system, after receiving testimony from
Edward M. Gramlich, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Thomas W. Jones,
TIAA-CREF, New Canaan, Connecticut; Carolyn L. Weaver, American Enterprise
Institute, Alexandria, Virginia; C. Eugene Steuerle, Urban Institute,
Washington, D.C.; and Theodore R. Marmor, Yale University, New Haven,
Connecticut.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the nomination of William M. Daley, of Illinois, to be
Secretary of Commerce, and a routine list in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Also, committee concluded hearings on the nomination of Rodney E. Slater, of
Arkansas, to be Secretary of Transportation, after the nominee, who was
introduced by Senators Warner, Bumpers, and Hutchinson and Representatives
Berry and Hutchinson, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported an original resolution (S. Res. 34) requesting $2,637,966 for
operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28,
1998, and $2,707,696 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998
through February 28, 1999.
[Page: D58]
Also, committee announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee
on Energy Research, Development, Production and Regulation: Senators Nickles
(Chairman), Domenici (Vice Chairman), Craig, Grams, Gorton, Campbell, Gordon
Smith, Ford, Bingaman, Graham, Wyden, Johnson, and Landrieu. Subcommittee on
Forests and Public Land Management: Senators Craig (Chairman), Burns (Vice
Chairman), Domenici, Thomas, Kyl, Gordon Smith, Dorgan, Graham, Wyden,
Johnson, and Landrieu. Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic Preservation,
and Recreation: Senators Thomas (Chairman), Campbell (Vice Chairman), Grams,
Nickles, Burns, Bingaman, Akaka, Graham, and Landrieu. Subcommittee on Water
and Power: Senators Kyl (Chairman), Gordon Smith (Vice Chairman), Gorton,
Campbell, Craig, Akaka, Ford, Dorgan, and Wyden.
NOMINATION
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported S.J. Res. 5,
waiving certain provisions of the Trade Act of 1974 relating to the
appointment of the United States Trade Representative.
Prior to this action, committee concluded hearings on the nomination of
Charlene Barshefsky, of the District of Columbia, to be United States Trade
Representative, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators
Moseley-Braun and Breaux and Representative Crane, testified and answered
questions in her own behalf.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination
of Bill Richardson, of New Mexico, to be the Representative of the United
States to the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador, and the
Representative of the United States in the Security Council of the United
Nations, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Domenici, Hatch,
and Bingaman and Representatives Gilman, Hamilton, and Menendez, testified and
answered questions in his own behalf.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee met and adopted its rules of
procedure for the 105th Congress.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
AUTHORIZATION--INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on S.
216, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 through 2002 for programs of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, after receiving testimony from
Judith E. Heumann, Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services; Madeleine Will, Chevy Chase, Maryland, former
Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services; Michael Remus, Kansas Board of Education, Topeka, on behalf of the
National Association of State Directors of Special Education; Elisabeth T.
Healey, Pittsburgh School Board, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Daniel Sullivan,
New Hampshire School Board, Nashua; Anne Bryant, National School Boards
Association, Alexandria, Virginia; David Wolk, Rutland City School District,
Rutland, Vermont, on behalf of the American Association of School
Administrators; Stanley S. Herr, University of Maryland, Baltimore; Michael
Brown, Hope High School, Hope, Arizona, on behalf of the National Association
of Secondary School Principals; Marcia Reback, Rhode Island Federation of
Teachers, Providence; Robert Chase, National Education Association,
Washington, D.C.; and Gerald Hime, Council for Exceptional Children, Reston,
Virginia.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Small Business: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
resolution requesting $1,084,471 for operating expenses for the period from
March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $1,112,732 for operating expenses
for the period from March 1, 1998 through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress.
GULF WAR ILLNESSES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee resumed hearings to examine the
status of Persian Gulf War veterans' illnesses, receiving testimony from Gen.
H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA (Ret.); and Bernard D. Rostker, Special Assistant
to the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Gulf War Illnesses.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again on Wednesday, February 5.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Special Committee on Aging: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
resolution requesting $1,133,674 for operating expenses for the period from
March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $1,162,865 for operating expenses
for the period from March 1, 1998 through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress.
[Page: D59]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/01/30
Daily Digest - Thursday, January 30, 1997; pages D61 - D66
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS/ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
An original resolution (S. Res. 38) requesting $2,704,397 for operating
expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and
$2,776,389 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998 through
February 28, 1999; and 591 military nominations in the Army, Navy, Marine
Corps, and Air Force.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress, and
announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on Acquisition
and Technology: Senators Santorum (Chairman), Bob Smith, Snowe, Roberts,
Lieberman, Kennedy, and Bingaman. Subcommittee on Airland Forces: Senators
Coats (Chairman), Warner, Kempthorne, Inhofe, Santorum, Roberts, Glenn,
Bingaman, Byrd, Lieberman, and Cleland. Subcommittee on Personnel: Senators
Kempthorne (Chairman), McCain, Coats, Snowe, Cleland, Kennedy, and Robb.
Subcommittee on Readiness: Senators Inhofe (Chairman), McCain, Coats, Roberts,
Robb, Glenn, and Cleland. Subcommittee on Seapower: Senators Warner
(Chairman), McCain, Bob Smith, Santorum, Snowe, Kennedy, Byrd, Robb, and
Lieberman. Subcommittee on Strategic Forces: Senators Bob Smith (Chairman),
Warner, Kempthorne, Inhofe, Bingaman, Glenn, and Byrd.
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded hearings to examine the findings
and recommendations of the Advisory Commission to Study the Consumer Price
Index with regard to a more accurate measure of the cost of living, after
receiving testimony from Katharine G. Abraham, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Department of Labor; and Michael J. Boskin, Stanford University,
Stanford, California.
NOMINATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on the
nomination of Federico PenAE6a, of Colorado, to be Secretary of Energy, after
the nominee, who was introduced by Senator Campbell and Representative Skaggs,
testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
NOMINATION/ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of
Charlene Barshefsky, of the District of Columbia, to be United States Trade
Representative, with the rank of Ambassador.
Also, committee held hearings to examine the fiscal health of the nation and
the welfare of the American population, focusing on the accuracy of the
consumer price index, receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman, Board
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATIONS/ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
The nominations of Dennis K. Hays, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the
Republic of Suriname, Genta Hawkins Holmes, of California, to be Ambassador to
Australia, Arma Jane Karaer, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Papua New
Guinea, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as
Ambassador to the Solomon Islands, and as Ambassador to the Republic of
Vanuatu, Madeleine May Kunin, of Vermont, to serve concurrently and without
additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein,
John Francis Maisto, of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador to the Republic of
Venezuela, Anne W. Patterson, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of
El Salvador, John Stern Wolf, of Maryland, for the rank of Ambassador during
his tenure of service as United States Coordinator for Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation, Madeleine K. Albright, of the District of Columbia, and Edward W.
Gnehm, Jr., of Georgia, both to be U.S. Representatives to the 51st Session of
the United Nations General Assembly, Karl F. Inderfurth, of North Carolina,
and Victor Marrero, of New York, both to be Alternate U.S. Representatives to
the 51st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, and 3 Foreign Service
Officer Promotion lists received in the Senate on January 21, 1997 and a
Foreign Service Officer Promotion list received in the Senate on January 28,
1997; and
An original resolution (S. Res. 37) requesting $2,710,573 for operating
expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and
$2,782,749 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998 through
February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress.
COMMITTEE BUDGET
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported an
original resolution (S. Res. 39) D63requesting $11,050,721 for operating
expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and
$4,653,386 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998 through
February 28, 1999.
[Page: D63]
BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT/SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported S.J. Res. 1,
proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require a
balanced budget.
Also, committee announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee
on Administrative Oversight and the Courts: Senators Grassley (Chairman),
Thurmond, Sessions, Kyl, Durbin, Feingold, and Kohl. Subcommittee on
Technology, Terrorism and Government Information: Senators Kyl (Chairman),
Hatch, Specter, Thompson, Feinstein, Biden, and Durbin. Subcommittee on
Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition: Senators DeWine (Chairman),
Hatch, Thurmond, Specter, Kohl, Torricelli, and Leahy. Subcommittee on
Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights: Senators Ashcroft (Chairman),
Hatch, Abraham, Thurmond, Thompson, Feingold, Kennedy, and Torricelli.
Subcommittee on Immigration: Senators Abraham (Chairman), Grassley, Kyl,
Specter, Kennedy, Feinstein, and Durbin. Subcommittee on Youth Violence:
Senators Sessions (Chairman), Thompson, DeWine, Ashcroft, Grassley, Biden,
Torricelli, Kohl, and Feinstein.
FEC AUTHORIZATION/CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee held hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Federal Election
Commission and on campaign finance reform proposals, receiving testimony from
John Warren McGarry, Chairman, and Joan D. Aikens and Scott Thomas, both
Commissioners, all of the Federal Election Commission; James Bopp, Jr., Bopp,
Coleson, and Bostrom, Terre Haute, Indiana; and Becky Cain, League of Women
Voters of the United States, Lisa Rosenberg, Center for Responsive Politics,
and Brent Thompson, Fair Government Foundation, all of Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
COMMITTEE BUDGET
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
resolution requesting $1,143,036 for operating expenses for the period from
March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and $1,143,036 for operating expenses
for the period from March 1, 1998 through February 28, 1999.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/03
Daily Digest - Monday, February 3, 1997; pages D68 - D70
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: On Friday, January 31, committee
concluded hearings on the nomination of Rodney E. Slater, of Arkansas, to be
Secretary of Transportation, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senator
Hutchinson, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/04
Daily Digest - Tuesday, February 4, 1997; pages D72 - D77
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DOD SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICIES
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings to examine the Army
sexual harassment incidents at Aberdeen Proving Ground and sexual harassment
policies within the Department of Defense, after receiving testimony from Togo
D. West, Jr., Secretary, Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Jared
L. Bates, Inspector General, and Brig. Gen. Daniel L. Doherty, Commanding
General, Criminal Investigation Command, each of the Department of the Army,
Edwin Dorn, Under Secretary (Personnel and Readiness), John H. Dalton,
Secretary of the Navy, and Sheila E. Widnall, Secretary of the Air Force, all
of the Department of Defense.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on the Budget: On Thursday, January 30, committee approved for
reporting an original resolution (S. Res. 44) requesting $3,105,190 for
operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28,
1998, and $3,188,897 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998
through February 28, 1999.
Also, committee adopted its rules of procedure for the 105th Congress.
AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST FUND TAXES
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine the current operation
of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, focusing on excise taxes and proposals
to modify the domestic passenger ticket tax or substitute an alternative
funding system, receiving testimony from Senator McCain; Donald C. Lubick,
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy; Louise Frankel Stoll,
Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial Officer,
Department of Transportation; John H. Anderson, Jr., Director, Transportation
Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, General
Accounting Office; Stephen A. Alterman, Air Freight Association, and Edward M.
Bolen, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, both of Washington, D.C.;
Geoffrey T. Crowley, Wisconsin Airlines Corporation, Appleton; Herbert D.
Kelleher, Southwest Airlines Company, Dallas, Texas; and Michael E. Levine,
Northwest Airlines, Incorporated, Eagan, Minnesota.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE OPTIONS
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Employment and
Training held hearings to examine proposals to reform the Fair Labor Standards
Act, focusing on recent changes in the American workforce and the need for
flexible work schedules, and on S. 4, to provide to private sector employees
the same opportunities for time-and-a-half compensatory time off, biweekly
work programs, and flexible credit hour programs as Federal employees
currently enjoy to help balance the demands and needs of work and family, to
clarify the provisions relating to exemptions of certain professionals from
the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938, receiving testimony from Senator Hutchison; Sandra J. Boyd, Flexible
Employment Compensation and Scheduling Coalition, Mark Wilson, The Heritage
Foundation, William J. Kilberg, Fair Labor Standards Act Reform Coalition,
Karen Nussbaum, AFL-CIO, and Edith Rasell, Economic Policy Institute, all of
Washington, D.C.; Michael R. Losey, Society for Human Resource Management,
Alexandria, Virginia; and Sallie Larsen and Christine Korzendorfer, both of
TRW Systems Integration Group, Fairfax, Virginia.
Hearings continue on Thursday, February 13.
[Page: D74]
COMMITTEE BUDGET REQUESTS
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee held hearings to receive
testimony from Senators, as indicated, in support of resolutions requesting
funds for operating expenses of their respective committees for periods from
March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and from March 1, 1998 through
February 28, 1999, as follows: Special Committee on Aging: (S. Res. 41),
Senators Grassley and Breaux; Committee on the Budget: (S. Res. 44), Senators
Domenici and Lautenberg; Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:
(S. Res. 29), Senators McCain and Hollings; Committee on Indian Affairs: (S.
Res. 46), Senators Campbell and Inouye; Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs: (S. Res. 28), Senators D'Amato and Sarbanes; and Committee on
Labor and Human Resources: (S. Res. 35), Senators Jeffords and Kennedy.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: On Monday, February 3, committee approved for
reporting an original resolution (S. Res. 45) requesting $2,776,450 for
operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1997 through February 28,
1998, and $1,153,263 for operating expenses for the period from March 1, 1998
through February 28, 1999.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/05
Daily Digest - Wednesday, February 5, 1997; pages D79 - D84
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BREAST CANCER SCREENING
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education and Related Agencies held hearings to examine the recommendation
of the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on
Breast Cancer Screening in Women Ages 40-49, receiving testimony from Richard
D. Klausner, Director, National Cancer Institute, and Susan J. Blumenthal,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health/Assistant Surgeon General, both of the
Department of Health and Human Services; David G. Hoel, Medical University
D80of South Carolina, Charleston; Marilyn Leitch, University of Texas
Southwestern Medical School, on behalf of the American Cancer Society, and
Susan Braun and Diana Rowden, both of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation, all of Dallas, Texas; Frances M. Visco, National Breast Cancer
Coalition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Barbara Monsees, Washington
University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
[Page: D80]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination of
Federico PenAE6a, of Colorado, to be Secretary of Energy, after the nominee
testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
NOMINATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
on the nomination of Janet L. Yellen, of California, to be a Member of the
Council of Economic Advisers, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senator
Boxer, testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
EDUCATION REFORM AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Committee on the Budget: Committee held hearings on the President's budget
request for education for fiscal year 1998 and to examine the Federal role in
educational reform, receiving testimony from Marshall S. Smith, Under
Secretary of Education; Eric A. Hanushek, University of Rochester, Rochester,
New York; and Caroline Minter Hoxby, Harvard University, Westborough,
Massachusetts.
Committee will meet again on Friday, February 7.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the nomination of Rodney E. Slater, of Arkansas, to be
Secretary of Transportation.
Also, committee announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee
on Aviation: Senators Gorton (Chairman), Stevens, Burns, Lott, Hutchison,
Ashcroft, Frist, Snowe, Brownback, Ford, Hollings, Inouye, Bryan, Rockefeller,
Breaux, Dorgan, and Wyden. Subcommittee on Communications: Senators Burns
(Chairman), Stevens, Gorton, Lott, Ashcroft, Hutchison, Abraham, Frist,
Brownback, Hollings, Inouye, Ford, Kerry, Breaux, Rockefeller, Dorgan, and
Wyden. Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce and Tourism:
Senators Ashcroft (Chairman), Gorton, Abraham, Burns, Brownback, Breaux, Ford,
and Bryan. Subcommittee on Manufacturing and Competitiveness: Senators Abraham
(Chairman), Snowe, Ashcroft, Frist, Brownback, Bryan, Hollings, Dorgan, and
Rockefeller. Subcommittee on Oceans and Fisheries: Senators Snowe (Chairman),
Stevens, Gorton, Hutchison, Kerry, Inouye, and Breaux. Subcommittee on
Science, Technology, and Space: Senators Frist (Chairman), Burns, Hutchison,
Stevens, Abraham, Rockefeller, Kerry, Bryan, and Dorgan. Subcommittee on
Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine: Senators Hutchison (Chairman),
Stevens, Burns, Snowe, Frist, Abraham, Ashcroft, Inouye, Breaux, Dorgan,
Bryan, and Wyden.
NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on S.
104, to reform United States policy with regard to the management and disposal
of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, after receiving
testimony from Thomas P. Grumbly, Under Secretary of Energy; Jared L. Cohon,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, on behalf of the Nuclear Waste
Technical Review Board; Emmit J. George, Jr., Iowa Utilities Board, Des
Moines, on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners; Susan F. Clark, Florida Public Service Commission, Tallahassee,
on behalf of the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition; Michael Mariotte, Nuclear
Information Resource Service, Washington, D.C.; and James T. Rhodes, Virginia
Power, Richmond.
CLEAN AIR--OZONE EXPOSURE
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air,
Wetlands, Private Property and Nuclear Safety held oversight hearings on
science issues with regard to the Environmental Protection Agency proposed
revisions to the ozone and particulate matter national ambient air quality
standards, receiving testimony from George T. Wolff, General Motors Company,
Detroit, Michigan, on behalf of EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee's Panels on Ozone and Particulate Matter; Morton Lippman, New York
University Medical Center, and George D. Thurston, New York University School
of Medicine, both of New York, New York; Daniel B. Menzel, University of
California, Irvine; Roger O. McClellan, Chemical Industry Institute of
Toxicology, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Anne E. Smith, Decision
Focus Incorporated, Mountain View, California; Joel Schwartz, Harvard
University Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Ronald E. Wyzga,
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California.
Hearings will continue on Wednesday, February 12.
[Page: D81]
AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST FUND TAX REINSTATEMENT ACT
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported an original bill
(S. 279) to reinstate the Airport and Airway Trust Fund excise taxes.
JUDGESHIP ALLOCATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the
Courts concluded hearings to examine the appropriate allocation of judgeships
in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, after receiving
testimony from J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Chief Judge, and Sam J. Ervin, III,
Circuit Judge, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit; Gerald Bard Tjoflat, Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals
for the Eleventh Circuit; and Julia Smith Gibbons, Chief Judge, United States
District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, on behalf of the
Committee on Judicial Resources of the Judicial Conference of the United
States.
COMMITTEE BUDGET REQUESTS
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee continued hearings to receive
testimony from Senators, as indicated, in support of resolutions requesting
funds for operating expenses of their respective committees for periods from
March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and from March 1, 1998 through
February 28, 1999, as follows: Committee on Appropriations: (S. Res. 33),
Senator Stevens; Committee on Small Business: (S. Res. 40), Senators Bond and
Kerry; Committee on the Judiciary: (S. Res. 43), Senators Hatch and Leahy;
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: (S. Res. 20), Senators
Lugar and Harkin; Committee on Armed Services: (S. Res. 38), Senators Warner
and Levin; and Committee on Veterans' Affairs: (S. Res. 45), Senators Specter
and Rockefeller.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held open and closed hearings to
examine current and projected national security threats to the United States,
receiving testimony from Toby T. Gati, Assistant Secretary of State for
Intelligence and Research; Lt. Gen. Patrick M. Hughes, USA, Director, Defense
Intelligence Agency; and George J. Tenet, Acting Director of Central
Intelligence.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/06
Daily Digest - Thursday, February 6, 1997; pages D86 - D90
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NATIONAL SECURITY
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded open and closed hearings to
examine current and projected national security threats to the United States,
after receiving testimony from George J. Tenet, Acting Director of Central
Intelligence; and Lt. Gen. Patrick M. Hughes, Director, Defense Intelligence
Agency.
U.S. TERRITORIES AND FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on S.
210, to make technical and other changes to the Organic Act of Guam, the
Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, and the Compact of Free Association
Act, and to return excess Federal land to the people of Guam, after receiving
testimony from Allen P. Stayman, Director, Office of Insular Affairs,
Department of the Interior; Governor Roy L. Schneider, and Delegate Donna M.
Christian-Green, both of the Virgin Islands; and Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez,
and Delegate Robert A. Underwood, both of Guam.
COMMITTEE BUDGET REQUESTS
Committee on Rules and Administration:: Committee concluded hearings to
receive testimony from Senators, as indicated, in support of resolutions
requesting funds for operating expenses of their respective committees for
periods from March 1, 1997 through February 28, 1998, and from March 1, 1998
through February 28, 1999, as follows: Committee on Environment and Public
Works: (S. Res. 26), Senators Chafee and Baucus; Committee on Governmental
Affairs: (S. Res. 39), Senators Thompson and Glenn; Select Committee on
Intelligence: (S. Res. 30), Senators Shelby and Kerrey; Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources: (S. Res. 34), Senators Murkowski and Bumpers; Committee
on Finance: (S. Res. 27), Senators Roth and Moynihan; and Committee on Foreign
Relations: (S. Res. 37), Senators Helms and Biden.
HOME-BASED BUSINESSES
Committee on Small Business: Committee held hearings to examine certain
home-based business issues, focusing on independent contractors, home-office
deductions, deductibility of health-care costs, and the experience of women
business owners in seeking investment capital and federal procurement
contracts, receiving testimony from Carolyn A. Stradley, C & S Paving, Inc.,
Marietta, Georgia; Susan Peterson, Susan Peterson Productions Inc.,
Washington, D.C., on behalf of the National Foundation for Women Business
Owners; Phyllis Hill Slater, Hill Slater, Inc., Great Neck, Long Island, New
York, on behalf D88of the National Association of Women Business Owners and
the Women Business Owners Corporation; Andrea C. Silbert, Center for Women and
Enterprise, Boston, Massachusetts; Bill D. Trembly, Trembly Associates, Inc.,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, on behalf of the Manufacturers' Agents National
Association and the Small Business Legislative Council on Independent
Contractor Classification Issues; Bonny Filandrinos, Staffing Solutions, Inc.,
Clayton, Missouri; Sal Risalvato, Riverdale Texaco and Precision Alignment
Center, Riverdale, New Jersey; and Carole Wiedorfer, Carole Wiedorfer CPA,
Baltimore, Maryland, on behalf of the National Association for the
Self-Employed.
[Page: D88]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/07
Daily Digest - Friday, February 7, 1997; pages D92 - D96
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
1998 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee held hearings to examine the President's
proposed budget for fiscal year 1998, receiving testimony from Franklin D.
Raines, Director, Office of Management and Budget.
Hearings continue on Monday, February 10.
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT-UNEMPLOYMENT
Joint Economic Committee: Committee held hearings to examine the
employment-unemployment situation for January and the consumer price index,
receiving testimony from Katharine G. Abraham, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Department of Labor.
Committee recessed subject to call.
1997/02/10
Daily Digest - Monday, February 10, 1997; pages D97 - D100
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
Joint Meetings
PRESIDENT'S ECONOMIC REPORT
Joint Economic Committee: Committee held hearings to examine the United States
economic situation, focusing on the 1997 Economic Report of the President,
receiving testimony from Joseph E. Stiglitz, Chairman, Council of Economic
Advisers.
Hearings will continue on Wednesday, February 26.
1997/02/11
Daily Digest - Tuesday, February 11, 1997; pages D101 - D108
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT REFORM
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee held hearings on
S. 257, to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to improve the Act by streamlining
U.S. futures trading law and conforming it to the changing competitive
environment, receiving testimony from Brooksley Born, Chairperson, Commodity
Futures Trading Commission; Roger L. Anderson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury for Federal Finance; Patrick H. Arbor, Chicago Board of Trade,
and Jack F. Sandner, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, both of Chicago, Illinois;
and Daniel Rappaport, New York Mercantile Exchange, and Walter Hines, Coffee,
Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange, both of New York, New York.
Hearings continue on Thursday, February 13.
BOSNIA
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on the situation in Bosnia and the status of United States military
forces participating in the Stabilization Force from John P. White, Deputy
Secretary of Defense; John Kornblum, Assistant Secretary of State for Canadian
and European Affairs; and Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, USA, Chairman, Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
Committee on Finance: Committee resumed hearings to examine the findings and
recommendations of the Advisory Commission to Study the Consumer Price Index,
receiving testimony from Katharine G. Abraham, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Department of Labor; Barry P. Bosworth, Brookings Institution, and
Linda Chavez-Thompson, AFL-CIO, both of Washington, D.C.; Esther Canja,
American Association of Retired Persons, Port Charlotte, Florida; Martin
Feldstein, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts;
Meredith Bagby, The Third Millennium, New York, New York; and James L. Martin,
60 Plus Association, Arlington, Virginia.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
NOMINATION/SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of Bill Richardson, of New Mexico, to be the Representative of the
United States to the United Nations with the rank and status of Ambassador,
and the Representative of the United States in the Security Council of the
United Nations.
Also, committee announced the following subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee
on African Affairs: Senators Ashcroft (Chair), Grams, Frist, Feingold, and
Sarbanes. Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs: Senators Thomas
(Chair), Frist, Lugar, Coverdell, Hagel, Kerry, Robb, Feingold, and Feinstein.
Subcommittee on European Affairs: Senators Gordon Smith (Chair), Lugar,
Ashcroft, Hagel, Thomas, Biden, Wellstone, Sarbanes, and Dodd. Subcommittee on
International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion: Senators Hagel
(Chair), Thomas, Frist, Coverdell, Sarbanes, Biden, and Wellstone.
Subcommittee on International Operations: Senators Grams (Chair), Helms,
Brownback, Gordon Smith, Feinstein, Dodd, and Kerry. Subcommittee on Near
Eastern and South Asian Affairs: Senators Brownback (Chair), Gordon Smith,
Grams, Helms, Ashcroft, Robb, Feinstein, Wellstone, and Sarbanes.
[Page: D103]
Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, Narcotics and Terrorism:
Senators Coverdell (Chair), Helms, Lugar, Brownback, Dodd, Kerry, and Robb.
HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded oversight hearings
on the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (Public Law 104-191), focusing on the Federal and State regulatory process
of implementing insurance reform provisions, after receiving testimony from
Bruce C. Vladeck, Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration,
Department of Health and Human Services; Olena Berg, Assistant Secretary of
Labor, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration; J. Mark Iwry, Benefits Tax
Counsel, Department of the Treasury; Joy Johnson Wilson, National Association
of Insurance Commissioners, Chris Petersen, Health Insurance Association of
America, Susan E. Nestor, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and Gail Shearer, Consumers
Union, all of Washington, D.C.; Josephine Musser, National Association of
Insurance Commissioners, Madison, Wisconsin; and Terry Humo, Sedgwick Noble
Lowndes, Roseland, New Jersey, on behalf of the Association of Private Pension
and Welfare Plans.
[Page: D104]
Joint Meetings
VFW PROGRAMS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to review the legislative
recommendations of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, after
receiving testimony from James Nier, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
States, Washington, D.C., who was accompanied by several of his associates.
1997/02/12
Daily Digest - Wednesday, February 12, 1997; pages D110 - D116
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee held hearings on proposed legislation
authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Defense and the
future years defense program, receiving testimony from William S. Cohen,
Secretary of Defense; John J. Hamre, Comptroller, Department of Defense; and
D111Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, USA, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
[Page: D111]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nomination of Janet L. Yellen, of California, to be a Member of
the Council of Economic Advisers.
INVESTMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Committee on the Budget: Committee held hearings to examine the role of
government investment in overall Federal budget policy, receiving testimony
from Robert B. Reich, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, former
Secretary of Labor; and Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Syracuse University, Syracuse,
New York, on behalf of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
CLEAN AIR STANDARDS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee held oversight hearings
to examine the national ambient air quality standards for ozone and
particulate matter recently proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency,
receiving testimony from Carol M. Browner, Administrator, Environmental
Protection Agency; and Sally Katzen, Administrator, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
ADMINISTRATION'S BUDGET
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings on the Administration's budget
and revenue proposals for fiscal year 1998, receiving testimony from Robert E.
Rubin, Secretary of the Treasury.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
MEDICARE
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Health Care held hearings to examine the
financial soundness of the Medicare program, receiving testimony from Bruce C.
Vladeck, Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration, Department of
Health and Human Services; Joseph R. Antos, Assistant Director for Health and
Human Resources, Linda Bilheimer, Deputy Assistant Director for Health, and
Sandra Christensen, Principal Analyst, all of the Congressional Budget Office;
and Gail R. Wilensky, Project Hope, former Administrator, Health Care
Financing Administration, and Marilyn Moon, Urban Institute, both of
Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine the future of
nuclear deterrence and U.S. policy toward non-proliferation efforts, after
receiving testimony from Walter B. Slocombe, Under Secretary of Defense for
Policy; Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster, USA (Ret.), Atlantic Council of the United
States; and Richard Perle, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.
TEAM ACT
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on S.
295, to promote cooperation and teamwork among worker-management relations in
the American labor force, after receiving testimony from William D. Budinger,
Rodel, Inc., Newark, Delaware; J. Thomas Bouchard, Armonk, New York, and
Robert Von Bruns, Melinda Weide, and Michael Scarano, all of Essex Junction,
Vermont, all on behalf of the International Business Machines Corporation;
Charles I. Cohen, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, former Member, National Labor
Relations Board, Jonathan P. Hiatt, AFL-CIO, and Robert Muehlenkamp,
International Brotherhood of Teamsters/AFL-CIO, all of Washington, D.C.;
Robert Sebris, Jr., Sebris Busto, Bellevue, Washington; Samuel Estreicher, New
York University, New York, New York; Michael H. LeRoy, Institute of Labor and
Industrial Relations/University of Illinois, Champaign; and Thomas C. Kohler,
Boston College Law School, Newton, Massachusetts.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee ordered favorably reported an
original resolution (S. Res. 54) authorizing biennial expenditures by
committees of the Senate, in lieu of S. Res. 20, S. Res. 26, S. Res. 27, S.
Res. 28, S. Res. 29, S. Res. 30, S. Res. 33, S. Res. 34, S. Res. 35, S. Res.
37, S. Res. 38, S. Res. 39, S. Res. 40, S. Res. 41, S. Res. 43, S. Res. 44, S.
Res. 45, and S. Res. 46.
NOMINATION
Committee on Small Business: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of Aida Alvarez, of New York, to be Administrator of the Small
Business Administration.
Prior to this action, the committee concluded hearings on the nomination of
Ms. Alvarez, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators D'Amato and
Abraham, testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
[Page: D112]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/13
Daily Digest - Thursday, February 13, 1997; pages D118 - D124
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT REFORM
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee resumed hearings
on S. 257, to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to improve the Act by
streamlining U.S. futures trading law and conforming it to the changing
competitive environment, receiving testimony from Jerry L. Osborne, ConAgra,
Omaha, Nebraska, on behalf of the National Grain Trade Council; Ron
Warfield, Illinois Farm Bureau, Bloomington, on behalf of the American Farm
Bureau Federation; Larry Quandt, Illinois Farmers Union, Mason, on behalf of
the National Farmers Union; Kendell W. Keith, National Grain and Feed
Association, Micah S. Green, Public Securities Association, on behalf of the
Bond Market Trade Association, and Ed Rosen, Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and
Hamilton, on behalf of a coalition of investment and commercial banks, all of
Washington, D.C.; Daniel J. Roth, National Futures Association, Laurence E.
Mollner, Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., on behalf of the Futures Industry
Association, and Alger B. Chapman, Chicago Board Options Exchange, on behalf
of certain securities self-regulatory organizations, all of Chicago, Illinois;
Robert G. Easton, Commodities Corporation Limited, Princeton, New Jersey, on
behalf of the Managed Futures Association; and Gay H. Evans, Bankers Trust
International, on behalf of the International Swaps and Derivatives
Association, Inc., and John J. Finigan Jr., Foreign Exchange Committee, both
of New York, New York.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BIENNIAL BUDGETING
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded hearings on S. 261, to provide
for a biennial budget process and a biennial appropriations process and to
enhance oversight and the performance of the Federal Government, after
receiving testimony from Senators Ford and Thomas; Louis Fisher, Senior
Specialist, Separation of Powers, Congressional Research Service; John P.
McTague, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan; and Ronald K. Snell, Denver,
Colorado, on behalf of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
AUTHORIZATION--INTERMODAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure held hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for
programs of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991,
receiving testimony from Mortimer L. Downey, Deputy Secretary of
Transportation; Andrew H. Card, Jr., American Automobile Manufacturers
Association, Washington, D.C.; Darrel Rensink, Iowa Department of
Transportation, Des Moines, on behalf of the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials; Damian J. Kulash, Eno Transportation
Foundation, Inc., Lansdowne, Virginia; and Alan E. Pisarki, Falls Church,
Virginia.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
ADMINISTRATION'S BUDGET
Committee on Finance: Committee continued hearings to examine the
Administration's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998, focusing on
spending proposals relating to Medicare, Medicaid and welfare, receiving
testimony from Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Committee recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination
of Pete Peterson, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Graham and McCain,
testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee met and agreed to authorize the
issuance of subpoenas on matters relating to the committee's investigation of
illegal or improper fund raising and spending practices during the 1996
Federal election campaigns.
[Page: D120]
CORPORATE SUBSIDY REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings on S. 207, to
review, reform, and terminate unnecessary and inequitable corporate spending
subsidies in the federal budget, receiving testimony from Senators McCain,
Kerry, and Feingold; and Thomas A. Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste,
Grover G. Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform, Courtney Cuff, Friends of the
Earth, and Dean Stansel, Cato Institute, all of Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE OPTIONS
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Employment and
Training concluded hearings on S. 4, to provide private sector employees the
same opportunities for time-and-a-half compensatory time off, biweekly work
programs, and flexible credit hour programs to help balance the demands and
needs of work and family, and to clarify the provisions relating to exemptions
of certain professionals from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, after receiving testimony from Senator
Ashcroft; Mayor Paul F. Jadin, Green Bay, Wisconsin, on behalf of the United
States Conference of Mayors, and Marilyn Richter, Corporation Counsel of the
City of New York, New York, both on behalf of the Public Sector FLSA
Coalition; James A. Willms, Unicover Corporation, Cheyenne, Wyoming; Donna R.
Lenhoff, Women's Legal Defense Fund, Susan M. Eckerly, National Federation of
Independent Business, and David M. Silberman, Bredhoff and Kaiser, all of
Washington, D.C.; Sandie Moneypenny and Kathleen Fairall, both of the Timken
Company, Randleman, North Carolina; William A. Stone, Louisville Plate Glass
Company, Louisville, Kentucky, on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and
Diana Thompson, Puyallup, Washington.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/24
Daily Digest - Monday, February 24, 1997; pages D125 - D130
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/25
Daily Digest - Tuesday, February 25, 1997; pages D131 - D138
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
FARM TAX POLICY
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee held hearings to
examine certain taxes affecting American farmers, focusing on estate and
capital gains taxes and their impact on United States agricultural producers,
receiving testimony from Senators Kyl and Hagel; Keith Collins, Chief
Economist, Department of Agriculture; William W. Beach, Heritage Foundation,
and Larry W. Mitchell, National Farmers Union, both of Washington, D.C.; Clark
Willingham, Dallas, Texas, on behalf of the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association and the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition; William Sprague,
Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation, Sturgis, on behalf of the American Farm
Bureau Federation; Ralph Grossi, Novato, California, on behalf of the American
Farmland Trust; and Cynthia Cruea, Pierre, South Dakota, on behalf of Women
Involved in Farm Economics.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
APPROPRIATIONS--TREASURY/INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA/HUD and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from Kathleen A.
McGinty, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality; John H. Hawke, Jr., Under
Secretary for Domestic Affairs, and Kirsten S. Moy, Director, Community
Development Financial Institutions Fund, both of the Department of the
Treasury; Norman E. D'Amours, Chairman, National Credit Union Administration;
and George Knight, Executive Director, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 4.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
Defense and the future years defense program, receiving testimony from Sheila
E. Widnall, Secretary, and Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, Chief of Staff, both of
the United States Air Force.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
HOMEOWNERS PROTECTION ACT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee held hearings on
S. 318, to amend the Truth in Lending Act to require automatic cancellation
and notice of cancellation rights with respect to private mortgage insurance
which is required by a creditor as a condition for entering into a residential
mortgage transaction, receiving testimony from Representative Hansen; Michele
Meier, Consumers Union, Washington, D.C.; R. Layne Morrill, Shepherd of the
Hills Realtors, Kimberling City, Missouri, on behalf of the National
Association of Realtors; Kenneth L. Nicholson, Overland Park, Kansas, on
behalf of the Appraisal Institute; Brian L. McDonnell, Navy Federal Credit
Union, Vienna, Virginia, on behalf of the National Association of Federal
Credit Unions and the Credit Union National Association; Ron McCord, American
Mortgage and Investment Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on behalf of the
Mortgage Bankers Association of America; Frank J. Sutkowski, Liberty Bank,
Middletown, Connecticut, on behalf of the America's Community Bankers; and
William H. Lacy, Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, on behalf of the Mortgage Insurance Companies of America.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
INTERIOR AND FOREST SERVICE BUDGET
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
the Interior and the Forest Service, after receiving testimony from Bruce
Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior; James R. Lyons, Under Secretary for
Natural Resources and Environment, and Michael Dombeck, Chief, Forest Service,
both of the Department of Agriculture; and David Sunding, Senior Economist,
Council of Economic Advisers.
FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public
Land Management held hearings on proposed legislation to provide the
D133Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management with the authority and
ability to manage their lands in accordance with the principles of multiple
use and sustained yield, receiving testimony from Barry T. Hill, Associate
Director, Energy, Resources, and Science Issues, Resources, Community, and
Economic Development Division, General Accounting Office; and K. Norman
Johnson, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
[Page: D133]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on the
nomination of David J. Barram, of California, to be Administrator of the
General Services Administration, after the nominee, who was introduced by
Senator Boxer, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
[Page: D134]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/02/26
Daily Digest - Wednesday, February 26, 1997; pages D139 - D146
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
FARM TAX POLICY
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings to examine certain taxes affecting American farmers, focusing on
estate and capital gains taxes and their impact on United States agricultural
producers, after receiving testimony from Jack Kemp, Empower America, and
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, American Enterprise Institute, both of Washington,
D.C.; Neil E. Harl, Iowa State University, Ames; Bob Ruggles, National Pork
Producers Council, McCook, Nebraska; William W. Barton, Indiana Forestry and
Woodland Owners Association, Poland, on behalf of the American Tree Farm
System, American Forest and Paper Association, and the Forest Industries
Council on Taxation; Otis H. Molz, Farmland Industries, Inc., Kansas City,
Missouri, on behalf of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; John Dean,
Glenwood State Bank, Glenwood, Iowa, on behalf of the Independent Bankers
Association of America; Tom Bayliss, Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc., Hills, Iowa, on
behalf of the Agricultural Retailers Association; and Paula A. Calimafde,
Small Business Council of America, Bethesda, Maryland.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee continued hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
Defense and the future years defense program, receiving testimony from John H.
Dalton, Secretary of the Navy; Adm. Jay L. Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations;
and Gen. Charles C. Krulak, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Hearings continue on Tuesday, March 4.
MONETARY POLICY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
to examine the Federal Reserve's semiannual report on monetary policy, after
receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman, Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System.
PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP: APPEALS AND LITIGATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public
Land Management met to receive testimony on the impact of the proposed Public
Land Management Responsibility and Accountability Restoration Act on the
administrative and judicial appeals of land management decisions of the Forest
Service and the Bureau of Land Management from Pamela Baldwin, Legislative
Attorney American Law Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of
Congress; Lawrence W. Hill, Society of American Foresters, Washington, D.C.;
Kevin Kirschner, Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, and Bill Meyers, National
Cattlemen's Association, both of Washington, D.C.; Wade Schaefer, Sierra Club,
Bismarck, North Dakota; Tim Coleman, Kettle Range Conservation Group,
Republic, Washington; Mark Rentz, California Forestry Association, Sacramento;
Dan Dessecker, Ruffed Grouse Society, Rice Lake, Wisconsin; and Clark Collins,
Blue Ribbon Coalition, Pocatello, Idaho.
Hearings continue on Wednesday, March 5.
AUTHORIZATION--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure resumed hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for
programs of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, receiving
testimony from Rodney E. Slater, Secretary of Transportation; and D141William
D. Fay, American Highway Users Alliance, and Hank Dittmar, Surface
Transportation Policy Project, both of Washington, D.C.
[Page: D141]
Hearings continue on Thursday, March 6.
1998 AID BUDGET
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic Policy,
Export and Trade Promotion concluded hearings on the President's proposed
budget request for fiscal year 1998 for development and humanitarian
assistance programs of the Agency for International Development (AID), after
receiving testimony from J. Brian Atwood, Administrator, Agency for
International Development.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee began consideration of S.
295, to promote cooperation and teamwork among worker-management relations in
the American labor force, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet
again on Friday, February 28.
1998 SBA BUDGET
Committee on Small Business: Committee held hearings to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998 for the Small
Business Administration, receiving testimony from Aida Alvarez, Administrator,
Small Business Administration.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
1998 VA BUDGET
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
Veterans Affairs, after receiving testimony from Jesse Brown, Secretary of
Veterans Affairs; Kenneth W. Kizer, Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for
Health; John R. Vitikacs, American Legion, Robert E. Wallace, Veterans of
Foreign Wars of the United States, David W. Gorman, Disabled American
Veterans, and John C. Bollinger, Paralyzed Veterans of America, all of
Washington, D.C.; and Michael E. Naylon, AMVETS, Lanham, Maryland.
1998 INDIAN AFFAIRS AND HEALTH BUDGET
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998 for the Bureau of
Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service, after receiving testimony from
Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Michael
H. Trujillo, Assistant Surgeon General/Director, Indian Health Service,
Department of Health and Human Services; and W. Ron Allen, National Congress
of American Indians, Washington, D.C.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again on Wednesday, March 5.
Joint Meetings
1998 BUDGET/ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998 and the
Administration's view on the health and direction of the economy, after
receiving testimony from Franklin D. Raines, Director, Office of Management
and Budget.
1997/02/27
Daily Digest - Thursday, February 27, 1997; pages D148 - D154
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998 for the Department of Agriculture, receiving testimony from Dan
Glickman, Secretary, Richard Rominger, Deputy Secretary, Keith Collins, Chief
Economist, and Stephen B. Dewhurst, Director, Office of Budget and Program
Analysis, all of the Department of Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 4.
