[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 73 (Monday, June 13, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   EFFORTS TO REFORM POLICIES IN THE NORTHERN MARIANAS EXPLAINED BY 
                       LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BORJA

                                 ______


                            HON. RON de LUGO

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 1994

  Mr. de LUGO. Mr. Speaker, a conference on relations between the 
United States and its insular areas was held here during the last few 
days before the last district work period.
  It brought together leaders from the areas--American Samoa, Guam, the 
Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands--
academicians from the islands, Federal officials, and others.
  The gathering was one of the most stimulating, informative, and 
serious series of discussions concerning insular issues that I have 
participated in or witnessed.
  On of the speakers at the conference was the new Lieutenant Governor 
of the Northern Mariana Islands, Jesse Borja.
  As Members should be aware, the people of that Commonwealth are the 
only U.S. citizens who are not represented in this House. I think that 
fact imposes a special responsibility on us to consider the views, 
needs, and circumstances of the people of the Northern Marianas as 
policy that will substantially affect them is developed.
  To give Members a better perspective on the Commonwealth and the 
issues concerning it, I want to share with them remarks that Lieutenant 
Governor Borja made at the conference.
  Before I do, however, I want to put his speech in greater context.
  Much of the discussion that has occurred in this House regarding the 
Northern Marianas over the past couple of years has concerned the 
Commonwealth's tax and alien labor policies as well as the relationship 
between these policies and the special assistance that the Federal 
Government has provided for the development of what is the newest 
member of the U.S. political family.
  Members have objected to the policies: because of their substance; 
because they are not really in the interests of the people of the 
islands or the Nation; because they have been inconsistent with 
understandings reached in the agreement which established the 
Commonwealth in political union with the rest of the Nation; and 
because they have been subsidized by special Federal assistance.
  Last year, the people of the islands chose to reform these 
objectionable policies by electing Lieutenant Governor Borja and the 
head of the administration in which he serves, Gov. Froilan Tenorio.
  This new leadership of the Commonwealth took office in January and 
has moved aggressively to institute the needed reforms in local 
policies. It has instilled confidence in me, as chairman of the 
subcommittee with jurisdiction over most matters concerning the insular 
areas, and in our distinguished colleague from California who chairs 
the full committee, George Miller.
  In the remarks that I will include in the Record, Lieutenant Governor 
Borja says that,

       Our new Administration is built on reform. We are committed 
     to making our reforms work. Not only will the reforms be 
     directly beneficial to our people, they will also improve our 
     relationship with the Federal Government.

  We should respond to the courageous steps that they--and others--are 
taking to improve policies in the Northern Marianas with understanding 
and support.
  To better enable Members to understand the situation, let us now turn 
to Lieutenant Governor Borja's speech. It gives the background of, 
outlines, and explains the Federal-Commonwealth relationship; it 
discusses issues in the relationship with honesty and insight; and, as 
I noted, it states the new insular administration's commitment to 
improve policies of concern.
  Lieutenant Governor Borja's remarks follow:

Presentation Remarks of Lt. Gov. Jesus C. Borja at the: Second National 
  Conference: ``Looking to the Future'': Relations Between the United 
 States and American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, 
                  and the United States Virgin Islands

       Thank you, Mr. Rosenblatt.
       Talofa, Lieutenant Governor Tauese Sunia.
       Hafa adai, Governor Joseph Ada.
       Buenas Dias, Secretary of State Baltasar Corrado Del Rio.
       Good morning, Governor Alexander Farrelly.
       Good morning also to the legislative delegates from our 
     Commonwealth, American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Islands; 
     the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, and the Resident 
     Representative of our Commonwealth; Congressman de Lugo; 
     Assistant Secretary Leslie Turner; the president or 
     representative of: the Community College of American Samoa, 
     the University of Guam, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, 
     the Northern Marianas College, the University of Puerto Rico, 
     and the University of the Virgin Islands; other distinguished 
     guests; ladies and gentlemen.
       In the Northern Marianas we say, ``hafa adai'' to greet 
     friends, so today on behalf of Governor Froilan C. Tenorio, I 
     extend a warm ``hafa adai'' to all of you here. I am very 
     pleased to be here at this conference. As an Associate 
     Justice of the Commonwealth Supreme Court, I attended the 
     first national conference last year. It is good to be here 
     again.
       First, allow me to give some background on the Northern 
     Marianas.