APPROPRIATIONS--AID
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations held hearings
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Agency for
International Development and to review bilateral economic assistance
programs, receiving testimony from J. Brian Atwood, Administrator, Agency for
International Development.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
PERSIAN GULF ILLNESS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
Department of Defense response to reports that service members may have been
exposed to chemical agents while serving in the Persian Gulf and to research
efforts into the causes and treatment of Persian Gulf related illnesses, after
receiving testimony from John P. White, Deputy Secretary of Defense; Lt. Gen.
Carlton W. Fulford, Jr., USMC, Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary
Force (Camp Pendleton, California); Brig. Gen. Daniel R. Zanini, USA, Chief of
Army Staff; Stephen C. Joseph, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health
Affairs; Elaine L. Larson and Adm. Donald Custis, USN (Ret.), both on behalf
of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses; and
Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA (Ret.).
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department
of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on ballistic missile
defense programs, receiving testimony from Lt. Gen. Lester L. Lyles, USAF,
Director, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, Department of Defense.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
TV RATINGS SYSTEM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings to
examine the impact and adequacy of the current television ratings system,
receiving testimony from Senators Boxer, Coats, Conrad, Leahy, and Lieberman;
Representatives Bono, Burton, Foley, Gallegly, Joseph Kennedy, and Markey;
Joan Dykstra, National PTA, Eddie Fritts, National Association of
Broadcasters, Jack Valenti, Motion Picture Association of America, Robert T.M.
Phillips, American Psychiatric Association, and Andrea Sheldon, Traditional
Values Coalition, all of Washington, D.C.; Lois Salisbury, Children Now,
Oakland, California; Matt Blank, Showtime Network, New York, New York; Joanne
Cantor, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Kevin Saunders, University of
Oklahoma, Norman; and Brian Wilcox, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, on behalf
of the American Psychological Association.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine the views of certain
Congressional advisory commissions on the Administration's proposed budget
request for fiscal year 1998 for Medicare, receiving D150testimony from Joseph
P. Newhouse, Chairman, Prospective Payment Assessment Commission; and Gail R.
Wilensky, Chair, Physician Payment Review Commission.
[Page: D150]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Health Care resumed hearings to examine
the financial soundness of the Medicare program and its future status,
receiving testimony from Thomas R. Saving and Andrew J. Rettenmaier, both of
the Private Enterprise Research Center/Texas A&M University, College Station;
Stuart H. Altman, Brandeis University Graduate School for Social Policy,
Waltham, Massachusetts; and Len M. Nichols, Urban Institute, Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
1998 STATE DEPARTMENT BUDGET
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Operations
concluded hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for
fiscal year 1998 for the Department of State's administration of foreign
affairs, after receiving testimony from Patrick F. Kennedy, Acting Under
Secretary of State for Management.
AUTHORIZATION--HIGHER EDUCATION ACT
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee held hearings to examine the
Administration's postsecondary education policy and proposed legislation
authorizing funds for programs of the Higher Education Act, receiving
testimony from Richard W. Riley, Secretary of Education.
Hearings will continue on Friday, March 14.
HUBZONE ACT
Committee on Small Business: Committee held hearings on S. 208, to provide
Federal contracting opportunities for small business concerns located in
historically underutilized business zones, receiving testimony from Barry N.
Corona, Production Products Manufacturing and Sales, Inc., St. Louis,
Missouri; J. Glynn Loope, Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Authority,
Covington, Virginia; Ursula Powidzki, Baltimore Advisors, Inc., Baltimore,
Maryland, on behalf of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City; and Fabio
Sampoli, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, New Haven, Connecticut.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings held.
1997/02/28
Daily Digest - Friday, February 28, 1997; pages D156 - D162
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee resumed markup of S. 295, to
promote cooperation and teamwork among worker-management relations in the
American labor force, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet again
on Wednesday, March 5.
[Page: D157]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/03/03
Daily Digest - Monday, March 3, 1997; pages D164 - D168
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/03/04
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 4, 1997; pages D169 - D178
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for programs of the
National School Lunch Act, after receiving testimony from Janet Bantly,
Enfield, Connecticut, and Tami J. Cline, Alexandria, Virginia, both of the
American School Food Service Association; Mary Kate Harrison, Hillsborough
County Schools, Tampa, Florida; Dennis Bier, Baylor College of Medicine,
Houston, Texas, on behalf of the Children's Nutrition Research Center; Michael
Berry, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California; and Judith L. Dodd, University
of Pittsburgh, Allison Park, Pennsylvania.
[Page: D170]
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998 for the Department of Agriculture, receiving testimony in behalf of
funds for their respective activities from Thomas J. Billy, Administrator,
Food Safety and Inspection Service, Michael Dunn, Assistant Secretary for
Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Terry L. Medley, Administrator, Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service, Lon S. Hatamiya, Administrator, Agricultural
Marketing Service, James R. Baker, Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers
and Stockyards Administration, and Dennis Kaplan, Deputy Director for Budget,
Legislative and Regulatory Systems, Office of Budget and Program Analysis, all
of the Department of Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 11.
APPROPRIATIONS--HHS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998
for the Department of Health and Human Services, receiving testimony from
Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Human Services.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, March 20.
APPROPRIATIONS--INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from Harris
Wofford, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community
Service; Frank Nebeker, Chief Judge, Court of Veterans Appeals; Gen. John P.
Herrling, Secretary, American Battle Monument Commission; Steven Dola, Deputy
Assistant Secretary (Management and Budget), DOD-Civil, Cemeterial Expenses,
Department of the Army; and Gil Coronado, Director, Selective Service System.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 11.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported 1,634
military nominations in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
Defense and the future years defense plan, focusing on Department of the Army
programs, receiving testimony from Togo D. West, Jr., Secretary of the Army;
and Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, USA, Chief of Staff of the Army.
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, March 11.
FINANCIAL DERIVATIVES ACCOUNTING RULES
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Securities
concluded oversight hearings to examine Securities and Exchange Commission and
Financial Accounting Standards Board proposals affecting the accounting
treatment and supplemental disclosures of financial derivatives, after
receiving testimony from Steven M.H. Wallman, Commissioner, Securities and
Exchange Commission; Kenneth Lehn, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, former Chief Economist, SEC; Thomas D. Logan, Basic American,
Inc., Walnut Creek, California, and Patrick M. Montgomery, ULLICO, Washington,
D.C., both on behalf of the Treasury Management Association; William P. Miller
II, Common Fund, Inc., Westport, Connecticut, on behalf of the Association for
Investment Management and Research; and Joseph P. Bauman, Bank of America, San
Francisco, California, on behalf of the International Swaps and Derivatives
Association, Inc.
PRODUCT LIABILITY REFORM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings on
S. 5, to establish legal standards and procedures for product liability
litigation, receiving testimony from Representatives Campbell and Gekas;
Richard Vuernick, Citizen Action, Victor Schwartz, Crowell and Moring, both of
Washington, D.C.; Lucinda Finley, University of Buffalo School of Law,
Buffalo, New York; Julie Nimens, Schutt Sports, Inc., Litchfield, Illinois;
Steven J. Sharp, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Tom Deushle, Liberty, Missouri; and
Steve Gunther, McLean, Virginia.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D171]
SUPERFUND REFORM
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste
Control, and Risk Assessment held oversight hearings to examine liability and
resource issues associated with the cleanup and redevelopment of abandoned or
underutilized industrial and commercial properties, focusing on the current
state of the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative and proposals to
reform the Superfund program, receiving testimony from Timothy Fields, Jr.,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response,
Environmental Protection Agency; Peter F. Guerrero, Director, Environmental
Protection Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division,
General Accounting Office; James M. Seif, Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection, Harrisburg; Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, Elizabeth,
New Jersey, on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Mayors; Lorrie Louder, St.
Paul Port Authority, St. Paul, Minnesota, on behalf of the National
Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals; William J. Riley,
Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the
American Iron and Steel Institute; J. Peter Scherer, Taubman Company,
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on behalf of the National Realty Committee; and
William K. Wray, Citizens Financial Group, Providence, Rhode Island.
Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.
MEDICARE/MEDICAID/WELFARE BUDGET
Committee on Finance: Committee resumed hearings on the President's proposed
budget request for fiscal year 1998, focusing on spending proposals relating
to Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare, receiving testimony form Paul N. Van de
Water, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis, Congressional Budget Office;
and Jonathan Ratner, Associate Director, Health Financing and Systems Issues,
Health, Education, and Human Services Division, General Accounting Office.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. Res. 19, expressing the sense of the Senate regarding United States
opposition to the prison sentence of Tibetan ethnomusicologist Ngawang
Choephel by the Government of the People's Republic of China; and
The nominations of Pete Peterson, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Princeton Nathan Lyman, of Maryland, to be
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, and a
Foreign Service Officers' promotion list received by the Senate on January 21,
1997.
[Page: D172]
No Joint hearings held.
1997/03/05
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 5, 1997; pages D180 - D190
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE STRUCTURE
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings to review strategic planning and management of information technology
at the Department of Agriculture, after receiving testimony from Richard
Rominger, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; Sally Katzen, Administrator, Office
of D181Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget;
and John W. Harman, Assistant Comptroller General and Chief Information
Officer, and Joel C. Willemssen, Director, Accounting and Information
Management Division, both of the General Accounting Office.
[Page: D181]
GLOBAL ASSESSMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held closed hearings to
examine global assessment issues, receiving testimony from Gen. John M.
Shalikashvili, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, March 12.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland Forces held hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department
of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on tactical aviation
modernization issues, receiving testimony from Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, USAF,
Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Richard A. Davis, Director, National
Security Analysis, General Accounting Office; and Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr.,
Director, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Washington, D.C.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel held hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department
of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on recruiting and
retention policies within the Department of Defense and the Military Services,
receiving testimony from Mark Gebicke, Director, Elliot Smith, Assistant
Director, and Beverly Schladt, Senior Evaluator, all of Military Operations
and Capabilities Issues, General Accounting Office; Staff Sgt. Denise
Slaughter, USAF; Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator 2 Richard Winland,
USN; Staff Sgt. Stephen Simmons, USA; Gunnery Sgt. James Ruffin, USMC;
Frederick F.Y. Pang, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management
Policy; Lt. Gen. Frederick E. Vollrath, USA, Deputy Chief of Army Staff for
Personnel; Vice Adm. Daniel T. Oliver, USN, Chief of Naval Personnel; Lt. Gen.
Carol A. Mutter, USMC, Deputy Chief of Marine Corps Staff for Manpower and
Reserve Affairs; Lt. Gen. Michael D. McGinty, USAF, Deputy Chief of Air Force
Staff for Personnel; Maj. Gen. Alfonso E. Lenhardt, USA, Commanding General,
U.S. Army Recruiting Command; Rear Adm. Barbara E. McGann, USN, Commander,
Navy Recruiting Command; Maj. Gen. Jack W. Klimp, USMC, Commanding General,
Marine Corps Recruiting Command; and Brig. Gen. Walter E. Buchanan, III, USAF,
Commander of Air Force Recruiting Service.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, March 12.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces resumed hearings
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on
defense programs to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
receiving testimony from Franklin C. Miller, Acting Assistant Secretary of
Defense for International Security Policy.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
1998 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
Congressional Budget Office analysis of the President's budget for fiscal year
1998, after receiving testimony from June E. O'Neill, Director, James L. Blum,
Deputy Director, and Paul Von de Water, Assistant Director, Budget Analysis
Division, all of the Congressional Budget Office.
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, March 11.
AVIATION SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Aviation
held hearings to examine aviation safety issues, focusing on the
recommendations of the Gore Commission on Aviation Security, receiving
testimony from Nancy McFadden, General Counsel, and Barry Valentine, Acting
Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, both of the Department of
Transportation; Gerald Dillingham, Associate Director, Transportation Issues,
General Accounting Office; Anthony J. Broderick, Catlett, Virginia, former
Federal Aviation Administration Associate Administrator for Regulation and
Certification; Brian Michael Jenkins, Kroll Associates, Los Angeles,
California, and Lt. Gen. James A. Abrahamson, International Air Safety,
Washington, D.C., both on behalf of the White House Commission on Aviation
Safety and Security; and John Meenan, Air Transport Association of America,
Robert W. Hahn, American Enterprise Institute, and Edward Wytkind, AFL-CIO,
all of Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public
Land Management met to further receive testimony on the impact of D182the
proposed Public Land Management Responsibility and Accountability Restoration
Act on the administrative and judicial appeals of land management decisions of
the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management from Ross Gorte,
Specialist in Natural Resource Policy, Congressional Research Service, Library
of Congress; Felice Pace, Klamath Forest Alliance, Etna, California; Mike
Francis, Wilderness Society, John Doggett, American Farm Bureau Federation, R.
Denny Scott, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and George Leonard,
all of Washington, D.C.; Andy Stahl, Association of Forest Service Employees
for Environmental Ethics, Eugene, Oregon; Frank Gladics, Western Forest
Industries Association, Portland, Oregon; and Sam Anderson, National Ski Area
Association, Denver, Colorado.
[Page: D182]
Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.
SUPERFUND REFORM
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste
Control, and Risk Assessment concluded hearings on S. 8, to authorize funds
for and reform the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Liability, and
Compensation Act (Superfund), after receiving testimony from Carol M. Browner,
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Terry D. Garcia, Acting
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere/National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration; New Mexico Assistant Attorney General Charlie De
Saillan, Environmental Enforcement Division, Santa Fe; Richard Gimello, New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Trenton, on behalf of the
National Governors' Association; Linda H. Biagioni, Black and Decker
Corporation, Towson, Maryland; Karen Florini, Environmental Defense Fund,
Washington, D.C.; Barbara Williams, Sunny Ray Restaurant, Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania, on behalf of the National Federation of Independent Business;
Karen O'Regan, Phoenix Environmental Programs, Phoenix, Arizona; Larry L.
Lockner, Shell Oil Company, Houston, Texas, on behalf of the American
Petroleum Institute; Robert Spiegel, Edison Wetlands Association, Edison, New
Jersey; and Rich A. Heig, Kennecott Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah.
MEDICARE
Committee on Finance: Committee resumed hearings on the President's proposed
budget request for fiscal year 1998 for the Medicare program, receiving
testimony from Jane Baumgarten, North Bend, Oregon, on behalf of the American
Association of Retired Persons; Todd C. Linden, Grinnell Regional Medical
Center, Grinnell, Iowa, on behalf of the American Hospital Association; Alan
R. Nelson, American Society of Internal Medicine, Washington, D.C.; Seymour I.
Schwartz, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, on
behalf of the American College of Surgeons; and Tim Size, Rural Wisconsin
Health Cooperative, Sauk City, on behalf of the National Rural Health
Association.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
HIGH-RISK MANAGEMENT REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings on proposals to
develop and implement management reforms to provide Federal agencies with
strategies and techniques to increase effectiveness, reduce costs, and
minimize risks associated with program and administrative management,
receiving testimony from John A. Koskinen, Deputy Director for Management,
Office of Management and Budget; Gene L. Dodaro, Assistant Comptroller
General, Accounting and Information Management Division, General Accounting
Office; and Dwight P. Robinson, Deputy Secretary, and Susan Gaffney, Inspector
General, both of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported
S. 295, to promote cooperation and teamwork among worker-management relations
in the American labor force.
BUDGET/OPERATIONS
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee held oversight hearings to
review the budget and operations of the National Gallery of Art and certain
legislative offices, receiving testimony in behalf of their respective
activities from Earl A. Powell III, Director, National Gallery of Art; Gary L.
Sisco, Secretary of the Senate; Gregory S. Casey, Senate Sergeant at Arms; and
Alan M. Hantman, Architect of the Capitol.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D183]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/03/06
Daily Digest - Thursday, March 6, 1997; pages D191 - D204
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for
the Department of State, receiving testimony from Madeleine K. Albright,
Secretary of State.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 11.
[Page: D192]
NOMINATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination of
Keith R. Hall, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for
Space, after the nominee testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
on the nominations of Yolanda Townsend Wheat, of Missouri, to be a Member of
the National Credit Union Administration Board, Charles A. Gueli, of Maryland,
to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Building
Sciences, and Jeffrey A. Frankel, of California, to be a Member of the Council
of Economic Advisers, after the nominees testified and answered questions in
their own behalf. Ms. Wheat was introduced by Senator Bond, and Mr. Frankel
was introduced by Senator Boxer.
PRODUCT LIABILITY REFORM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Consumer
Affairs, Foreign Commerce, and Tourism concluded hearings on proposals to
reform product liability, focusing on the effectiveness of the General
Aviation Revitalization Act of 1974, after receiving testimony from John
Moore, Cessna Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas; Bradley Mottier, Unison
Industries, Jacksonville, Florida; Paul Newman, New Piper Aircraft, Inc., Vero
Beach, Florida; Scott Tarry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Robert
Creamer, Citizen Action of Illinois, Chicago; John Petersen, Montgomery County
Action Council, Coffeyville, Kansas; and John Yodice, Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association, and Edward Bolin, General Aviation Manufacturers
Association, both of Washington, D.C.
NOAA 1998 BUDGET
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Oceans and
Fisheries and the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space concluded
joint hearings on the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998
for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, after receiving
testimony from D. James Baker, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere,
Elbert W. Friday, Jr., Assistant Administrator for Weather Services, Robert S.
Winokur, Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services, and
Andrew H. Moxam, Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Chief Administrative
Officer, all of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Department of Commerce.
NOMINATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nomination of Federico PenAE6a, of Colorado, to be Secretary of
Energy.
ELECTRIC UTILITIES DEREGULATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee held oversight hearings
to discuss proposals to advance the goals of deregulation and competition in
the electric power industry, receiving testimony from Jeffrey K. Skilling,
Enron Corp., Houston, Texas; Allen Franklin, Georgia Power Company, Atlanta,
on behalf of the Edison Electric Institute; Frederick W. Buckman, PacifiCorp,
Portland, Oregon; Pradeep Mehra, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan; James
Kallenberger, Payless ShoeSource, Inc., Topeka, Kansas, on behalf of the
International Mass Retail Association; P. Chrisman Iribe, U.S. Generating
Company, Bethesda, Maryland, on behalf of the Electric Power Supply
Association; Steve Frank, Southern California Edison Company, Rosemead; Daniel
A. Lashof, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C.; Sunny
Popowsky, Pennsylvania State Office of Consumer Advocate, Harrisburg; Larry
Hall, KN Energy, Inc., Lakewood, Colorado, on behalf of the Natural Gas Power
Group and the Interstate Natural Gas Association; and Arthur W. Adelberg,
Central Maine Power Company, Augusta, on behalf of the PURPA Reform Group.
Committee will meet again on Thursday, March 13.
PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public
Land Management held oversight hearings to discuss the impact of the proposed
Public Land Management Responsibility and Accountability Restoration Act on
the administrative and judicial appeals of land management decisions of the
Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, receiving testimony from
Sally K. Fairfax, University of California, Berkeley, Randall O'Toole, Thoreau
Institute, Eugene, Oregon; Johanna Wald, Natural Resources Defense Council,
San Francisco, California; Steve Blomeke, National Wildlife Federation,
Bismarck, North Dakota; Charles Graham, Selkirk-Priest Basin Association,
Moscow, Idaho; Jamie Dalton, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Salt Lake
City; Paul Kruse, Wyoming Office of Federal Land Policy, Cheyenne; Paul Frey,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Sue Kupillas, Medford, Oregon.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D193]
AUTHORIZATION--TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure resumed hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for
programs of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and
innovative transportation financing, technology, construction and design
practices, receiving testimony from Representative DeLauro; Mortimer L.
Downey, Deputy Secretary, Jane Garvey, Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway
Administration, and Christine Johnson, Director of the Joint Program Office,
Intelligent Transportation Systems, all of the Department of Transportation;
Phyllis F. Scheinberg, Associate Director, Transportation Issues, Resources,
Community, and Economic Development Division, Joseph Christoff, Assistant
Director, and Yvonne Pufahl, Senior Evaluator, all of the General Accounting
Office; Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Executive Director, Transportation Research
Board, National Academy of Sciences; Gerald S. Pfeffer, United Infrastructure
Company, Chicago, Illinois; Daniel V. Flanagan, Jr., Flanagan Consulting
Group, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, on behalf of the Commission to Promote
Investment in America's Infrastructure; and James Costantino, Intelligent
Transportation Society of America, Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
IRA'S
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings on proposals to expand
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's), including S. 197, proposed Savings and
Investment Incentive Act, receiving testimony from Lawrence H. Summers, Deputy
Secretary of the Treasury; William G. Gale, Brookings Institution, Dallas L.
Salisbury, Employee Benefit Research Institute, and John S. Tottie, Citizens
for a Sound Economy, all of Washington, D.C.; R. Glenn Hubbard, Columbia
University, New York, New York, and Steven F. Venti, Dartmouth College,
Hanover, New Hampshire, both on behalf of the National Bureau of Economic
Research; and Robert C. Pozen, Fidelity Investments, Boston, Massachusetts.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Health Care resumed hearings to examine
the financial soundness of the Medicare program and its long-term status,
receiving testimony from Stuart M. Butler, Heritage Foundation, Robert B.
Helms, American Enterprise Institute, and Michael B. Tanner, Cato Institute,
all of Washington, D.C.; Karen Davis, Commonwealth Fund, New York, New York;
and Lynn Etheredge, Health Insurance Reform Project/George Washington
University, Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination
of Karen Shepherd, of Utah, to be United States Director of the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development, after the nominee, who was introduced by
Senator Hatch, testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
USIA 1998 BUDGET
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Operations
concluded hearings on the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year
1998 for the United States Information Agency and international broadcasting,
after receiving testimony from Joseph D. Duffey, Director, and Kevin Klose,
President, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, both of the U.S. Information
Agency.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TAX REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia concluded hearings to
examine Federal tax policy issues for the District of Columbia, after
receiving testimony from District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton;
District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry; and Jack Kemp, Empower America,
Daniel J. Mitchell, Heritage Foundation, and William A. Niskanen, Cato
Institute, all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. Res. 56, designating March 25, 1997 as "Greek Independence Day: A National
Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy'';
S. Res. 60, to commend students who have participated in the William Randolph
Hearst Foundation Senate Youth Program between 1962 and 1997; and
The nominations of Merrick B. Garland, of Maryland, to be United States
Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, Colleen Kollar Kotelly, of
the District of Columbia, to be United States District Judge for the District
of Columbia, Rose Ochi, of California, to be Director, Community Relations
Service, and Lyle Weir Swenson, of South Dakota, to be United States Marshal
for the District of South Dakota.
HEALTH CARE QUALITY
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings to
examine health care quality D194and consumer protection issues, focusing on
managed care and fee-for-service plans, after receiving testimony from Bruce
M. Fried, Director, Office of Managed Care, Health Care Financing
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; Kathleen Sebelius,
Kansas State Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, Topeka; Judith G.
Waxman, Families U.S.A. Foundation, Washington, D.C.; William L. Roper,
Prudential HealthCare, Roseland, New Jersey, on behalf of the American
Association of Health Plans; Mark R. Chassin, Mount Sinai School of Medicine,
New York, New York; Gail Wilensky, Project HOPE, Bethesda, Maryland; James C.
Cubbin, General Motors Corporation, Flint, Michigan; Patricia Salber, Kaiser
Permanente, Oakland, California; and Peter Berman, Los Angeles, California.
[Page: D194]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee ordered favorably reported S.
Res. 39, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Governmental Affairs,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. (As approved by the
committee, the amendment authorizes $4,350,000 for the sole purpose of
conducting an investigation of illegal activities in connection with 1996
Federal election campaigns.)
Prior to this action, committee concluded hearings on S. Res. 39 (listed
above), after receiving testimony from Senators Thompson and Glenn.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to consider
pending committee business, but made no announcements, and recessed subject to
call.
BABY BOOMER RETIREMENT
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
challenges of providing health and income security for baby boomers who will
begin retirement in the year 2010, and the impact on Federal programs
affecting the elderly, after receiving testimony from Gail R. Wilensky,
Project HOPE, Bethesda, Maryland; David M. Walker, Arthur Andersen, Atlanta,
Georgia; Dallas L. Salisbury, Employee Benefit Research Institute, and Barry
P. Bosworth, Brookings Institution, both of Washington, D.C.; Madelyn
Hochstein, DYG, Inc., Danbury, Connecticut; Olivia S. Mitchell, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Robert N. Butler, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New
York, New York, on behalf of the Alliance for Aging Research; and H. James
Towey, Commission on Aging With Dignity, Tallahassee, Florida.
Joint Meetings
VETERANS PROGRAMS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings to review the legislative
recommendations of certain veterans organizations, after receiving testimony
from Richard G. Fazakerley, Blinded Veterans of America, James M. Blaylock,
Military Order of the Purple Heart of the USA, Kenneth C. Huber, Paralyzed
Veterans of America, and Robert M. Zweiman, Jewish War Veterans of the USA,
all of Washington, D.C.; and Charles R. Jackson, Non Commissioned Officers
Association of the USA, and Virginia M. Torsch, Retired Officers Association,
both of Alexandria, Virginia.
1997/03/10
Daily Digest - Monday, March 10, 1997; pages D206 - D210
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MANAGEMENT REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia concluded hearings to
examine management issues confronting the Department of Commerce and its
progress in implementing management reform directives issued by the Congress,
the Department's Office of Inspector General, and the National Performance
Review, after receiving testimony from Frank DeGeorge, Inspector General, and
Raymond G. Kammer, Jr., Acting Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary
for Administration, both of the Department of Commerce.
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT
Joint Economic Committee: On Friday, March 7, Committee held hearings to
examine the employment-unemployment situation for February and the Consumer
Price Index, receiving testimony from Katharine G. Abraham, Commissioner,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.
Committee recessed subject to call.
1997/03/11
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 11, 1997; pages D212 - D222
Committee Meetings
( Committees not listed did not meet )
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee held hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for agricultural research, education,
and extension programs of the 1996 Farm Bill, receiving testimony from Bruce
Alberts, President, National Academy of Sciences, on behalf of the National
Research Council; Terry Kinney, York, South Carolina, former Administrator,
Agricultural Research Service, Department of Agriculture; Dennis T. Avery,
Hudson Institute, Churchville, Virginia; R. Rodney Foil, Mississippi State
University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, on behalf of the National
Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges; Richard F. Ross,
Iowa State University, Ames; Samuel L. Donald, University of Maryland-Eastern
Shore, Princess Anne, on behalf of the Association of Research Directors for
the 1890 Land-Grant Universities; Ron McNeil, Sitting Bull College, Fort
Yates, North Dakota, on behalf of the American Indian Higher Education
Consortium; Margaret N. Perry, University of Tennessee, Martin, on behalf of
the American Association of State Colleges and Universities; and Victor L.
Lechtenberg, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, on behalf of the
National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory
Board/Department of Agriculture.
Hearings continue on Thursday, March 13.
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998, receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their respective
activities from Mary Ann Keeffe, Acting Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition
and Consumer Services, William E. Ludwig, Administrator, and George A. Braley,
Associate Administrator, both of the Food and Consumer Service, and Dennis
Kaplan, Deputy Director for Budget, Legislative and Regulatory Systems, all of
the Department of Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, March 13.
APPROPRIATIONS--SBA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary, and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998 for the Small Business Administration, receiving testimony
from Aida Alvarez, Administrator, Small Business Administration.
Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.
APPROPRIATIONS--MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction held
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for Navy and Air
Force military construction programs, receiving testimony from Robert B.
Pirie, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment;
and Rodney A. Coleman, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower,
Reserve Affairs, Installation, and Environment.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
APPROPRIATIONS--CONSUMER AFFAIRS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA-HUD, and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from Ann Brown,
Chairman, Consumer Product Safety Commission; Teresa Nasif, Director, Consumer
Information Center; and Leslie L. Byrne, Special Assistant to the President
and Director, Office of Consumer Affairs.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 18.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on the military
strategies and operational requirements of the unified commands, receiving
testimony from Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III, USA, Commander-in-Chief, U.S.
Central Command; Gen. Wesley K. Clark, USA, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Southern
Command; and Gen. Henry H. Shelton, USA, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Special
Operations Command.
Hearings continue on Thursday, March 13.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Acquisition and Technology held
hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for
the Department of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on
science and technology programs, receiving testimony from Paul Kaminski, Under
Secretary for Acquisition and Technology, and D214Anita K. Jones, Director,
Defense Research and Engineering, both of the Department of Defense; John
Douglass, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and
Acquisition; Authur Money, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for
Acquisition; Larry Lynn, Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency;
and A. Fenner Milton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and
Technology.
[Page: D214]
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
1998 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee held hearings to examine an alternative
budget proposal for fiscal year 1998 by a House coalition, receiving testimony
from Representatives Minge and Stenholm, both on behalf of the Coalition
Budget Task Force.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
MEDICAID REFORM
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine the National
Governors' Association views on the President's proposed budget request for
fiscal year 1998 for Medicaid, focusing on Medicaid cost saving strategies,
children's health, and managed care quality, receiving testimony from Utah
Governor Michael O. Leavitt, Salt Lake City, and Nevada Governor Bob Miller,
Carson City, both on behalf of the National Governors' Association.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CENSUS 2000
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings to examine
Department of Commerce plans to provide for an accurate 2000 decennial census,
receiving testimony from William M. Daley, Secretary, Everett M. Ehrlich,
Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, and Martha Farnsworth Riche, Director,
Bureau of the Census, all of the Department of Commerce.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
FEDERAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Employment and
Training concluded oversight hearings to review the effectiveness of Federal
job training programs and changes needed to meet the skill demands in a
competitive marketplace, after receiving testimony from Raymond J. Uhalde,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor; Arnold R. Tompkins, Ohio Department of
Human Services, Columbus; Robert T. Jones, National Alliance of Business,
Washington, D.C.; Gary Walker, Private Public Ventures, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; and William J. Spring, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston,
Massachusetts, on behalf of the MASS Jobs Council.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee approved their fiscal year 1998
budgetary views and estimates on programs which fall under the jurisdiction of
the committee which they will make to the Committee on the Budget.
NOMINATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee began hearings on the nomination
of Anthony Lake, of Massachusetts, to be Director of Central Intelligence,
where the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Kennedy, Kerry, and McCain,
and former Senator Rudman, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
Joint Meetings
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Joint Hearing: Senate Committees on Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on
Oversight of overnment Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia
and Appropriations' ubcommittee on the District of Columbia held joint
hearings with the House Committees on overnment Reform and Oversight's
Subcommittee on the District of Columbia and Appropriations' Subcommittee on
the District of Columbia to examine the financial condition of the government
of the District of Columbia, receiving testimony from Mayor Susan Golding, San
Diego, California; Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, Indianapolis, Indiana; Mayor
Patrick McCrory, Charlotte, D219North Carolina; Mayor Edward Rendell,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Mayor Knox White, Greenville, South Carolina.
[Page: D219]
Committees will meet again on Thursday, March 13.
PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on the Judiciary concluded joint hearings with
the House Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on the Constitution on S.
6 and H.R. 929, bills to ban partial birth abortions, after receiving
testimony from Renee Chelian, National Coalition of Abortion Providers,
Southfield, Michigan; Kate Michelman, National Abortion and Reproductive
Rights Action League, Helen M. Alvare, National Conference of Catholic
Bishops, Vicki Saporta, National Abortion Federation, and Douglas Johnson,
National Right to Life Committee, all of Washington, D.C.; Gloria Feldt,
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, New York, New York; Curtis R. Cook,
Grandville, Michigan; Eileen Sullivan, Los Angeles, California; Maureen
Britell, Forestdale, Massachusetts; and Whitney Goin, Orlando, Florida.
1997/03/12
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 12, 1997; pages D224 - D234
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary, and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Justice, receiving testimony from Janet
Reno, Attorney General of the United States, Department of Justice.
Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Defense, focusing
on the ballistic missile defense program, receiving testimony from Lt. Gen.
Lester L. Lyles, USAF, Director, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization,
Department of Defense.
[Page: D225]
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, March 19.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland Forces resumed hearings
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on Army
Force XXI initiatives and Army modernization programs, receiving testimony
from Gilbert F. Decker, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research,
Development, and Acquisition; and Gen. William W. Hartzog, USA, Commanding
General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel resumed hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department
of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on military
compensation and quality of life programs, receiving testimony from Frederick
F.Y. Pang, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy; Lt.
Gen. Frederick E. Vollrath, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff for Army Personnel;
Vice Adm. Daniel T. Oliver, USN, Chief of Naval Personnel; Lt. Gen. Carol A.
Mutter, USMC, Deputy Chief of Marine Corps Staff for Manpower and Reserve
Affairs; Lt. Gen. Michael D. McGinty, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air
Force Personnel; and Michael F. Ouellette, Non-Commissioned Officers
Association of the U.S.A., Sydney Hickey, National Military Family
Association, and Col. Paul W. Arcari, USAF (Ret.), Retired Officers
Association, all of Alexandria, Virginia.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces resumed hearings
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on U.S.
national security space programs and policies, receiving testimony from Gen.
Howell M. Estes, USAF, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Space Command; Gil I. Klinger,
Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Space; and Keith R. Hall, Acting
Director, National Reconnaissance Office.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
INDIAN HOUSING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs/Committee on Indian Affairs:
Committees concluded joint hearings to review the operation of Indian housing
programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, focusing on
allegations of abuse, mismanagement, and fraud and the implementation of the
Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (P.L. 104-330),
after receiving testimony from Judy A. England-Joseph, Director, Housing and
Community Development Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development
Division, General Accounting Office; Susan Gaffney, Inspector General, Kevin
Marchman, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, and Dominic
Nessi, Director, Office of Native American Programs, all of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development; W. Ron Allen, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe,
Sequim, Washington, on behalf of the National Congress of American Indians;
and Jacqueline L. Johnson, Tlingit-Haida Indian Housing Authority, Juneau,
Alaska, on behalf of the National American Indian Housing Council.
UNIVERSAL TELEPHONE SERVICE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings to
examine the Federal Communications Commission implementation of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, focusing on efforts to implement universal
telephone service reform and FCC proposals to assess new per-minute fees on
Internet service providers, receiving testimony from Reed E. Hundt, Chairman,
Federal Communications Commission; William P. Barr, GTE Corporation, Stamford,
Connecticut; Anne K. Bingaman, LCI International/LCI Local Telecommunications
Division, McLean, Virginia, on behalf of the Competitive Telecommunications
Association (CompTel); Gail McGovern, AT&T Corp., Basking Ridge, New Jersey;
Roy Neel, United States Telephone
Association, Washington, D.C.; and Anthony Wong, Cecil County Public Schools,
Elkton, Maryland, on behalf of the Education and Library Networks Coalition
and the National School Boards Association.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee began mark up of S. 104,
to reform United States policy with regard to the management and disposal of
spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, but did not complete
action thereon, and will meet again tomorrow.
GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine the President's
fiscal year 1998 graduate medical education training proposals and the New
York Graduate Medical Education demonstration project, D226receiving testimony
from Bruce C. Vladeck, Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration,
Department of Health and Human Services; Don E. Detmer, Co-Chairman, Committee
on the U.S. Physician Supply, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of
Sciences, on behalf of the Association of Academic Health Centers; Robert A.
Crittenden, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; Spencer
Foreman, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, on behalf of the Greater
New York Hospital Association; and Ralph W. Muller, University of Chicago
Hospitals and Health System, Chicago, Illinois, on behalf of the Association
of American Medical Colleges.
[Page: D226]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
SECURITY ASSISTANCE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic Policy,
Export and Trade Promotion concluded hearings on the Administration's proposed
budget request for fiscal year 1998 for security assistance, after receiving
testimony from Thomas E. McNamara, Assistant Secretary of State for
Political/Military Affairs; and Lt. Gen. Thomas G. Rhame, USA, Director,
Defense Security Assistance Agency, Department of Defense.
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS THREAT
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace
Corps, Narcotics and Terrorism concluded hearings to examine Mexican and
American responses to the international narcotics threat, after receiving
testimony from Senators D'Amato, Feinstein, Grassley, and Hutchison; Robert S.
Gelbard, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs; Thomas A. Constantine, Administrator, Drug Enforcement
Administration, Department of Justice; Barry McCaffrey, Director, Office of
National Drug Control Policy; Tim Nelson, National Narcotic Officers'
Association, Greenville, North Carolina; and George R. Vickers, Washington
Office on Latin America, Washington, D.C.
Prior to this action, committee met in closed session to receive a briefing on
Mexican and American responses to the international narcotics threat from a
former senior law enforcement official in Mexico.
CLONING TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety concluded hearings to examine the ethical, legal and social
implications of recent discoveries in cloning, after receiving testimony from
Senators Bond and Domenici; Harold Varmus, Director, National Institutes of
Health, Department of Health and Human Services; Ian Wilmut, Roslin Institute,
Edinburgh, Scotland; R. Alta Charo, University of Wisconsin, Madison, on
behalf of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission; George J. Annas, Boston
University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Karen H.
Rothenberg, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore; John Wallwork,
Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, England; Leonard Bell, Alexion Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., New Haven, Connecticut; and James A. Geraghty, Genzyme Transgenics,
Framingham, Massachusetts.
SMITHSONIAN/WOODROW WILSON CENTER/KENNEDY CENTER
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded oversight hearings
to review the operations of the Smithsonian Institution, the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts, after receiving testimony from I. Michael Heyman, Secretary,
Constance B. Newman, Under Secretary, and J. Dennis O'Connor, Provost, all of
the Smithsonian Institution; Charles Blitzer, Director, Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars; and Kenneth M. Duberstein, Vice Chairman,
and Alma Johnson Powell, Vice Chairman, both of the Board of Trustees, and
Lawrence J. Wilker, President, all of the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts.
NOMINATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee continued hearings on the
nomination of Anthony Lake, of Massachusetts, to be Director of Central
Intelligence, where the nominee further testified and answered questions in
his own behalf.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
[Page: D227]
Joint Meetings
1998 BUDGET ISSUES
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on the Budget concluded joint hearings with
the House Committee on the Budget to examine public policy issues of United
States governors with regard to the proposed Federal budget for fiscal year
1998, after receiving testimony from Nevada Governor Bob Miller, Carson City,
Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad, Des Moines, Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton,
Frankfort, and North Dakota Governor Edward T. Schafer, Bismarck, all on
behalf of the National Governors' Association.
1997/03/13
Daily Digest - Thursday, March 13, 1997; pages D235 - D244
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee resumed hearings
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for agricultural research,
education, and extension programs of the 1996 Farm Bill, receiving testimony
from Catherine E. Woteki, Acting Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research,
Education, and Economics; Mary E. Clutter, Assistant Director for the
Biological Sciences, National Science Foundation; Wendy Baldwin, Deputy
Director for Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health, Department of
Health and Human Services; James F. Decker, Deputy Director for Energy
Research, Department of Energy; Robert A. Robinson, Director, Food and
Agricultural Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Division, General
Accounting Office; David Lineback, University of Idaho, Moscow, on behalf of
the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology; Martin A. Apple, Council
for Scientific Society Presidents, Washington, D.C.; and Louis Sherman, on
behalf of the American Society of Plant Physiologists, and S. Suzanne Nielson,
on behalf of the Institute for Food Technologists, both of Purdue University,
West Lafayette, Indiana.
Hearings continue on Tuesday, March 18.
NATIONAL CHEESE EXCHANGE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings to explore alternatives to the National
Cheese Exchange as part of the dairy pricing system, receiving testimony from
Senator Feingold; Daniel R. Glickman, Secretary, Michael Dunn, Assistant
Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and Keith Collins, Chief
Economist, all of the Department of Agriculture; Alan T. Tracy, Wisconsin
Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Madison; E. Linwood
Tipton, International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C.; Edward T.
Coughlin, National Milk Producers Federation, Arlington, Virginia; Harold J.
Howrigan, St. D236Albans Cooperative Creamery, Inc., Fairfield, Vermont;
Buckey M. Jones, Mid-America Dairymen, Inc., Smithdale, Mississippi; Arden
Tewksbury, Progressive Agriculture Organization, Meshoppen, Pennsylvania; Bill
Brey, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Sturgeon Bay, on behalf of the National Farmers
Union; and Kenneth E. Zurin, Kenburn Farms, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.
[Page: D236]
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 18.
APPROPRIATIONS--COMMERCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary, and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Commerce, receiving testimony from
William M. Daley, Secretary of Commerce.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, March 19.
APPROPRIATIONS--ENERGY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the Interior and Related Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of Energy, receiving testimony from Federico PenAE6a, Secretary of
Energy.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, April 10.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on military strategies
and operational requirements of the unified commands, receiving testimony from
Gen. Howell M. Estes, USAF, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Space Command; Gen.
Eugene E. Hablger, USAF, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Strategic Command; Gen.
Walter Kross, USAF, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Transportation Command; and Gen.
John J. Sheehan, USMC, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command.
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, March 18.
AMTRAK
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Surface
Transportation and Merchant Marine held hearings to examine the financial
condition of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), receiving
testimony from Phyllis F. Scheinberg, Associate Director, Transportation
Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, General
Accounting Office; Thomas M. Downs, President and CEO, National Railroad
Passenger Corporation; and Donald M. Itzkoff, Deputy Administrator, Federal
Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported, with amendments, S. 104, to reform United States policy with regard
to the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level
radioactive waste.
ELECTRIC UTILITIES DEREGULATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee resumed oversight
hearings to discuss proposals to advance the goals of deregulation and
competition in the electric power industry, receiving testimony from Joseph
Dickey, Chief Operating Officer, Tennessee Valley Authority; Richard Munson,
Northeast-Midwest Institute, Washington, D.C.; Robert Claussen, Alabama
Municipal Electric Agency, Montgomery; Roy Hemmingway, Oregon Northwest
Energy, Portland, on behalf of the Northwest Energy Review Transition Board;
Glenn English, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Arlington,
Virginia; Gary Zarker, Seattle City Light, Seattle, Washington, on behalf of
the American Public Power Association; Missy Mandell, Lower Colorado River
Authority, Austin, Texas, on behalf of the Large Public Power Council; Dick
Snell, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, Phoenix, Arizona; and Don Meiners,
Entergy Mississippi, Jackson, on behalf of TVA Watch.