                               background

       The Northern Mariana Islands are a chain of 14 small 
     volcanic islands located north of the Island of Guam in the 
     Western Pacific. Saipan, Tinian, and Rota are the three main 
     islands. Most of the population, and the business and 
     government centers are on Saipan. Saipan is about 120 miles 
     north of Guam.
       The Northern Marianas have been an American Commonwealth 
     since 1976. Before we became a Commonwealth, our islands, 
     together with five other Micronesian Island groups, made up 
     the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a United Nations 
     Trusteeship with the United States as administrator. Prior to 
     that, the Northern Marianas was governed over a period of 
     about four centuries by Spain, Germany, and Japan, in that 
     order.
       In 1972, the NMI began separate political negotiations with 
     the United States. Our people desired a closer political 
     relationship with the United States than the free association 
     status favored by the other Micronesian Islands. On June 17, 
     1975, in a plebiscite, the people of the Northern Marianas 
     approved the ``Covenant to establish a Commonwealth of the 
     Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United 
     States of America.''
       The United States approved the covenant through a joint 
     resolution of Congress on March 24, 1976. For the United 
     States, the covenant represented a new method of expanding 
     the jurisdiction of the United States--not by conquest, 
     purchase, or treaty with another foreign power--but with the 
     consent of the people wishing for a closer relationship with 
     it. On January 9, 1978, our Constitution came into effect. 
     This was the date that our constitutional government was 
     established.
       Under our covenant, the United States Federal Government 
     clearly controls our defense and foreign policy. The United 
     States military leases approximately two-thirds of our island 
     of Tinian, and maintains the option of acquiring other land 
     in the Northern Marianas for strategic purposes.
       We are proud to be Americans. We have chosen to become a 
     part of the United States. At the same time, our unique 
     culture is very important to us.
       In the preamble of our Constitution, it is stated that the 
     people of the Northern Mariana Islands ``ordain and establish 
     this constitution as the embodiment of our traditions and 
     hopes for our Commonwealth in political union with the United 
     States of America.'' Our Constitution mandates that our 
     indigenous culture be preserved.
       While we want to preserve our culture, we have become a 
     member of the American political family. Our relationship 
     with the United States is equally important. Our Constitution 
     states our hopes with regard to our relationship with the 
     Federal Government. A delicate balance must be achieved, and 
     we firmly believe that with patience and understanding, it 
     can be done.
       As the newest member of the American political family, and 
     experiencing self-government for the first time in over four 
     hundred years, we have had our share of growing pains. These 
     have manifested themselves in problems involving alien labor, 
     immigration, and tax administration, among others. We have 
     already taken serious steps to address the problems and will 
     achieve effective solutions within a reasonable time.
       The covenant is the basis of our relationship with the 
     United States.
       The covenant was approved in 1976, with certain provisions 
     coming into full force and effect at that time.
       The NMI Constitution came into full force and effect in 
     1978, triggering other provisions in the covenant into 
     effect. The remaining portions of the covenant came into full 
     force and effect in 1986. One provision of special importance 
     to the CNMI people is American citizenship, which was granted 
     to our people at that time.
       For purposes of the relationship between the CNMI and the 
     United States, all three dates are important. All three dates 
     effectuated provisions of the covenant that govern our 
     relationship.
       For example, section 105, dealing with the legislative 
     power of the United States over the Commonwealth, came into 
     effect in 1976. Sections 102 and 103, dealing with the 
     covenant as the supreme law of the land regarding the 
     relationship, and local self-government, respectively, came 
     into effect in 1978. Section 101, establishing the 
     Commonwealth, came into effect in 1986.
       Our relationship is yet a very young one. Even if we date 
     it from the time the United States Congress approved the 
     covenant in 1976, it is only 18 years of age. In terms of 
     relationships between peoples, we are still getting to know 
     one another.
       Our covenant and its meanings are still being explored. 
     Neither one of us has yet fully grasped the subtleties and 
     significance of the sections and clauses. We reach for these 
     understandings from different backgrounds, but believe 
     patience, goodwill, and mutual respect will resolve our 
     differences.
       The covenant is a unique document. Nobody will dispute 
     this. The exact nature of the relationship that it created 
     between the United States and the CNMI is still being 
     developed. It has been interpreted to some degree in the 
     courts, e.g., the Inspector General case.
       In any discussion of the relationship under the covenant, 
     it is important to emphasize that the relationship was 
     created between two sovereigns. It must be pointed out that 
     the United States, prior to the execution and implementation 
     of the covenant, never had sovereignty in the Commonwealth. 
     No other Nation had sovereignty, not even the United 
     Nations. The only conclusion then must be that the 
     Commonwealth had sovereignty when it negotiated and 
     executed the covenant.
       We believe the relationship is clear. In matters of defense 
     and foreign affairs, the United States has sovereignty. In 
     other matters, while the United States has sovereignty, it 
     has agreed to limit the exercise of that sovereignty. While 
     the covenant is clear that the United States has the 
     authority to enact laws affecting the Commonwealth, the 
     covenant is also very clear that it cannot do so unilaterally 