Hearings continue on Thursday, March 20.
NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation and Recreation held hearings to examine the future of
the National Park System and to identify the needs, requirements, and
innovative programs that will improve and enhance the operations of the Park
Service, receiving testimony from Jim Maddy, President, National Park
Foundation; James M. Ridenour, Eppley Institute/University of Indiana,
Bloomington; W. James Host, National Tour Association, Inc., Lexington,
Kentucky; Charles M. Clusen, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Paul C.
Pritchard, National Parks and Conservation Association, both of Washington,
D.C.; and Deanne Adams, Association of National Park Rangers, Seattle,
Washington.
Hearings continue on Thursday, March 20.
AUTHORIZATION--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure resumed hearings on proposed legislation authorizing D237funds
for programs of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991,
receiving testimony from Senators Roth, Jeffords, and Biden; Michael P.
Huerta, Associate Deputy Secretary of Transportation/Director, Office of
Intermodalism, Department of Transportation; Thomas M. Downs, President and
CEO, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); Leslie White, C-Tran,
Vancouver, Washington, on behalf of the American Public Transit Association;
and Karen Borlaug Phillips, Association of American Railroads, William E.
Loftus, American Short Line Railroad Association, and Thomas J. Donohue,
American Trucking Associations, Inc., all of Washington, D.C.
[Page: D237]
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, March 19.
CAPITAL GAINS
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine the impact of capital
gains taxation on the cost of capital, saving and investment, and economic
growth, receiving testimony from Paul A. Volcker, former Chairman, Federal
Reserve System, and Allen Sinai, Primark Decision Economics, Inc., both of New
York, New York; Jack Kemp, Empower America, former Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development, and Mark Bloomfield, American Council for Capital
Formation, both of Washington, D.C.; and Alan J. Auerbach, University of
California, Berkeley.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Health Care resumed hearings to examine
the financial soundness of the Medicare program and its long-term status,
receiving testimony from Guy King, Ellicott City, Maryland, former Chief
Actuary, Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and Human
Services; John C. Goodman, National Center for Policy Analysis, Dallas, Texas;
David B. Kendall, Progressive Policy Institute, and Richard J. Davidson,
American Hospital Association, both of Washington, D.C.; and Daniel H.
Johnson, Jr., Metairie, Louisiana, on behalf of the American Medical
Association.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
ACDA/INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS BUDGET
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Operations
concluded hearings on the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year
1998 for the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and certain
international organizations and conferences, after receiving testimony from
John D. Holum, Director, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; and
Princeton N. Lyman, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for International
Organization Affairs.
NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation, and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine issues with
regard to the deployment of a national missile defense system by the United
States and reductions to strategic offensive weapons in both the United States
and Russia, after receiving testimony from Max M. Kampelman, Vice Chairman,
U.S. Institute of Peace; and Keith B. Payne, Georgetown University School of
Foreign Service, Washington, D.C., and Andrei Kortunov, Moscow Public Science
Foundation, Russia, both on behalf of the National Institute for Public
Policy.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee began markup of S. 4, to
provide private sector employees the same opportunities for time-and-a-half
compensatory time off, biweekly work programs, and flexible credit hour
programs to help balance the demands and needs of work and family, and to
clarify the provisions relating to exemptions of certain professionals from
the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee continued hearings in open and
closed session on the nomination of Anthony Lake, of Massachusetts, to be
Director of Central Intelligence, where the nominee further testified and
answered questions in his own behalf.
Hearings continue on Tuesday, March 18.
[Page: D238]
Joint Meetings
INCOME TAX SYSTEM
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the economic
problems of the income tax system, after receiving testimony from Lawrence B.
Lindsey, former Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and
Norman B. Ture, Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, Barry K.
Rogstad, American Business Conference, and Lawrence Chimerine, Economic
Strategy Institute, all of Washington, D.C.
GPO/ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Joint Committee on Printing: Committee concluded oversight hearings to review
activities of the Government Printing Office, after receiving testimony from
Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer, Wayne Kelley, Superintendent of Documents,
and T.C. Evans, Product Services Manager, Office of Electronic Information
Dissemination Services, Superintendent of Documents, all of the Government
Printing Office.
Also, committee met and elected Senator Warner as Chairman, and Representative
Thomas as Vice Chairman.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on
Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring, and the District of
Columbia concluded joint hearings with the House Committee on Government
Reform and Oversight's Subcommittee on the District of Columbia to examine the
financial condition of the government of the District of Columbia, after
receiving testimony from Mayor Marion Barry, Charlene Drew Jarvis, Chairwoman,
City Council, Andrew Brimmer, Chairman, Financial Responsibility and
Management Assistance Authority/City Control Board, and Anthony Williams,
Chief Financial Officer, all of the District of Columbia.
CHECHNYA
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission held hearings on the future of Chechnya, receiving testimony from
Tim Guldimann, Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Grozny,
Chechnya.
Commission recessed subject to call.
1997/03/14
Daily Digest - Friday, March 14, 1997; pages D245 - D252
Committee Meetings
( Committees not listed did not meet )
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded hearings on the
nominations of Johnny H. Hayes, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Brig. Gen. Robert Bernard
Flowers, USA, to be a Member and President of the Mississippi River
Commission, and Judith M. Espinosa, of New Mexico, and D. Michael Rappoport,
of Arizona, each to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris K.
Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation,
after the nominees (with the exception of Brig. Gen. Flowers) testified and
answered questions in their own behalf. Mr. Hayes was introduced by Senator
Frist, and Ms. Espinosa was introduced by Senator Bingaman.
AUTHORIZATION--HIGHER EDUCATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for programs of the Higher Education Act,
focusing on Pell grants and tax policy, receiving testimony from Margot
Schenet, Specialist in Social Legislation, Congressional Research Service,
Library of Congress; James B. Appleberry, American Association of State
Colleges and Universities, and Sarah Flanagan, National Association of
Independent Colleges and Universities, both of Washington, D.C.; and Michelle
McDonald, Duluth, Minnesota.
Hearings continue on Thursday, March 20.
[Page: D246]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/03/17
Daily Digest - Monday, March 17, 1997; pages D253 - D256
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/03/18
Daily Digest - Tuesday, March 18, 1997; pages D257 - D266
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee resumed hearings
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for agricultural research programs
of the 1996 Farm Bill, receiving testimony from Robert B. Horsch, Monsanto
Company, St. Louis, Missouri; David E. Ervin, Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture, Greenbelt, Maryland; Robert G. Cassens, University of
Wisconsin, Madison, on behalf of the Federation of American Societies of Food
Animal Sciences; William W. McFee, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana,
on behalf of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of
America, and the Soil Science Society of America; Ron Warfield, Illinois Farm
Bureau, Bloomington, on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation; Phil
McLain, Statesville, North Carolina, on behalf of the National Association of
Wheat Growers; Mike Wehler, Plain, Wisconsin, on behalf of the Animal
Agriculture Coalition; Dennis Wiese, South Dakota Farmers Union, Flandreau, on
behalf of the National Farmers Union; and Ron Rosmann, Harlan, Iowa, on behalf
of the Practical D258Farmers of Iowa and the Kellogg Foundation/Integrated
Farming Systems Project.
[Page: D258]
Hearings continue on Thursday, March 20.
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998 for the Department of Agriculture, receiving testimony in behalf of
funds for their activities from James R. Lyons, Under Secretary, Natural
Resources and Environment, Paul W. Johnson, Chief, Gary A. Margheim, Acting
Associate Chief and Acting Deputy Chief for Science and Technology, Thomas A.
Weber, Deputy Chief for Management, Lawrence E. Clark, Deputy Chief for
Programs, and Carole Jett, Acting Deputy Chief for Soil Survey and Resources
Assessment, all of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Dennis
Kaplan, Deputy Director for Budget, Legislative and Regulatory Systems, all of
the Department of Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 8.
APPROPRIATIONS--FEMA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, receiving testimony from James Lee Witt,
Director, FEMA.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 8.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of
Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on military strategies
and operational requirements of the unified commands, receiving testimony from
Gen. George A. Joulwan, USA, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. European Command; Adm.
Joseph W. Prueher, USN, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Command; and Gen.
John H. Tilelli, USA, Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command, Combined
Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea.
Committee will meet again on Thursday, March 20.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nominations of Yolanda Townsend Wheat, of Missouri, to be a
Member of the National Credit Union Administration Board, Jeffrey A. Frankel,
of California, to be a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers, Charles A.
Gueli, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National
Institute of Building Sciences, and Susan R. Baron, of Maryland, to be a
Member of the National Corporation for Housing Partnerships.
COAST GUARD BUDGET
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Oceans and
Fisheries concluded hearings to examine the President's proposed budget
request for fiscal year 1998 for the United States Coast Guard, after
receiving testimony from Adm. Robert E. Kramek, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard,
Department of Transportation.
INTERSTATE WASTE AND FLOW CONTROL
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded hearings on
proposals to authorize State and local governments to enact flow control laws
and to regulate the interstate transportation of solid waste, after receiving
testimony from Senators Coats, Specter, and Levin; Representatives Franks and
Pascrell; Mayor John E. Rooney, Northvale, New Jersey, on behalf of the
Mayors' Task Force Against Flow Control; Deputy Mayor for Operations Randy M.
Mastro, New York, New York; Randy Johnson, Hennepin County, Minnesota, on
behalf of the National Association of Counties; David K. Leff, Connecticut
Department of Environmental Protection, Hartford; Grover G. Norquist,
Americans for Tax Reform, Washington, D.C.; John Broadway, Richmond, Virginia,
on behalf of the National Federation of Independent Business; James M. Seif,
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Harrisburg; John Cahill,
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany; David L.
Olson, Max, North Dakota, on behalf of the Dakota Resource Council/Western
Organization of Resource Councils; and Anthony Ciofalo, Allied Waste
Industries, Scottsdale, Arizona, on behalf of the National Solid Wastes
Management Association/Environmental Industry Associations.
CHINA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
concluded hearings to examine the future of China, focusing on the effect the
death of Deng Xiaoping will have on Chinese domestic and foreign policies,
after receiving testimony from Winston Lord, New York, New York, former
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; James R.
Lilley, Institute for Global Chinese Affairs/University of Maryland, College
Park; Harry Harding, Elliott School of International Affairs/George Washington
University, and Robert Kagan, American University, both of Washington, D.C.;
Winberg Chai, University of Wyoming, Laramie; D259and Chen You-wei, Paul H.
Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Potomac, Maryland.
[Page: D259]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on the nominations of
Donald M. Middlebrooks, to be United States District Judge for the Southern
District of Florida, Jeffrey T. Miller, of California, to be United States
District Judge for the Southern District of California, Margaret M. Morrow, to
be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, and
Robert W. Pratt, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District
of Iowa, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own
behalf. Mr. Middlebrooks was introduced by Senators Mack and Graham, Mr.
Miller was introduced by Senator Feinstein, Ms. Morrow was introduced by
Senator Boxer and Representative Rogan, and Mr. Pratt was introduced by
Senators Grassley and Harkin.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported
the following business items:
S. 4, to provide private sector employees the same opportunities for
time-and-a-half compensatory time off, biweekly work programs, and flexible
credit hour programs to help balance the demands and needs of work and family,
and to clarify the provisions relating to exemptions of certain professionals
from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards
Act of 1938; and
The nominations of John A. Armstrong, of Massachusetts, Jane Lubchenco, of
Oregon, Vera C. Rubin, of the District of Columbia, Bob H. Suzuki, of
California, Richard A. Tapia, of Texas, Mary K. Gaillard, of California,
M.R.C. Greenwood, of California, Stanley Vincent Jaskolski, of Ohio, and Eamon
M. Kelly, of Louisiana, each to be a Member of the National Science Board,
National Science Foundation, Arthur I. Blaustein, of California, Lorraine
Weiss Frank, of Arizona, and Susan Ford Wiltshire, of Tennessee, each to be a
Member of the National Council on the Humanities, Dave Nolan Brown, of
Washington, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability, Donna Holt
Cunninghame, of Maryland, to be Chief Financial Officer, Corporation for
National and Community Service, Jon Deveaux, of New York, to be a Member of
the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board, Magdalena G. Jacobsen, of
Oregon, to be a Member of the National Mediation Board, Mary Lucille Jordan,
of Maryland, and Theodore Francis Verheggen, of the District of Columbia, each
to be a Member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, Joseph
Lane Kirkland, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the United States Institute of Peace, Nathan Leventhal, of New
York, to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts, and a Public Health
Service Corps list received by the Senate on January 30, 1997.
NOMINATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on the
nomination of Alexis M. Herman, of Alabama, to be Secretary of Labor, after
the nominee, who was introduced by Senator Shelby and Representative Callahan,
testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to receive a
briefing on intelligence matters from officials of the intelligence community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/03/19
Daily Digest - Wednesday, March 19, 1997; pages D267 - D278
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--SEC
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998 for the Securities and Exchange Commission, receiving
testimony from Arthur Levitt, Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission.
Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held closed hearings on
proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for defense intelligence
programs, receiving testimony from George J. Tenet, Acting Director, and Nora
Slakin, Executive Director, both of the Central Intelligence Agency; and Gen.
Patrick M. Hughes, USA, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, Gen. Kenneth A.
Minihan, USAF, Director, National Security Agency, and Keith R. Hall, Acting
Director, National Reconnaissance Office, all of the Department of Defense.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, April 9.
DEFENSE ACQUISITION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Acquisition and Technology held
hearings to examine the status of acquisition reform in the Department of
Defense, receiving testimony from Paul G. Kaminski, Under Secretary of Defense
for Acquisition and Technology; John W. Douglass, Assistant Secretary of the
Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition; Lt. Gen. George Muellner,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; Kenneth
Oscar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement; Thomas J.
Madden, Venable, Baetjer, Howard, and Civiletti, and Karen L. Wilson, Allied
Signal, Inc., both of Washington, D.C.; John Delane, DELJEN, Inc., Rolling
Hills Estates, California; and Bert M. Concklin, Professional Services
Council, Vienna, Virginia.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--MILITARY READINESS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness held hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department
of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on military
readiness accounts, receiving testimony from Maj. Gen. Thomas A. Braaten,
USMC, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Programs and Resources, Headquarters
Marine Corps; Rear Adm. James S. Amerault, USN, Director, Office of
Budget/Fiscal Management Division; Maj. Gen. Roger G. Thompson, Jr., USA,
Director of Army Budget, Office of Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Financial Management; and Maj. Gen. George T. Stringer, USAF, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Budget, Office of Assistant Secretary of the Air Force/Financial
Management Comptroller.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on SeaPower held hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department
of Defense and the future years defense program, receiving testimony from John
W. Douglass, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and
Acquisition; and Gen. Charles C. Krulak, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces resumed hearings
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on
Department of Energy weapons programs, receiving testimony from Victor H.
Reis, Assistant Secretary, Defense Program, Department of Defense; Gen. Eugene
E. Habiger, USAF, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Strategic Command; Sigfried S.
Hecker, Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory, C. Paul Robinson, President,
Sandia National Laboratories, and Bruce Tarter, Director, Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, all of the Department of Energy; Ambrose Schwallie,
Westinghouse/Savannah River Corporation, Aiken, South Carolina; Karen K.
Clegg, Allied Signal, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri; F.P. Gustavson, Lockheed
Martin Energy Systems, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and William Weinreich, Mason
Hanger/Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
[Page: D269]
1998 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee met to discuss certain functions of the
proposed fiscal year 1998 budget resolution.
Committee recessed subject to call.
PRO-CODE ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings on
S. 377, to promote electronic commerce by facilitating the use of strong
encryption, receiving testimony from Louis J. Freeh, Director, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, Department of Justice; William P. Crowell, Deputy Director,
National Security Agency, Department of Defense; William A. Reinsch, Under
Secretary, Bureau of Export Administration, Department of Commerce; David L.
Aaron, United States Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development; James Barksdale, Netscape Communications, Inc.,
Mountain View, California; Edward J. Black, Computer Communications Industry
Association, Washington, D.C.; and Joseph R. Kretz, FMC Corporation, Chicago,
Illinois.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
UNIVERSAL TELEPHONE SERVICE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Communications held hearings to examine the Federal Communications Commission
implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, focusing on efforts to
implement universal telephone service reform and FCC proposals to assess new
per-minute fees on Internet service providers, receiving testimony from Gene
Kimmelman, Consumers Union, Washington, D.C.; Jay Kitchen, Personal
Communications Industry Association, Alexandria, Virginia; Joan Mandeville,
Montana Telephone Association, Great Falls; and Donn Wonnell, Pacific Telcom,
Inc., Vancouver, Washington.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure resumed hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for
programs of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991,
focusing on environmental programs and statewide and metropolitan planning,
receiving testimony from Jane F. Garvey, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway
Administration, Department of Transportation; David M. Gardiner, Assistant
Administrator for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Environmental Protection
Agency; Thomas Walker, Wisconsin Road Builders Association, Madison, on behalf
of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association; Hal Hiemstra,
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Meg Maguire, Scenic America, and Hank Dittmar,
Surface Transportation Policy Project, all of Washington, D.C.; Leon S.
Kenison, New Hampshire Department of Transportation, Concord; Lawrence D.
Dahms, Oakland Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, California; M.
Michael Cooke, Board of Douglas County Commissioners, Castle Rock, Colorado;
Guillermo V. Vidal, Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver; and Timothy
S. Stowe, Anderson and Associates, Blacksburg, Virginia, on behalf of the
American Consulting Engineers Council.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE CHOICES
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine proposals to improve
choices under the Medicare program, receiving testimony from Bruce C. Vladeck,
Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and
Human Services; Michael J. Thompson, Price Waterhouse, on behalf of the
American Academy of Actuaries, and Diane Archer, Medicare Rights Center, both
of New York, New York; and Mary Lou Martin, Blue Cross of California, Long
Beach, on behalf of the Health Insurance Association of America and the Blue
Cross/Blue Shield Association.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee announced the following
subcommittee assignments: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation and Federal Services: Senators Cochran (Chair), Stevens,
Collins, Domenici, Nickles, Specter, Levin, Akaka, Durbin, Torricelli, and
Cleland. Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring and
the District of Columbia: Senators Brownback (Chair), Roth, Specter,
Lieberman, and Cleland. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations: Senators
Collins (Chair), Roth, Stevens, Brownback, Domenici, Cochran, Nickles,
Specter, Glenn, Levin, Lieberman, Akaka, Durbin, Torricelli, and Cleland.
JUVENILE CRIME
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings to examine efforts by
private individuals, community organizations, and religious groups to prevent
juvenile crime, after receiving testimony from Steve Young, San Francisco,
California, on behalf of the Sport, Education & Values Foundation; Kery
Oldroyd and Amador Guzman, both of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt
Lake, Salt Lake City, Utah; Rev. Jeffrey L. Brown, Union Baptist Church,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, on behalf of the D270Ten Point Coalition of Boston;
Mary Lyman Jackson, Exodus Youth Services, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland; and
Father Joseph Del Vecchio, Archdiocese of Washington, Washington, D.C.
[Page: D270]
INTERNET CRIMES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and
Government Information concluded hearings to examine the scope of Internet
crimes affecting consumers and the Federal response, after receiving testimony
from Senator Leahy; Robert S. Litt, Deputy Assistant Attorney General,
Criminal Division, and Charles L. Owens, Chief, Financial Crimes Section,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, both of the Department of Justice; Michael C.
Stenger, Special Agent in Charge, Financial Crimes Division, U.S. Secret
Service, Department of the Treasury; and Wisconsin Attorney General James E.
Doyle, Madison.
FDA REFORM
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee held hearings on proposals
to reform the performance, efficiency, and use of resources of the Food and
Drug Administration, receiving testimony from Michael A. Friedman, Lead Deputy
Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner for Operations, D. Bruce Burlington,
Director, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Fred R. Shank, Director,
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Stephen F. Sundlof, Director,
Center for Veterinary Medicine, Janet Woodcock, Director, Center for Drug
Evaluation and Research, and Kathryn C. Zoon, Director, Center for Biologics
Evaluation and Research, all of the Food and Drug Administration, Department
of Health and Human Services.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D271]
Joint Meetings
AUTO INSURANCE REFORM
Joint Economic Committee: Committee held hearings to examine the problems of
the current automobile insurance system and the need for reform, focusing on
more insurance options, better service, and reduced premiums and litigation
costs, receiving testimony from New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman,
Trenton; Michael Horowitz, Hudson Institute, J. Robert Hunter, Consumer
Federation of America, and Stephen Carroll, RAND Institute for Civil Justice,
all of Washington, D.C.; and Jeffrey O'Connell, University of Virginia School
of Law, Charlottesville.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to review the legislative
recommendations of the Disabled American Veterans, after receiving testimony
from Gregory C. Reed, Disabled American Veterans, Washington, D.C., who was
accompanied by several of his associates.
1997/03/20
Daily Digest - Thursday, March 20, 1997; pages D279 - D288
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for agricultural research
programs of the 1996 Farm Bill, after receiving testimony from Senator Burns;
W. Bruce Crain, Executive Director, Alternative Agricultural Research and
Commercialization Corporation, Department of Agriculture; Robert L. Thompson,
Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, Morrilton,
Arkansas; Joseph D. Coffey, Southern States Cooperative, Richmond, Virginia,
on behalf of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching;
Charles C. Brosius, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg, on
behalf of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture;
Gregory N. Brown, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, on behalf of the National Association of Professional Forestry
Schools and Colleges; and William Guyton, Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory/Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Co., Idaho Falls.
APPROPRIATIONS--UNITED NATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998 for the United Nations, receiving testimony from Bill
Richardson, United States Ambassador to the United Nations; and Princeton N.
Lyman, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 8.
APPROPRIATIONS--ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development held
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for energy and
water development programs, receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their
activities from Victor H. Reis, Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs, and
Kenneth E. Baker, Acting Director, Office of Nonproliferation and National
Security, both of the Department of Energy; and Harold P. Smith, Assistant to
the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Programs.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations held hearings
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for foreign assistance
programs, focusing on international narcotics, crime and law enforcement
activities, receiving testimony from Louis J. Freeh, Director, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, Department of Justice; and Robert S. Gelbard, Assistant
Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Department
of State.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
CONRAIL MERGER
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related
Agencies held hearings to examine the impact of the sale of Conrail to CSX
Corporation and Norfolk Southern on the United States D281transportation
system, rail service, and employees, receiving testimony from Senator Warner;
George D. Warrington, President/Northeast Corridor, National Railroad
Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); Linda J. Morgan, Chairman, Surface
Transportation Board; Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening, Annapolis; Mayor
Ed Rendell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Bradley L. Mallory, Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation, Harrisburg; John J. Haley, Jr., New Jersey
Department of Transportation, Trenton; John W. Snow, CSX Corporation,
Richmond, Virginia; David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk,
Virginia; Tim O'Toole, Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), Washington,
D.C.; Hugh Welsh, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, New York, New York;
Robert A. Scardelletti, Transportation-Communications International Union,
Rockville, Maryland, on behalf of the Transportation Trades
Department/AFL-CIO; Robert L. Evans, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Dallas,
Texas, on behalf of the National Industrial Transportation League; and Michael
Hawbaker, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc., State College, Pennsylvania.
[Page: D281]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DOE NATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAMS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee held hearings on proposed legislation
authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Energy national
security programs and to review environmental management activities, receiving
testimony from Federico PenAE6a, Secretary, Charles B. Curtis, Deputy
Secretary, and Alvin L. Alm, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management,
all of the Department of Energy.
Committee recessed subject to call.
COMMERCIAL AND INVESTMENT BANKING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial
Institutions and Regulatory Relief concluded hearings to examine the Federal
Reserve System's proposal to modify the restrictions imposed on bank holding
companies engaged in underwriting and dealing in securities, after receiving
testimony from Susan M. Phillips, Member, Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System; Victor A. Warnement, NationsBank Capital Markets, Inc.,
Charlotte, North Carolina; Richard B. Roberts, Wachovia Bank, Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, on behalf of the ABA Securities Association and the American
Bankers Association; and Charles W. Calomiris, Columbia University School of
Business, New York, New York.
OCEAN SHIPPING REFORM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Surface
Transportation and Merchant Marine concluded hearings on S. 414, to encourage
competition in international shipping and growth of United States imports and
exports, after receiving testimony from Harold J. Creel, Jr., Chairman,
Federal Maritime Commission; Linda J. Morgan, Chairman, Surface Transportation
Board; Michael M. Murphy, APL Limited, J.M. Graham, Council of European and
Japanese National Shipowners' Associations, Edward Wytkind, Transportation
Trades Department/AFL-CIO, and Peter Powell, Sr., National Customs Brokers and
Forwarders Association, all of Washington, D.C.; Christopher Koch, Sea-Land
Service, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina; William P. Verdon, Crowley Maritime
Corporation, Oakland, California; Donald Cameron, Bose Corporation,
Framingham, Massachusetts; and Tom Kornegay, Port of Houston, Houston, Texas.
ELECTRIC UTILITIES DEREGULATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee resumed oversight
hearings to discuss proposals to advance the goals of deregulation and
competition in the electric power industry, receiving testimony from Elizabeth
A. Moler, Chair, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy;
Bruce B. Ellsworth, New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, Concord, and
Robert W. Gee, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Austin, both on behalf of
the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners; Richard H.
Cowart, Vermont Public Service Board, Montpelier; P. Gregory Conlon,
California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco; Curt Hebert,
Mississippi Public Service Commission, Jackson; John M. Quain, Pennsylvania
Public Utility Commission, Harrisburg; Linda Breathitt, Kentucky Public
Service Commission, Frankfurt; and Marsha H. Smith, Idaho Public Utilities
Commission, Boise.
Committee recessed subject to call.
NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation and Recreation concluded hearings to examine the future
of the National Park System and to identify the needs, requirements, and
innovative programs that will improve and enhance the operations of the Park
Service, after receiving testimony from Roger G. Kennedy, Director, National
Park Service, Department of the Interior.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nominations of D282Johnny H. Hayes, of Tennessee, to be a Member
of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Judith M.
Espinosa, of New Mexico, and D. Michael Rappoport, of Arizona, each to be a
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and
Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation.
[Page: D282]
MEDICARE
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine proposals to improve
choices under the Medicare program, including S. 146, to permit Medicare
beneficiaries to enroll with qualified provider-sponsored organizations under
title XVIII of the Social Security Act, receiving testimony from Senator
Frist; Glenn A. Pomeroy, North Dakota Department of Insurance, Bismarck, on
behalf of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Karen Ignagni,
American Association of Health Plans, Washington, D.C.; Donald T. Lewers,
Easton, Maryland, on behalf of the American Medical Association; John T.
Nielsen, Intermountain Health Care, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah, on behalf of
the Coalition for Fairness in Medicare; and Richard K. Reiner, Florida
Hospital Healthcare System, Orlando.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TRADE POLICY
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia concluded hearings to
examine the role of the Department of Commerce in United States trade policy,
promotion, and regulation, and opportunities for reform and consolidation,
after receiving testimony from Representatives Mica and White; Timothy J.
Hauser, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; William H.
Lash III, George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Virginia; and Ed
Hudgins, CATO Institute, and Edward J. Black, Computer and Communications
Industry Association, both of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 270, to
grant the consent of Congress to the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste
Disposal Compact.
AUTHORIZATION--HIGHER EDUCATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for programs of the Higher Education
Act, focusing on the role of higher education institutions in preparing
teachers for the 21st century, after receiving testimony from Susan Brady,
University of Rhode Island, Kingston; Jill Mattuck Tarule, University of
Vermont, Burlington; Charles R. Coble, University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill, on behalf of the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships in
North Carolina; and Richard Wormeli, Herndon Middle School, Herndon, Virginia.
CRS/LOC
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded oversight hearings
to review the operations and budget of the Congressional Research Service and
the Library of Congress, after receiving testimony from Daniel Mulhollan,
Director, Congressional Research Service, James H. Billington, Librarian, and
Donald L. Scott, Deputy Librarian, both of the Library of Congress.
Joint Meetings
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the economic
outlook, focusing on the role of monetary policy, price stability, and the
Consumer Price Index, after receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chair,
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
[Page: D287]
VETERANS' PROGRAMS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to examine the legislative
recommendations of certain veterans organizations, after receiving testimony
from David E. Ovesen, AMVETS, Lanham, Maryland; and Joseph H. Schwartz,
Veterans of WWI, William E. Mottern, American Ex-Prisoners of War, and George
C. Duggins, Vietnam Veterans of America, all of Washington, D.C.
1997/03/21
Daily Digest - Friday, March 21, 1997; pages D290 - D292
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/07
Daily Digest - Monday, April 7, 1997; pages D293 - D300
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on the
nomination of James B. King, of Massachusetts, to be Director of the Office of
Personnel Management, after the nominee, who was introduced by Representative
Neal, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/08
Daily Digest - Tuesday, April 8, 1997; pages D301 - D306
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998, receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their respective
activities from Dallas R. Smith, Acting Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign
Agricultural Services, Bruce R. Weber, Acting Administrator, Farm Service
Agency, August Schumacher, Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service,
Christopher E. Goldthwait, General Sales Manager, Kenneth D. Ackerman, Acting
Administrator, Risk Management Agency, and Dennis Kaplan, Deputy Director for
Budget, Legislative, and Regulatory Systems, all of the Department of
Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 15.
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary, and Related Agencies concluded hearings to examine child
pornography issues, focusing on the sexual exploitation of children through
the Internet and on-line services, after receiving testimony from Louis J.
Freeh, Director, Wade B. Houk, Assistant Director in Charge of Finance, and
Robert M. Bryant, Assistant Director, D302Criminal Investigative Division, all
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; and Ernest E.
Allen, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Arlington,
Virginia.
[Page: D302]
APPROPRIATIONS--EPA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the
Environmental Protection Agency, receiving testimony from Carol M. Browner,
Administrator, EPA.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 22.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded hearings on
S. 450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel
strengths for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on active and reserve
military and civilian personnel programs and the Defense Health Program, after
receiving testimony from Edwin Dorn, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel
and Readiness; Sara E. Lister, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower
and Reserve Affairs; Bernard Rostker, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
Manpower and Reserve Affairs; and Rodney A. Coleman, Assistant Secretary of
the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Installations and Environment.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on SeaPower held hearings on S. 450,
authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military activities of
the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for
fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on submarine development and procurement
programs and global submarine threat, receiving testimony from Senator Chafee;
John W. Douglass, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development
and Acquisition; Vice Adm. Donald L. Pilling, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval
Operations, Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments; Rear Adm. Robert
E. Frick, USN, Program Executive Officer for Submarines; and Rear Adm. Michael
W. Cramer, USN, Director of Naval Intelligence.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee held hearings on the Convention on
the Prohibition of Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical
Weapons and on Their Destruction, opened for signature and signed by the
United States at Paris on January 13, 1993 (Treaty Doc. 103-21), receiving
testimony from Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of State; and Donald Rumsfeld,
James Schlesinger, and Caspar Weinberger, each a former Secretary of Defense.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
RUSSIA-NATO
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on European Affairs concluded
closed hearings to examine the Russia-Nato relationship after the Helsinki
Summit, after receiving testimony from Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of
State; and Jan M. Lodal, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for
Policy.
AUTHORIZATION--INDIAN JUVENILE JUSTICE
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 through 2001 to provide
assistance to Indian tribes for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention
programs under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974,
after receiving testimony from Thomas L. LeClaire, Director, Office of Tribal
Justice, Department of Justice; Thomas S. Begich, Washington, D.C., and Larry
Blackhair, Fort Duchesne, Utah, both on behalf of the Coalition for Juvenile
Justice; and Mary V. Thomas, Gila River Indian Community, Sacaton, Arizona.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/09
Daily Digest - Wednesday, April 9, 1997; pages D307 - D314
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--NAVY/MARINE CORPS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for Navy and Marine Corps programs,
receiving testimony from John H. Dalton, Secretary of the Navy; Adm. Jay L.
Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations; and Gen. Charles C. Krulak, Commandant of
the Marine Corps.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, April 16.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland Forces held hearings on
S. 450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel
strengths for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
programs, operations and modernization efforts, receiving testimony from Gen.
William W. Hartzog, USA, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine
Command; Col. Thomas R. Goedkoop, USA, Commander, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry
Division; Col. Guy C. Swan, USA, Commander, 11th Armored Calvary Regiment;
Charles Heber, Director, High Altitude/Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HAE
UAV), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; and Rear Adm. Barton D.
Strong, USN, Program Executive Officer, Cruise Missiles and UAVs, Office of
the Secretary of the Navy.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
[Page: D308]
PUBLIC HOUSING REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Housing
Opportunity and Community Development concluded hearings on S. 462, to reform
and consolidate the public and assisted housing programs of the United States,
and to redirect primary responsibility for these programs from the Federal
Government to States and localities, after receiving testimony from Andrew
Cuomo, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Cushing N. Dolbeare,
National Low Income Housing Coalition, David B. Bryson, National Housing Law
Project, and Deepak Bhargava, Center for Community Change, all of Washington,
D.C.; Ricardo Diaz, Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on
behalf of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities; Thomas R. Shuler,
Insignia Residential Group, Greenville, South Carolina, on behalf of the
National Multi Housing Council and National Apartment Association; David C.
Morton, Housing Authority of the City of Reno, Nevada, on behalf of the Public
Housing Authorities Directors Association; Billy Easton, New York State
Tenants and Neighbors Coalition, Albany; and Deborah L. Vincent, Clearwater
Housing Authority, Clearwater, Florida, on behalf of the National Association
of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
NOMINATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings on the nomination of Kenneth M. Mead, of Virginia, to be Inspector
General, Department of Transportation, after the nominee testified and
answered questions in his own behalf.
AVIATION SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings to
examine the accident investigation process for major domestic aviation
accidents and safety responses, receiving testimony from James E. Hall,
Chairman, Bernard Loeb, Director, Division of Aviation Safety, and Dan
Campbell, General Counsel, all of the National Transportation Safety Board;
Guy S. Gardner, Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification, and
Dave Thomas, Director, Office of Accident Investigation, both of the Federal
Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation; and Dale Watson,
Section Chief, International Terrorism Operations Section, National Security
Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE REFORM
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine Medicare
fee-for-service system policies, focusing on the growth in Medicare spending
on post-acute care services and options to constrain that growth, and related
Administrative proposals, receiving testimony from Joseph R. Antos, Assistant
Director for Health and Human Resources, Congressional Budget Office; William
J. Scanlon, Director, Health Financing and Systems Issues, Health, Education,
and Human Services Division, General Accounting Office; Margaret J. Cushman,
VNA Health Care, Inc., Hartford-Waterbury, Connecticut, on behalf of the
National Association for Home Care; Thomas A. Scully, Federation of American
Health Systems, Washington, D.C.; and Michael R. Walker, Genesis Health
Ventures, Inc., Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the American Health
Care Association.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the
ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, opened for
signature and signed by the United States at Paris on January 13, 1993 (Treaty
Doc. 103-21), after receiving testimony from Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, former U.S.
Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Richard N. Perle, former
Assistant
Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy; Fred C. Ikle, former
Director, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; Douglas J. Feith, former
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiation Policy; Gen. Brent
Scowcroft, former National Security Policy Advisor; Adm. E.R. Zumwalt, Jr.,
USN (Ret.), Member, President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and former
Chief of Naval Operations; and Edward L. Rowney, former Ambassador and Lt.
General USA (Ret.) International Negotiation Consultant and former Chief
Negotiator for START I and Special Arms Control Advisor.
INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUNDING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic Policy,
Export and Trade Promotion concluded hearings on the President's proposed
budget request for fiscal year 1998 for the International Financial
Institutions, including the Multilateral Development Bank and the
International Monetary Fund, after receiving testimony from Lawrence H.
Summers, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.
[Page: D309]
FEDERAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia held hearings to
examine the role of the Department of Commerce in Federal statistical
gathering, analysis and dissemination, and opportunities for reform and
consolidation, receiving testimony from Senator Moynihan; Representative Horn;
L. Nye Stevens, Director, Federal Management and Workforce Issues, General
Government Division, General Accounting Office; Janet L. Norwood, Urban
Institute, Washington, D.C.; Vincent P. Barabba, General Motors Corporation,
Capitola, California; Maurine A. Haver, Haver Analytics, New York, New York,
on behalf of the National Association of Business Economists; and Leonard I.
Nakamura, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/10
Daily Digest - Thursday, April 10, 1997; pages D315 - D326
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings on the nominations of Ann Jorgenson, of Iowa, to be a Member of the
Farm Credit Administration Board, and Lowell Lee Junkins, of Iowa, to be a
Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage
Corporation, Farm Credit Administration, after the nominees, who were
introduced by Representative Boswell, testified and answered questions in
their own behalf.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEA/FBI/INS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and
Judiciary, and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Justice, receiving testimony in behalf
of funds for their respective activities from Thomas A. Constantine,
Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration, Louis J. Freeh, Director,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Doris Meissner, Commissioner, Immigration
and Naturalization Service, all of the Department of Justice.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, April 16.
APPROPRIATIONS--INDIAN PROGRAMS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
held hearings on
proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs and the National
Indian Gaming Commission, receiving testimony from Ada Deer, Assistant
Secretary of the Interior
for Indian Affairs.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, April 17.
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION (NEXTEA)
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related
Agencies concluded hearings to examine the fiscal year 1998 funding
implications of the Administration's National Economic Crossroads
Transportation Efficiency Act (NEXTEA) Surface Transportation Reauthorization
proposal, after receiving testimony from Jane F. Garvey, Acting Administrator,
Federal Highway Administration, Gordon J. Linton, Administrator, Federal
Transit Administration, and Ricardo Martinez, Administrator, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, all of the Department of Transportation; Darrel
Rensink, Iowa Department of Transportation, Des Moines, on behalf of the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; William D.
Fay, American Highway Users Alliance, John J. Collins, American Trucking
Associations, and William W. Millar, American Public Transit Association, all
of Washington, D.C.; Frederick L. Gruel, AAA New Jersey Automobile Club,
Trenton, on behalf of the American Automobile Association; and Harry W. Blunt,
Jr., Concord Trailways, Concord, D317New Hampshire, on behalf of the American
Bus Association.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Acquisition and Technology held
hearings on S. 450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military
personnel strengths for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on science and
technology research, receiving testimony from Charles M. Vest, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Rodney A. Erickson, Pennsylvania State
University, University Park; Dan C. Heinemeier, Electronic Industries
Association, Arlington, Virginia; and John K. Buckner, American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Frank Press, Carnegie Institute, both of
Washington, D.C.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 15.
MULTI-CHANNEL VIDEO COMPETITION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings to
examine competitiveness in the cable industry and alternatives to cable,
receiving testimony from Amos B. Hostetter, Jr., Continental Cablevision,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts; Gene Kimmelman, Consumer's Union, and Rupert
Murdoch, News Corporation, both of Washington, D.C.; and Stanley S. Hubbard,
Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION PROGRAM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded hearings to examine the National Earthquake
Hazards Reduction program, after receiving testimony from Richard W. Krimm,
Executive Associate Director of the Mitigation Directorate, Federal Emergency
Management Agency; Robert Hebner, Acting Director, National Institute for
Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce; P. Patrick Leahy, Chief
Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior; M. Christina
Gabriel, Acting Deputy Assistant Director for Engineering, National Science
Foundation; and Arch Johnston, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee.
ESTATE AND GIFT TAXATION
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings on estate and gift taxation
proposals, including S. 482, to partially exclude from the gross estate of a
decedent the value of a family-owned business, and S. 75 and provisions of
H.R. 902, bills to repeal the Federal estate and gift taxes and the tax on
generation-skipping transfers, receiving testimony from Senators Collins, Kyl
and Lugar; Representative Cox; William W. Beach, Heritage Foundation, and
Harry L. Gutman, King and Spalding, both of Washington, D.C.; Drew S. Mendoza,
Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois; John Dudley, Comanche, Texas; Lee Ann
Ferris, Ketchum, Idaho; and Gordon Perkins, LaPeer, Mississippi.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
HONG KONG
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine United
States law enforcement interests in Hong Kong, after receiving testimony from
James S. Milford, Jr., Acting Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Agency,
Alan G. Ringgold, Deputy Assistant Director, Criminal Investigative Division,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mark M. Richard, Deputy Assistant Attorney
General, Criminal Division, and Phyllis Coven, Director of International
Affairs, Immigration and Naturalization Service, all of the Department of
Justice; Jeffrey A. Bader, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian
and Pacific Affairs; John P. Simpson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury for Regulatory, Tariff, and Trade Enforcement; and Roy Godson,
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Also, committee concluded hearings to examine the outlook for Hong Kong
following its planned reversion to China, focusing on the future of freedom,
democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong, after receiving
testimony from Martin C.M. Lee, Chairman of the Democratic Party, Hong Kong.
IRS HIGH-RISK AREAS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings to examine Internal
Revenue Service efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the
program areas identified by the General Accounting Office as high-risk,
receiving testimony from Lawrence Summers, Deputy Secretary, and Michael P.
Dolan, Deputy Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service, both of the Department
of the Treasury; Rona B. Stillman, Chief Scientist, Computers and
Telecommunications, Accounting and Information Management Division, General
Accounting Office; and Donald C. Alexander, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld,
Washington, D.C., former IRS Commissioner.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CHINESE ARMS PROLIFERATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation, and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine China's
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related D318technologies,
missile delivery systems, and advanced conventional weapons, after receiving
testimony from Robert J. Einhorn, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Nonproliferation/Bureau of Political-Military Affairs; James R. Lilley,
University of Maryland, College Park; and Gary Milhollin, Wisconsin Project on
Nuclear Arms Control, Washington, D.C.
NOMINATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported
the nomination of Alexis M. Herman, of Alabama, to be Secretary of Labor.
SENATE ELECTIONS
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee held hearings to review
certain petitions filed in connection with a contested United States Senate
election held in Louisiana in November 1996, receiving testimony from Robert
F. Bauer, Perkins Coie, and William B. Canfield, III, Williams & Jensen, both
of Washington, D.C.
Hearings continue on Tuesday, April 15.
HUBZONE ACT
Committee on Small Business: Committee concluded hearings on S. 208, to
provide Federal contracting opportunities for small business concerns located
in historically underutilized business zones, after receiving testimony from
Aida Alvarez, Administrator, and James Hoobler, Inspector General, both of the
Small Business Administration; Mayor Emmanuel Cleaver, Kansas City, Missouri;
Santos F. Garza, Counter Technology, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland; Peter Homer,
National Indian Business Association, and Anthony W. Robinson, Minority
Business Enterprise Legal Defense Education Fund, Inc., both of Washington,
D.C.; and Sandra Newman, Raritan Container, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again on Wednesday, April 16.
MEDICARE REFORM: MANAGED CARE
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded hearings to examine certain
issues concerning the availability of useful information for Medicare
beneficiaries attempting to choose a managed health care plan, and on proposed
legislation to require beneficiaries to have access to the disenrollment rates
of health plans, and to initiate a standardized format for plan information
and create a comparison chart to assist the beneficiary decision making
process, after receiving testimony from William J. Scanlon, Director, Health
Financing and Systems Issues, Health, Education, and Human Services Division,
General Accounting Office; Diane Archer, Medicare Rights Center, New York, New
York; Helen Darling, Xerox Corporation, Stamford, Connecticut, on behalf of
the Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences; Margaret T. Stanley,
California Public Employees' Retirement System, Sacramento; and Irvin and
Emelda Stuart, Bronx, New York.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/14
Daily Digest - Monday, April 14, 1997; pages D328 - D332
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
TAX FREEDOM
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to review the Tax Foundation's
report entitled "Tax Freedom Day 1997'', detailing the computation of the
number of days Americans must work before they have paid their tax bill,
receiving testimony from J.D. Foster and Patrick Fleenor, both of the Tax
Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CONSUMER CREDIT
Committee on the Judiciary: On Friday, April 11, Subcommittee on
Administrative Oversight and the Courts concluded hearings to examine the
increase of personal bankruptcies and the crisis in consumer credit, after
receiving testimony from Kim D329Kowalewski, Chief, Financial and General
Macroeconomic Analysis Unit, Congressional Budget Office; Michael E. Staten,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; Ian Domowitz, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois; Edward Bankole, Moody's Investors Service, New
York, New York; Michael McEneney, Morrison and Foerster, Washington, D.C.;
Donald Banks, Dayton Hudson, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ken Crone, Visa USA Inc.,
Fluster City, California; Gerald P. Wixted, Consumer Credit Counseling
Services, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Jean Ryan, Miami, Florida.
[Page: D329]
FDA REFORM
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: On Friday, April 11, committee
concluded hearings on proposals to reform the performance, efficiency, and use
of resources of the Food and Drug Administration, after receiving testimony
from Gordon Binder, Amgen Incorporated, Thousand Oaks, California, on behalf
of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the
Biotechnology Industry Association; Roger L. Foster, Mylan Pharmaceuticals
Incorporated, Morgantown, West Virginia, on behalf of the National
Pharmaceutical Alliance; Stephen L. Ferguson, Cook Group Incorporated,
Bloomington, Indiana, on behalf of the Health Industry Manufacturers
Association, the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, and the National
Electrical Manufacturers Association; Sidney M. Wolfe, Public Citizen, and
Cynthia A. Pearson, National Women's Health Network, on behalf of the Patient
Coalition, both of Washington, D.C.; and Adolph S. Clausi, Cos Cob,
Connecticut, on behalf of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the
National Food Processors Association.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/15
Daily Digest - Tuesday, April 15, 1997; pages D333 - D340
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nominations of Lowell Lee Junkins, of Iowa, to be a Member of the
Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, Farm
Credit Administration, and Ann Jorgenson, of Iowa, to be a Member of the Farm
Credit Administration Board.
IRS USE OF TAXPAYERS' FILES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and
General Government held hearings to examine alleged Internal Revenue Service
employees misuse of taxpayers' files, receiving testimony from Senator Glenn;
Lawrence H. Summers, Deputy Secretary, Valerie Lau, Inspector General, and
Margaret Milner Richardson, Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service, all of the
Department of the Treasury; and Rona B. Stillman, Chief Scientist for
Computers and Telecommunications, General Accounting Office.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, April 17.
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998 for the Department of Agriculture, receiving testimony in behalf of
funds for their respective activities from Jill Long Thompson, Under Secretary
for Rural Development, Wally Beyer, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service,
Jan E. Shadburn, Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service, Dayton J.
Watkins, Administrator, Rural Business Cooperative Service, W. Bruce Crain,
Executive Director, Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization
Corporation, and Dennis Kaplan, Budget Officer, all of the Department of
Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 22.
APPROPRIATIONS--ARMY CORPS/BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development held
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Army Corps
of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, focusing on the Bonneville Power
Administration, receiving testimony from Randy Hardy, Administrator,
Bonneville Power Administration; Brig. Gen. Robert H. Griffin, North Pacific
Division Commander of the Army Corps of Engineers; and John Keys, Pacific
Northwest Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the
Interior.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, April 22.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Acquisition and Technology
resumed hearings on S. 450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999
for military activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe
military personnel strengths for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on the
trends in the industrial and technology base supporting national defense,
receiving testimony from Representative Christopher Smith; Robert Pitofsky,
Chairman, Federal Trade Commission; John B. Goodman, Deputy Under Secretary
(Industrial Affairs and Installations), and Eleanor R. Spector, Director of
Defense Procurement, Office of the Under Secretary (Acquisition and
Technology), both of the Department of Defense; David E. Cooper, Associate
Director for Defense Acquisition Issues, National Security-Foreign Affairs
Division, General Accounting Office; Pierre Chao, Morgan Stanley Equity
Research, New York, New York; and Danielle Brian, Project on Government
Oversight, and Don Fuqua, Aerospace Industries Association, both of
Washington, D.C.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness resumed hearings on S.
450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel strengths
for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, and S. 451, to authorize construction at
certain military installations for fiscal year 1998, and for other military
construction authorizations and activities of the Department of Defense,
focusing on D335environmental and military construction issues, receiving
testimony from Sherri W. Goodman, Deputy Under Secretary for Environmental
Security, and John S. Goodman, Deputy Under Secretary for Industrial Affairs
and Installations, both of the Department of Defense; Jan B. Reltman, Staff
Director, Environment and Safety, HQ Defense Logistics Agency; Raymond J.
Fatz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Occupational
Health, and Paul Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Installations,
Logistics and Environment, both for the Department of the Army; Robert B.
Pirie, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installation and Environment;
and Thomas W. McCall, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental,
Safety and Occupational Health, and Jimmy G. Dishner, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Installations, both for the Air Force.
[Page: D335]
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, April 17.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee resumed hearings on the ratification
of the Convention on the Prohibition of Development, Production, Stockpiling
and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, opened for signature and
signed by the United States at Paris on January 13, 1993 (Treaty Doc, 103-21),
receiving testimony from William A. Reinsch, Under Secretary of Commerce for
Export Administration; Bruce Merrifield, former Assistant Secretary of
Commerce; Frederick Webber, Chemical Manufacturers Association, and Kevin L.
Kearns, United States Business and Industrial Council, both of Washington,
D.C.; Malcolm S. Forbes, Jr., Forbes, Inc., New York, New York; Wayne Spears,
Spears Manufacturing Company, Burbank, California; Ralph V. Johnson, Dixie
Chemical Company, Inc., Houston, Texas; and Kathleen C. Bailey, University of
California, Livermore.
Hearings will resume on Thursday, April 17.
U.S.-JAPAN BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
concluded hearings to examine the United States' bilateral relationship with
Japan, after receiving testimony from Robert C. Reis, Acting Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs; Kurt M. Campbell, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs; Nathaniel B.
Thayer, Johns Hopkins University, Michael H. Armacost, Brookings Institution,
and Arthur J. Alexander, Japan Economic Institute of America, all of
Washington, D.C.; and Ira Wolf, Eastman Kodak Company, Tokyo, Japan, on behalf
of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration concluded hearings to
examine the contributions to the United States from legal immigrants, focusing
on how immigrants increase consumer spending and job growth and create jobs
through entrepreneurship, after receiving testimony from Senator Hatch; Ovidiu
Colea, Colbar Art, Inc., Long Island, New York; John Tu and Gary D. MacDonald,
Kingston Technology Company, Fountain Valley, California; Mara M. Letica,
Letica Corporation, Rochester, Michigan; Adrian A. Gaspar, Adrian A. Gaspar
and Company, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Jimy M. Sanders, University of
South Carolina at Columbia.
FEDERAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Employment and
Training resumed oversight hearings to review the effectiveness of Federal job
training programs and changes needed to meet the skill demands in a
competitive marketplace, focusing on innovations in adult job training,
receiving testimony from Jacki Bessler-Perasso, Oregon Job Training
Partnership Administration, Salem; Donald W. Ingwerson, Los Angeles County
Office of Education, Downey, California; Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County
Commission, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on behalf of the National Association of
Counties and the Association of Minnesota Counties; Daniel Berry, Cleveland
Growth Association, Cleveland, Ohio; Ronald C. Foster, Washington, D.C., and
Pamela Denise Brown, New York, New York, both of United Parcel Service; and
Kenneth E. Tully and Marlene Gray, both of Marriott International, Inc., and
Kristin Watkins, Wider Opportunities for Women, all of Washington, D.C.
Hearings will resume on Thursday, April 17.
[Page: D336]
SENATE ELECTIONS
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded hearings to review
certain petitions filed in connection with a contested United States Senate
election held in Louisiana in November 1996, after receiving testimony from
Mark K. Seifert, Washington, D.C.; Louis Jenkins, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and
G. Anthony Gelderman, III, Tarcza and Gelderman, and Scott R. Bickford,
Martzell and Bickford, both of New Orleans, Louisiana.
[Page: D337]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/16
Daily Digest - Wednesday, April 16, 1997; pages D342 - D350
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for defense programs, focusing on the
Department of the Army, receiving testimony from Togo D. West, Jr., Secretary,
and Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, Chief of Staff, both of the Department of the Army.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, April 23.
[Page: D343]
APPROPRIATIONS--FCC
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for
the Federal Communications Commission, receiving testimony from Reed E. Hundt,
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission.
Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.
APPROPRIATIONS--TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related
Agencies held hearings on aviation safety and security issues, receiving
testimony from Carl Vogt, White House Commission on Aviation Safety and
Security; James E. Hall, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board; and
Barry L. Valentine, Acting Administrator, Susan Kurland, Airports, Cathal
Flynn, Civil Aviation Security, Monte Belger, Deputy Administrator, George
Donahue, Research and Acquisitions, and Guy Gardner, Regulation and
Certification, all of the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of
Transportation.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, May 7.
APPROPRIATIONS--EDUCATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998
for the Department of Education, receiving testimony from Richard W. Riley,
Secretary of Education; Nevada Governor Bob Miller, Carson City; Ohio Governor
George Voinovich, Columbus; Robert Reiner, Castle Rock Entertainment,
Hollywood, California; and Bruce Perry, Baylor School of Medicine, Houston,
Texas.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland Forces resumed hearings
on S. 450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel
strengths for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on tactical aircraft
modernization plans, receiving testimony from Cindy L. Williams, Assistant
Director, National Security Division, Congressional Budget Office; George R.
Schneiter, Director, Strategic and Tactical Systems, and William J. Lynn III,
Director, Program Analysis and Evaluation, both of the Department of Defense;
Arthur L. Money, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; and
Norman R. Augustine, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held open and
closed hearings on S. 450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999
for military activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe
military personnel strengths for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on
information warfare programs, policies, and issues, receiving testimony from
Joan A. Dempsey, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence; Lt. Gen. Peter Pace, USMC,
Director for Operations, (J-3), Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Lt. Gen.
Douglas D. Buchholz, USA, Director for Command, Control, Communications, and
Computers (J-6), Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Lt. Gen. Kenneth A.
Minihan, USAF, Director, National Security Agency; and Maj. Gen. David J.
Kelly, USA, Vice Director, Defense Information Systems Agency.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space held hearings on the President's proposed budget for
fiscal year 1998 for Federally-funded research and development projects and to
examine associated trends, receiving testimony from John H. Gibbons, Assistant
to the President for Science and Technology and Director, Office of Science
and Technology Policy; Albert Teich, American Association for the Advancement
of Science, and Claude Barfield, American Enterprise Institute, both of
Washington, D.C.; and Lewis M. Branscomb, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
EDUCATION TAX REFORM
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine certain higher
education tax incentives as contained in the President's proposed budget
request for fiscal year 1998, and related provisions of S. 1, S. 127, and S.
559, receiving testimony from Senators Coverdell, Graham, McConnell, and
Biden; Lawrence H. Summers, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; Mississippi
State Treasurer Marshall G. Bennett, Jackson, on behalf of the National
Association of State Treasurers; Jennifer Long, State University of New York
at Buffalo, on behalf of the American Association of Dental Schools and the
American Dental Association; C. Tyler Mathisen, Money Magazine, New York, New
York; John S. Barry, Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C.; David W. Breneman,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville; Michael S. McPherson, Macalester
College, St. Paul, Minnesota; and Kathleen Thompson, Tracor, Inc., Rockville,
D344Maryland, on behalf of the American Electronics Association and the
Society for Human Resource Management.
[Page: D344]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CENSUS 2000
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings to examine the
constitutionality of the Census Bureau's current plans for estimating the year
2000 census, receiving testimony from Stuart M. Gerson, former Assistant
Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice; Wisconsin Attorney
General James E. Doyle, Madison; Lawrence D. Brown, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and Charles L. Schultze, Brookings Institution,
Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
TELEVISION PROGRAMMING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia concluded hearings to
discuss the influence of certain television programming on children's language
development, reading skills, attention span, and attitudes toward violence,
sexuality, and other behaviors, and the Federal Government's role in improving
the content of programming, after receiving testimony from Senator DeWine;
Dale Kunkel, University of California, Santa Barbara; Jeffrey I. Cole, UCLA
Center for Community Policy, Los Angeles, California; Helen K. Liebowitz,
National PTA Board of Directors, Chicago, Illinois; Whitney G. Vanderwerff,
National Alliance for Non-violent Programming, Greensboro, North Carolina;
Michael Brody, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Washington, D.C.; and David Walsh, National Institute on Media and the Family,
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
CRIME VICTIMS RIGHTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee held hearings on S.J. Res. 6, proposing
an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to protect the rights of
crime victims, receiving testimony from Representatives Scott and Pryce; Janet
Reno, Attorney General, Department of Justice; Wisconsin Attorney General
James E. Doyle, Madison; Kansas Attorney General Carla J. Stovall, Topeka;
Barbara LaWall, Office of the Pima County Attorney, Tucson, Arizona; Robert J.
Humphreys, Office of the Commonwealth Attorney for Virginia Beach, Virginia,
on behalf of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys; Paul G.
Cassell, University of Utah College of Law, Salt Lake City; Donna F. Edwards,
National Network to End Domestic Violence, Washington, D.C.; John Walsh,
"America's Most Wanted", Arlington, Virginia; Marsha A. Kight, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma; and Lynne Henderson, Bloomington, Indiana.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
JUVENILE CRIME
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Youth Violence concluded hearings
to examine the trend in violent juvenile crime and certain issues regarding
the juvenile justice system, focusing on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
role in identifying juveniles and providing criminal history record
information to criminal justice agencies, after receiving testimony from
Senator Ashcroft; Charles W. Archer, Assistant Director, Criminal Justice
Information Services Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of
Justice; John F. Butler, Circuit Judge, Juvenile Division, Juvenile Court of
Mobile County, Alabama; Melvin Brown, Jr., Montgomery County Probation
Department, Montgomery County, Texas; James Wootton, Safe Streets Coalition,
Washington, D.C.; Vicki L. Wright, Texas Juvenile Probation Commission,
Austin; Sheriff Edmund M. Sexton, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama; and Kenneth W.
Sukhia, Tallahassee, Florida.
AUTHORIZATION--HIGHER EDUCATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for programs of the Higher Education Act,
focusing on how colleges and universities are using new technologies to extend
the classroom beyond their campuses (distance learning), receiving testimony
from Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt, Salt Lake City, on behalf of the
Western Governors University; William H. Graves, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, and Muriel Oaks, Washington State University, Pullman, both on
behalf of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the
American Council on Education, and the National Association of State
Universities and Land-Grant Colleges; William A. Wulf, National Academy of
Engineering, Washington, D.C.; and David B. House, Saint Joseph's College of
Maine, Standish.
Hearings will resume on Wednesday, April 23.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
[Page: D345]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/17
Daily Digest - Thursday, April 17, 1997; pages D352 - D362
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
CROP INSURANCE REFORM
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings to examine the Federal Crop and Revenue Insurance program of the
Department of Agriculture, focusing on the adequacy of the administrative
expense reimbursement paid by the Department of Agriculture's Federal Crop
Insurance Corporation to participating insurance companies for selling and
servicing crop insurance and the comparative cost to the government of
delivering catastrophic crop insurance through the Department of Agriculture
and the private sector, and to discuss alternative means to reimburse
companies' administrative expenses for delivering crop insurance, after
receiving testimony Robert A. Robinson, Director, Food and Agriculture Issues,
Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, General Accounting
Office; Kenneth D. Ackerman, Administrator, Risk Management Agency, Department
of Agriculture; John Joyce, National Crop Insurance Services, West Des Moines,
Iowa, on behalf of the American Association of Crop Insurers; Richard C.
Gibson, American Agrisurance, Council Bluffs, Iowa; Robert E. Fulwider, West
Liberty, Iowa, on behalf of the Independent Insurance Agents of America; Alan
S. Walter, Agricultural Risk Management North America, Inc., Overland Park,
Kansas; Frank Beurskens, Frank Beurskens Consulting, Inc., Bloomington,
Illinois, on behalf of the National Grain and Feed Association; and David
Lehman, Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago, Illinois.
APPROPRIATIONS--SUPREME COURT/JUDICIARY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary, and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998 for the Supreme Court of the United States and the Judiciary,
receiving testimony from Anthony M. Kennedy, and David H. Souter, each an
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; and John G.
Heyburn II, United States District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, April 24.
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations held hearings
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for foreign assistance
programs, focusing on Korea, Burma, and Hong Kong, receiving testimony from
Charles Cartman, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, May 6.
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREST SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Forest
Service, receiving testimony from James R. Lyons, Under Secretary for Natural
Resources and Environment, and Michael P. Dombeck, Chief, Forest Service, both
of the Department of Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, April 24.
APPROPRIATIONS--LAW ENFORCEMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and
General Government held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year
1998 for law enforcement programs of the Department of the Treasury, receiving
testimony from Raymond W. Kelly, Under Secretary for Enforcement, George
Weise, Commissioner, United States Customs Service, John W. Magaw, Director,
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Charles F. Rinkevich, Director,
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Stanley E. Morris, Director, Office
of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Eljay B. Bowron, Director, United
States Secret Service, and Valerie Lau, Inspector General, all of the
Department of the Treasury.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness resumed hearings on S.
450, uthorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel strengths
for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on the status of operational
readiness of United States military forces, receiving testimony from Gen.
Ronald H. Griffith, USA, Vice Chief of the Army; Adm. Harold W. Gehman, Jr.,
USN, Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Gen. Thomas S. Moorman, USAF, Vice Chief
of the Air Force; Gen. Richard I. Neal, USMC, Assistant Commandant of the
Marine Corps; Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Schwartz, USA, Commanding General, III Corps
and Fort Hood; Vice Adm. Herbert A. Browne, Jr., USN, Commanding Admiral, III
Fleet; Lt. Gen. Carl E. Franklin, USAF, Commanding General, 9th Air Force; and
Lt. Gen. Charles E. Wilhelm, USMC, Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary
Force.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call. D354
REVENUE RAISING PROPOSALS
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine certain revenue
raising provisions of the Administration's proposed budget request for fiscal
year 1998, receiving testimony from Donald C. Lubick, Acting Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy; Martin D. Ginsburg, Georgetown
University Law Center, Fred T. Goldberg, Jr., Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher
and Flom, Gary C. Hufbauer, Institute for International Economics, and C.
Ellen MacNeil, Arthur Andersen, all of Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the
ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, opened for
signature and signed by the United States at Paris on January 13, 1993 (Treaty
Doc. 103-21), after receiving testimony from Representative Goss; Ronald F.
Lehman, former Director, United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency;
Edward J. O'Malley, former Assistant Director of Counterintelligence, Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; and Gen. William Odom, former
Director, National Security Agency, Department of Defense.
IRAN WEAPONS PROLIFERATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian
Affairs held hearings to examine United States policy with regard to the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile programs in Iran,
receiving testimony from Senator D'Amato; David Welch, Acting Assistant
Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, and Robert J. Einhorn, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, both of the Department of State; R.
James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence; and Leonard S.
Spector, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CHINESE ARMS PROLIFERATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation, and Federal Services concluded hearings in closed session to
examine China's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related
technologies, missile delivery systems, and advanced conventional weapons,
after receiving testimony from Gordon Oehler, Special Assistant to the
Director of Central Intelligence for Nonproliferation and Director, DCI's
Nonproliferation Center.
D.C. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia concluded hearings to
discuss improvement opportunities for public education in the District of
Columbia, after receiving testimony from Julius W. Becton, Jr., Chief
Executive Officer/Superintendent, District of Columbia Public Schools; Bruce
K. MacLaury, Chairman, District of Columbia Emergency Transitional Education
Board of Trustees; Kevin P. Chavous, Chairman/Committee on Education,
Libraries and Recreation, District of Columbia City Council; A. Lamar
Alexander, Jr., former Secretary of Education; former Mayor Edward I. Koch,
New York, New York; Jay P. Greene, University of Houston, Houston, Texas; and
Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform, Kathleen Sylvester, Progressive
Policy Institute, and Mark E.P. Roberts, all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 506, to clarify and make technical corrections to certain copyright
provisions;
S. 568, to make a technical correction to title 28, United States Code,
relating to jurisdiction for lawsuits against terrorist states; and
The nominations of Donald M. Middlebrooks, to be United States District Judge
for the Southern District of Florida, Jeffrey T. Miller, to be United States
District Judge for the Southern District of California, and Robert W. Pratt,
to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa.
JOB TRAINING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Employment and
Training concluded hearings to examine innovations in youth job training,
focusing on Federal programs to assist at-risk youth improve their preparation
for a career, after receiving testimony from Mary H. Silva, National Director,
Office of Job Corps, Department of Labor; Allyson Peerman, Advanced Mirco
Devices, and Richard Halpin, American Institute for Learning, both of Austin,
Texas; Ralph DiBattista, Vinnell Corporation, St. Paul, Minnesota; Carmen
Placido, Center for Employment Training, San Jose, California; Lorenzo D.
Harrison, East Harlem Employment Service/STRIVE, New York, New York; and
Jerome Ryan, Boston Alternative Education Alliance, Boston, Massachusetts.
SENATE ELECTION INVESTIGATION
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee ordered favorably reported an
original resolution authorizing an investigation into alleged illegal and
D355improper activities affecting the outcome of a United States Senate
election held in the State of Louisiana in November 1996.
GULF WAR ILLNESSES
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
United States Government's response with regard to the disclosure of
information on the possible exposure of United States and allied troops to
chemical and biological weapons during the Persian Gulf War and the handling
of health care concerns of U.S. veterans, after receiving testimony from Gen.
Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.).
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again on Wednesday, April 23.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/21
Daily Digest - Monday, April 21, 1997; pages D364 - D366
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/22
Daily Digest - Tuesday, April 22, 1997; pages D367 - D370
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998, receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their respective
activities from Catherine E. Woteki, Acting Under Secretary, and Floyd P.
Horn, Acting Deputy Under Secretary, both for Research, Education and
Economics, Edward Knipling, Acting Administrator, Agricultural Research
Service, Robert H. Robinson, Administrator, Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service, Kelli White, Associate Administrator,
Economic Research Service, Donald Bay, Administrator, National Agricultural
Statistics Service, and Dennis Kaplan, Deputy Director for Budget, Legislative
and Regulatory Systems, all of the Department of Agriculture.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, May 1.
APPROPRIATIONS--ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development held
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for energy and
water development, focusing on the Environmental Management Program of the
Department of Energy, receiving testimony from Alvin L. Alm, Assistant
Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, April 24.
APPROPRIATIONS--NSF/OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from Neal F.
Lane, Director, National Science Foundation; and John H. Gibbons, Director,
Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, May 1.
[Page: D368]
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on SeaPower resumed hearings on S.
450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel strengths
for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on Department of the Navy
shipbuilding development and procurement programs, receiving testimony from
John W. Douglass, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development
and Acquisition; Vice Adm. Donald L. Pilling, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval
Operations, Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments; and John Birkler,
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: On Friday, April 18, committee concluded
hearings on the nomination of Thomas R. Pickering, of New Jersey, to be Under
Secretary of State for Political Affairs, after the nominee, who was
introduced by Senator Lautenberg, testified and answered questions in his own
behalf.
AIRLINE ANTITRUST IMPLICATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and
Competition concluded hearings to examine antitrust implications of the
proposed British Airways-American Airlines Alliance, focusing on the impact
this alliance will have on the availability and affordability of international
air travel, the long-term viability of the U.S. airline industry, the
preservation of competition in the London market, and the security of the
American consumer, after receiving testimony from Barry P. Simon, Continental
Airlines, Inc., Mark N. Cooper, Consumer Federation of America, and D. Scott
Yohe, Delta Air Lines, Inc., all of Washington, D.C.; Richard Branson, Virgin
Atlantic Airlines, London, England; David A. Schwarte, American Airlines,
Inc., Fort Worth, Texas; Cyril Murphy, United Airlines, Chicago, Illinois; and
Lawrence M. Nagin, US Airways, Inc., Arlington, Virginia.
CHILDREN'S HEALTH
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: On Friday, April 18, committee
concluded hearings on proposals to improve the health status of children,
including S. 435 and S. 525, focusing on pediatric care, public health, mental
health, and substance abuse issues, after receiving testimony from Senators
Hatch and Specter; Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services;
Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Montpelier; Mohammad N. Akhter, American Public
Health Association, and Mary Jane England, Washington Business Group on
Health, both of Washington, D.C.; Antoinette Parisi Eaton, Children's
Hospital, Inc., Columbus, Ohio; Judith S. Palfrey, Children's Hospital,
Boston, Massachusetts; and James E. Copple, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of
America, Alexandria, Virginia.
AUTHORIZATION--NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on S. 459, to
authorize funds for fiscal years 1997 through 2000 for programs administered
by the Administration for Native Americans, after receiving testimony from
Gary Niles Kimble, Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans,
Department of Health and Human Services; A. David Lester, Council of Energy
Resource Tribes, Denver, Colorado; and Wallace Coffey, Comanche Indian Tribe,
Lawton, Oklahoma.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/23
Daily Digest - Wednesday, April 23, 1997; pages D372 - D380
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on District of Columbia held
hearings to examine an additional funding request for fiscal year 1997 by the
District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance
Authority for capital improvements to District of Columbia public schools and
for public safety agencies, receiving testimony from Andrew F. Brimmer,
Chairman, District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management
Assistance Authority; Gen. Julius W. Becton, Jr., (USA, Ret.), Chief Executive
Officer/Superintendent, and Gen. Charles Williams (USA, Ret.), Chief
Operations Officer, both of the District of Columbia Public Schools; Larry D.
Soulsby, Police Chief, District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department;
Eugene N. Hamilton, Chief Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia;
and Margaret A. Moore, Director, District of Columbia Department of
Corrections.
[Page: D373]
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
NATO ENLARGEMENT
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
Administration's proposal to enlarge the membership of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO), after receiving testimony from Madeleine K.
Albright, Secretary of State; and William S. Cohen, Secretary of Defense.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings on the nominations of Kerri Ann Jones, of Maryland, and Jerry M.
Melillo, of Massachusetts, each to be an Associate Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy, after the nominees testified and answered
questions in their own behalf. Testimony was also received on the nominations
from John H. Gibbons, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology,
and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy.
U.S. MANUFACTURING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Manufacturing and Competitiveness concluded hearings to examine the current
state of manufacturing in the United States and prospects for the future,
after receiving testimony from Jerry J. Jasinowski, National Association of
Manufacturers, Charles W. McMillion, MBG Information Services, Andrew H. Card,
Jr., American Automobile Manufacturers Association, William T. Archey,
American Electronics Association, James F. Collins, Steel Manufacturers
Association, and Edward M. Bolen, General Aviation Manufacturers Association,
all of Washington, D.C.; Kenneth McLennan, Manufacturers Alliance, Arlington,
Virginia; and Russell R. Coyner, BIFMA International, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings on S. 436, to establish a new
Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund to be made available for financing certain
capital expenditures of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak),
and for certain other transportation expenses by States in which Amtrak does
not provide service, receiving testimony from Senator Wyden; Thomas M. Downs,
Chairman, President and CEO, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak);
Phyllis F. Scheinberg, Associate Director, Transportation Issues, Resources,
Community, and Economic Development Division, General Accounting Office; Brent
Blackwelder, Friends of the Earth, and Ross B. Capon, National Association of
Railroad Passengers, both of Washington, D.C.; Sonny Hall, Transport Workers
Union of America, New York, New York, on behalf of the Transportation Trades
Rail Labor Division (AFL-CIO); William Lochte, Bombardier Transit Corporation,
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the American Passenger Rail Coalition;
and Doras Briggs, Kensington, California.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BIENNIAL BUDGETING AND APPROPRIATIONS ACT
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings on S. 261, to
provide for a biennial budget process and a biennial appropriations process
and to enhance oversight and the performance of the Federal Government,
receiving testimony from Franklin D. Raines, Director, Office of Management
and Budget; Susan J. Irving, Associate Director, Budget Issues, Accounting and
Information Management Division, General Accounting Office; Louis Fisher,
Senior Specialist in Separation of Powers, Congressional Research Service,
Library of Congress; and Charles J. Whalen, Cornell University, Ithaca, New
York.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
GANG VIOLENCE
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee held hearings to examine the scope of
the interstate spread of gang violence, and S. 54, to strengthen the
coordinated, cooperative response of federal, state, and local law enforcement
needed to combat gang violence, receiving testimony from Senator Reid; Steven
R. Wiley, Chief, Violent Crimes and Major Offenders Section, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Department of Justice; James Mulvihill, Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Office, Los Angeles, California; A. James Walton, Jr., Vermont
Department of Public Safety, Waterbury; Aaron D. Kennard, Salt Lake County
Sheriff's Office, and Colleen Minson, both of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
HIGHER EDUCATION AUTHORIZATION: CAMPUS BASED FINANCIAL AID
PROGRAMS
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for programs of the Higher Education
Act, focusing on certain campus based financial aid programs which provide
federal funds to participating institutions who then administer the programs
rather than the Federal Government, and the State Student Incentive Grant,
after receiving testimony from Judith N. Flink, University of Illinois,
Chicago, on behalf of the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance
Organizations; Scott B. Freedman, New Jersey State Office of Student
Assistance, Trenton, on behalf of D374the National Association of State
Student Grant and Aid Programs; Charles Puls, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New
Hampshire, on behalf of the National Student Employment Association; and Jane
C. Sangeloty, University of New Haven, West Haven, Connecticut.
[Page: D374]
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again on Wednesday, April 30.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/24
Daily Digest - Thursday, April 24, 1997; pages D381 - D388
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--NOAA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary, and Related Agencies concluded hearings on proposed budget
estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration of the Department of Commerce, after receiving testimony from
D. James Baker, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
APPROPRIATIONS--ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS/BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for
programs of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, after
receiving testimony from H. Martin Lancaster, Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Civil Works; Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard, Chief, and Maj. Gen. Russell L.
Fuhrman, Director for Civil Works, both of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
and Patricia J. Beneke, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, and Eluid
L. Martinez, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, both of the Department of
the Interior.
APPROPRIATIONS--ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from Jane
Alexander, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts; and Sheldon Hackney,
Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, May 1.
NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE ACT
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. 7, to establish a United States policy for the deployment of a national
missile defense system; and
2,449 military nominations in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
ISTEA AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act, focusing on truck safety issues, receiving
testimony from Rodney E. Slater, Secretary of Transportation; Mayor Louis
Bronaugh, Lufkin, Texas, on behalf of the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks;
Warren Hoemann, Traffic Safety Alliance, Burlingame, California; Thomas J.
Donohue, American Trucking Associations, Alexandria, Virginia; Lisa Irwin,
Michigan State Police, Lansing, on behalf of the Commercial Vehicle Safety
Alliance; and Steven Wellington, Mesa, Arizona, on behalf of Citizens for
Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH).
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--NASA
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded hearings on proposed legislation authorizing
funds for fiscal year 1998 for the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), after receiving testimony from Daniel S. Goldin,
Administrator, Edward A. Frankle, General Counsel, and Malcolm Peterson,
Comptroller, all of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Marcia
Smith, Specialist in Aerospace and Telecommunications Policy, and Dave
Radzanowski, Analyst in Aerospace Policy, both of the Congressional Research
Service, Library of Congress; Kenneth F. Galloway, Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, Tennessee; and Jerry Grey, American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, Reston, Virginia.
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air,
Wetlands, Private Property and Nuclear Safety held hearings to examine the
Environmental Protection Agency implementation and health effects of proposed
revisions to the national ambient air quality standards for ozone and
particulate matters, receiving testimony from Mary D. Nichols, Assistant
Administrator for Air and Radiation, Environmental Protection Agency; Kenneth
W. Chilton, Center for the Study of American Business/Washington University,
St. Louis, Missouri; Thomas B. Starr, ENVIRON International Corporation,
Raleigh, North Carolina; Susan E. Dudley, Economists Incorporated, Alan J.
Krupnick, Resources for the Future, and Paul C. Kerkhoven, D383American
Highway Users Alliance, all of Washington, D.C.; Carl M. Shy, University of
North Carolina School of Public Health, Chapel Hill; Morton Lippmann, New York
University Medical Center, New York, New York; Benjamin Y. Cooper, Printing
Industries of America, Alexandria, Virginia; Pat Leyden, South Coast Air
Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, California; and Beverly Hartsock,
Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Austin.
[Page: D383]
Hearings continue on Tuesday, April 29.
HONG KONG
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
concluded hearings to examine United States interests and policies toward Hong
Kong, after receiving testimony from Jeffrey A. Bader, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; William H. Overholt,
Bankers Trust Company, Hong Kong; Andrew Y. Au, Alliance of Hong Kong Chinese
in the United States, Greenbelt, Maryland; and Mike Jendrzejczyk, Human Rights
Watch/Asia, Washington, D.C.
NOAA MANAGEMENT REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia resumed hearings on
proposals to reorganize the Department of Commerce, focusing on management
reforms at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, receiving
testimony from Diana Josephson, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans
and Atmosphere/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Joel C.
Willemssen, Director, Information Resources Management, Accounting and
Information Management Division, General Accounting Office; Bryan J. Logan,
Photo Science, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, and John M. Palatiello, Reston,
Virginia, both on behalf of the Management Association for Private
Photogrammetric Surveyors; Kenneth S. Johnson, Moss Landing Marine
Laboratories/California State University, Moss Landing, on behalf of the
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System; and Joel N. Myers,
AccuWeather, Inc., State College, Pennsylvania.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded oversight hearings
on the status of vocational education assistance and its role in workforce
development and the Administration's views on reforming the Federal investment
in vocational education, after receiving testimony from Patricia W. McNeil,
Assistant Secretary of Education for Vocational and Adult Education; David
Stern, University of California, Berkeley; Harris N. Miller, Information
Technology Association of America, Arlington, Virginia; Paul F. Cole, American
Federation of Teachers, Loudonville, New York; Rick Theders, Clark-Theders
Insurance Group, Cincinnati, Ohio, on behalf of the American Vocational
Association; Dan Hull, Center for Occupational Research and Development, Waco,
Texas; and Larry Rosenstock, New Urban High School Project, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
GPO REFORM
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee held hearings to review
legislative recommendations on certain revisions to Title 44 of the U.S. Code
which authorizes the Government Printing Office to provide permanent public
access to Federal government information, receiving testimony from Michael F.
DiMario, Public Printer, and George E. Lord, Chairman, Joint Council of
Unions, both of the Government Printing Office; Royce C. Lamberth, United
States District Judge for the District of Columbia; and William J. Boarman,
Communications Workers of America, Washington, D.C.
Hearings continue on Wednesday, April 30.
SBA'S NON-CREDIT PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Committee held oversight hearings on the success
and failures of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) non-credit and
business development programs and the future direction of such programs,
including initiatives in training young people for careers as entrepreneurs,
receiving testimony from Jeanne Sclater, Acting Associate Deputy Administrator
for Economic Development, Small Business Administration; Jean M. Buckley,
Junior Achievement, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Terry Jarchow, Junior
Achievement Mississippi Valley, Inc., Hazelwood, Missouri; Reginald G. Harmon,
The Dream Team, St. Louis, Missouri; Marilyn L. Kourilsky, Ewing Marion
Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri; Michael D. Case, Case Custom
Painting, Norborne, Missouri; Frederic W. Thomas, Service Corps of Retired
Executives Association (SCORE), and Susan Eckerly, National Federation of
Independent Business, both of Washington, D.C.; Sam Males, Nevada Small
Business Development Center, Reno, on behalf of the Association of Small
Business Development Centers; S. Terry Neese, Terry Neese Personnel Services
and Terry Neese Temporaries, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on behalf of the
National Association of Women Business Owners; Robert T. Creighton, Lynnfield,
Massachusetts; Douglas P. Schoen, Ballwin, Missouri; Katie Sullivan,
Cincinnati, Ohio; and Casey Collier, Shawnee, Kansas.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D384]
Joint Meetings
NATO ENLARGEMENT
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission held hearings to examine the process to enlarge the membership of
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), receiving testimony from Ojars
Kainins, Latvia Ambassador to the United States; Alfonsas Eidintas, Lithuania
Ambassador to the United States; Jerzy Kozminski, Poland Ambassador to the
United States; and Grigore-Kalev Stoicescu, Estonia Ambassador to the United
States.
Hearings continue on Thursday, May 8.
1997/04/25
Daily Digest - Friday, April 25, 1997; pages D389 - D394
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--HEALTH PROFESSIONS
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety concluded hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for health
professions and nursing education programs of the Public Health Service Act,
and related workforce issues, after receiving testimony from Representative
Becerra, on behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Claude Earl Fox,
Acting Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department
of Health and Human Services; Leonard H. Finkelstein, Philadelphia College of
Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the American
Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine; James E. Kennedy, University
of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, Farmington, on behalf of the
American Dental Association and the American Association of Dental Schools;
Sheila A. Ryan, University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, New
York, on behalf of the National League for Nursing; John E. Maupin, Jr.,
Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, on behalf of the Association of
Minority Health Professions Schools; Stephen Gehlbach, University of
Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Amherst, on behalf
of the Association of Schools of Public Health; J. Ocie Harris, University of
Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, on behalf of the National
Organization of Area Health Education Centers Program Directors; Robert E.
Roush, Jr., Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, on behalf of the
National Association of Geriatric Education Centers; and David M. Gibson,
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, on behalf of the
Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions.
[Page: D390]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/28
Daily Digest - Monday, April 28, 1997; pages D395 - D398
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/29
Daily Digest - Tuesday, April 29, 1997; pages D399 - D406
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT REPEAL
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee held hearings on
S. 621, to repeal the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 and transfer
residual regulatory authority from the Securities and Exchange Commission to
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and State public service commissions,
receiving testimony from Senator Murkowski; Isaac C. Hunt, Jr., Commissioner,
Securities and Exchange Commission; Susan Tomasky, General Counsel, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy; Robert W. Gee, Public
Utility Commission of Texas, Austin, on behalf of the National Association of
Regulatory Utility Commissioners; Ronald J. Tanski, National Fuel Gas
Distribution Corporation, Buffalo, New York; Ferd. C. Meyer, Jr., Central and
South West Corporation, Dallas, Texas; Les E. LoBaugh, Jr., Pacific
Enterprises, Los Angeles, California; Mark N. Cooper, Consumer Federation of
America, Washington, D.C.; and Larry A. Frimerman, Ohio Consumers' Counsel,
D400Columbus, on behalf of the National Association of State Utility Consumer
Advocates.
[Page: D400]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
AIR BAG SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings to examine automobile air bag safety issues, after receiving
testimony from James E. Hall, Chairman, Elaine B. Weinstein, Chief, Safety
Studies Division, Office of Research and Engineering, and Barry M. Sweedler,
Director, Office of Safety Recommendations, all of the National Transportation
Safety Board; and Ricardo Martinez, Administrator, Philip R. Recht, Deputy
Administrator, and James H. Hedlund, Traffic Safety Programs, all of the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation.
TONGASS LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded oversight
hearings to review a General Accounting Office evaluation of the Tongass
National Forest land management planning process as implemented by the
Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, after receiving testimony from
Barry T. Hill, Associate Director, and Charles Cotton, Assistant Director,
both of Energy, Resources, and Science Issues, Resources, Community, and
Economic Development Division, Angela Sanders, Program Evaluator (Seattle,
Washington), and Ned Smith, Program Evaluator, all of the General Accounting
Office.
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air,
Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety resumed oversight hearings to
examine the Environmental Protection Agency implementation and health and
economic effects of proposed revisions to the national ambient air quality
standards for ozone and particulate matters, receiving testimony from Mayor
Emma Jean Hull, Benton Harbor, Michigan; Mayor Richard P. Homrighausen, Dover,
Ohio; Maryland Delegate Leon G. Billings, Annapolis; New Hampshire State
Senator Richard L. Russman, Exeter; John Selph, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, on
behalf of the National Association of Regional Councils; Robert C. Junk, Jr.,
Pennsylvania Farmers Union, Harrisburg, on behalf of the National Farmers
Union; Bob L. Vice, California Farm Bureau Federation, Sacramento, on behalf
of the American Farm Bureau Federation; Paul Hansen, Izaak Walton League of
America, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Kevin P. Fennelly, National Jewish Medical
and Research Center, Denver, Colorado; Christopher M. Grande, International
Trauma Anesthesia and Critical Care Society, Baltimore, Maryland; Harry C.
Alford, National Black Chamber of Commerce, and Jeffrey C. Smith, Institute of
Clean Air Companies, Inc., both of Washington, D.C.; Frank Herhold, Marine
Industries Association of South Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, on behalf of the
National Marine Manufacturers Association; and Glenn Heilman, Heilman Pavement
Specialties, Inc., Freeport, Pennsylvania.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
FLANK DOCUMENT TREATY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the
ratification of the Document Agreed Among the States Parties to the Treaty on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) of November 19, 1990, adopted at
Vienna on May 31, 1996 ("the Flank Document'') (Treaty Doc. 105-5), after
receiving testimony from Lynn E. Davis, Under Secretary of State for Arms
Control and International Security Affairs; Walter B. Slocombe, Under
Secretary of Defense for Policy; Brig. Gen. Gary M. Rubus, USAF, Deputy
Director for International Negotiations, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Sherman
Garnett, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Paul A. Goble, Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc., both of Washington, D.C.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination of
Joel I. Klein, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Attorney
General, Department of Justice, after the nominee, who was introduced by
Senator D'Amato and District of Columbia Delegate Norton, testified and
answered questions in his own behalf.
AUTHORIZATION--ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on
proposed legislation authorizing funds for the National Endowment for the Arts
and the Humanities, focusing on the educational programs of the endowments,
after receiving testimony from Senator Hutchison; Sheldon Hackney, Chairman,
National Endowment for the Humanities, and Jane Alexander, Chairman, National
Endowment for the Arts, both of the National Foundation on the Arts and the
Humanities; Alicia B. Dandridge, Marie Reed Community Learning Center,
Washington, D.C.; Jeff Hooper, Mad River Theater Works, West Liberty, Ohio;
Victor R. Swenson, Vermont Council on the Humanities, Morrisville; and Edward
L. Ayers, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
[Page: D401]
NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 459, to
authorize funds for and extend certain programs of the Native American
Programs Act of 1974, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
SAN CARLOS APACHE WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee held oversight hearings on the
implementation of the San Carlos Apache Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992
(P.L. 102-575), receiving testimony from David J. Hayes, Counselor to the
Secretary, Department of the Interior; Mayor David A. Franquero, Globe,
Arizona; Mayor Van Talley, Safford, Arizona; and J. Steven Whisler and Timothy
R. Snider, both of Phelps Dodge Mining Company, and John F. Sullivan, Salt
River Project, all of Phoenix, Arizona.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE/MEDICAID REFORM: CHRONIC HEALTH CARE
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded hearings to examine how to
improve the administration of health care services to elderly Americans with
chronic conditions who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, after
receiving testimony from William J. Scanlon, Director, Health Financing and
Systems Issues, Health, Education, and Human Services Division, General
Accounting Office; Karin von Behren, Orange, California, on behalf of the
Alzheimer's Association; Richard G. Bennett, Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine, Baltimore; Lucy Nonnenkamp, Kaiser Permanente Health Plan,
Portland, Oregon; Jeanne Lally, Fairview Hospital and Healthcare Services,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, on behalf of the National Chronic Care Consortium;
Bruce Bullen, Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance, Boston, on behalf
of the American Public Welfare Association; Pamela J. Parker, Minnesota Senior
Health Options/Minnesota Department of Human Services, St. Paul; Barbara
Markham Smith, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.;
and Sue Paul, Augusta, Maine.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/04/30
Daily Digest - Wednesday, April 30, 1997; pages D407 - D414
Committee Meetings
( Committees not listed did not meet )
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
bill (S. 672) making supplemental appropriations and rescissions for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 1997.
APPROPRIATIONS--NATIONAL GUARD
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Defense, focusing
on the structure and modernization of the National Guard, receiving testimony
from Lt. Gen. Edward D. Baca, Chief, National Guard Bureau; Maj. Gen. William
A. Navas, Jr., Director, Army National Guard; Maj. Gen. Donald W. Shepperd,
Director, Air National Guard; Maj. Gen. Richard C. Alexander, Ohio National
Guard; Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Rees, Oregon National Guard; Maj. Gen. Jacob
Lestenkof, Alaska National Guard; and Brig. Gen. Daniel James, III, Texas
National Guard.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, May 7.
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Securities
concluded hearings on proposals to reform the Social Security system, focusing
on the impact of a proposal to privatize the Social Security trust fund on the
stock market, the securities industry and the United States economy, after
receiving testimony from Roger W. Mehle, Executive Director, Federal
Retirement Thrift Investment Board; D.K. Kebodeaux, First Financial Capital
Corporation, Houston, Texas; and Marc E. Lackritz, Securities Industry
Association, and Michael Tanner, Cato Institute, both of Washington, D.C.
NOMINATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings on the nomination of Andrew J. Pincus, of New York, to be General
Counsel of the Department of Commerce, after the nominee testified and
answered questions in his own behalf.
U.S. TRADE POLICY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings to
examine how the United States is using international trade to promote economic
prosperity and stability in the 21st century, receiving testimony from William
M. Daley, Secretary of Commerce; and Charlene Barshefsky, United States Trade
Representative.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
TELEPRESENCE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded hearings to examine the use of
"Telepresence'', the enabling technology for telemedicine and distance
learning, after receiving testimony from Arnauld E. Nicogossian, Acting
Associate Administrator, Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and
Applications, National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Nat Durlach,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; S.K. Ganapathy, Bell
Labs/Lucent Technology, Murray Hill, New Jersey; Henry Fuchs, University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Ken Gabriel, DARPA/ETO, Arlington, Virginia;
James E. Brick, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown; and
Kate Stetzner, Margaret Leary Elementary School, Butte, Montana.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of
Kevin L. Thurm, of New York, to be Deputy Secretary of Health and Human
Services, and Richard J. Tarplin, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
Prior to this action, committee concluded hearings on the nominations (listed
above), after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own
behalf.
CHILDREN'S HEALTH
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings on proposals to improve
children's access to health care, including S. 13, to provide access to health
insurance coverage for uninsured children and pregnant women, S. 511, to
require that the health and safety of a child be considered in any foster care
or adoption placement, to eliminate barriers to the termination of parental
rights in appropriate cases, and to promote the adoption of children with
special needs, and S. 526, to increase the excise taxes on tobacco products
for the purpose of offsetting the Federal budgetary costs associated with the
Child Health Insurance and Lower Deficit Act, receiving testimony from
Senators Daschle, Kennedy, and Frist; Barbara A. DeBuono, New York State
Department of Public Health, Albany; Christine Ferguson, Rhode Island
Department of Human Services, Cranston; Donald W. Herman, Iowa Division of
Medical Services, Des Moines; Michael J. Koch, California Kids Healthcare
Foundation, Woodland Hills; and Rose M. Naff, Florida Healthy Kids
Corporation, Tallahassee.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D409]
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CRIME AND VIOLENCE
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia concluded hearings on
S. 294, to establish Federal penalties for the killing or attempted killing of
a law enforcement officer of the District of Columbia, after receiving
testimony from Senator Hutchison; Carol Schwartz, Member, Council of the
District of Columbia, Stephen Harlan, Vice Chairman, District of Columbia
Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority, Eugene N.
Hamilton, Chief Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Larry D.
Soulsby, Chief, Metropolitan Police Department, and Robert E. Moffit, Heritage
Foundation, H. Beecher Hicks, Jr., Metropolitan Baptist Church, and Tracie
Gibson, all of Washington, D.C.; and Gary Mather and James Stewart, both of
Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc., Falls Church, Virginia; and C. Stephen Wallis,
Ellicott City, Maryland.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded oversight hearings on the
operations of the Department of Justice, after receiving testimony from Janet
Reno, Attorney General, Department of Justice.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN FEDERAL CONSTRUCTION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings to
examine equal opportunity issues in the Federal construction industry,
including the impact of the proposed Executive Order to require project labor
agreements to be utilized for all federal and federally funded construction
projects, and S. 606, to prohibit discrimination in contracting on federally
funded projects on the basis of certain labor policies of potential
contractors, after receiving testimony from Senator Hutchinson; John A.
Koskinen, Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget;
Robert A. Georgine, Building and Construction Trades Department/AFL-CIO, and
R. Bruce Josten, United States Chamber of Commerce, both of Washington, D.C.;
Tom Rolleri, Granite Construction Company, Watsonville, California, on behalf
of the Associated General Contractors of America; Peter G. Vigue, Cianbro
Corporation, Pittsfield, Maine, on behalf of the Associated Builders and
Contractors, Inc.; and John T. Dunlop, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, May 6.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/01
Daily Digest - Thursday, May 1, 1997, pages D416 - D426
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--CFTC/FDA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 1998, after receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their
respective activities from Brooksley Born, Chairperson, Commodity Futures
Trading Commission; and Michael A. Friedman, Lead Deputy Commissioner, Robert
J. Byrd, Deputy Commissioner, Management and Systems, William B. Schultz,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, and Dennis P. Williams, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Budget, all of the Food and Drug Administration, Department of
Health and Human Services.
APPROPRIATIONS--VETERANS AFFAIRS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of Veterans Affairs, receiving testimony from Jesse Brown,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, May 6.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness concluded hearings on
S. 450, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel
strengths for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on depot maintenance
privatization initiatives, after receiving testimony from John P. White,
Deputy Secretary of Defense; and David Warren, Director, and Julia Denman,
Assistant Director, both of the Defense Management Issues, and John Brosnan,
Assistant General Counsel, all of the General Accounting Office.
COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial
Institutions and Regulatory Relief concluded oversight hearings on the
regulatory activities of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, after
receiving testimony from Eugene A. Ludwig, Comptroller of the Currency,
Department of the Treasury.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the following business items:
The nominations of Triruvarur R. Lakshmanan, of New Hampshire, to be Director
of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Kenneth M. Mead, of Virginia, to
be Inspector General, Vice Adm. Roger T. Rufe, U.S. Coast Guard, to be
Commander, Atlantic Area, United States Coast Guard, with the grade of vice
admiral while so serving, and Rear Adm. James C. Card, U.S. Coast Guard, to be
Commander, Pacific Area, United States Coast Guard, all of the Department of
Transportation, Jerry M. Melillo, of Massachusetts, and Kerri-Ann Jones, of
Maryland, each to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy, with the grade of vice admiral while so serving, Andrew J.
Pincus, of New York, to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce, and
certain promotion lists in the United States Coast Guard;
[Page: D418]
S. 648, to establish legal standards and procedures for product liability
litigation;
S. 363, to require that violent video programming is limited to broadcast
after the hours when children are reasonably likely to comprise a substantial
portion of the audience, unless it is specifically rated on the basis of its
violent content so that it is blockable by electronic means specifically on
the basis of that content, with an amendment;
S. 414, to encourage competition in international shipping and growth of
United States imports and exports, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute. (As approved by the committee, the bill authorizes $15 million for
the Federal Maritime Commission.); and
S. 542, to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of
documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise
trade for the vessel Far Horizons.
GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation and Recreation concluded hearings on S. 357, to
authorize the Bureau of Land Management to manage the Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, after receiving testimony from
Senators Hatch and Bennett; Representative Hansen; Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of
the Interior; Ted Stewart, Utah Department of Natural Resources, John A.
Harja, Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, and Scott
Groene, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, all of Salt Lake City; Louise
Liston, Garfield County Commission, Panguitch, Utah; Joe C. Judd, Kane County
Commission, Kanab, Utah; Mark Austin, Boulder Mountain Lodge, Boulder, Utah;
Debbie Sease, Sierra Club, Washington, D.C.; and Robert E. Irelan, Conoco,
Inc., Midland, Texas.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination
of Stuart E. Eizenstat, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of State for
Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs, after the nominee, who was
introduced by Senators D'Amato, Sarbanes, Coverdell, and Cleland, testified
and answered questions in his own behalf.
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian
Affairs concluded hearings to examine the impact of religious persecution
against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, after
receiving testimony from Representative Wolf; Steven J. Coffey, Principal
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor;
Nina Shea, Freedom House, Washington, D.C.; Walid Phares, Florida Atlantic
University, Miami; and Bat Ye'or, Geneva, Switzerland.
DOD HIGH RISK AREAS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings on proposed
strategies to eliminate Department of Defense programs and operations
identified as high risk because of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement,
focusing on financial management, information technology, weapon systems
acquisition, contract management, infrastructure, and inventory management,
receiving testimony from Henry L. Hinton, Jr., Assistant Comptroller General,
National Security and International Affairs Division, and Jeffrey C.
Steinhoff, Director of Planning and Reporting, Accounting and Information
Management Division, both of the General Accounting Office; and R. Noel
Longuemare, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Acquisition and Technology,
John F. Phillips, Deputy Under Secretary for Logistics, Emmett Paige, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence, and
John J. Hamre, Under Secretary and Comptroller, all of the Department of
Defense.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation, and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine the
Administration's plan for national missile defense known as the "3+3'' program
and its compliance with the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, after
receiving testimony from John D. Holum, Director, U.S. Arms Control and
Disarmament Agency.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
measures:
S. 476, to provide for the establishment of not less than 2,500 Boys and Girls
Clubs of America facilities by the year 2000; and
S. Res. 79, to commemorate the 1997 National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
INS REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration concluded oversight
hearings to review certain activities of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service, focusing on the criminal record verification process for citizenship
applicants, after receiving testimony from Stephen R. Colgate, Assistant
Attorney General for Administration, Justice Management Division, Michael R.
Bromwich, Inspector General, Doris Meissner, Commissioner, Immigration and
D419Naturalization Service, and Charles W. Archer, Assistant Director,
Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, all of the Department of Justice; Richard M. Stana, Acting
Associate Director, Administration of Justice Issues, General Government
Division, General Accounting Office; and Gary M. Ahrens, KPMG Peat Marwick,
Washington, D.C.
[Page: D419]
AUTHORIZATION--NIH/BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety held hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for the
National Institutes of Health, focusing on biomedical research priorities,
receiving testimony from Harold E. Varmus, Director, National Institutes of
Health, Department of Health and Human Services; Kenneth I. Shine, President,
Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences; Michael Rosenblatt,
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Boston, Massachusetts;
John W. Suttie, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology,
Bethesda, Maryland; Leon E. Rosenberg, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company,
Princeton, New Jersey; Myrl Weinberg, National Health Council, Washington,
D.C.; and Mary Woolley, Research! America, Alexandria, Virginia.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/05
Daily Digest - Monday, May 5, 1997, pages D427 - D430
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NEW MEXICO STATEHOOD AMENDMENTS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on S.
430, to protect the permanent trust funds of the State of New Mexico from
erosion due to inflation and modify the basis on which distributions are made
from those funds, after receiving testimony from Phil Archibeck, New Mexico
State Investment Council, Santa Fe.
[Page: D428]
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT-UNEMPLOYMENT
Joint Economic Committee: On Friday, May 2, committee held hearings on the
employment-unemployment situation for April and its connection to current
Federal Reserve policy, receiving testimony from Katharine G. Abraham,
Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.
Committee recessed subject to call.
1997/05/06
Daily Digest - Tuesday, May 6, 1997, pages D431 - D438
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations held hearings
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for foreign assistance
programs, focusing on Russia and the New Independent States, receiving
testimony from Richard L. Morningstar, Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to the
New Independent States, Department of State; and Thomas A. Dine, Assistant
Administrator for Europe and the New Independent States, Agency for
International Development.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, May 15.
APPROPRIATIONS--JOINT COMMITTEES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch held
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from Senator
Warner, Chairman, Joint Committee on Printing; Representative Archer,
Chairman, Joint Committee on Taxation; and Representative Saxton, Chairman,
Joint Economic Committee.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, May 20.
APPROPRIATIONS--NASA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, receiving testimony from Daniel
S. Goldin, Administrator, NASA.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, May 13.
HOLOCAUST DOCUMENTS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
to examine issues surrounding the shredding of certain Holocaust-era documents
by the Union Bank of Switzerland, after receiving testimony from Israel
Singer, World Jewish Congress, New York, New York; and Christophe Meili, Bern,
Switzerland.
NOMINATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on the
nomination of Elizabeth Anne Moler, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of
Energy, after the nominee testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
IRAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian
Affairs held hearings to examine issues with regard to Iran's acquisition of
nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and the United States response to
countering Iranian efforts in acquiring such weapons, receiving testimony from
Gary Bertsch, University of Georgia, Athens; Gary Milhollin, University of
Wisconsin Law School, Madison, on behalf of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear
Arms Control; and W. Seth Carus, Washington, D.C.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
[Page: D433]
JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Youth Violence concluded hearings
to examine the core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Act of 1974 and their impact on the increase in youth violence or
juvenile crime, and S. 10, to reduce violent juvenile crime, promote
accountability by juvenile criminals, and punish and deter violent gang crime,
after receiving testimony from Shay Bilchik, Administrator, Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice; Arizona State
Senator John Kaites, Phoenix; Judge W. Don Reader, Ohio Court of Appeals,
Fifth Judicial District, Canton; Patricia L. West, Virginia Department of
Public Safety, Richmond; Earl L. Dunlap, Richmond, Kentucky, on behalf of the
National Juvenile Detention Association; Gwendolyn C. Chunn, North Carolina
Department of Human Resources, Raleigh; Mark I. Soler, Youth Law Center,
Washington, D.C.; Bill Franklin, Elmore County, Alabama; Carol Crump, Casper,
Wyoming; and Judy Nish, Marion, Iowa.
IMMUNIZATION GRANT PROGRAM
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety concluded hearings on proposed authorizations for the immunization
grant program (section 317(j)(1)) of the Public Health Service Act, focusing
on grants to States for purchase of vaccine and support of the vaccine
delivery infrastructure, after receiving testimony from Senator Bumpers;
Walter A. Orenstein, Director, National Immunization Program, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services;
Christopher G. Atchison, Iowa Department of Public Health, Des Moines, on
behalf of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; Thomas F.
Tonniges, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, on behalf of the American Academy of
Pediatrics; and Peter Paradiso, Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines and Pediatrics,
Rochester, New York.
NOMINATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held hearings on the nomination of
George John Tenet, of Maryland, to be Director of Central Intelligence, where
the nominee, who was introduced by Senators D'Amato, Moynihan, Sarbanes, and
Mikulski and former Senator Boren, testified and answered question in his own
behalf.
Hearings continue tomorrow in closed session.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/07
Daily Digest - Wednesday, May 7, 1997, pages D439 - D448
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Defense, focusing
on working capital funds and depot operations, receiving testimony from Henry
L. Hinton, Assistant Comptroller General for National Security and
International Affairs Issues, Jack Brock, Issue Area Director for Defense
Information and Financial Management Systems, Accounting and Information
Management Division, and Julia Denman, Assistant Director for Defense
Management Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division, all
of the General Accounting Office; Gen. Johnnie E. Wilson, Commander, Army
Materiel Command; Vice Adm. Donald L. Pilling, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval
Operations (Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments); Gen. Henry
Viccellio, Jr., Commander, United States Air Force, Air Force Materiel
Command.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, May 13.
CANCER RESEARCH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education held hearings to examine the need for increased funding D441for
cancer research, receiving testimony from Senators Mack and Feinstein, both on
behalf of the Senate Cancer Coalition; Richard D. Klausner, Director, National
Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and
Human Services; Sherry Lansing, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Helene G.
Brown, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Keith L. Black, UCLA
Medical Center, all of Los Angeles, California; Sam Donaldson, ABC News, and
Ellen Sigal, Sigal Environmental, on behalf of the Friends of Cancer Research,
both of Washington, D.C.; Amy S. Langer, National Alliance of Breast Cancer
Organizations, New York, New York; Donald S. Coffey, Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, on behalf of the American Association
for Cancer Research, Inc.; Arnold Palmer, Arnold Palmer Enterprises,
Youngstown, Pennsylvania; Charles A. Coltman, San Antonio Cancer Institute,
San Antonio, Texas, on behalf of the Cancer Therapy and Research Foundation of
South Texas; and Toni Shaheen, Monmouth Beach, New Jersey.
[Page: D441]
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related
Agencies held hearings to examine issues with regard to the financing of
certain Federal transportation programs, focusing on Federal Aviation
Administration user fees, the Administration's financing proposals to leverage
Federal investment in transportation infrastructure, and the current financial
condition of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), receiving
testimony from Mortimer L. Downey, Deputy Secretary, and Jolene Molitoris,
Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, both of the Department of
Transportation; Thomas M. Downs, President and Chairman, National Railroad
Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); and John Anderson, Director, and Phyllis
Scheinberg, Associate Director, both of the Resources, Community, and Economic
Development Division, General Accounting Office.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
NSF AND TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION BUDGETS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded hearings to review certain budgetary matters
with regard to the National Science Foundation and the Technology
Administration of the Department of Commerce, after receiving testimony from
Neal F. Lane, Director, National Science Foundation; Richard N. Zare,
Chairman, National Science Board; and Mary L. Good, Under Secretary of
Commerce for Technology.
AUTHORIZATION--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure concluded hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds
for programs of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991,
focusing on transportation safety issues, including related measures S. 284
and S. 412, after receiving testimony from Senators Lugar and DeWine;
Representative Lowey; Philip R. Recht, Deputy Administrator, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, and Anthony R. Kane, Executive Director,
Federal Highway Administration, both of the Department of Transportation;
Mayor Bob Bartlett, Monrovia, California, on behalf of the Southern California
Association of Governments; Richard D. Crabtree, Nationwide Mutual Insurance
Company, Columbus, Ohio, and Joan B. Claybrook, Public Citizen, Washington,
D.C., both on behalf of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety; Katherine
P. Prescott, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Irving, Texas; Thomas J. Donohue,
American Trucking Associations, Inc., James L. Kolstad, American Automobile
Association, Barbara Harsha, National Association of Governors' Highway and
Safety Representatives, and Robert A. Georgine, Building and Construction
Trades Department, and Edward Wytkind, Transportation Trades Department, both
of the AFL-CIO, all of Washington, D.C.; and Brenda Berry, CRASH, Woodbridge,
Virginia.
FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on European Affairs held hearings
to examine the Administration's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1998
for assistance to Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States of
the former Soviet Union, receiving testimony from Richard L. Morningstar,
Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Assistance to the
New Independent States, and James H. Holmes, Coordinator for East European
Assistance, both of the Department of State; and Thomas A. Dine, Assistant
Administrator, Bureau of Europe and the New Independent States, Agency for
International Development.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
GOVERNMENT SECRECY
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings to review the
recommendations of the final report of the Commission on Protecting and
Reducing Government Secrecy, and S. 712, to define the D442principles and
standards to govern classification and declassification, and establish within
an existing agency a National Declassification Center to coordinate
responsibility for declassifying historical documents, receiving testimony
from Senators Moynihan and Helms; Representatives Combest and Hamilton;
Lawrence S. Eagleburger, former Secretary of State; Alden V. Munson, Jr.,
Litton Industries, Inc., Woodland Hills, California; and David Wise,
Washington, D.C.
[Page: D442]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on the nominations of
Eric L. Clay, of Michigan, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth
Circuit, Arthur Gajarsa, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge for
the Federal Circuit, Alan S. Gold, to be United States District Judge for the
Southern District of Florida, and Thomas W. Thrash, Jr., to be United States
District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, after the nominees
testified and answered questions in their own behalf. Mr. Gajarsa was
introduced by Senators Sarbanes and Mikulski, Mr. Gold was introduced by
Senators Mack and Graham, and Mr. Thrash was introduced by Senators Coverdell
and Cleland.
OMNIBUS PATENT ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on S. 507 and H.R.
400, bills to streamline operations in the Patent and Trademark Office of the
Department of Commerce and to provide efficient and effective protection of
patents and trademarks, after receiving testimony from Senator Lautenberg;
Representatives Hyde and Rohrabacher; Bruce A. Lehman, Assistant
Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks; Michael K.
Kirk, American Intellectual Property Law Association, Arlington, Virginia;
Eric J. Ruff, PowerQuest Corporation; Orem, Utah; William P. Parker, Vermont
Inventors Association, Burlington; and Kim Muller, International Trademark
Association, New York, New York.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported
the following business items:
S. 717, to amend and authorize funds for programs of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act; and
The nominations of Marsha Mason, of New Mexico, to be a Member of the National
Council on the Arts, and Susan E. Trees, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of
the National Council on the Humanities, both of the National Foundation on the
Arts and the Humanities, Anthony R. Sarmiento, of Maryland, to be a Member of
the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board, Hans M. Mark, of Texas, to
be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and
Excellence in Education Foundation, and Gerald N. Tirozzi, of Connecticut, to
be Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, and Donald
Rappaport, of the District of Columbia, to be Chief Financial Officer, both of
the Department of Education.
SBA FINANCE PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Committee held oversight hearings on the
management of Small Business Administration finance programs, focusing on the
504 Development Company Loan Program and the Small Business Investment Company
Program, receiving testimony from Mark Barbash, Columbus Countywide
Development Corporation, Columbus, Ohio, on behalf of the National Association
of Development Companies; Steve M. Dusek, Prairieland Economic Development
Corporation, Slayton, Minnesota; C. Walter Dick, Pioneer Capital Corporation,
Boston, Massachusetts, on behalf of the National Association of Small Business
Investment Companies; N. Whitney Johns, Whitney Johns & Company, Nashville,
Tennessee; and Stanley W. Tucker, MMG Ventures, Baltimore, Maryland, on behalf
of the National Association of Investment Companies.
Hearings continue on Thursday, May 15.
NOMINATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee continued hearings, in closed
session, on the nomination of George John Tenet, of Maryland, to be Director
of Central Intelligence, where the nominee further testified and answered
questions in his own behalf.
Closed hearings continue on Tuesday, May 13.
[Page: D443]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/08
Daily Digest - Thursday, May 8, 1997, pages D450 - D458
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction concluded
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for Army and
certain defense agencies' military construction programs, after receiving
testimony from Robert M. Walker, Assistant Secretary of the Army; Gary
Robinson, Command Engineer, U.S. Special Operations Command; Brig. Gen. Robert
G. Claypool, USA, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; Frederick N. Baillie,
Executive Director of Business Management, Defense Logistics Agency; and Bruce
M. Carnes, Deputy Director for Resource Management, Defense Finance and
Accounting Service.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported 238 military
nominations in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, S. 462, to reform
and consolidate the public and assisted housing programs of the United States,
and to redirect primary responsibility for these programs from the Federal
Government to States and localities.
AUTHORIZATION--HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Surface
Transportation and Merchant Marine concluded hearings on proposed legislation
authorizing funds for programs of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act,
focusing on safety issues, after receiving testimony from Kelley S. Coyner,
Deputy Administrator, and Alan Roberts, Associate Administrator for Hazardous
Materials Safety, both of the Research and Special Programs Administration,
Department of Transportation; Robert Chipkevich, Chief, Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Division, National Transportation Safety Board; Charlotte R. Lane,
West Virginia Public Service Commission, Charleston; and Cynthia Hilton,
Association of Waste Hazardous Materials Transporters, and Clifford J.
Harvison, National Tank Truck Carriers, Inc., both of Alexandria, Virginia.
ELECTRIC UTILITIES DEREGULATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee met to further discuss
proposals to advance the goals of deregulation and competition in the electric
power industry, focusing on the effects of competition on fuel use and types
of fuel generation, receiving testimony from Donald W. Niemiec, Union Pacific
Resources Group, Fort Worth, Texas; Samuel K. Skinner, Commonwealth Edison
Company, Chicago, Illinois; Steven F. Leer, Arch Mineral Corporation, St.
Louis, Missouri, on behalf of the National Mining Association; George Minter,
Pacific Enterprises, Los Angeles, California; Brent Allen, Alpar Resources
Inc., Perryton, Texas, on behalf of the Independent Petroleum Association of
America; Lawrence W. Plitch, Wheelabrator Technologies Incorporated, Hampton,
New Hampshire, on behalf of the Integrated Waste Services Association; Julie
A. Keil, Portland General Electric Company, Portland, Oregon, on behalf of the
Industry Coalition for Hydropower; and Dede Hapner, Pacific Gas and Electric
Company, San Francisco, California.
Committee will meet again on Thursday, May 22.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business
items:
The Document Agreed Among the States Parties to the Treaty on Conventional
Armed Forces in Europe CFE of November 19, 1990, adopted at Vienna on May 31,
1996 ("the Flank Document''). The Flank Document is Annex A of the Final
Document of the first CFE Review Conference (Treaty Doc. 105-5), with 14
conditions;
The nominations of Jeffrey Davidow, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Board
of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation, Stuart E. Eizenstat, of
Maryland, to be Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and
Agricultural Affairs, Thomas R. Pickering, of New Jersey, to be Under
Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Karen Shepherd, of Utah, to be
United States Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development, Letitia Chamber, of the District of Columbia, to be a
Representative of the United States to the Fifty-first Session of the General
Assembly of the United Nations, and Prezell R. Robinson, of North Carolina,
and James Catherwood Hormel, of California, each to be an Alternate
Representative of the United States to the Fifty-first Session of the United
Nations, and certain Foreign Service Officers' appointment and promotion
lists;
S. 342, to extend certain privileges, exemptions, and immunities to Hong Kong
Economic and Trade Offices;
S. Res. 58, to state the sense of the Senate that the Treaty of Mutual
Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan is essential for
furthering the security interest of the United States, D453Japan, and the
countries of the Asia-Pacific region, and that the people of Okinawa deserve
recognition for their implementation;
[Page: D453]
S. Con. Res. 6, expressing concern for the continued deterioration of human
rights in Afghanistan and emphasizing the need for a peaceful political
settlement in that country, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
and
S. Con. Res. 21, congratulating the residents of Jerusalem and the people of
Israel on the thirtieth anniversary of the reunification of that historic
city.
TELEVISION PROGRAMMING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia concluded oversight
hearings to discuss the influence of certain television programming on
children's language development, reading skill, attention span, and attitudes
toward violence, sexuality, and other behaviors, and the Federal Government's
role in improving the content of programming, after receiving testimony from
L. Brent Bozell III, Parents Television Council/Media Research Center,
Alexandria, Virginia; Sarah S. Brown, National Campaign to Prevent Teen
Pregnancy, David Murray, Statistical Assessment Service, and Elayne Bennett,
Best Friends Foundation, all of Washington, D.C.; Jane D. Brown, University of
North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Chapel Hill;
Laurie Humphries, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, on
behalf of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; and Mary
Anne Layden, Center for Cognitive Therapy/University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
The nomination of Joel I. Klein, of the District of Columbia, to be an
Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice;
S. 536, to establish a program to support and encourage local communities that
first demonstrate a comprehensive, long-term commitment to reduce substance
abuse among youth, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
S. 670, to eliminate the special transition rule for issuance of a certificate
of citizenship for certain children born outside the United States.
CRIMINAL USE OF GUNS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on S. 191, to require
a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for any violent or drug trafficking
felon having a firearm in his or her possession during the commission of a
heinous crime, and to review the impact of the Supreme Court's 1995 decision
in Bailey v. United States on federal drug and violent crime prosecutions,
after receiving testimony from Senator Helms; Kevin Di Gregory, Deputy
Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, and Walter C. Holton, Jr.,
United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, both of the
Department of Justice; George J. Terwilliger III, McGuire, Woods, Battle, and
Boothe, former Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and Thomas G.
Hungar, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, both of Washington, D.C.; Paul F. Evans,
Boston Police Department, Boston, Massachusetts; Katina M. Johnstone, New
Yorkers Against Gun Violence, New York, New York; and Anthony M. Wilson,
Chantilly, Virginia.
GPO REFORM
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded hearings to review
legislative recommendations on certain revisions to Title 44 of the U.S. Code
which authorizes the Government Printing Office to provide permanent public
access to Federal government information, after receiving testimony from Sally
Katzen, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget; Richard L. Shiffrin, Deputy Assistant Attorney General,
Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice; Francis J. Buckley, Shaker
Heights Public Library, Shaker Heights, Ohio; Ben Cooper, Printing Industries
of America, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia; and Ronald G. Dunn, Information
Industry Association, Washington, D.C.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/09
Daily Digest - Friday, May 9, 1997, pages D460 - D464
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/12
Daily Digest - Monday, May 12, 1997, pages D466 - D468
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/13
Daily Digest - Tuesday, May 13, 1997, pages D469 - D476
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
COUNTERTERRORISM
Committee on Appropriations: Committee concluded hearings in open and closed
sessions to examine the Administration's counterterrorism policy, the threat
of terrorism in the United States, and Federal efforts to prevent and combat
terrorism in the United States, after receiving testimony from Janet Reno,
Attorney General, and Louis J. Freeh, Director, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, both of the Department of Justice; and George J. Tenet, Acting
Director, Central Intelligence Agency.
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Defense, focusing
on environmental programs, receiving testimony from Robert M. Walker,
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Logistics and Environment);
Robert Pirie, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and
Environment); and Rodney A. Coleman, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
(Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Environment).
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, May 21.
APPROPRIATIONS--HUD
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of Housing and Urban Development, after receiving testimony from
Andrew M. Cuomo, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
AIRLINE COMPETITION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Aviation
held hearings to examine issues with regard to maintaining competition in
United States domestic airline service, focusing on how barriers to entry in
the airline industry limit benefits of airline deregulation, receiving
testimony from Charles A. Hunnicutt, Assistant Secretary, and Patrick Murphy,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, both for Aviation and International Affairs,
Department of Transportation; John H. Anderson, Jr., Director, and Tim
Hennigan, Assistant Director, both of the Transportation Issues, Resources,
Community, and Economic Development Division, General Accounting Office; John
A. Edwardson, United Airlines, Elk Grove Village, Illinois; William A. Franke,
America West Holdings Corporation, Phoenix, Arizona; Paul Stephen Dempsey,
University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, on behalf of Frontier Airlines, Inc.
and the Air Carrier Association of America; Duane Woerth, Air Line Pilots
Association, International, Washington, D.C.; and H. Hugh Davis, Jr., and
William H. Tittle, III, both of the Metropolitan Chattanooga Airport
Authority, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on S.
417, to extend energy conservation programs under the Energy Policy and
Conservation Act through September 30, 2002, S. 416, to extend the expiration
dates of existing authorities and enhance United States participation in the
energy emergency program of the International Energy Agency, S. 186, to amend
the Energy Policy and Conservation Act with respect to purchases from the
Strategic Petroleum Reserve by entities in the insular areas of the United
States, and S. 698, to authorize the Secretary of Energy, by lease or
otherwise, to store in underutilized Strategic Petroleum Reserve facilities
petroleum products owned by foreign governments or their representatives,
after receiving testimony from Federico PenAE6a, Secretary of Energy; John P.
Ferriter, Deputy Executive Director, International Energy Agency; William F.
Martin, Washington Policy and Analysis, Inc., Washington, D.C., former Deputy
Secretary of Energy; Kenneth W. Haley, Chevron Corporation, San Francisco,
California; and George M. Yates, Harvey E. Yates Company, Roswell, New Mexico,
on behalf of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
[Page: D471]
TIBET
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
situation in Tibet and the impact of China's occupation policies on the people
of Tibet, after receiving testimony from former Senator Pell; Jeffrey A.
Bader, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs;
Jeane M. Kirkpatrick, American Enterprise Institute, Maura Moynihan, Refugees
International, and Lodi Gyari, International Campaign for Tibet, all of
Washington, D.C.; and Robert A. F. Thurman, Columbia University, New York, New
York.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia concluded hearings to
examine the President's proposed National Capital Revitalization and
Self-Government Improvement Plan and alternative approaches to reorganize the
government of the District of Columbia, after receiving testimony from G.
Edward DeSeve, Controller, Office of Management and Budget; and Mayor Marion
Barry, and Linda W. Cropp, Acting Chair, District of Columbia City Council,
both of Washington, D.C.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on proposals to
implement the obligations of the United States under the Convention on the
Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical
Weapons and on Their Destruction, known as "the Chemical Weapons Convention''
and opened for signature and signed by the United States on January 13, 1993
(Treaty Doc. 103-21), and a related measure S. 610, after receiving testimony
from Richard L. Shiffrin, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal
Counsel, Department of Justice; Ronald D. Rotunda, University of Illinois
College of Law, Champaign; D. Bruce Merrifield, Pridtronics, Arlington,
Virginia; and Barry Kellman, DePaul University College of Law, Chicago,
Illinois.
INDIAN EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded oversight hearings on the
implementation of the Indian Employment Training and Related Services
Demonstration Act (P.L. 102-477), after receiving testimony from Ada E. Deer,
Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Russell D. Mason, Sr.,
Three Affiliated Tribes Business Council, New Town, North Dakota; James E.
Billie and Maureen Vass, both of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Hollywood;
Leroy Bingham, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Anchorage, Alaska, on behalf of the
477 Tribal Work Group; Sharon Olsen, Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of
Alaska, Juneau; Gerald Heminger, Jr., Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribal Council,
Agency Village, South Dakota; and Norm DeWeaver, Indian and Native American
Employment and Training Coalition, Washington, D.C.
Joint Meetings
NATO ENLARGEMENT
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission resumed hearings to examine the process to enlarge the membership
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), receiving testimony from
Ernest Petric, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States;
Mircea Dan Geoana, Ambassador of Romania to the United States; and Alexandr
Vondra, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States.
Commission recessed subject to call.
1997/05/14
Daily Digest - Wednesday, May 14, 1997, pages D478 - D484
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Services, and
General Government held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year
1998 for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, receiving testimony from
Barry R. McCaffrey, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
COMMERCE MANAGEMENT REFORM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings to examine certain management and program areas in need of reform to
improve efficiency and effectiveness at the Department of Commerce, after
receiving testimony from Frank DeGeorge, Inspector General, and Raymond G.
Kammer, Jr., Acting Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for
Administration, both of the Department of Commerce; and L. Nye Stevens,
Director, Federal Management and Workforce Issues, General Government
Division, General Accounting Office.
DOLPHIN CONSERVATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Oceans and
Fisheries held hearings on S. 39, to implement the Declaration of Panama, an
agreement signed by the United States and certain other nations on October 4,
1995, to protect dolphins, tunas, and other species involved in the eastern
tropical Pacific tuna fishery, receiving testimony from Senators Boxer and
Biden; Eileen B. Claussen, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; D. James Baker, Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere; James Joseph, Inter-American
Tropical Tuna Commission, La Jolla, California; and Suzanne Iudicello, Center
for Marine Conservation, and Jeffrey R. Pike, Dolphin Safe/Fair Trade
Campaign, both of Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
The nomination of Elizabeth Anne Moler, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of
Energy;
S. 430, to protect the permanent trust funds of the State of New Mexico from
erosion due to inflation and modify the basis on which distributions are made
from those funds; and
H.J. Res. 32, to consent to certain amendments enacted by the Legislature of
the State of Hawaii to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee held hearings to examine the
campaign finance system for Presidential elections, focusing on the growth of
soft money and other effects on political parties and candidates, receiving
testimony from former Senator McCarthy; Lamar Alexander Jr., former Secretary
of Education; Larry J. Sabato, University of Virginia, Charlottesville; and
Bradley A. Smith, Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio, on behalf of
the Cato Institute.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
SBA FINANCE PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Committee resumed oversight hearings on the
management of Small Business Administration finance programs, focusing on the
504 Development Company Loan Program and the Small Business Investment Company
program, receiving testimony from Aida Alvarez, Administrator, Small Business
Administration; Deryl K. Schuster, Business Loan Center, Wichita, Kansas, and
Anthony R. Wilkinson, Stillwater, Oklahoma, both on behalf of the National
Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, Inc.
NOMINATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee resumed closed hearings on the
nomination of George John Tenet, of Maryland, to be Director of Central
Intelligence, where the nominee further testified and answered questions in
his own behalf.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
INTELLIGENCE
[Page: D480]
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/15
Daily Digest - Thursday, May 15, 1997, pages D486 - D494
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations held hearings
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for foreign assistance,
focusing on programs to combat infectious diseases, receiving testimony from
Nils Daulaire, Senior Health Policy Analyst, Global Program, Agency for
International Development; Barry Bloom, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
New York, New York; David Heymann, World Health Organization, Geneva,
Switzerland; John Sbarbaro, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver;
and Gordon Douglas, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, May 20.
HOLOCAUST VICTIMS PROPERTY RESTITUTION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
to examine United States and allied efforts to recover and restore gold and
other assets belonging to victims of the Holocaust taken by Nazi Germany
during World War II, after receiving testimony from Stuart E. Eizenstat, Under
Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; William Z. Slany, Historian,
Department of State; Thomas G. Borer, Chief of the Swiss Foreign Ministry Task
Force, Bern; Carl Henrik Sihver Liljegren, Ambassador of Sweden to the United
States; Israel Singer, General Secretary of the World Jewish Congress, New
York, New York; Rabbi Marvin Hier, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles,
California; Tom Bower, British Broadcasting Corporation, London, England; and
Rabbi Chaim Stauber, Brooklyn, New York, on behalf of the World Counsel of
Orthodox Communities.
1998 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee met to begin markup of an original
concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United
States Government, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject
to call.
FCC SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings on S. 255, to provide for the reallocation and auction of a portion
of the electromagnetic spectrum to enhance law enforcement and public safety
telecommunications, after receiving testimony fromRepresentative Weldon; Bruce
A. Franca, Deputy Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal
Communications Commission; Howard Safir, New York Police Department, New York,
New York; Mark Schwartz, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on behalf of the National
League of Cities; Ralph A. Haller, Fox Ridge Communications, Inc., Arlington,
Virginia; Dale Hatfield, Hatfield Associates, Inc., Boulder, Colorado; Charles
L. Jackson, Strategic Policy Research, Bethesda, Maryland.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded hearings on proposed legislation authorizing
funds for fiscal year 1998 for the National Weather Service (NWS), focusing on
the NWS's proposed staff reductions for fiscal year 1997 and related project
cuts for fiscal year 1998, after receiving testimony from Senators Mack and
Sarbanes; D. James Baker, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and
Administrator, and Elbert W. Friday, Jr., Assistant Administrator for Weather
Services, both of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Department of Commerce; Mayor James N. Mathias, Jr., Ocean City, Maryland;
Richard E. Hallgren, American Meteorological Society, Washington, D.C.;
William A. Wagner, Jr., Monroe County Emergency Management, Marathon, Florida;
Ronald D. McPherson, Crofton, Maryland; and X. William Proenza, Colleyville,
Texas;
[Page: D488]
AGRICULTURE EXPORTS
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on International Trade held hearings to
examine how to open new markets for United States products and what can be
done to break down non-tariff trade barriers that may be detrimental to U.S.
agricultural exports, receiving testimony from Jeffrey M. Lang, Deputy United
States Trade Representative; Paul Drazek, Special Assistant to the Secretary
of Agriculture for Trade; Leonard W. Condon, American Meat Institute,
Arlington, Virginia; Linda J. Fisher, Monsanto Company, Washington, D.C.; John
D. Hardin, Jr., Danville, Indiana, on behalf of the National Pork Producers
Council; Carl Peterson, Delanson, New York, on behalf of Agri-Mark,
Incorporated; and Jack Laurie, Michigan Farm Bureau, Lansing, on behalf of the
American Farm Bureau Federation.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
SUDAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on African Affairs concluded
hearings to examine United States counterterrorism policy towards Sudan, after
receiving testimony from Representative McCollum; George E. Moose, Assistant
Secretary for African Affairs, and Kenneth R. McKune, Associate Coordinator
for Counter-Terrorism, both of the Department of State; R. Richard Newcomb,
Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury;
Charles Maikish, Columbia University, New York, New York; Ed Smith, Hamilton
Hallmark, Woodland Hills, California; and Roger Winter, U.S. Committee for
Refugees, and Steven Emerson, both of Washington, D.C.
AUTHORIZATION--HIGHER EDUCATION ACT: STUDENT AID
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for programs of the Higher Education Act,
focusing on the management structure of the office of Postsecondary Education
for the financial aid delivery system, receiving testimony from David A.
Longanecker, Assistant Secretary of Education for Postsecondary Education;
Cornelia M. Blanchette, Associate Director, Education and Employment Issues,
Health, Education, and Human Services Division, General Accounting Office;
Robert E. Alexander, University of South Carolina, Aiken, on behalf of the
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance; Judith N. Flink,
University of Illinois, Chicago, on behalf of the Coalition of Higher
Education Assistance Organizations; Barmak Nassirian, American Association of
State Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C.; and Barbara E. Tornow,
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Committee will meet again tomorrow.
SBA FINANCE PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Committee resumed oversight hearings on the
management of Small Business Administration finance programs, focusing on the
7(a) General Business Loan Guaranty Program, the Section 504 Development
Company Loan Program, the Small Business Investment Company Program, the
Microloan Program, the Disaster Loan Program, and the Surety Bond Guaranty
Program, receiving testimony from Aida Alvarez, Administrator, Small Business
Administration; and Deryl K. Schuster, Business Loan Center, Wichita, Kansas,
and Anthony R. Wilkinson, Stillwater, Oklahoma, both on behalf of the National
Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, Inc.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
VA SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded hearings to examine certain
allegations of sexual harassment within the Department of Veterans Affairs,
focusing on VA policies and practices regarding sexual harassment and other
forms of discrimination in the workplace, after receiving testimony from
Senator Faircloth; Hershel W. Gober, Deputy Secretary, and William T.
Merriman, Deputy Inspector General, both of the Department of Veterans
Affairs; Ronnie Blumenthal, Director, and Ellen Vargyas, Legal Counsel, both
of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Cynthia A. Force, Susan
M. Caruana, and Doris Moore- Russell, all of the VA Medical Center,
Fayetteville, North Carolina; Mary Cavanaugh, VA Medical Center, Lyons, New
Jersey; Cathy Claycomb, National Association of Government Employees,
Alexandria, Virginia; and Kitty Peddicord, American Federation of Government
Employees (AFL-CIO), Washington, D.C.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, May 20.
[Page: D489].
Joint Meetings
COLUMBIA BASIN PLAN
Joint Hearings: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee
on Forests and Public Land Management concluded joint hearings with the House
Committee on Resources' Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health to review
proposed environmental impact statements, and a related alternative, relating
to the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project, initiated by the
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to respond to forest and
rangeland ecosystem health, after receiving testimony from Senator Kempthorne;
Representative Nethercutt; and Bob Williams, Regional Forester, Pacific
Northwest Region, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, on behalf of the
Executive Steering Committee of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project.
1997/05/16
Daily Digest - Friday, May 16, 1997, pages D496 - D502
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ADULT EDUCATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on
proposals to provide assistance to States and local communities to improve
adult education and literacy skills, and to help achieve the national
educational goals for all citizens, after receiving testimony from Patricia W.
McNeil, Assistant Secretary of Education for Vocational and Adult Education;
Mary Paul Hankinson, Joel Mudge, and Kathy Garrow, all of the Vermont Adult
Learning, East Montpelier; Stephen Steurer, Correctional Education
Association, John Ryan, and Richard Dennis, all of Baltimore, Maryland; James
Olson, Toyota D497Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Washington, D.C.; Lloyd David,
Continuing Education Institute, Inc., Watertown, Massachusetts; and Lois J.
Thoms, Fire Control Instruments, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts.
[Page: D497]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/19
Daily Digest - Monday, May 19, 1997, pages D503 - D506
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
1998 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee ordered favorably reported an original
concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 27) setting forth the congressional budget
for the United States Government for fiscal years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and
2002.
ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS RESEARCH
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy Research and
Development, Production and Regulation concluded hearings on H.R. 363,
authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the Electric and Magnetic Fields
Research and Public Information Dissemination Program of the Energy Policy Act
of 1992, after receiving testimony from Robert Brewer, Senior Advisor, Office
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; and Richard
M. Loughery, Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Edison Electric Institute, the
American Public Power Association, National Electrical Manufacturers
Association, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
MEDICARE REFORM
Special Committee on Aging: Committee held hearings to examine ways to
restructure the current Medicare payment system to insure greater choice and
equity, focusing on managed care plans, receiving testimony from William J.
Scanlon, Director, Health Financing and Systems Issues, Health, Education, and
Human Services Division, General Accounting Office; David C. Colby, Deputy
Director, Physician Payment Review Commission; Steve Brenton, Association of
Iowa Hospitals and Health Systems, Des Moines; Doug Dillon, Providence Health
Plans, Portland, Oregon; Susan Bartlett Foote, Coalition for Fairness in
Medicare, Washington, D.C.; Kenneth E. Thorpe, Tulane University School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Hans Running,
Hillsboro, Oregon.
Committee recessed subject to call.
[Page: D504]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/20
Daily Digest - Tuesday, May 20, 1997, pages D507 - D514
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations held hearings
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for foreign assistance
programs, focusing on international financial institutions, receiving
testimony from Robert E. Rubin, Secretary of the Treasury.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, May 22.
APPROPRIATIONS--INTERIOR
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the
Department of the Interior, after receiving testimony from Bruce Babbitt,
Secretary of the Interior.
APPROPRIATIONS--CAPITOL POLICE BOARD/CBO
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch held
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the United
States Capitol Police Board and the Congressional Budget Office, receiving
testimony from Gregory S. Casey, Senate Sergeant at Arms, Wilson Livingood,
House Sergeant at Arms, Gary L. Abrecht, Chief, U.S. Capitol Police, and Alan
M. Hantman, Architect of the Capitol, all on behalf of the United States
Capitol Police Board; and June E. O'Neill, Director, Congressional Budget
Office, who was accompanied by several of her associates.
Subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, June 5.
QUADRENNIAL DEFENSE REVIEW
Committee on Armed Services: Committee held hearings to examine the Department
of Defense Quadrennial Defense Review which relates to the shape, makeup,
characterization, and the implementation of American armed forces for the next
several years, receiving testimony from William S. Cohen, Secretary of
Defense; and Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, USA, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
[Page: D509]
Hearings continue tomorrow.
PRIVATE RELIEF
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration concluded hearings on
S. 768, to grant Michel Christopher Meili and his family, of Switzerland,
permanent residence in the United States for his efforts in providing evidence
of relations between Swiss banks and Nazi Germany during and after World War
II regarding the disposal of assets of Holocaust victims, after receiving
testimony from Senators Hatch and D'Amato; and Michel Christopher Meili,
Rutihof, Switzerland.
HEALTH CARE REFORM
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings on
proposed legislation to provide patients quality health care, while
maintaining affordability and the consumers right to receive all relevant
information regarding their treatment and costs, including S. 449, to prohibit
the restriction of certain types of medical communications between a health
care provider and a patient, and S. 644, to establish standards for
relationships between group health plans and health insurance issuers with
enrollees, health professionals, and providers, after receiving testimony from
Senators Kyl, Wyden, and D'Amato; Representatives Ganske and Norwood; Theodore
N. Tsangaris, Breast Care Center/ George Washington University Medical Center,
Andrew Webber, Consumer Coalition for Quality Health Care, Mary Jane England,
Washington Business Group on Health, and Karen Ignagni, American Association
of Health Plans, all of Washington, D.C.; Dennis O'Leary, Joint Commission on
the Accreditation of Health Organizations, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois; and
William A. Reynolds, Missoula, Montana, on behalf of the American College of
Physicians.
1985 ZONA ROSA TERRORIST ATTACK
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
United States response to the murders of four United States marines and two
private U.S. citizens in the Zona Rosa district of San Salvador in 1985, after
receiving testimony from John R. Hamilton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Central America, the Caribbean and Cuba; Michael O'Neil, General Counsel,
Central Intelligence Agency; James S. Reynolds, Chief, Terrorism and Violent
Crime Section, Criminal Division, Dale L. Watson, Chief of the International
Operations Section, National Security Division, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and Phyllis A. Coven, Director of International Affairs,
Immigration and Naturalization Service, all of the Department of Justice;
William Walker, former United States Ambassador to El Salvador; Ed Mulvaney,
Anniston, Alabama; Joe Dickson and Betty Malone, both of Northport, Alabama;
Andy and Brenda Whitt, and Beth Kwiatkowski, all of Wausau, Wisconsin; and
John and Marlene Weber, both of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Joint Meetings
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
Conferees: Continued in evening session to further resolve the differences
between the Senate- and House-passed versions of H.R. 1469, making emergency
supplemental appropriations for recovery from natural disasters, and for
overseas peacekeeping efforts, including those in Bosnia, for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 1997.
NATO ENLARGEMENT
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission):
Commission resumed hearings to examine the process to enlarge the membership
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), receiving testimony from
H.E. Branislav Lichardus, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the United
States; Gyorgy Banlaki, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary to the United
States; and Stefan Tafrov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Republic of Bulgaria to
the United States.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
1997/05/21
Daily Digest - Wednesday, May 21, 1997, pages D516 - D526
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Defense, focusing
on Air Force programs, receiving testimony from Sheila E. Widnall, Secretary
of the Air Force; and Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, Chief of Staff of the Air
Force.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, June 4.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported 1,121
routine military nominations in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Army
Reserve.
QUADRENNIAL DEFENSE REVIEW
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense Review which relates to the shape,
makeup, characterization, and the implementation of American armed forces for
the next several years, focusing on its impact on the future years defense
program, after receiving testimony from Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, USA, Chief of
Staff, United States Army; Adm. Jay L. Johnson, USN, Chief of Naval
Operations; Gen. Charles C. Krulak, USMC, Commandant, United States Marine
Corps; and Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF, Chief of Staff, United States Air
Force.
TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT REFORM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings to examine certain management and program areas in need of reform to
improve efficiency and effectiveness at the Department of Transportation,
after receiving testimony from Raymond J. DeCarli, Associate Deputy Inspector
General, and Mortimer L. Downey, Deputy Secretary, both of the Department of
Transportation; and John H. Anderson, Jr., Director, Transportation Issues,
Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, General Accounting
Office.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following measures:
S. 417, authorizing funds for energy conservation programs under the Energy
Policy and Conservation Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
(As approved by the committee, the amendment authorizes funds for the
Strategic Petroleum Reserve through fiscal year 2000, and United States'
participation in the International Energy Agency through fiscal year 2002);
S. 210, to make technical and other changes to the Organic Act of Guam, the
Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, and the Compact of Free Association
Act, and to return excess Federal land to the people of Guam, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 649, to amend sections of the Department of Energy Organization Act that
are obsolete or inconsistent with other statutes and to repeal a related
section of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974; and
S. Res. 57, to support the work of the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
Council and all the Federal, State, and local entities and other interested
groups that are preparing bicentennial activities to celebrate the 200th
anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition during the years 2004 through
2006.
HISTORIC SITES/MEMORIALS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation and Recreation concluded hearings on S. Res. 57, to
support the commemoration of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition, S. 231, to establish D520the National Cave and Karst Research
Institute in New Mexico to further the study of the physical, geological, and
biological aspects of caves, S. 312, to revise the boundary of the Abraham
Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Larue County, Kentucky, S. 423,
to grant a three-year extension to the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall to
establish a memorial to honor George Mason in the District of Columbia, S.
669, to provide for the acquisition of the Plains Railroad Depot at the Jimmy
Carter National Historic Site in Georgia, and S. 731, to grant a five-year
extension for construction of the National Peace Garden memorial in the
District of Columbia, after receiving testimony from Katherine H. Stevenson,
Associate Director for Cultural Resources Stewardship and Partnerships,
National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
[Page: D520]
NOMINATION
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination of Robert
S. LaRussa, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import
Administration, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senator D'Amato and
Representative Levin, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
MEDICARE REFORM
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine the applicability of
the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) as a model for reform of
the Medicare program, receiving testimony from Senators Gregg and Wyden;
Stuart M. Butler, Heritage Foundation, Robert D. Reischauer, Brookings
Institution, and Edwin C. Hustead, Hay Group, all of Washington, D.C.; Kenneth
E. Thorpe, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine,
New Orleans, Louisiana; Richard V. Anderson, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland,
California; and Peter Wyckoff, Minnesota Senior Federation-Metropolitan
Region, St. Paul, on behalf of the National Council on the Aging and the
National Coalition of Consumer Organizations on Aging.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CHILD WELFARE REFORM
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy held
hearings on child welfare reform proposals, including S. 511, to require that
the health and safety of a child be considered in any foster care of adoption
placement, to eliminate barriers to the termination of parental rights in
appropriate cases, and to promote the adoption of children with special needs,
and S. 742 and H.R. 867, bills to promote the adoption of children in foster
care, receiving testimony from Senator DeWine; Representatives Kennelly and
Camp; Chief Justice Margaret L. Workman, West Virginia Supreme Court of
Appeals, Charleston; Susan Badeau, National Adoption Center, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, on behalf of the Voice for Adoption; Sister Rose Logan, Astor
Home for Children, Rhinebeck, New York, on behalf of Catholic Charities USA;
and Gary J. Stangler, Missouri Department of Social Services, Jefferson City,
on behalf of the American Public Welfare Association.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
U.S.-CHINA TRADE ENFORCEMENT
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
status of United States enforcement of laws and regulations prohibiting the
importation of prison-made products manufactured in the People's Republic of
China, after receiving testimony from James E. Johnson, Assistant Secretary
for Enforcement, and George J. Weise, Commissioner, U.S. Customs Service, both
of the Department of the Treasury; Jeffrey A. Bader, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Jeffrey L. Fiedler,
Food and Allied Service Trades Department (AFL-CIO), and Maranda Yen Shieh,
Greater Washington Network for Democracy in China and Friends of Hong Kong and
Macao Association, both of Washington, D.C.; Harry Wu, Laogai Research
Foundation, Milpitas, California; Peter B. Levy, Labelon/Noesting Company, Mt.
Vernon, New York; and Fu Shenqi, New York, New York.
NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee held oversight hearings to review
Federal services and benefits designed to assist Native American veterans,
receiving testimony from Jesse Brown, Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
Espiridion Borrego, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans'
Employment and Training; Arcenio Smiley, Church Rock, New Mexico, on behalf of
the Navajo Code Talkers Association; Apesanahkwat, Menominee Indian Nation,
Keshena, Wisconsin; Anthony R. Pico, Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay Indian
Reservation, Alpine, California; Samuel N. Penney, Nez Perce Tribal Executive
Committee, Lapwai, Idaho; Kali Watson, Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home
Lands, Honolulu; and Ernie Stevens, Jr., National Congress of American
Indians, Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D521]
Joint Meetings
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
Conferees continued to resolve the differences between the Senate- and
House-passed versions of H.R. 1469, making emergency supplemental
appropriations for recovery from natural disasters, and for overseas
peacekeeping efforts, including those in Bosnia, for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 1997, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject
to call.
1997/05/22
Daily Digest - Thursday, May 22, 1997, pages D527 - D536
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations concluded
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for foreign
assistance programs, focusing on international affairs, after receiving
testimony from Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of State.
[Page: D530]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
on the nominations of James A. Harmon, of New York, to be President, and
Jackie M. Clegg, of Utah, to be First Vice President, both of the
Export-Import Bank of the United States, after the nominees testified and
answered questions in their own behalf. Ms. Clegg was introduced by Senators
Hatch and Bennett.
ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee held hearings to
examine electronic funds transfer and electronic benefit transfer and the
effect of these programs on Federal benefit recipients, receiving testimony
from John D. Hawke, Jr., Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance;
John R. Dyer, Principle Deputy Commissioner, Social Security Administration;
Stephen L. Lemons, Acting Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Benefits;
Kathleen Myers, Brooklyn-Wide Interagency Council of the Aging, Inc.,
Brooklyn, New York; and Marcelyn Creque, American Association of Retired
Persons, Richard A. Wannemacher, Jr., Disabled American Veterans, and Margot
F. Saunders, National Consumer Law Center, all of Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
oversight hearings on activities of the professional boxing industry, focusing
on the possible creation of a pension system or assistance fund for
professional boxers, after receiving testimony from Richard DeCuir, California
State Athletic Commission, Sacramento; Floyd Patterson, New York State
Athletic Commission, Poughkeepsie; Brenda Reneau, Oklahoma Department of
Labor, Oklahoma City; Gregory P. Sirb, Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission,
Harrisburg, on behalf of the Association of Boxing Commissioners; Seth G.
Abraham, Time Warner Sports, Roy Langbord, Showtime Networks, Inc., and Thomas
Hoover, Veteran Boxers Association of New York, all of New York, New York; Jim
Brady, Boxing News, Lawrence, Massachusetts; Rich Rose, Ceasars World Sports,
Las Vegas, Nevada; Alfonso Daniels, Riverdale, Maryland; and Joseph M.
DeGuardia, Bronx, New York.
INTERNET TAX FREEDOM ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Communications concluded hearings on S. 442, to establish a national policy
against State and local government interference with interstate commerce on
the Internet or interactive computer services, and to exercise Congressional
jurisdiction over interstate commerce by establishing a moratorium on the
imposition of exactions that would interfere with the free flow of commerce
via the Internet, after receiving testimony from Representatives Cox and
White; Lawrence H. Summers, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; Timothy M.
Kaine, National League of Cities, Richmond, Virginia; Linda Rankin, Bear Creek
Corporation, Medford, Oregon; Wade Anderson, Texas Office of the State
Comptroller, Austin; Kendall L. Houghton, Committee on State Taxation,
Washington, D.C.; and James Walton, Association of Online Professionals,
Nashville, Tennessee.
ELECTRIC UTILITIES DEREGULATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee met to further discuss
proposals to advance the goals of deregulation and competition in the electric
power industry, focusing on financial implications of utility restructuring,
receiving testimony from Ronald L. McMahan, Resource Data International, Inc.,
Boulder, Colorado; Steven M. Fetter, Fitch Investors Service, New York, New
York; Kit Konolige, Morgan Stanley & Co., and Douglas W. Kimmelman, Goldman,
Sachs & Co., both of New York, New York; Frank Pazlar, Minnesota Utility
Investors, St. Paul; T. Graham Edwards, South Carolina Public Service
Authority (Santee Cooper), Columbia, on behalf of the Large Public Power
Council; and William D. Steinmeier, Jefferson City, Missouri, on behalf of the
Electric Utility Shareholders Alliance.
Committee will meet again on Thursday, June 12.
COMMUNITY BASED FORESTRY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public
Land Management met to discuss the emerging process of community-based
forestry, or finding community-based solutions to conflict resolution in
public land management, receiving testimony from Lynn Jungwirth, Watershed
Research and Training Center, Hayfork, California; Carol Daly, Flathead
Economic Policy Center, Kalispell, Montana; Jonathan Kusel, Forest Community
Research, Taylorsville, California; Dan'l Markham, Willapa Alliance, South
Bend, Washington; Wendy Hinrichs Sanders, Lake States Forestry Alliance, Inc.,
Hayward, Wisconsin; Jack Shipley, Applegate Partnership, Grants Pass, Oregon;
Nadine Bailey, Timber Producers Association of Michigan and Wisconsin, Inc.,
Rhilander, Wisconsin; Louis Blumberg, Wilderness Society, San Francisco,
California; Neil Dion, Plumas Forest Project, Blairsden, California; John
Doggett, American Farm Bureau, Washington, D.C.; and Bonnie Phillips, Pilchuck
Audubon Society, Seattle, Washington.
[Page: D531]
CHINA MFN STATUS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
held hearings on East Asian and Pacific Affairs to examine whether the renewal
of China's most favored nation status is an appropriate tool for the United
States to use in trying to shape the Chinese government's international and
domestic policy, receiving testimony from Representative Bereuter; Jeane J.
Kirkpatrick, American Enterprise Institute, Nicholas R. Lardy, Brookings
Institution, James J. Przystup, Heritage Foundation, and Robert Kagan,
American University, all of Washington, D.C.; and Kenneth Lieberthal,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
S. 261, to provide for a biennial budget process and a biennial appropriations
process and to enhance oversight and the performance of the Federal
Government, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 207, to review, reform, and terminate unnecessary and inequitable Federal
subsidies, with amendments;
S. 307, to authorize the transfer to States of surplus personal property for
donation to nonprofit providers of assistance to impoverished families and
individuals;
H.R. 680, to authorize the transfer to States of surplus personal property for
donation to nonprofit providers of necessaries to impoverished families and
individuals; and
The nominations of David J. Barram, of California, to be Administrator of
General Services, and Mary Ann Gooden Terrell, to be an Associate Judge of the
Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
S. 768, for the relief of Michel Christopher Meili, Giuseppina Meili, Mirjam
Naomi Meili, and Davide Meili;
S. 507, to establish the United States Patent and Trademark Organization as a
Government corporation, to amend the provisions of title 35, United States
Code, relating to procedures for patent applications, commercial use of
patents, and reexamination reform, with amendments;
S. 610, to implement the obligations of the United States under the Convention
on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of
Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, known as "the Chemical Weapons
Convention'' and opened for signature and signed by the United States on
January 13, 1993, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
H.R. 400, to streamline operations in the Patent and Trademark Office of the
Department of Commerce and to provide efficient and effective protection of
patents and trademarks, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
The nominations of Eric L. Clay, of Michigan, to be United States Circuit
Judge for the Sixth Circuit, Arthur Gajarsa, of Maryland, to be United States
Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit, Alan S. Gold, to be United States
District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, and Thomas W. Thrash,
Jr., to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia.
COLLEGE BOWL ALLIANCE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights and
Competition concluded hearings to examine antitrust and competitive issues
within the college football Bowl Alliance, which consists of the Southeastern
Athletic Conference, the Big 12, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Big
East, as well as the University of Notre Dame, after receiving testimony from
Senators McConnell, Bennett, Thomas, and Enzi; Ron Cooper, University of
Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky; Wally Richardson, Penn State University,
State College, Pennsylvania; Richard Peace and David Baker, both of the
University of Wyoming, Laramie; Roy F. Kramer, Southeastern Conference,
Birmingham, Alabama; Karl Benson, Western Athletic Conference, Englewood,
Colorado; Cedric W. Dempsey, National Collegiate Athletic Association,
Overland Park, Kansas; Gary R. Roberts, Tulane University Law School, New
Orleans, Louisiana; James E. Delany, Big Ten Conference, Park Ridge, Illinois;
Chad Lewis, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; Tim Layden, Sports
Illustrated, New York, New York; and Richard Circuit, Plymouth Holiday Bowl,
San Diego, California.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety concluded hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, after receiving
testimony from Nelba Chavez, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; Marsha
Lillie-Blanton, Associate Director, Health Services Quality and Public Health
Issues, Health, Education, and Human Services Division, General Accounting
Office; D532Luceille Fleming, Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Services, Columbus, on behalf of the National Association of State Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Directors, Inc.; Mary Phillips Hauser, Marathon, Inc., Providence,
Rhode Island, on behalf of Therapeutic Communities of America; J. David
Hawkins, University of Washington, Seattle; James Langenbucher, Rutgers
University, New Brunswick, New Jersey; A. Kathryn Power, Rhode Island
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Hospitals, Cranston, on
behalf of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors;
Mary Jane England, Washington Business Group on Health, Washington, D.C., on
behalf of the American Psychiatric Association; Philip J. Leaf, Johns Hopkins
University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; and Fred
Frese, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Akron, Ohio.
[Page: D532]
GPO REFORM
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee concluded hearings to review
legislative recommendations on certain revisions to Title 44 of the U.S. Code
which authorizes the Government Printing Office to provide permanent public
access to Federal government information, after receiving testimony from Henry
J. Gioia, Senior Management Analyst, Office of the Director of Administration
and Management, Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense; Gary R.
Bachula, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology Administration;
John W. Carlin, Archivist of the United States; and Joan K. Lippincott,
Coalition for Networked Information, Washington, D.C.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/23
Daily Digest - Friday, May 23, 1997, pages D538 - D542
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/27
Daily Digest - Tuesday, May 27, 1997, pages D543 - D544
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/05/30
Daily Digest - Friday, May 30, 1997, pages D545 - D546
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
1997/06/02
Daily Digest - Monday, June 2, 1997, pages D547 - D552
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings held.
1997/06/03
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 3, 1997, pages D554 - D560
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Communications concluded hearings to examine the management of Federal
research and development investment in advanced information technologies,
focusing on the President's proposed Next Generation Internet initiative and
related programs to accelerate the development of a high-speed, high-quality
information infrastructure in the United States, after receiving testimony
from Henry C. Kelly, Acting Associate Director for Technology, Office of
Science and Technology Policy; Neal F. Lane, Director, National Science
Foundation; Ken Kennedy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, on behalf of the
Presidential Advisory Committee on High Performance Computing and
Communications, Information Technology, and the Next Generation Internet; Gwen
A. Jacobs, Montana State University, Bozeman; Bonnie Neas, North Dakota State
University, Fargo; Cherri Pancake, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and
Douglas E. Van Houweling, Internet 2 Project, Washington, D.C.
UNIVERSAL TELEPHONE SERVICE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on
Communications concluded hearings to examine the Federal Communications
Commission implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, focusing on
efforts to implement universal telephone service reform and FCC proposals to
assess new per-minute fees on Internet service providers, after receiving
testimony from Reed E. Hundt, Chairman, and Rachelle B. Chong, James H.
Quello, and Susan Ness, each a Commissioner, all of the Federal Communications
Commission; Jay Kitchen, Personal Communications Industry Association,
Alexandria, Virginia; Roy Neel, United States Telephone Association, and
Jonathan B. Sallet, MCI Communications Corporation, both of Washington, D.C.;
Bob Rowe, Montana Public Service Commission, Helena, on behalf of the National
Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners; and Ronald E. Spears, Citizen
Utilities Company, Stanford, Connecticut.
NOMINATION
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of
Robert S. LaRussa, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Import Administration.
FAST-TRACK TRADE AUTHORITY
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine whether to extend the
President's fast-track negotiating authority to continue to fully participate
in the World Trade Organization, receiving testimony from Charlene Barshefsky,
United States Trade Representative; Duane L. Burnham, Abbott Laboratories, on
behalf of the Emergency Committee for American Trade, C. Fred Bergsten,
Institute for International Economics, and Richard L. Trumka, AFL-CIO, all of
Washington, D.C.; and Mark Van Putten, National Wildlife Federation, Vienna,
Virginia.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
U.S.-HONG KONG AGREEMENT
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the Agreement
Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of
Hong Kong for the Surrender of Fugitive Offenders signed at Hong Kong on
December 20, 1996 (Treaty Doc. 105-3), after receiving testimony from Jamison
S. Borek, Deputy Legal Advisor, Department of State; and Mark M. Richard,
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GRANT PROGRAMS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia concluded hearings to
examine the merits of the Department of Commerce Advanced Technology Program
and other corporate subsidies to private industry to develop civilian
technologies, after receiving testimony from Mary Lowe Good, Under Secretary
of Commerce for Technology; Robert M. White, Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, former Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology;
T.J. Rodgers, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, San Jose, California; Tim
Draper, Draper Fisher Associates, Redwood City, California; Stephen Moore,
Cato Institute, Washington, D.C.; and Dwight D. Carlson, Perceptron, Ann
Arbor, Michigan.
[Page: D556]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/04
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 4, 1997, pages D561 - D568
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on proposed
budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Department of Defense and
defense related programs, receiving testimony from numerous public witnesses.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, June 11.
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION NEGOTIATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Aviation
held hearings to examine the status of the bilateral aviation negotiations
between the United States and the United Kingdom, focusing on the planned
alliance of American Airlines and British Airways, receiving testimony from
Senator Torricelli; Charles A. Hunnicutt, Assistant Secretary of
Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs; John H. Anderson, Jr.,
Director, and Timothy Hannegan, Assistant Director, both for Transportation
Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, General
Accounting Office; Robert L. Crandall, American Airlines, Inc., Dallas/Fort
Worth Airport, Texas; Robert J. Ayling, British Airways, London, England;
Stephen M. Wolf, US Airways, Arlington, Virginia; Richard Branson, Virgin
Atlantic Airways Limited, West Sussex, United D562Kingdom; and Sir Freddie
Laker, Laker Airways, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
[Page: D562].
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded hearings on the
nomination of Michael J. Armstrong, of Colorado, to be an Associate Director
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, after the nominee, who was
introduced by Senators Campbell, Allard, Conrad, Dorgan and Representatives
Skaggs and Pomeroy, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
Testimony was also received from James Lee Witt, Director, FEMA.
FBI OVERSIGHT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded oversight hearings to review
the administration and operations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
after receiving testimony from Louis J. Freeh, Director, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Department of Justice.
SMALL BUSINESS MANDATES
Committee on Small Business: Committee held hearings to examine Federal
efforts to reduce unfunded mandates, paperwork requirements, and certain
regulations affecting the small business community, and provisions of S. 389
and H.R. 1010, bills to improve congressional deliberation on proposed Federal
private sector mandates, receiving testimony from Senator Abraham;
Representative Condit; Michael Brostek, Associate Director, Federal Management
and Workforce Issues, General Government Division, General Accounting Office;
Angela Antonelli, Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C.; Bob Spence, Faultless
Laundry Company, Kansas City, Missouri; David S. Marsh, Marsh Plating Company,
Ypsilanti, Michigan; Shelly Netherwood, Clarendon Flavor Engineering, Inc.,
Louisville, Kentucky; and Philip C. Hauck, Counselor Publishing Company, Green
Bay, Wisconsin.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION-INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee ordered favorably reported an
original bill authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for the intelligence
community.
Joint Meetings
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
Conferees continued in evening session to resolve the differences between the
Senate- and House-passed versions of H.R. 1469, making emergency supplemental
appropriations for recovery from natural disasters, and for overseas
peacekeeping efforts, including those in Bosnia, for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 1997.
CONCURRENT BUDGET RESOLUTION
Conferees on Tuesday, June 3, met to resolve the differences between the
Senate- and House-passed versions of H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 1998 and
setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001,
and 2002, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to call.
1997/06/05
Daily Digest - Thursday, June 5, 1997, pages D569 - D578
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
SCHOOL LUNCH SAFETY
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings to examine issues with regard to the recent outbreak of Hepatitis A
as a result of the consumption of contaminated frozen strawberries in school
lunches in the State of Michigan, and the Department of Agriculture response,
after receiving testimony from Senators Abraham; Representative Nick Smith;
Mary Ann Keeffe, Acting Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer
Services, and Lon Hatamiya, Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service,
both of the Department of Agriculture; David R. Johnson, Michigan Department
of Community Health, Lansing; Thomas W. Schimm, Bay City, Michigan; and Susan
Doneth, Marshall, Michigan.
NEUROLOGICAL AND COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education, and Related Agencies concluded hearings to examine progress
reports on research with regard to neurological and communication disorders,
after receiving testimony from Geraldine Fox, National Organization for
Hearing Research, Narberth, Pennsylvania; Josef Miller, Kresge Hearing
Research Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Christopher Reeve, West Chester, New
York; and Caitlin Parton, New York, New York.
APPROPRIATIONS--LOC/GPO/GAO
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch held
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from James H.
Billington, Librarian of Congress; Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer,
Government Printing Office; James F. Hinchman, Acting Comptroller General of
the United States, General Accounting Office; and former Representative Bill
Orton and Janet S. Zagorin, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, New York, New York,
both on behalf of the Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress.
Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, June 10.
GENDER INTEGRATED BASIC TRAINING
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded hearings to
examine the extent to which military services have integrated men and women in
basic training services and the effect this has on their performance, after
receiving testimony from Gen. William W. Hartzog, USA, Commanding General,
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command; Vice Adm. Patricia A.
Tracey, USN, Chief of Naval Education and Training; Lt. Gen. Paul K. Van
Riper, USMC, Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; Gen.
Lloyd W. Newton, USAF, Commander, Air Education and Training Command; Staff
Sgt. Mary M. Wilson, USMC; Sgt. First Class Allison Smith, USA; D571Staff Sgt.
John F. McNeirney, USA; Senior Master Sgt. Harry E. Creacy, Jr., USAF (Ret.);
Donna Carson, Woodbridge, Virginia; and Michelle Danko, Newport News,
Virginia.
[Page: D571]
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 621, to repeal the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 and transfer
residual regulatory authority from the Securities and Exchange Commission to
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and State public service commissions,
with an amendment; and
The nominations of James A. Harmon, of New York, to be President, and Jackie
M. Clegg, of Utah, to be First Vice President, both of the Export-Import Bank
of the United States.
CHINA-UNITED STATES TRADE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings to
examine emerging trade issues in China, focusing on United States-China trade
imbalances and China's restrictive trade practices and the renewal of China's
Most-Favored-Nation status, receiving testimony from Henry Kissinger, New
York, New York, former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following business items:
S. 797, to authorize the design and construction of additions to the parking
garage and certain site improvements at the John F. Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C.;
S. 289, to designate the United States courthouse to be constructed at the
corner of Superior Road and Huron Road in Cleveland, Ohio, as the "Carl B.
Stokes United States Courthouse'';
S. 347, to designate the Federal building located at 100 Alabama Street NW, in
Atlanta, Georgia, as the "Sam Nunn Federal Center'';
S. 478, to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located
at 475 Mulberry Street in Macon, Georgia, as the "William Augustus Bootle
Federal Building and United States Courthouse'';
S. 628, to designate the United States courthouse to be constructed at the
corner of 7th Street and East Jackson Street in Brownsville, Texas, as the
"Reynaldo G. Garza United States Courthouse'';
S. 681, to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located
at 300 Northeast First Avenue in Miami, Florida, as the "David W. Dyer Federal
Courthouse'';
S. 715, to redesignate the Dublin Federal Courthouse building located in
Dublin, Georgia, as the
"J. Roy Rowland Federal Courthouse'';
S. 819, to designate the United States courthouse at 200 South Washington
Street in Alexandria, Virginia, as the "Martin V.B. Bostetter, Jr. United
States Courthouse''; and
The nominations of Brig. Gen. Robert Bernard Flowers, USA, to be a Member and
President of the Mississippi River Commission, and Michael J. Armstrong, of
Colorado, to be an Associate Director of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
SMALL BUSINESS TAXATION
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight held hearings
on S. 460, to increase the deduction for health insurance costs of
self-employed individuals, to provide clarification for the deductibility of
expenses incurred by a taxpayer in connection with the business use of the
home, and to clarify the standards used for determining that certain
individuals are not employees, and S. 570, to exempt certain small businesses
from the mandatory electronic fund transfer system, receiving testimony from
Senators Bond and Snowe; Donald C. Lubick, Acting Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury for Tax Policy; Stephen Kenda, KENDA Systems, Inc., Salem, New
Hampshire; Randy Mason, Mason Mechanical Laboratories, Inc., Salem, Virginia;
Susan Thomas, Best of Service and Sales International, Annandale, Virginia, on
behalf of the National Association for the Self-Employed; Debbi-Jo Horton, DJ
Horton & Associates, East Providence, Rhode Island; John Satagaj, Small
Business Legislative Counsel, and Deborah Walker, American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants, both of Washington, D.C.; and Frederick S. Oyer,
International Piping Systems, Inc., Schiller Park, Illinois, on behalf of the
Mechanical/Electrical/Sheet Metal Alliance.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
RUSSIAN WEAPONS PROLIFERATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation, and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine cases of
Russian weapons proliferation, focusing on Russia's exports of weapons of mass
destruction components and technologies and missile delivery systems to
certain countries, including Iran, Iraq, and India, after receiving testimony
from Robert J. Einhorn, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Nonproliferation/Bureau of Political-Military Affairs; William C. Potter,
Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California; and Richard
H. Speier, McLean, Virginia.
[Page: D572]
ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Aging concluded
hearings to examine challenges for treating Alzheimer's disease, focusing on
biomedical research options, after receiving testimony from Richard J. Hodes,
Director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health,
Department of Health and Human Services; Zaven S. Khachaturian, Potomac,
Maryland, on behalf of the Alzheimers' Association Ronald and Nancy Reagan
Research Institute; Allen D. Roses, Duke University Medical Center, Durham,
North Carolina; Sam Sisodia, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, Maryland; Stephen Gracon, Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis, Ann Arbor,
Michigan; and Eric B. Larson, University of Washington Medical Center,
Seattle.
CHILD BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Children and Families
concluded hearings to examine the status of medical and scientific findings
into prenatal and postnatal brain development and implications that federal
policies have on childhood development, after receiving testimony from Harry
Chugani, Children's Hospital of Michigan/Wayne State University, Detroit;
Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore,
Maryland; Anthony DeCasper, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Diane
Fisher, Kensington, Maryland, on behalf of the Independent Women's Forum;
Carlie Sorensen Dixon, Lawyers at Home and Mothers First, Arlington, Virginia;
and Edward Zigler, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Joint Meetings
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
Conferees: On Wednesday, June 4, agreed to file a conference report on the
differences between the Senate- and House-passed versions of H.R. 1469, making
emergency supplemental appropriations for recovery from natural disasters, and
for overseas peacekeeping efforts, including those in Bosnia, for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 1997.
BUDGET RESOLUTION
Conferees: On Wednesday, June 4, agreed to file a conference report on the
differences between the Senate- and House-passed versions of H. Con. Res. 84,
establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for
fiscal year 1998 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal
years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. D576
1997/06/06
Daily Digest - Friday, June 6, 1997, pages D579 - D581
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and
Infrastructure resumed hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for
programs of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991,
focusing on the replacement of the federally owned Woodrow Wilson Bridge,
receiving testimony from Jane F. Garvey, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway
Administrator, Department of Transportation; Mayor Kerry J. Donley,
Alexandria, Virginia; Kenneth Laden, Acting Administrator of Policy and
Planning, District of Columbia Department of Public Works; Robert E. Martinez,
Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Richmond; David L. Winstead, Maryland
Secretary of Transportation, Annapolis; Wayne K. Curry, Prince George's County
Office of the County Executive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Katharine K. Hanley,
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax, Virginia; John J. Collins,
American Trucking Associations, Inc., Jonas Neihardt, Old Town Civic
Association, Robert L. Montague, III, Alexandria Historical Restoration and
Preservation Commission, and Randall Kell, Mark Winkler Company, on behalf of
the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, all of Alexandria, Virginia; Michael J.
Lewis, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, Virginia,
on behalf of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce; and Susan J. Williams,
Greater Washington Board of Trade, Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
Joint Meetings
EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT
Joint Economic Committee: Committee held hearings to examine the
employment-unemployment situation for May and the Consumer Price Index,
receiving testimony from Katharine G. Abraham, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Department of Labor.
Committee recessed subject to call.
1997/06/07
Daily Digest - Saturday, June 7, 1997, pages D583 - D584
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/09
Daily Digest - Monday, June 9, 1997, pages D585 - D588
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel approved for full
committee consideration those provisions which fall within its jurisdiction of
the subcommittee of S. 450, proposed National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Years 1998 and 1999.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness approved for full
committee consideration those provisions which fall within its jurisdiction of
the subcommittee of S. 450, proposed National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Years 1998 and 1999.
JUDGESHIP ALLOCATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the
Courts concluded hearings to examine the appropriate allocation of judgeships
in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits,
after receiving testimony from Gerald Tjoflat, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Jacksonville, Florida); Joseph Hatchett,
Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Tallahassee,
Florida); Patrick Higginbotham, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Fifth Circuit (Dallas, Texas); Edith Jones, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Houston, Texas); and W. Frank Newton, Texas
Tech University School of Law, Lubbock.
[Page: D586]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/10
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 10, 1997, pages D589 - D596
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee completed its
review of certain spending reductions and revenue increases to meet
reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 1998 and
setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001,
and 2002, and agreed on recommendations which it will make thereon to the
Committee on the Budget.
APPROPRIATIONS--LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch concluded
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998, after receiving
testimony in behalf of funds for their respective activities from Glen Nager,
Chairman of the Board, and Ricky Silberman, Executive Director, both of the
Senate Office of Compliance; Gregory S. Casey, Senate Sergeant at Arms; Gary
Sisco, Secretary of the Senate; and Alan M. Hantman, Architect of the Capitol.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on AirLand Forces met in closed
session and approved for full committee consideration those provisions which
fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee of S. 450, proposed National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1998 and 1999.
WATER AND POWER PROJECTS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power
concluded hearings on the following measures:
S. 439, to provide for Alaska State jurisdiction over small hydroelectric
projects, to address voluntary licensing of hydroelectric projects on fresh
waters in the State of Hawaii, and to provide an exemption for portion of a
hydroelectric project located in the State of New Mexico, H.R. 651 and H.R.
652, bills to extend the deadline under the Federal Power Act for the
construction of a hydroelectric project located in the State of Washington,
and S. 846, to remove the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission to license projects on fresh waters in the State of Hawaii, after
receiving testimony from Susan Tomasky, General Counsel, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy; Percy Frisby, Alaska Division of
Energy, Juneau; Robert S. Grimm, Alaska Power and Telephone Company, Port
Townsend, Washington; Jack Hession, Sierra Club, and Charles Y. Walls, Alaska
Village Electric Cooperative, both of Anchorage, D590Alaska; and Mona
Janopaul, Trout Unlimited, Arlington, Virginia, on behalf of the Hydropower
Reform Coalition;
[Page: D590]
S. 736, to convey certain real property within the Carlsbad Project in New
Mexico to the Carlsbad Irrigation District, and S. 744, to authorize the
construction of the Fall River Water Users District Rural Water System and
authorize financial assistance to the Fall River Water Users District, a
non-profit corporation, in the planning and construction of the water supply
system, after receiving testimony from Eluid Martinez, Commissioner, Bureau of
Reclamation, Department of the Interior; and Bruce C. Driver, Boulder,
Colorado. Testimony was also received on S. 736 (listed above) from Tom Davis,
Carlsbad Irrigation District, Carlsbad, New Mexico, and S. 744 (listed above)
from Leonard Benson, Fall River Water Users District, Fall River, South
Dakota; and S. 538, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey
certain facilities of the Minidoka project in Idaho to the Burley Irrigation
District, after receiving testimony from Mr. Martinez (listed above); and
Roger D. Ling, Ling, Nielsen and Robinson, Rupert, Idaho.
ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded oversight
hearings on the relationship between the Federal and State governments in the
enforcement of environmental laws, after receiving testimony from Lois J.
Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources
Division, Department of Justice; Steven H. Herman, Assistant Administrator,
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, and Nikki L. Tinsley, Acting
Inspector General, both of the Environmental Protection Agency; Connecticut
Assistant Attorney General Joseph Rubin, Hartford; Mark Coleman, Oklahoma
Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma City, on behalf of the
Environmental Council of States; Becky Norton Dunlop, Virginia Department of
Natural Resources, Richmond; Patricia S. Bangert, Office of the Attorney
General for the State of Colorado, Denver; Christophe A.G. Tulou, Delaware
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Dover; Todd E.
Robins, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Washington, D.C.; Robert R.
Kuehn, Tulane Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Robert E. Harmon, Harmon
Industries, Blue Springs, Missouri.
CHINA MFN TRADE STATUS
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings on issues with regard to the
Administration's renewal of the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) trade status with
China and U.S. trade policies with China, receiving testimony from Madeleine
K. Albright, Secretary of State; Charlene Barshefsky, United States Trade
Representative; T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA, and Barbara Shailor,
AFL-CIO, both of Washington, D.C.; Nick Liang, China Society, San Francisco,
California; Lawrence Pemble, U.S.-China Industrial Exchange, Inc. (CHINDEX),
Bethesda, Maryland; and Edvard P. Torjesen, Evergreen Family Friendship
Service, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings to
examine the impact of organized labor's technique of salting whereby union
organizers apply for jobs while at the same time advising their prospective
employers that they are union organizers and intend to organize the employer's
employees, and S. 328, to amend the National Labor Relations Act to provide
that nothing in specified prohibitions against unfair labor practices shall be
construed as requiring an employer to employ any person who seeks or has
sought employment with the employer in furtherance of the objectives of an
organization other than the employer, after receiving testimony from George E.
Smith, Little Rock Electrical Contractors, Inc., Little Rock, Arkansas; Don O.
Mailman, Bay Electric Company, Inc., Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Roselyn F.
Nyeholt, Nyeholt Steel Company, Holt, Michigan; Terrance G. Korthof, Wright
Electric, Inc., Plymouth, Minnesota; Charles Fletcher, Corey Delta
Constructors, Benicia, California, on behalf of the Associated General
Contractors of America; Robert A. Georgine, Building and Construction Trades
Department (AFL-CIO), and Clifford R. Oviatt, Jr., McGuire, Woods, Battle, and
Boothe, both of Washington, D.C.; Michael T. Manley, Blake and Uhlig, Kansas
City, Kansas, on behalf of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron
Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (AFL-CIO); and Thomas J. Cook,
Omega Electric Construction Company, Inc., Williston, Vermont.
[Page: D591]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/11
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 11, 1997, pages D597 - D606
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--NIH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education held hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998
for the National Institutes of Health, receiving testimony in behalf of funds
for their respective activities from Harold Varmus, Director, and Anthony S.
Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, both
of the National Institutes of Health, and Earl Fox, Acting Administrator,
Health Resources and Services Administration, all of the Department of Health
and Human Services; F.E. Thompson, Jr., Mississippi State Department of
Health, Jackson; Kim Williams, Biloxi, Mississippi; and Danyse Leon,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee began markup of S. 450, to authorize
funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for military activities of the Department
of Defense, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal years
1998 and 1999, and related proposals, but did not complete action thereon, and
will meet again tomorrow.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: On Tuesday, June 10, Subcommittee on Acquisition
and Technology met in closed session and approved for full committee
consideration those provisions which fall within the jurisdiction of the
subcommittee of S. 450, proposed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Years 1998 and 1999.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: On Tuesday, June 10, Subcommittee on Seapower met
in closed session and approved for full committee consideration those
provisions which fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee of S. 450,
proposed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1998 and 1999.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces met in closed
session and approved for full committee consideration those provisions which
fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee of S. 450, proposed National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1998 and 1999.
ATM SURCHARGES
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee held hearings to
examine the practice of surcharging by banks and thrifts with regard to
automated teller machines used by individuals who do not hold accounts at the
institutions owning the ATMs, and S. 885, to limit fees charged by financial
institutions for the use of automatic teller machines, receiving testimony
from Thomas J. McCool, Associate Director, Financial Institutions and Markets
Issues, General Government Division, and Lamont Kincaid, Evaluator-in-Charge,
both of the General Accounting Office; Edmund Mierzwinski, U.S. Public
Interest Research Group, Washington, D.C.; and Kurt Helwig and Henry Polmer,
both of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association, Herndon, Virginia.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
OECD SHIPBUILDING AGREEMENT ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings on S. 629, to declare that the Congress approve the Agreement
Respecting Normal Competitive Conditions in the Commercial Shipbuilding and
Repair Industry (Shipbuilding Agreement), a reciprocal trade agreement
resulting from negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development, entered into on December 21, 1994, after
receiving testimony from Thomas P. Jones, Jr., Atlantic Marine Holding
Company, Jacksonville, Florida, on behalf of the Shipbuilders Council of
America; and Cindy Brown, American Shipbuilding Association, Arlington,
Virginia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the following bills:
H.R. 363, to extend the Electric and Magnetic Fields Research and Public
Information Dissemination program through fiscal year 1998;
S. 231, to establish the National Cave and Karst Research Institute in the
State of New Mexico;
S. 423, to extend the legislative authority through August 10, 2000 for the
Board of Regents of Gunston Hall to establish a memorial to honor George
Mason;
S. 669, to provide for the acquisition of the Plains Railroad Depot at the
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site; and
S. 731, to extend the legislative authority through June 30, 2002 for
construction of the National Peace Garden memorial.
[Page: D599].
Also, committee completed its review of certain spending reductions and
revenue increases to meet reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con.
Res. 84, establishing the congressional budget for the United States
Government for fiscal year 1998 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels
for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, and agreed on recommendations
which it will make thereon to the Committee on the Budget.
LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee held oversight hearings
to examine the benefits of, and needs for, the State-side Land and Water
Conservation Fund Grant program, receiving testimony from Fran P. Mainella,
Florida State Division of Recreation and Parks, Tallahassee, on behalf of the
National Recreation and Park Association; Donald W. Murphy, California State
Department of Parks and Recreation, Sacramento, on behalf of the National
Association of State Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers and the Americans for
Our Heritage and Recreation; Brigid Sullivan, Louisville and Jefferson County
Parks Department, Louisville, Kentucky, on behalf of the Urban Park and
Recreation Alliance; Bernadette Castro, New York State Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation, Albany; and Nancy Hogshead, Women's
Sport Foundation, New York, New York.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
WEAPONS PROLIFERATION AND U.S. EXPORT CONTROLS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine the role of
the United States in assisting other nations through the transfer of dual-use
technology, focusing on the modernization of certain militaries and
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction technology and delivery systems,
and the Administration's policy loosening export control restrictions on
United States supercomputers, after receiving testimony from William A.
Reinsch, Bureau of Export Administration, Department of Commerce; Mitchel B.
Wallerstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counterproliferation
Policy; Stephen D. Bryen, Delta Tech, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland, former
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Trade Security Policy; and William
Schneider, Jr., Arlington, Virginia, former Under Secretary of State.
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism, and
Property Rights held hearings to examine issues with regard to the
constitutional role of federal judges to decide cases and controversies,
focusing on the problem and impact of judicial activism, whereby federal
judges decisions are based on policy preferences, receiving testimony from C.
Boyden Gray, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, former White House Counsel to
President Bush; Edwin Meese III, Heritage Foundation, former Attorney General
of the United States, Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg, Lincoln; and
Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, all of Washington,
D.C.; Patrick Boyle, Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; and Bruce Fein, McLean, Virginia.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported
the nominations of Yerker Andersson, of Maryland, to be a Member of the
National Council on Disability, Jose-Marie Griffiths, of Tennessee, to be a
Member of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and
Kathryn O'Leary Higgins, of South Dakota, to be Deputy
Secretary of Labor.
Also, committee completed its review of certain spending reductions and
revenue increases to meet reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con.
Res. 84, establishing the congressional budget for the United States
Government for fiscal year 1998 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels
for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, and agreed on recommendations
which it will make thereon to the Committee on the Budget.
Also, committee began consideration of S. 830, to amend the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act to improve the
regulation of food, drugs, devices, and biological products, but did not
complete action thereon, and will meet again on Wednesday, June 18.
[Page: D600]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/12
Daily Digest - Thursday, June 12, 1997, pages D607 - D616
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--FAA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation concluded hearings
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the Federal Aviation
Administration, focusing on aviation safety issues and the adequacy of air
traffic controller staffing, after receiving testimony from Senator D'Amato;
Representatives King and Molinari; Dan Donovan, Staten Island Borough, Staten
Island, New York; Monte Belger, Acting Deputy Administrator, Ron Morgan,
Director, Air Traffic Service, Raymond D. Maldonado, Air Traffic Controller
(Newark International Airport), and Tom Monaghan, Air Traffic Controller (John
F. Kennedy International Airport), all of the Federal Aviation Administration,
Department of Transportation; Barry Krasner, National Air Traffic Controllers
Association, David A. Barger, D609Continental Airlines, Inc., and Edward M.
Bolen, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, all of Washington, D.C.;
Jack Johnson, Washington, D.C., and Henry Brown, New York, New York, both on
behalf of the Professional Airways System Specialists; Charles M. Barclay,
Alexandria, Virginia, on behalf of the American Association of Airport
Executives and the Airports Council International-North America; and Philip B.
Boyer, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Frederick, Maryland.
[Page: D609]
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee met in closed session and ordered
favorably reported the following bills:
An original bill to authorize funds for fiscal year 1998 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces;
An original bill entitled "Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 1998'';
An original bill entitled "Military Construction Act for Fiscal Year 1998'';
and
An original bill entitled "Department of Energy National Security Act for
Fiscal Year 1998''.
ELECTRIC UTILITIES DEREGULATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee met to further discuss
proposals to advance the goals of deregulation and competition in the electric
power industry focusing on the benefits and risks to consumers and
communities, receiving testimony from John L. McManus, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, on behalf of the American Association of Retired Persons; Robert
K. Johnson, Electric Consumers' Alliance, Indianapolis, Indiana; David R.
Nevius, North American Electric Reliability Council, Princeton, New Jersey;
G.A. Julin III, Morlin Management Corporation, Los Angeles, California, on
behalf of the Building Owners and Managers Association International; David
Fletcher, Bristol Virginia Utilities Board, Bristol, Virginia; Joe Brooks,
Richmond, Virginia, on behalf of the National League of Cities; Vann E.
Prater, Denver, Colorado, on behalf of the Electricity Consumers Resource
Council and Amoco; and Carol Everman, Oregon State Grange, Rainier, on behalf
of the National Grange.
Committee will meet again on Tuesday, June 24.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported an
original bill to authorize funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for foreign
assistance programs of the Department of State, to abolish the United States
Information Agency and the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency,
and to reform United Nations operations.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee continued in evening session to
discuss the issuance of subpoenas and the granting of immunity to certain
individuals with regard to the special investigation on campaign financing.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the following
business items:
The nominations of Margaret M. Morrow, to be United States District Judge for
the Central District of California, and John D. Trasvina, of California, to be
Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices,
Department of Justice;
S. Res. 63, proclaiming the week of October 19, 1997 through October 25, 1997,
as "National Character Counts Week''; and
S. Res. 92, designating July 2, 1997, and July 2, 1998, as "National Literacy
Day''.
Also, committee began markup of S. 10, to reduce violent juvenile crime,
promote accountability by juvenile criminals, and punish and deter violent
gang crime, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--HIGHER EDUCATION
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee resumed hearings on proposed
legislation authorizing funds for programs of the Higher Education Act,
focusing on those programs which provide support services and scholarships for
disadvantaged students, including institutional aid to colleges and
universities, receiving testimony from Moses Griffin, Wilberforce University,
Wilberforce, Ohio; R. Vic Morgan, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas, on
behalf of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities; Linda
Shiller, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, Winooski; and Ann Coles,
Education Resources Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, on behalf of the
National Council of Educational Opportunity Associations.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
SBA MICROLOAN PROGRAM
Committee on Small Business: Committee held hearings on the future of the
Small Business Administration's Microloan Demonstration program, focusing on
the Federal Government's role in the program's continuation, receiving
testimony from Prathiba Mathews-Wheeler, Center for Business Innovation, Inc.,
Kansas City, Missouri; Joseph Kriesberg, Massachusetts D610Association of
Community Development Corporations, Boston, on behalf of the Massachusetts
Microenterprise Coalition; Katharine W. McKee, Center for Community Self-Help,
Durham, North Carolina; Ellen Golden, Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Wiscasset,
Maine, on behalf of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity; Angela Fair,
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and George White, Helena, Arkansas, both on behalf of
the Arkansas Enterprise Group; and John F. Else, Institute for Social and
Economic Development, Iowa City, Iowa.
[Page: D610]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported H.J. Res.
75, to confer status as an honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces
on Leslie Townes (Bob) Hope.
Also, committee completed its review of certain spending reductions and
revenue increases to meet reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con.
Res. 84, establishing the congressional budget for the United States
Government for fiscal year 1998 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels
for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, and agreed on recommendations
which it will make thereon to the Committee on the Budget.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/16
Daily Digest - Monday, June 16, 1997, pages D617 - D720
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
STATE-SANCTIONED DISCRIMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on proposals to
prohibit the use of race and gender preferences by the Federal Government in
employment, contracting and other programs, after D618receiving testimony from
Randy M. Pech, Adarand Constructors, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado;
Charlene F. Loen, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, San Francisco, California;
Audrey Rice Oliver, Integrated Business Solutions, Inc., San Ramon,
California; John Goode, Bones Barbecue Cedar Creek, Texas; Ron Daugherty,
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Lou Ann Mullen, Lexington, Texas.
[Page: D618]
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: On Friday, June 13, committee concluded hearings
on the nomination of Eric H. Holder Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be
Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice, after the nominee, who was
introduced by Senators D'Amato and Moynihan, and District of Columbia Delegate
Eleanor Holmes Norton, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
PENSION MISCALCULATIONS
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded hearings to examine ways to
ensure retirement security for older Americans, focusing on the number of
people being underpaid by their pension plans and proposals to reestablish
funding for pension counseling projects, after receiving testimony from Edgar
Pauk, Legal Services for the Elderly, New York, New York; Paul Holzman and
Allen C. Engerman, both of the National Center for Retirement Benefits, Inc.,
Northbrook, Illinois; Karen Ferguson and Trip Reid, both of the Pension Rights
Center, Washington, D.C.; Thomas C. Walker, Associated Benefits Corporation,
West Des Moines, Iowa; and Edwin A. Witort, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas; and
Paul Francione, Tuscon, Arizona.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/17
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 17, 1997, pages D621 - D628
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
HOUSING REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Housing
Opportunity and Community Development concluded hearings on S. 513, to reform
the multifamily rental assisted housing programs of the Federal Government,
and maintain the affordability and availability of low-income housing, after
receiving testimony from Andrew M. Cuomo, Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development; Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson, Madison, on behalf of the
National Governors' Association; James Logue III, Michigan State Housing
Agency, Lansing, on behalf of the National Council of State Housing Builders;
John Koelemij, Tallahassee, Florida, on behalf of the National Association of
Home Builders; Albert A. Walsh, New York Housing Conference, New York, New
York; James R. Grow, Oakland, California, on behalf of the National Housing
Law Project; Mary Yeaton, Boston, Massachusetts, on behalf of the National
Alliance of HUD Tenants; and Shekar Narasimhan, Washington Mortgage Financial
Group, Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Mortgage Bankers Association of
America.
[Page: D623]
RECONCILIATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee completed its
review of certain spending reductions and revenue increases to meet
reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 1998 and
setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001,
and 2002, and agreed on recommendations which it will make thereon to the
Committee on the Budget.
LIABILITY REFORM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Consumer
Affairs, Foreign Commerce and Tourism concluded hearings on issues with regard
to liability reform for charitable organizations, focusing on the impact of
lawsuits and damage awards on the current liability system and proposals that
provide uniform standards for the awarding of compensatory and punitive
damages in a civil action against a volunteer or volunteer service
organization, after receiving testimony from Senator Coverdell; Richard Aft,
United Way Community Chest, Cincinnati, Ohio; Marc Mayerson, Boy Scouts of
America, and Elliot Portnoy, Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN), both of
Washington, D.C.; Brian Pallasch, American Subcontractors Association, Inc.,
Alexandria, Virginia, on behalf of the National Coalition for Volunteer
Protection and the American Society of Association Executives; and Connie
Isaacs, Lake Oswego, Oregon.
RECONCILIATION
Committee on Finance: Committee met to consider recommendations which it will
make to the Committee on the Budget with respect to spending reductions and
revenue increases with regard to health and welfare provisions to meet
reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 1998 and
setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001,
and 2002, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet again tomorrow.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
H.R. 173, to authorize donation of surplus Federal law enforcement canines to
their handlers; and
S. 861, to authorize donation of Federal law enforcement canines that are no
longer needed for official purposes to individuals with experience handling
canines in the performance of law enforcement duties.
Also, committee completed its review of certain spending reductions and
revenue increases to meet reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con.
Res. 84, establishing the congressional budget for the United States
Government for fiscal year 1998 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels
for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, and agreed on recommendations
which it will make thereon to the Committee on the Budget.
BASEBALL ANTITRUST REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee held hearings on proposals to reform
baseball antitrust regulations in an effort to minimize baseball labor
disputes, including S. 53, to require the general application of the antitrust
laws to major league baseball, receiving testimony from Donald A. Fehr, Major
League Baseball Players Association, New York, New York; and Dan Peltier,
Hastings, Minnesota.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
HUMAN CLONING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety concluded hearings to examine the ethical and theological implications
of human cloning, after receiving testimony from James F. Childress and
Abdulaziz Sachedina, both of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville; John
M. Haas, Pope John Center for the Study of Ethics in Health Care, Braintree,
Massachusetts; Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Harvard University Medical School, Boston,
Massachusetts, on behalf of the National Bioethics Advisory Committee; Edmund
D. Pellegrino, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.; and John A. Robertson,
University of Texas School of Law, Austin, on behalf of the American Society
for Reproductive Medicine.
[Page: D624]
Joint Meetings
ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE
Joint Economic Committee: Committee held hearings to examine national and
economic security implications of the current technology transfer policy of
the United States and the recent removal of export restrictions and the
expansion of foreign intelligence operations in the United States, receiving
testimony from Kenneth Flamm, Brookings Institution, and John J. Fialka, both
of Washington, D.C.; Lt. Gen. Robert L. Schweitzer, USA (Ret.), Springfield,
Virginia; and Peter M. Leitner, Arlington, Virginia.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
1997/06/18
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 18, 1997, pages D629 - D636
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
U.S. AGRICULTURAL EXPORT POLICY
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings to examine United States agricultural trade policy issues and the
importance of trade to U.S. economic prosperity, after receiving testimony
from Daniel R. Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture; and Charlene Barshefsky,
United States Trade Representative.
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations approved for
full committee consideration D630an original bill making appropriations for
foreign assistance programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.
BUSINESS MEETING
[Page: D630]
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
An original bill (S. 936) authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe personnel
strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces; and
S. 858, authorizing funds for fiscal year 1998 for intelligence and
intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community
Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and
Disability System.
RECONCILIATION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee completed its
review of certain spending reductions and revenue increases to meet
reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 1998 and
setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001,
and 2002, and agreed on recommendations which it will make thereon to the
Committee on the Budget.
CHINA-UNITED STATES TRADE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee resumed hearings
to examine emerging trade issues in China, focusing on United States-China
trade imbalances and the renewal of China's Most-Favored-Nation status,
receiving testimony from Stuart E. Eizenstat, Under Secretary of State for
Economic Affairs; and Robert B. Zoellick, Fannie Mae, and Alan Tonelson,
United States Business and Industrial Council, both of Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded hearings to examine the current status and
goals of the International Space Station program of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, after receiving testimony from Daniel S. Goldin,
Administrator, and Malcolm L. Peterson, Comptroller, both of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration; Thomas J. Schulz, Associate Director,
Defense Acquisition Issues, National Security and International Affairs
Division, General Accounting Office; Marcia S. Smith, Specialist in Aerospace
and Telecommunications Policy, Science Policy Research Division, Congressional
Research Service, Library of Congress; and Lawrence J. DeLucas, University of
Alabama, Birmingham.
LAND EXCHANGE AND BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public
Land Management concluded hearings on S. 587, to provide for an exchange of
lands located in Hinsdale County, Colorado, S. 588, to provide for the
expansion of the Eagles Nest Wilderness within the Arapaho National Forest and
the White River National Forest in Colorado, to include land known as the
State Creek Addition, S. 589, to provide for a boundary adjustment and land
conveyance involving the Raggeds Wilderness, White River National Forest in
Colorado, to correct the effects of earlier erroneous land surveys, S. 590, to
provide for a land exchange within the Routt National Forest in Colorado, S.
591, to transfer the Dillon Ranger District in the Arapaho National Forest to
the White River National Forest in Colorado, S. 541, to provide for an
exchange of lands with the city of Greeley, Colorado, and the Water Supply and
Storage Company to eliminate private inholdings in wilderness areas, S. 750,
to consolidate certain mineral interests in the National Grasslands in
Billings County, North Dakota, through the exchange of Federal and private
mineral interests to enhance land management capabilities and environmental
and wildlife protection, S. 785, to convey certain land to the city of Grants
Pass, Oregon, and S. 881, to provide for a land exchange involving the Warner
Canyon Ski Area and other land in Oregon, after receiving testimony from
Senator Allard; Mat Millenbach, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management,
Department of the Interior; Robert C. Joslin, Deputy Chief, National Forest
Systems, and Ellie Towns, Director of Lands, both of the Forest Service,
Department of Agriculture; Mayor Vern Nelson, Greeley, Colorado; Paul Schray,
City of Grants Pass, Oregon; and Richard Domingue, Trout Unlimited, Morrison,
Colorado.
RECONCILIATION/NOMINATIONS
Committee on Finance: Committee completed its review of certain spending
reductions and revenue increases to meet reconciliation expenditures as
imposed by H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the congressional budget for the
United States Government for fiscal year 1998 and setting forth appropriate
budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, and agreed on
recommendations which it will make thereon to the Committee on the Budget.
Also, committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of Kevin L. Thurm,
of New York, to be Deputy Secretary, and Richard J. Tarplin, of New D631York,
to be Assistant Secretary, both of the Department of Health and Human
Services.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING
[Page: D631]
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia concluded hearings on
S. 314, to require the Federal Government to procure from the private sector
the goods and services necessary for the operations and management of certain
Government agencies, after receiving testimony from Senator Thomas;
Representative Duncan; John A. Koskinen, Deputy Director, Office of Management
and Budget; L. Nye Stevens, Director, Federal Management and Workforce Issues,
General Government Division, General Accounting Office; Capt. Burton
Streicher, CEC, USN, Director, Navy Outsourcing Support Office; Charles S.
Davis III, Chamberlain, Davis, Rutan & Valk, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, former
Associate Administrator for Operations, General Services Administration;
Samuel D. Klienman, Center for Naval Analyses, Alexandria, Virginia; and John
N. Sturdivant, AFL-CIO, Washington, D.C.
HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration concluded hearings to
examine the scope of human rights violations in China and the United States
response to these abuses, including proposed changes in U.S. immigration law
and related provisions of S. 810, proposed China Sanctions and Human Rights
Advancement Act, after receiving testimony from James R. Lilley, University of
Maryland, College Park; and Wu Xuecan, China Strategic Institute, T. Kumar,
Amnesty International USA, and Kim R. Holmes, Heritage Foundation, all of
Washington, D.C.
FDA REFORM
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported,
S. 830, to improve the regulation of food, drugs, devices, and biological
products, and to authorize funds for prescription drug user fees, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
Joint Meetings
INDIAN CHILD WELFARE AMENDMENTS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs concluded joint hearings
with the House Committee on Resources on S. 569 and H.R. 1082, bills to amend
the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 to provide for retention by an Indian
tribe of exclusive jurisdiction over child custody proceedings involving
Indian children and other related requirements, after receiving testimony from
Representative Pryce; Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for
Indian Affairs; Thomas L. LeClaire, Director, Office of Tribal Justice,
Department of Justice; Deborah J. Doxtator, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin,
Oneida, Wisconsin; Thomas E. Atcitty, Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona; W.
Ron Allen, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Sequim, Washington, on behalf of the
National Congress of American Indians; Jane A. Gorman, Tustin, California, on
behalf of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys; and Michael J. Walleri,
Tanana Chiefs Conference, Inc., Fairbanks, Alaska.
1997/06/19
Daily Digest - Thursday, June 19, 1997, pages D638 - D644
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE/SUBCOMMITTEE ALLOCATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Committee completed its review of subcommittee
allocations of budget outlays and new budget authority allocated to the
committee in H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the congressional budget for the
United States Government for the fiscal year 1998 and setting forth
appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002.
CANCER RESEARCH/PHYSICIAN PRACTICE EXPENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
concluded hearings to examine cancer research priorities and the Health Care
Financing Administration's proposed plans for implementing the practice
expense relative value requirements which Congress mandated for physician
services under the Medicare fee schedule, after receiving testimony from
Kathleen A. Buto, Associate Administrator for Policy, Health Care Financing
Administration, and Richard D. Klausner, Director, National Cancer Institute,
National Institutes of Health, both of the Department of Health and Human
Services; John C. Bailar, III, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois;
Christine Goertz, American Chiropractic Association, Arlington, Virginia; Jay
H. Kleiman, American College of Cardiology, Bethesda, Maryland, on behalf of
the Practice Expense Coalition; Alan R. Nelson, American Society of Internal
Medicine, Washington, D.C.; and Donald H. Smith, American Society of General
Surgeons, Glenview, Illinois.
APPROPRIATIONS--IRS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and
General Government concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1998 for the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, after
receiving testimony from Senator Kerrey, Cochairman, National Commission on
Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service; James R. White, Associate Director
for Tax Policy and Administration Issues, General Accounting Office; and
Michael P. Dolan, Acting Commissioner, David A. Mader, Chief, Management and
Administration, Arthur A. Gross, Chief Information Officer, and James E.
Donelson, Chief, Taxpayer Service, each of the Internal Revenue Service, and
Lawrence H. Summers, Deputy Secretary, all of the Department of the Treasury.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the following business items:
S. 909, to encourage and facilitate the creation of secure public networks for
communication, commerce, education, medicine, and government, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 661, to provide for an administrative process for obtaining a waiver of the
coastwise trade laws for certain vessels;
S. 662, to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of
documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise
trade for the vessel Vortice, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
S. 880, to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of
documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise
trade for the vessel Dusken IV, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute;
S. 910, to authorize funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for programs of the
Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act;
S. 927, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 through 2002 for the National
Sea Grant College Program to maintain coastal and marine resources;
H. Con. Res. 8, expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the
significance of maintaining the health and stability of coral reef ecosystems,
with an amendment; and
Two Coast Guard nomination lists.
US-JAPAN AVIATION RELATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Aviation
held hearings to examine United States international aviation goals and
strategies, focusing on the United States-Japan aviation D640market, receiving
testimony from Charles A. Hunnicutt, Assistant Secretary of Transportation for
Aviation and International Affairs; former Virginia Governor Gerald L.
Baliles, Richmond, on behalf of ACCESS U.S.-Japan; Frederick W. Smith, Federal
Express Corporation, Memphis, Tennessee; Gerald Greenwald, United Airlines,
Chicago, Illinois; Clyde Prestowitz, Economic Strategy Institute, Washington,
D.C.; and John H. Dasburg, Northwest Airlines, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota.
[Page: D640]
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM USER FEES
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation, and Recreation concluded oversight hearings to review
procedures to collect entrance and special use fees for units of the National
Park System and the status of the Fee Demonstration program implemented by the
National Park Service in 1996, after receiving testimony from Denis P. Galvin,
Acting Director, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; Philip H.
Voorhees, National Parks and Conservation Association, Washington, D.C.;
Stefan J. Jackson, National Outdoor Leadership School, Lander, Wyoming;
Richard R. Hoffman, American Whitewater, Silver Spring, Maryland; and Barry S.
Tindall, National Recreation and Park Association, Arlington, Virginia.
RECONCILIATION
Committee on Finance: Committee continued in evening session to consider
recommendations which it will make to the Committee on the Budget with respect
to spending reductions and revenue increases with regard to tax provisions to
meet reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con. Res. 84, establishing
the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 1998
and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000,
2001, and 2002.
GLOBAL CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic Policy,
Export and Trade Promotion concluded hearings to examine global climate change
issues, including S. Res. 98, expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the
conditions for the United States becoming a signatory to any international
agreement on greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change of 1992, and the United States negotiating
position during the multi-national conference to be held in December 1997 in
Kyoto, Japan, after receiving testimony from Senator Byrd; Representative
Dingell; Timothy E. Wirth, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs;
Richard L. Trumka, AFL/CIO, Washington, D.C.; Bryce Neidig, Madison, Nebraska,
Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, on behalf of the American Farm Bureau
Federation; and Kevin Fay, International Climate Change Partnership,
Arlington, Virginia.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/20
Daily Digest - Friday, June 20, 1997, pages D646 - D652
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Committee on the Budget: Committee ordered favorably reported an original bill
(S. 947) to provide for reconciliation pursuant to H. Con. Res. 84,
establishing D647the congressional budget for the United States Government for
fiscal year 1998 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal
years 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002.
[Page: D647]
RECONCILIATION
Committee on Finance: Committee completed its review of recommendations which
it will make to the Committee on the Budget with respect to spending
reductions and revenue increases with regard to tax provisions to meet
reconciliation expenditures as imposed by H. Con. Res. 84, establishing the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 1998 and
setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001,
and 2002.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/21
Daily Digest - Saturday, June 21, 1997, D653 - D654
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/23
Daily Digest - Monday, June 23, 1997, pages D665 - D660
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/24
Daily Digest - Tuesday, June 24, 1997, pages D661 - D670
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations ordered
favorably reported an original bill (S. 955) making appropriations for foreign
operations, export financing, and related programs for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 1998.
GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AND RESULTS ACT
Committee on Appropriations/Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committees held
joint hearings to examine the goals and requirements of the upcoming
implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 which
will require Federal agencies to submit a strategic plan outlining their major
functions and operations over the next six years to Congress and OMB not later
than September 30, 1997 and its importance to the American public, receiving
testimony from Franklin D. Raines, Director, and John Koskinen, Deputy
Director for Management, both of the Office of Management and Budget.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded
hearings on the nomination of Jane Garvey, of Massachusetts, to be
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of
Transportation, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Kennedy and
Kerry, testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
ELECTRIC UTILITIES DEREGULATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee met to further discuss
proposals to advance the goals of deregulation and competition in the electric
power industry, focusing on the repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company
Act of 1935 and related D665matters, receiving testimony from Barry P.
Barbash, Director, Division of Investment Management, Securities and Exchange
Commission; Susan Tomasky, General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Department of Energy; Sam I. Bratton, Arkansas Public Service
Commission, Little Rock; Ferd C. Meyer, Jr., Central and South West
Corporation, Dallas, Texas; Martin B. Kanner, Kanner and Associates, on behalf
of the Consumers for Fair Competition, and William S. Scherman, Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher and Flom, on behalf of the Entergy Corporation, both of
Washington, D.C.; Les E. LoBaugh, Jr., Pacific Enterprises, Los Angeles,
California; and Larry A. Frimerman, Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Columbus, on
behalf of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates.
[Page: D665]
Committee recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of Eric H. Holder Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy
Attorney General, Department of Justice.
PUNITIVE DAMAGE AWARDS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings to examine the
current punitive damage award system and its effect on the legal system, the
economy, and the American consumer, focusing on the RAND report on punitive
damages in financial injury jury verdicts, after receiving testimony from
Representative Campbell; Theodore B. Olson, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher,
Washington, D.C., former United States Assistant Attorney General; Stephen
Carroll, RAND, Santa Monica, California; and Stephen Daniels, American Bar
Foundation, Chicago, Illinois.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/25
Daily Digest - Wednesday, June 25, 1997, pages D672 - D682
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AUTHORIZATION--U.S. FIRE ADMINISTRATION/COMMERCIAL SPACE
TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space concluded hearings on proposed legislation authorizing
funds for fiscal year 1998 for the United States Fire Administration and the
Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation,
after receiving testimony from Carrye B. Brown, Administrator, United States
Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency; Patricia Grace
Smith, Acting Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation,
Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation; and Keith
Calhoun-Senghor, Director, Office of Air and Space Commercialization,
Technology Administration, Department of Commerce.
[Page: D677]
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on the nominations of
Christopher Droney, to be United States District Judge for the District of
Connecticut, Katharine Sweeney Hayden, to be United States District Judge for
the District of New Jersey, Anthony W. Ishii, to be United States District
Judge for the Eastern District of California, Henry Harold Kennedy Jr., to be
United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, and Clarence J.
Sundram, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of New
York, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
Mr. Droney was introduced by Senators Lieberman and Dodd, Ms. Hayden was
introduced by Senator Lautenberg, Mr. Ishii was introduced by Senator Boxer
and Representative Radanovich, Mr. Kennedy was introduced by Senator Thurmond
and District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Mr. Sundram was
introduced by Senator Moynihan.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee resumed hearings on campaign
finance reform proposals, focusing on whether union political contributions
are made with voluntarily-paid dues money, and S. 9, to protect individuals
from having their money involuntarily collected and used for politics by a
corporation or labor organization, receiving testimony from Senators Nickles
and Wellstone; Victoria L. Bor, Sherman, Dunn, Cohen, Leifer & Yellig, on
behalf of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and James B.
Coppess, on behalf of the Communications Workers of America, both of
Washington, D.C.; Raymond J. LaJeunesse, Jr., National Right to Work Legal
Defense Foundation, Springfield, Virginia, on behalf of the National Right to
Work Committee; Bob Williams, Evergreen Freedom Foundation, Olympia,
Washington; David Stewart, Transport Workers Union of America, Tulsa,
Oklahoma; and Cindy Omlin, Mead, Washington.
Committee recessed subject to call.
GULF WAR ILLNESSES
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee resumed hearings to examine the
United States Government's response with regard to the disclosure of
information on the possible exposure of United States and allied troops to
chemical and biological weapons during the Persian Gulf War and the handling
of health care concerns of U.S. veterans, focusing on a related General
Accounting Office report, receiving testimony from Donna Heivilin, Director of
Planning and Reporting, National Security and International Affairs Division,
General Accounting Office.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
Joint Meetings
BUSINESS MEETING
Joint Committee on the Library: Committee met and approved Representative Bill
Thomas as Chair and Senator Stevens as Vice Chair.
Also, committee adopted their rules of procedure for the 105th Congress.
1997/06/26
Daily Digest - Thursday, June 26, 1997, pages D683 - D692
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Securities
resumed hearings on proposals to reform the Social Security system, focusing
on the impact of Social Security privatization, receiving testimony from Jose
Pinera and Mark M. Klugmann, both of the International Center for Pension
Reform, Santiago, Chile.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the following bills:
S. 738, to reform the statutes relating to Amtrak, and to authorize funds for
Amtrak, with amendments. (As approved by the committee, the bill authorizes
$1,138,000,000 for fiscal year 1998, $1,058,000,000 for fiscal year 1999,
$1,023,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $989,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and
$955,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.); and
S. 39, to support the International Dolphin Conservation Program in the
eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
Also, committee began mark up of S. 442, to establish a national policy
against State and local government interference with interstate commerce on
the Internet or interactive computer services, and to exercise Congressional
jurisdiction over interstate commerce by establishing a moratorium on the
imposition of exactions that would interfere with the free flow of commerce
via the Internet, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to
call.
RECREATION AREAS ACCESSIBILITY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public
Land Management concluded hearings on S. 783, to provide for improved access
to and use of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, after
receiving testimony from Senators Feingold and Wellstone; Lyle Laverty,
Director, Recreation, Wilderness and Heritage Programs, Forest Service,
Department of Agriculture; Guy Holmes, Wilderness Disability Project,
Virginia, Minnesota; David E. Jenkins, American Canoe Association,
Springfield, Virginia; Greg Lais, Wilderness Inquiry, Minneapolis, Minnesota;
Robert D. LaTourell, Jr., Ely Outfitter's Association, and former Mayor Frank
Salerno, both of Ely, Minnesota; and Bill Reffalt, Wilderness Society,
Washington, D.C.
NATIONAL PARKS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation, and Recreation concluded hearings on S. 308, to require
the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study concerning grazing use of
certain land within and adjacent to Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, and to
extend temporarily certain grazing privileges, and S. 360, to require adoption
of a management plan for the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area that allows
appropriate use of motorized and nonmotorized river craft in the recreation
area, after receiving testimony from Michael Soukup, Associate Director,
Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, National Park Service, Department of
the Interior; Lyle Laverty, Director, Recreation, Wilderness and Heritage
Programs, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; Carole Finley, Hughes
River Expeditions, Inc., Cambridge, Idaho; Darrell Bentz, Intermountain
Excursions and Bentz Boats, Lewiston, Idaho; Peter Grubb, River Odysseys West,
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Richard G. Sherwin, River Access for Tomorrow,
Clarkston, Washington; Jack Sterne, Hells Canyon Preservation Council,
Sisters, Oregon; and Sandra F. Mitchell, Hells Canyon Alliance, Boise, Idaho.
HOWARD M. METZENBAUM COURTHOUSE
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably
reported S. 833, to designate the Federal building courthouse at Public Square
and D687Superior Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, as the "Howard M. Metzenbaum
United States Courthouse''.
[Page: D687]
WETLANDS PROTECTION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air,
Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety concluded oversight hearings on
recent administrative changes and judicial decisions relating to Section 404
of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, focusing on litigation concerning
activities subject to Clean Water Act permitting, mitigation banking, and the
Environmental Protection Agency's Alaska wetlands initiative, after receiving
testimony from Robert H. Wayland, III, Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans,
and Watersheds, Office of Water,
Environmental Protection Agency; Michael L. Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the Army for Civil Works; Darrel Seibert, Seibert Development Corporation,
Hudson, Ohio, on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders; James
Noyes, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Los Angeles, California,
on behalf of the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management
Agencies; Donald I. Siegel, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York; Donald F.
McKenzie, Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D.C.; Derb S. Carter,
Jr., Southern Environmental Law Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and
Thomas W. Winter, Winter Brothers Material Company, St. Louis, Missouri, on
behalf of the National Aggregates Association.
GLOBAL CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic Policy,
Export and Trade Promotion resumed hearings to examine current international
negotiations intended to curb global greenhouse gas emissions, focusing on
United States economic and science considerations, receiving testimony from
Jerry J. Jasinowski, National Association of Manufacturers, William J.
Cunningham, Jr., AFL-CIO, W. David Montgomery, Charles River Associates, and
Robert Repetto, World Resources Institute, all of Washington, D.C.; Patrick J.
Michaels, University of Virginia, Charlottesville; and Alan Robock, University
of Maryland, College Park.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
MEDICARE FRAUD
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
held hearings to examine Federal efforts to expose waste, fraud and abuse in
the Medicare program, receiving testimony from Senators Grassley and Harkin;
Michael F. Mangano, Principal Deputy Inspector General, and Bruce C. Vladeck,
Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and
Human Services; Charles L. Owens, Chief, Financial Crimes Section, Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; Leslie G. Aronovitz, Associate
Director, Health Financing and Systems Issues, Health, Education, and Human
Services Division, General Accounting Office; and Pamela H. Bucy, University
of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
GLOBAL TOBACCO SETTLEMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee met to receive a briefing on the terms
and parameters of the proposed Global Tobacco Settlement which will mandate a
total reformation and restructuring of how tobacco products are manufactured,
marketed and distributed in America, focusing on its long-term impact on
children and the public health, and its legal and constitutional ramifications
from Mississippi Attorney General Michael Moore, Jackson; Meyer G. Koplow,
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, New York, New York; and Matthew L. Myers,
National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, Washington, D.C.
Committee recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Small Business: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
S. 208, to provide Federal contracting opportunities for small business
concerns located in historically underutilized business zones, with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute; and
An original bill authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000 for
programs of the Small Business Administration.
[Page: D688]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/06/27
Daily Digest - Friday, June 27, 1997, pages D693 - D698
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee met to discuss matters with
regard to the committee's special investigation on campaign financing.
Committee recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/07
Daily Digest - Monday, July 7, 1997, pages D700 - D706
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/08
Daily Digest - Tuesday, July 8, 1997, pages D707 - D714
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ELECTRIC UTILITY RESTRUCTURING
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings to examine the effects of potential electricity deregulation on rural
America and the Rural Utilities Service electric loan program, after receiving
testimony from Wally Beyer, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, Department
of Agriculture; Robert E. Robertson, Associate Director, D709Food and
Agriculture Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division,
General Accounting Office; Cynthia A. Marlette, Associate General Counsel,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy; Cody L. Graves,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on behalf of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission;
Glenn English, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Arlington,
Virginia; David K. Owens, Edison Electric Institute, Washington, D.C.; and
Robert Haug, Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, Ankeny.
[Page: D709]
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense approved for full
committee consideration an original bill making appropriations for the
Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.
APPROPRIATIONS--ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
approved for full committee consideration an original bill making
appropriations for energy and water development programs for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 1998.
CONGO
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on African Affairs held hearings
to examine United States policy and the prospects for a stable democracy with
regard to recent developments within the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
receiving testimony from William H. Twaddell, Acting Assistant Secretary of
State for African Affairs; Richard McCall, Chief of Staff, United States
Agency for International Development; Peter Rosenblum, Harvard University Law
School, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Chester Crocker, Georgetown University,
former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Kirpatrick J.
Day, Refugees International, both of Washington, D.C.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
NORTH KOREA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
concluded hearings on the future stability of North Korea, after receiving
testimony from Charles Kartman, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East
Asian and Pacific Affairs; Kurt M. Campbell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Charles K. Armstrong, Columbia
University, New York, New York; and Andrew S. Natsios, World Vision, and
Marcus Noland, Institute for International Economics, both of Washington, D.C.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee began hearings to examine certain
matters with regard to the committee's special investigation on campaign
financing.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
MILITARY SURPLUS DISPOSAL
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the
Courts concluded oversight hearings of the Federal Government's administrative
process for disposing of surplus military parts and equipment, after receiving
testimony from Bonni Tischler, Assistant Commissioner, Office of
Investigations, Lee Dolan, Senior Special Agent, and John Hensley, Special
Agent in Charge, all of the United States Customs Service, Department of the
Treasury; Capt. Randle D. Bales, USN, Associate Executive Director for
Materiel Management, and Jack W. Blackway, DOD Demilitarization Program
Manager, both of the Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense; and
David B. Barrington, Memphis, Tennessee, former Criminal Investigator, Trade
Security Control Branch, Criminal Investigations Activity, Defense Logistics
Agency.
No Joint hearings held.
1997/07/09
Daily Digest - Wednesday, July 9, 1997, pages D715 - D724
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nominations of Gen. Wesley K. Clark, USA, to be Commander-in-Chief, United
States European Command, and Lt. Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, USMC, to be
Commander-in-Chief, United States Central Command.
Prior to this action, the committee concluded hearings in open and closed
sessions on the aforementioned nominations, after the nominees testified and
answered questions in their own behalf.
COMPREHENSIVE MORTGAGE REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial
Institutions and Regulatory Relief and the Subcommittee on Housing Opportunity
and Community Development held joint hearings to examine problems surrounding
the mortgage origination process, the goals and objectives of the Real Estate
Settlement Procedures Act and the Truth In Lending Act, and the need for
comprehensive mortgage reform legislation, receiving testimony from Janice M.
Hix, National Association of Mortgage Brokers, McLean, Virginia; Ron McCord,
American Mortgage and Investment Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on behalf
of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America; Russell K. Booth, D718Salt
Lake City, Utah, on behalf of the National Association of Realtors; Joseph M.
Parker, Jr., Parker Title Insurance Agency, Inc., Winston Salem, North
Carolina, on behalf of the American Land Title Association; and Margot
Saunders, National Consumer Law Center, and Michelle Meier, Consumers Union,
both of Washington, D.C.
[Page: D718]
Hearings continue on Tuesday, July 15.
CAMPAIGN FINANCING INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee continued to examine certain
matters with regard to the committee's special investigation on campaign
financing, receiving testimony from Richard Sullivan, Perkins Coie,
Washington, D.C., former Deputy Finance and Finance Director, Democratic
National Committee.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
ENCRYPTION TECHNOLOGY
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings to examine certain
issues with regard to the use of encryption technology and its application in
the information age, focusing on its impact on U.S. industries, privacy
protection, and national security, including related measure S. 376 and
related provisions of S. 909, after receiving testimony from Senator Kerrey;
Louis J. Freeh, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of
Justice; William P. Crowell, Deputy Director, National Security Agency;
Kenneth W. Dam, Chair, Committee to Study National Cryptography Policy,
National Research Council; Michael MacKay, Novell, Inc., Orem, Utah, on behalf
of the Business Software Alliance and the Software Publishers Association;
Peter G. Neumann, SRI International, Menlo Park, California; and Raymond
Ozzie, Iris Associates, Westford, Massachusetts, on behalf of the Business
Software Alliance.
SENATE ELECTIONS
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee met in open and closed
sessions to receive a briefing on the status of the investigation concerning
petitions filed in connection with a contested U.S. Senate election held in
Louisiana in November 1996 from Thomas J. Jurkiewicz, Accounting and
Information Management Division, and John J. Butler, Office of General
Counsel, both detailed to the committee from the General Accounting Office;
Robert F. Bauer, Perkins Coie, Washington, D.C.; and George P. Terwilliger
III, McGuire Woods Battle & Boothe, Richmond, Virginia.
Committee will meet again on Wednesday, July 16.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence
community.
Committee recessed subject to call.
Joint Meetings
TRADABLE EMISSIONS
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the concept
of tradable emissions (also known as tradable credits or allowances) which
provide policy makers an opportunity to employ the power of markets to ease
the burden of environmental regulations, focusing on the sulfur dioxide
allowances trading program created by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 to
control acid rain, after receiving testimony from Peter Guerrero, Director of
Environmental Protection Issues, General Accounting Office; Mary Nichols,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, Environmental Protection
Agency; Mary Gade, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Springfield;
Daniel Dudek, Environmental Defense Fund, and Carlton Bartels, Cantor
Fitzgerald Environmental Brokerage Services, both of New York, New York; and
Daniel Chartier, Wisconsin Electric Power Company, Milwaukee.
TONGASS LAND MANAGEMENT
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held joint
oversight hearings with the House Committee on Resources to examine certain
issues with regard to the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management
Plan, issued by the United States Forest Service on May 23, 1997, receiving
testimony from Robert P. Murphy, General Counsel, General Accounting Office;
Sally Katzen, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget; and Phil Janik, Alaska Regional Forester,
Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, who was accompanied by several of
his associates.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
1997/07/10
Daily Digest - Thursday, July 10, 1997, pages D726 - D734
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE/ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
An original bill (S. 1005) making appropriations for the Department of Defense
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998; and
An original bill (S. 1004) making appropriations for energy and water
development programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.
APPROPRIATIONS--DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia resumed
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the government
of the District of Columbia, receiving testimony from Mayor Marion S. Barry,
Jr., Linda W. Cropp, Acting Chairman, District of Columbia Council, and Andrew
F. Brimmer, Chairman, Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance
Authority, all of the District of Columbia.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, July 16.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial
Services and Technology concluded oversight hearings to review information
processing challenges of the Year 2000 for certain financial institutions,
after receiving testimony from Larry Martin, Data Dimensions, Bellevue,
Washington; David M. Iacino, Millennium Project/BankBoston, Boston,
Massachusetts; Jeff Jinnett, LeBoeuf Computing Technologies/LeBoeuf, Lamb,
Greene & MacRae, New York, New York; and Alfred R. Berkeley III, Nasdaq Stock
Market, Inc., Washington, D.C.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation, and Recreation held hearings to review the preliminary
findings of a General Accounting Office study on the health, condition, and
viability of the range and wildlife populations in Yellowstone National Park,
receiving testimony from Victor S. Rezendes, Director, Energy, Resources and
Science Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division,
General Accounting Office, who was accompanied by several of his associates.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
GLOBAL WARMING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee held hearings to examine
the causes, impacts, and uncertainties of global climate change, receiving
testimony from Eric J. Barron, Pennsylvania State University, University Park;
John R. Christy, University of Alabama, Huntsville; Richard S. Lindzen,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dale W. Jorgenson, Harvard
University, both of Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Stephen H. Schneider,
Stanford University, Stanford, California.
Hearings continue on Thursday, July 17.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the
nominations of Ralph Frank, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of
Nepal, John C. Holzman, of Hawaii, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic
of Bangladesh, and Karl Frederick Inderfurth, of North Carolina, to be
Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, after the nominees
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
CAMPAIGN FINANCING INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee continued to examine certain
matters with regard to the committee's special investigation on campaign
financing, receiving further testimony from Richard Sullivan, Perkins Coie,
Washington, D.C., former Deputy Finance and Finance Director, Democratic
National Committee.
Hearings continue on Tuesday, July 15.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nominations of Katharine Sweeney Hayden, to be United States District Judge
for the District of New Jersey, Anthony W. Ishii, to be United States District
Judge for the Eastern District of California, and Henry Harold Kennedy, Jr.,
to be United States District Judge for the District of Columbia.
Also, committee adopted the Subcommittee on Immigration rules of procedure
concerning private immigration relief legislation for the 105th Congress.
Also, committee began mark up of S. 10, to reduce violent juvenile crime,
promote accountability by juvenile criminals, and punish and deter violent
gang crime, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet again tomorrow.
AUTHORIZATION--REHABILITATION ACT
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Employment and
Training concluded hearings D729on proposed legislation authorizing funds for
programs of the Rehabilitation Act, including H.R. 1385, to consolidate,
coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational
rehabilitation programs in the United States, after receiving testimony from
Judith E. Heumann, Assistant Secretary, Fredric K. Schroeder, Commissioner,
Rehabilitation Services Administration, and Katherine Seelman, Director,
National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, all of the
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of
Education; Eric Parks and Traci Meece, both of the Ohio Rehabilitation
Services Commission, Columbus; Kevin S. Veller, Vermont Association of
Business, Industry, and Rehabilitation, Winooski; Jay Johnson, Options
Interstate Resource Center for Independent Living, East Grand Forks,
Minnesota; Janet E. Samuelson and Douglas Taksar, both of the Fairfax
Opportunities Unlimited, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia; Paul Marchand, Consortium
for Citizens with Disabilities, Washington, D.C.; and Bobby C. Simpson,
Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, Hot Springs, on behalf of the Council of
State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation.
[Page: D729]
OSHA REFORM
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Subcommittee on Public Health and
Safety concluded oversight hearings on the implementation of the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, and related reform proposals, including S.
551, S. 461, and S. 765, after receiving testimony from Senators Gregg,
Hutchison, and Enzi; Gregory R. Watchman, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor
for Occupational Safety and Health; Harry Morley, Taylor-Morley Homes, Inc.,
St. Louis, Missouri, on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders;
Jeff W. Johnston, Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, Tennessee; Michael A.
Lail, Raines Brothers Inc., Chattanooga, Tennessee, on behalf of the
Associated General Contractors of America; Eric Frumin, Union of Needletrades,
Industrial and Textile Employees/AFL-CIO, New York, New York; F.M. Lunnie,
Jr., Coalition on Occupational Safety and Health, Falls Church, Virginia;
Steven C. Lewis, American Industrial Health Council, Washington, D.C.; and
Nancy Lessin, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health,
Boston.
INDIAN GAMING FEE ASSESSMENTS
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded oversight hearings on the
National Indian Gaming Commission and proposed legislation to amend the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act to enable the National Indian Gaming Commission to
assess additional fees to cover the costs of regulating the Indian gaming
industry, after receiving testimony from Tom Foley and Philip N. Hogen, both
of the National Indian Gaming Commission, Richard G. Hill and Tim Wapato, both
of the National Indian Gaming Association, and W. Ron Allen, National Congress
of American Indians, all of Washington, D.C.; Virgil Murphy,
Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians, Bowler, Wisconsin; and
Russell Welsh, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Parker, Arizona, and Jacob Coin,
Phoenix, Arizona, both on behalf of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.
NOMINATION
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee ordered favorably reported the
nomination of George John Tenet, of Maryland, to be Director of Central
Intelligence.
Joint Meetings
TONGASS LAND MANAGEMENT
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources concluded
joint oversight hearings with the House Committee on Resources to examine
certain issues with regard to the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan, issued by the United States Forest Service on May 23, 1997,
after receiving testimony from Phil Janik, Alaska Regional Forester, Forest
Service, Department of Agriculture; and David B. Allen, Alaska Regional
Director, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate- and House-passed
versions of H.R. 2015, to provide for reconciliation pursuant to subsections
(b)(1) and (c) of section 105 of the concurrent resolution on the budget for
fiscal year 1998, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to
call.
1997/07/11
Daily Digest - Friday, July 11, 1997, pages D736 - D746
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--COMMERCE/JUSTICE/STATE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the
Judiciary approved for full committee consideration an original bill making
appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, and the
Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.
APPROPRIATIONS--TREASURY/POSTAL SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and
General Government approved for full committee consideration an original bill
making appropriations for the Department of the Treasury, United States Postal
Service, and General Government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee continued mark up of S. 10, to reduce
violent juvenile crime, promote accountability by juvenile criminals, and
punish and deter violent gang crime, but did not complete action thereon, and
will meet again on Tuesday, July 15.
Joint Meetings
REVENUE RECONCILIATION
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate- and House-passed
versions of H.R. 2014, to provide for reconciliation pursuant to subsections
(b)(2) and (d) of section 105 of the concurrent resolution on the budget for
fiscal year 1998, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to
call.
1997/07/14
Daily Digest - Monday, July 14, 1997, pages D748 - D752
Committee Meetings
No committee meetings were held.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/15
Daily Digest - Tuesday, July 15, 1997, pages D754 - D762
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--COMMERCE/JUSTICE/STATE/JUDICIARY/TREASURY/POSTAL
SERVICE/LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
An original bill making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce,
Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 1998;
An original bill making appropriations for the Department of the Treasury,
United States Postal Service, Executive Office of the President, and
independent agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998; and
An original bill (S. 1019) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,
and Related Agencies approved for full committee consideration an original
bill making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, rural
development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
1998.
APPROPRIATIONS--TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation approved for full
committee consideration an original bill making appropriations for the
Department of Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 1998.
APPROPRIATIONS--VA/HUD
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
approved for full committee consideration an original bill making
appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban
Development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
1998.
COMPREHENSIVE MORTGAGE REFORM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial
Institutions and Regulatory Relief and the Subcommittee on Housing Opportunity
and Community Development concluded joint hearings to examine problems
surrounding the mortgage origination process, the goals and objectives of the
Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and the Truth in Lending Act, and the
need for comprehensive mortgage reform legislation, after receiving testimony
from Laurence H. Meyer, Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System; and Nicholas P. Retsinas, Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development for Housing/Federal Housing Administration Commissioner.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the
nominations of A. Peter Burleigh, of California, to be the Deputy
Representative of the United States to the United Nations, with the rank and
status of Ambassador, David J. Scheffer, of Virginia, to be Ambassador at
Large for War Crimes Issues, Richard Sklar, of California, to be
Representative of the United States to the United Nations for U.N. Management
and Reform, with the rank of Ambassador, Linda Jane Zack Tarr-Whelan, of
Virginia, for the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service as United
States Representative to the Commission on the Status of Women of the Economic
and Social Council of the United Nations, James Franklin Collins, of Illinois,
to be Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Marc Grossman, of Virginia, to be
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, John Christian
Kornblum, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany,
Stephen R. Sestanovich, of the District of Columbia, as Ambassador at Large
and Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States,
and Gordon D. Giffin, of Georgia, to be Ambassador to Canada, after the
nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. Mr. Grossman
was introduced by Senator Robb, Mr. Sestanovich was introduced by Senator
Moynihan, and Mr. Giffin was introduced by Senators Cleland and Robb, and
former Senator Nunn.
CAMPAIGN FINANCING INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee resumed hearings to examine
certain matters with regard to the committee's special investigation on
campaign financing, receiving testimony from Harold Arthur, Lippo Bank, San
Francisco, California; Juliana Utomo, Rosemead, California, formerly
associated with Hip Hing Holdings (a Lippo Group Entity); and Thomas Hampson,
Chicago, Illinois.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee resumed mark up of S. 10, to reduce
violent juvenile crime, promote accountability by juvenile criminals, and
punish and deter violent gang crime, but did not complete action thereon, and
will continue on Thursday, July 17.
[Page: D757]
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism, and
Property Rights resumed hearings to examine issues with regard to the
constitutional role of federal judges to decide cases and controversies,
focusing on the problem and impact of judicial activism, whereby federal
judges' decisions are based on policy preferences, receiving testimony from
Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, Montgomery; Marc L. Fleischaker, Arent
Fox Kitner Plotkin and Kahn, Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Terry L. Stewart, Arizona Department of
Corrections, Phoenix; Gail Heriot, University of San Diego Law School, San
Diego, California; Barry Friedman, Vanderbilt University School of Law,
Nashville, Tennessee; and Rob Tier, Center for the Community Interest, Dallas,
Texas.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/16
Daily Digest - Wednesday, July 16, 1997, pages D763 - D772
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AGRICULTURAL ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings to examine the importance of alternative fuels in addressing future
national security concerns, focusing on agriculture's vulnerability to energy
price volatility, the contribution of home-grown renewable alternative fuels,
and the role of new technologies in making agriculture more energy efficient
while increasing yields, after receiving testimony from Roger K. Conway,
Director, Office of Energy and New Uses, Economic Research Service, Department
of Agriculture; Joseph J. Romm, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; Henry C. Kelly, Acting
Associate Director for Technology, Office of Science and Technology Policy;
and John B. Campbell, Ag Processing Inc., Omaha, Nebraska.
Also, committee received a briefing on the international energy security
situation from officials of the Central Intelligence Agency.
APPROPRIATIONS--DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia resumed
hearing on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the government
of the District of Columbia, receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their
respective activities from Margaret A. Moore, Director, Department of
Corrections, and Larry D. Soulsby, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Police
Department, both of the District of Columbia.
Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, July 23.
NOMINATION
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded hearings on the
nomination of Jamie Rappaport Clark, of Maryland, to be Director of the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, after the
nominee testified and answered questions in her own behalf.
DRUG VIOLENCE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace
Corps, Narcotics and Terrorism concluded hearings to examine new drug
smuggling methods and the number and violence of certain incidents involving
drug cartels targeting United States officials in retaliation for U.S.
counterdrug efforts, after receiving testimony from Richard Hoglund, Deputy
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Investigations, United States Customs
Service, Department of the Treasury; Michael T. Horn, Chief of International
Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice; Cochise
County Sheriff Larry A. Dever, Bisbee, Arizona; Samuel C. Scott, Fontana
Police Department, Fontana, California; and a certain protected witness.
CAMPAIGN FINANCING INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee resumed hearings, in open and
closed sessions, to examine certain matters with regard to the committee's
special investigation on campaign financing, receiving testimony from Paul A.
Buskirk, Acting Director, Office of Security, Robert P. Gallagher, Director,
Office of Intelligence Liaison, and Jeffrey Garten, former Under Secretary for
International Trade, all of the Department of Commerce; Gary A.
Christopherson, former Associate Director of White House Personnel; William H.
McNair, Information Officer/Director of Operations, Central Intelligence
Agency; and John H. Dickerson, a protected witness.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
GLOBAL TOBACCO SETTLEMENT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee held hearings to examine the terms and
parameters of the proposed Global Tobacco Settlement which will mandate a
total reformation and restructuring of how tobacco products are manufactured,
marketed and distributed in America, focusing on its long-term impact on
children and the public health, and its legal and constitutional
ramifications, receiving testimony from Connecticut Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal, Hartford; Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III, St.
Paul; Colorado Attorney General Gale A. Norton, Denver; Richard F. Scruggs,
Scruggs, Millette, Lawson, Bozeman & Dent, Pascagoula, Mississippi; Stanley M.
Chesley, Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley, Cincinnati, Ohio; Laurence H.
Tribe, Harvard University Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Robert A.
Levy, Cato Institute, Washington, D.C.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
TELEVISION IMPROVEMENT ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and
Competition concluded hearings on S. 539, to exempt agreements relating to
voluntary guidelines governing telecast material from the applicability of the
antitrust laws, after receiving testimony from Senators Lieberman and
Brownback; Reed E. Hundt, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission;
Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., Baltimore; and Cass D767R.
Sunstein, University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, Illinois.
[Page: D767]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/17
Daily Digest - Thursday, July 17, 1997, pages D774 - D786
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NORTHERN FOREST STEWARDSHIP ACT
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Subcommittee on Forestry,
Conservation, and Rural Revitalization concluded hearings on S. 546, to
authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide technical assistance for
sustainable forest management, assist in coordinating ecological and economic
research and implementation of interstate and Northern Forest Lands Council
policies, and provide technical and financial assistance for State
conservation land planning and acquisition and rural community assistance,
after receiving testimony from James R. Lyons, Under Secretary of Agriculture
for Natural Resources and Environment; John P. Cahill, New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany; Brendan J. Whittaker,
Vermont Natural Resources Council, Guildhall; Stephen W. Schley, Pingree
Associates, Inc., Bangor, Maine, on behalf of the Maine Forest Products
Council; John E. Sargent, Chichester, New Hampshire; and David W. Guernsey,
Kingfield, Maine.
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE/VA/HUD/MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
An original bill (S. 1033) making appropriations for agriculture programs,
conservation programs, rural economic and community development, domestic food
programs, foreign assistance and related programs, and the Food and Drug
Administration for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998;
An original bill (S. 1034) making appropriations for the Departments of
Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry agencies,
commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending September
30, 1998; and
H.R. 2016, making appropriations for military construction, family housing,
and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 1998, with amendments.
APPROPRIATIONS--AMTRAK
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related
Agencies concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998
for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), focusing on the
calculation of "excess'' railroad retirement payments, after receiving
testimony from Steven A. Bartholow, Deputy General Counsel, and Frank Buzzi,
Chief Actuary, both of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board; Jacob J. Lew,
Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget; Mortimer L. Downey, Deputy
Secretary of Transportation; and Thomas M. Downs, President and Chairman, and
Thomas J. Gillespie, Jr., Vice President, Government Affairs, both of the
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak).
NOMINATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination of
Rudy deLeon, of California, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and
Readiness, after the nominee testified and answered questions in his own
behalf.
AUTHORIZATION--EXPORT/IMPORT BANK
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on
International Finance concluded hearings on S. 1026, authorizing funds for the
Export-Import Bank of the United States, after receiving testimony from James
A. Harmon, President and Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United States;
Stuart E. Eizenstat, Under Secretary of State for Economic and Business
Affairs, on behalf of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee; JayEtta
Hecker, Associate Director, International Relations and Trade Issues, National
Security and International Affairs Division, General Accounting Office; Noor
Doja, Minnesota Export Finance Authority, on behalf of the National
Association of State Development Agencies and Minnesota Trade Office, and
Richard P. Ferris, Norwest Bank Minnesota, National Association, both of
Minneapolis, Minnesota; Gary W. Groom, Raytheon Engineers & Constructors
International, Lexington, Massachusetts, on behalf of the National Association
of Manufacturers; William M. Murray, Fuller Company, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
on behalf of the National Foreign Trade Council, Inc.; Ian Vasquez, Cato
Institute, Washington, D.C.; and Edward F. Carter, Harza Engineering Company,
Chicago, Illinois.
[Page: D777]
HUD REBUILDING AND LOAN GUARANTY PROGRAM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial
Institutions and Regulatory Relief concluded hearings to examine the status of
Federal efforts to investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for
church arson, focusing on the implementation of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development rebuilding and loan guaranty program which guarantees
private sector loans to assist nonprofit organizations, including churches, in
financing the rebuilding of facilities damaged or destroyed by arson or
terrorism, after receiving testimony from Andrew Cuomo, Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development; James E. Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
for Enforcement, and Isabelle Katz Pinzler, Acting Assistant Attorney General,
Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice, both on behalf of the National
Church Arson Task Force; Mark Logan, Special Agent in Charge (Charlotte Field
Division), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Department of the
Treasury; Albert M. Pennybacker, National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the U.S.A., and Sullivan Robinson, Congress of National Black Churches, Inc.,
both of Washington, D.C.; Larry Hill, Matthews Murkland Presbyterian Church,
Charlotte, North Carolina; and Shirley F. Hines, Greater Mount Zion Tabernacle
Church Rebuilding Project, Portsmouth, Virginia.
AUTO CHOICE REFORM ACT
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held hearings on
S. 625, to provide for competition between forms of motor vehicle insurance,
to permit an owner of a motor vehicle to choose the most appropriate form of
insurance, to guarantee affordable premiums, and to provide for more adequate
and timely compensation for accident victims, receiving testimony from
Senators Lieberman, McConnell, and Moynihan; Representatives Armey and Saxton;
Jeffrey O'Connell, University of Virginia Law School, Charlottesville; Harvey
Rosenfield, Proposition 103 Enforcement Project, and Stephen Carroll, Rand,
both of Santa Monica, California; Peter Kinzler, Coalition for Auto-Insurance
Reform, Alexandria, Virginia; Tim Ryles, Ryles Resource Group, Newborn,
Georgia; and Andrew Tobias, New York, New York.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings on the
nominations of Patrick A. Shea, of Utah, to be Director of the Bureau of Land
Management, Robert G. Stanton, of Virginia, to be Director of the National
Park Service, and Kathleen M. Karpan, of Wyoming, to be Director of the Office
of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, all of the Department of the
Interior, and Kneeland C. Youngblood, of Texas, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the United States Enrichment Corporation, after the nominees
testified and answered questions in their own behalf. Mr. Shea was introduced
by Senators Hatch and Bennett, Mr. Stanton was introduced by Senators Sarbanes
and Warner, and Ms. Karpan was introduced by Senator Thomas.
OKLAHOMA CITY MEMORIAL/TRINITY LAKE DESIGNATION/EVERGLADES
WILDERNESS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks,
Historic Preservation, and Recreation concluded hearings on S. 871, to
establish the Oklahoma City National Memorial at the site of the bombing
incident at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, to designate the memorial a
unit of the National Park Service, and establish the Oklahoma City Memorial
Trust to oversee the development and operation of the memorial, S. 895, to
designate the reservoir created by Trinity Dam in the Central Valley project,
California, and designated as
"Clair Engle Lake'' is redesignated as "Trinity Lake'', and S. 931, to
designate the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and the Ernest F. Coe
Visitor Center in Everglades National Park, after receiving testimony from
Katherine H. Stevenson, Associate Director of Cultural Resource Stewardship
and Partnerships, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; and
Joseph B. Browder, Friends of the Everglades, Washington, D.C.
GLOBAL WARMING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded hearings to
examine the causes, impacts, and uncertainties of global climate change, after
receiving testimony from Timothy E. Wirth, Under Secretary of State for Global
Affairs; Janet Yellen, Chair, Council of Economic Advisers; Kevin J. Fay,
International Climate Change Partnership, Arlington, Virginia; and William
O'Keefe, Global Climate Coalition, Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following business items:
An original bill (S. 1032) to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 with
respect to the authority of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to
issue insurance and extend financing;
[Page: D778]
S. Res. 98, expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the conditions for
the United States becoming a signatory to any international agreement on
greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change;
An original concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 40) expressing the sense of
the Congress that the OAS-CIAV Mission in Nicaragua is to be congratulated for
its defense of human rights, promotion of peaceful conflict resolution, and
contribution to the development of freedom and democracy in Nicaragua;
An original concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 41) calling for a United
States initiative seeking a just and peaceful resolution of the situation in
Cyprus; and
The nominations of A. Peter Burleigh, of California, to be the Deputy
Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the
rank and status of Ambassador, Ralph Frank, of Washington, to be Ambassador to
the Kingdom of Nepal, Gordon D. Giffin, of Georgia, to be Ambassador to
Canada, John C. Holzman, of Hawaii, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic
of Bangladesh, Karl Frederick Inderfurth, of North Carolina, to be Assistant
Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, David J. Scheffer, of Virginia, to
be Ambassador at Large for War Crime Issues, Richard Sklar, of California, to
be Representative of the United States to the United Nations for U.N.
Management and Reform, with the rank of Ambassador, Linda Jane Zack
Tarr-Whelan, of Virginia, for the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of
service as United States Representative to the Commission on the Status of
Women of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, and two
Foreign Service Officer promotion lists.
BOSNIA PEACE AGREEMENT
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on European Affairs concluded
hearings to examine the current situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and United
States and international efforts to implement the 1995 Dayton peace accords,
after receiving testimony from Robert S. Gelbard, Special Representative of
the President and the Secretary of State for Implementation of the Dayton
Peace Accords; Harold J. Johnson, Associate Director, International Relations
and Trade Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division,
General Accounting Office; and Morton I. Abramowitz, International Crisis
Group, and John W. Heffernan, Coalition for International Justice, both of
Washington, D.C.
CAMPAIGN FINANCING INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee continued hearings, in open and
closed sessions, to examine certain matters with regard to the committee's
special investigation on campaign financing, receiving testimony from John H.
Cobb, Counsel to Special Investigation, Committee on Governmental Affairs; and
Paula V. Greene, Stephens Inc., Washington, D.C.
Hearings will continue on Wednesday, July 23.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee resumed mark up of S. 10, to reduce
violent juvenile crime, promote accountability by juvenile criminals, and
punish and deter violent gang crime, but did not complete action thereon, and
will meet again on Wednesday, July 23.
VISA WAIVER PILOT PROGRAM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration concluded hearings on
proposals to extend the Visa Waiver Pilot Program established by the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, including S. 290, to establish a
visa waiver pilot program for nationals of Korea who are traveling in tour
groups to the United States, after receiving testimony from Senators Murkowski
and Inouye; Representative Kim; Mary A. Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for
Consular Affairs; Michael D. Cronin, Assistant Commissioner for Inspections,
Inspections Division, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Department of
Justice; Virginia Governor George Allen, Richmond; Hawaii Lieutenant Governor
Mazie K. Hirono, Honolulu; and Janet Thomas, Air Transport Association of
America, Washington, D.C.
CHILD CARE QUALITY
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee held hearings on proposals
to improve the quality of child care in the United States, including the
proposed Creating Improved Delivery of Child Care: Affordable, Reliable, and
Educational Act of 1997, receiving testimony from Senators Mack and Graham;
Representatives Gilman and Deutsch; Ted Childs, Jr., IBM Corporation, North
Tarrytown, New York; William Waldman, New Jersey Department of Human Services,
Trenton; Deborah Lowe Vandell, University of Wisconsin, Madison, on behalf of
the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network; James M. Poole, Raleigh, North
Carolina, on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Lynn Behrmann,
Manchester, Connecticut; and Mark and Julie Fiedelholtz, Plantation, Florida.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
[Page: D779]
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/21
Daily Digest - Monday, July 21, 1997, pages D788 - D792
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--INTERIOR
Committee on Appropriations: On Friday, July 18, Subcommittee on Interior
approved for full committee consideration, with amendments, H.R. 2107, making
appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.
ARMS CONTROL COMPLIANCE REVIEW PROCESS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security,
Proliferation, and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine the
Department of Defense arms control compliance review process by which the
United States determines whether its missile defense systems, including both
Theater Missile Defense and National Missile Defense, comply with the
obligations of international agreements, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile
Treaty, after receiving testimony from Kent G. Stansberry, Deputy Director,
Arms Control Implementation and Compliance, Office of the Under Secretary of
Defense for Acquisition and Technology.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/22
Daily Digest - Tuesday, July 22, 1997, pages D793 - D802
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
CLEAN AIR REGULATIONS AND AGRICULTURE
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry: Committee concluded hearings
to examine the impact of Environmental Protection Agency revisions to the
national ambient air quality standards for ground-level ozone and particulate
matter on the agriculture industry, after receiving testimony from Carol M.
Browner, Administrator, Environmental Protection D795Agency; Phillip J.
Wakelyn, National Cotton Council of America, on behalf of the Department of
Agriculture Agricultural Air Quality Task Force, and Adam J. Sharp, American
Farm Bureau Federation, both of Washington, D.C.; and Robert C. Junk, Jr.,
Pennsylvania Farmers Union, Harrisburg, on behalf of the National Farmers
Union.
[Page: D795]
APPROPRIATIONS--TRANSPORTATION/INTERIOR
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported the
following bills:
An original bill (S. 1048) making appropriations for the Department of
Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
1998; and
H.R. 2107, making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998, with
amendments.
APPROPRIATIONS--LABOR/HHS/EDUCATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education and Related Agencies approved for full committee consideration
an original bill making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health
and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 1998.
FEDERAL MASS TRANSIT PROGRAM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
to examine the importance of the Federal mass transit program and proposed
legislation authorizing funds for the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act, after receiving testimony from Gordon J. Linton,
Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation;
Derick Berlage, Montgomery County, Maryland, on behalf of the National
Association of Counties; John P. Poorman, Capital District Transportation
Committee/Metropolitan Planning Organization, Albany, New York, on behalf of
the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations; Edward Wytkind,
Transportation Trades Department/AFL-CIO, William Millar, American Public
Transit Association, Barbara Singleton, Community Transportation Association
of America, Hank Dittmar, Surface Transportation Policy Project, Bernice
Shepard, American Association of Retired Persons, and Nancy J. Smith, Project
ACTION/National Easter Seals Society, all of Washington, D.C.; and Eugene J.
Berardi, Jr., Adirondack Trailways, Kingston, New York, on behalf of the
American Bus Association.
WARD VALLEY LAND TRANSFER
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee held hearings to examine
the Department of the Interior's review of the proposed transfer of federal
land in Ward Valley to the State of California for use as a site for the
disposal of commercially generated low-level radioactive waste, and S. 964,
proposed Ward Valley Land Transfer Act, receiving testimony from Senator
Boxer; Representatives Bilbray and George Miller; Gary Jones, Acting Associate
Director, Energy, Resources, and Science Issues, Resources, Community, and
Economic Development Division, General Accounting Office; John Garamendi,
Deputy Secretary of the Interior; and California Deputy Cabinet Secretary
Michael A. Kahoe, Sacramento, on behalf of California Governor's Office and
California Department of Health Services.
Hearings were recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination
of Stanley O. Roth, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of State for East
Asian and Pacific Affairs, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senator
Robb, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
CENTRAL ASIA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine United
States foreign policy in the independent states of the Caucasus and Central
Asia, after receiving testimony from Stuart E. Eizenstat, Under Secretary of
State for Economic and Business Affairs; Caspar Weinberger, Forbes, Inc., Lt.
Gen. William E. Odom, USA (Ret.), Hudson Institute, and Paul A. Goble, Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, all of Washington, D.C.; and Martha Brill Olcott,
Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, on behalf of the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace.
CAMPAIGN FINANCING INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee met in open and closed session to
discuss certain immunity issues with regard to the special investigation on
campaign financing, but made no announcements, and recessed subject to call.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on the nominations of
Frank M. Hull, of Georgia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh
Circuit, Joseph F. Bataillon, to be United States District Judge for the
District of Nebraska, D796Robert Charles Chambers, to be United States
District Judge for the Southern District of West Virginia, Janet C. Hall, to
be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut, and Christina
A. Snyder, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of
California, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own
behalf. Mr. Hull was introduced by Senators Coverdell and Cleland; Mr.
Bataillon was introduced by Senators Hagel and Kerrey, Mr. Chambers was
introduced by Senators Byrd and Rockefeller, Ms. Hall was introduced by
Senators Dodd and Lieberman, and Ms. Snyder was introduced by Senator
Feinstein.
[Page: D796]
WOMEN'S HEALTH
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee concluded hearings to
examine how information relating to women's health care is communicated to
women and their providers, and on proposed legislation to provide
comprehensive patient protections through improved access to quality health
plans and continued research in women's health issues, after receiving
testimony from Vermont State Senator Barbara W. Snelling, Shelburne; Phyllis
Greenberger, Society for the Advancement of Women's Health Research, and
Judith L. Lichtman, Women's Legal Defense Fund, both of Washington, D.C.;
Judith H. LaRosa, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical
Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, on behalf of the American Heart Association;
Bradley A. Arrick, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire; Gloria
Feldt, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Phoenix, Arizona; and Mary J.
O'Sullivan, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/23
Daily Digest - Wednesday, July 23, 1997, D804 - D812
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded
hearings on the nominations of Catherine E. Woteki, of the District of
Columbia, to be Under Secretary for Food Safety, Shirley Robinson Watkins, of
Arkansas, to be Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, I.
Miley Gonzalez, of New Mexico, to be Under Secretary for Research, Education,
and Economics, and August Schumacher, Jr., of Massachusetts, to be Under
Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, and to be a Member of
the Board of Directors of the D806Commodity Credit Corporation, all of the
Department of Agriculture, after the nominees testified and answered questions
in their own behalf. Ms. Woteki was introduced by Senator Harkin, Ms. Watkins
was introduced by Representative Clayton, Mr. Gonzalez was introduced by
Senators Domenici and Bingaman, and Mr. Schumacher was introduced by Senator
Kerry.
[Page: D806]
APPROPRIATIONS--DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia resumed
hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1998 for the government
of the District of Columbia, receiving testimony from Wayne D. Casey, Interim
Director, Department of Human Services, Marlene N. Kelley, Acting Director,
Department of Health, and Cellerino C. Bernardino, Acting Director, Department
of Public Works, all of the District of Columbia.
Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported 2,496
nominations in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
MONETARY POLICY
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded hearings
on the Federal Reserve's report on the economic situation and monetary policy,
after receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman, Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System.
NOMINATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered
favorably reported the nomination of Jane Garvey, of Massachusetts, to be
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of
Transportation.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably
reported the nominations of Patrick A. Shea, of Utah, to be Director of the
Bureau of Land Management, Robert G. Stanton, of Virginia, to be Director of
the National Park Service, and Kathleen M. Karpan, of Wyoming, to be Director
of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, all of the
Department of the Interior, and Kneeland C. Youngblood, of Texas, to be a
Member of the Board of Directors of the United States Enrichment Corporation.
NATURAL GAS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded oversight
hearings to examine certain aspects of natural gas issues into the next
century, focusing on world energy supply and demand to the year 2015, the role
of government in large scale gas projects in foreign countries, and emerging
technologies in gas field development that are making natural gas more
economical to market, after receiving testimony from Jay E. Hakes,
Administrator, Energy Information Administration, David J. Jhirad, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for International Energy Policy, Trade and Investment, and
Robert S. Kripowicz, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy,
all of the Department of Energy; Julie D. Belaga, Director and Chief Operating
Officer, Export-Import Bank of the United States; John Horn, Worldwide Natural
Gas and LNG, Bartlesville, Oklahoma; James T. Jensen, Jensen Associates, Inc.,
Washington, D.C.; A. Pedro H. van Meurs, van Meurs & Associates, Ltd., and
Robert L. Pierce, Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd., both of Calgary, Alberta, Canada;
and John Galt, Vessy, Geneva, Switzerland.
CAMPAIGN FINANCING INVESTIGATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee resumed hearings to examine
certain matters with regard to the committee's special investigation on
campaign financing, receiving testimony from Benton L. Becker, Coral Gables,
Florida; and Michael E. Baroody, Washington, D.C.
Hearings continue tomorrow.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee resumed mark-up of S. 10, to reduce
violent juvenile crime, promote accountability by juvenile criminals, and
punish and deter violent gang crime, but did not complete action thereon, and
will meet again tomorrow.
AUTHORIZATION--NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on S. 1053,
authorizing funds for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, after
receiving testimony from Barry R. McCaffrey, Director, Office of National Drug
Control Policy; and John P. Walters, Philanthropy Roundtable, Washington,
D.C., former Acting Director and Deputy Director for Supply Reduction, Office
of National Drug Control Policy.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported
the following business items:
S. 1020, to improve and authorize funds for programs of the National
Foundation on the Arts and D807Humanities Act and the Art and Artifacts
Indemnity Act, with amendments;
[Page: D807]
S. 1046, authorizing funds for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for the National
Science Foundation; and
The nominations of John T. Broderick Jr., of New Hampshire, and Ernestine P.
Watlington, of Pennsylvania, each to be a Member of the Board of Directors of
the Legal Services Corporation, Louis Caldera, of California, to be a Managing
Director of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Paul Simon, of
Illinois, to be a Member of the National Institute for Literacy Advisory
Board, and Gina McDonald, of Kansas, and Bonnie O'Day, of Minnesota, each to
be a Member of the National Council on Disability.
Also, committee began consideration of the proposed Workforce Improvement
Partnership Act, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to
call.
No Joint hearings noted.
1997/07/24
Daily Digest - Thursday, July 24, 1997. pages D813 - D824
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--LABOR/HHS/EDUCATION
Committee on Appropriations: Committ |