     with regard to certain fundamental matters.
       As stated in the 1993 Commonwealth Supreme Court case of 
     Sablan v. Inos, ``where it appears that a Federal law 
     violates a fundamental provision of the covenant, such law 
     should be scrutinized to determined whether it in fact 
     contravenes any such fundamental provisions. If it does, then 
     the covenant negates its applicability to the CNMI.''
       In other words, the Federal Government has sovereignty in 
     the Commonwealth to the extent it is not limited by a 
     provision in the covenant, e.g., by the articles and sections 
     specifically stated in section 105. We firmly believe that 
     the plenary powers that the United States Congress has over 
     the CNMI, from whatever source--the Territorial Clause, the 
     Supremacy Clause, the Commerce Clause, and the like--is 
     limited by these fundamental provisions of the covenant. 
     These fundamental provisions can only be changed by mutual 
     consent.
       This limitation is new to the United States. It will take 
     time and persistence to convince the United States of this 
     unique relationship. The United States is still not convinced 
     that its plenary powers are limited. But this is clear under 
     our covenant.
       Section 105 of our covenant, which I mentioned earlier as 
     giving the United States the authority to enact laws 
     according to its constitutional processes that will affect 
     our islands, specifically states: ``In order to respect the 
     right of self-government guaranteed by this covenant, the 
     United States agrees to limit the exercise of that authority 
     so that the fundamental provisions of this covenant, namely 
     articles I, II, and III and sections 501 and 805, may be 
     modified only with the consent of the Government of the 
     United States and the Government of the Northern Mariana 
     Islands.''
       We will continue in our attempt to persuade the United 
     States of the meaning of section 105. We must be persistent 
     and firm in our position.
       The covenant is a permanent, binding, and solemn agreement 
     entered into between two sovereign peoples. On the one side 
     is ``the people of the Northern Mariana Islands'' and on the 
     other side is ``the United States of America.''
       Section 102 of our covenant states: ``The relations between 
     the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States will be 
     governed by this covenant.''
       The covenant is not just a simple contract. It is the 
     product of years of negotiations between the representative 
     of the people of the United States of America--through the 
     President--and representatives of the people of the Northern 
     Marianas. Its composition is complex and its identity unique. 
     It is a binding commitment by two peoples with certain 
     provisions being so sacrosanct as to be unchangeable without 
     the consent of both parties.
       The purpose of the covenant, as set forth in its preamble, 
     states that the parties, ``Have entered into this covenant in 
     order to establish a self-governing Commonwealth for the 
     Northern Mariana Islands, and to define the future 
     relationship between the Northern Mariana Islands and the 
     United States.''
       It further states, ``This covenant will be mutually binding 
     when it is approved by the United States, and by the people 
     of the Northern Mariana Islands, constituting on their part a 
     sovereign act of self-determination.''
       When we voted for the covenant we were exercising our 
     sovereign right to enter into a political status agreement 
     with the United States. Many of the problems we are 
     encountering today in our relations with the United States 
     stem from a lack of understanding or misinterpretation of the 
     covenant. Our relationship will be on firm footing once all 
     parties have a clear grasp on the true meaning of our 
     covenant.
       We believe we can agree that the legal aspects can be 
     summed up thus: The covenant was entered into by two 
     sovereigns. The Commonwealth had sovereignty when it 
     negotiated and executed the covenant but gave it up. The 
     Federal Government has sovereignty in the Commonwealth to the 
     extent that it is not limited by other provisions in the 
     covenant. It voluntarily agreed to limit the sovereignty it 
     was obtaining.
       The covenant, along with applicable provisions of the 
     constitution, laws and treaties of the United States, is the 
     supreme law of the Northern Mariana Islands. The covenant 
     serves as the foundation of our relationship with the United 
     States. It also defines how we govern ourselves as a self-
     governing Commonwealth. It sets the limits of our authority 
     and power.
       The rights and privileges we enjoy in the covenant are 
     unique in the American political family. And while we do not 
     enjoy all the privileges that Americans enjoy in the fifty 
     States, we also have rights that are exclusive to the 
     covenant, such as the alienation of land and the equal 
     representation for each of the chartered municipalities in 
     the senate of our legislature. These provisions run contrary 
     to the U.S. Constitution, yet were included as further 
     evidence that we negotiated the agreement as equals.
       There are provisions in the covenant which can be amended 
     only by mutual consent. But we must understand that much of 
     the covenant can be modified by the unilateral action of the 
     United States.
       The covenant was designed to include features that 
     compensate for deficiencies in the CNMI's geography, 
     demography, and education. Local control of immigration, 
     minimum wage, taxes, headnote 3(A) status are a few examples. 
     These features were intended to promote political, social and 
     economic development in the Commonwealth.
       Issues of local control over immigration, minimum wage, and 
     taxes have been a bone of contention in our relations with 
     the Federal Government. Over the years the debate has focused 
     on the manner in which these programs have been administered. 
     There is no doubt that we have a number of failings in this 
     regard.
       However, this cannot detract from the proposition that we 
     have a continuing need for local control over these programs. 
     We believe that adequate justification, coupled with 
     comprehensive reforms, will persuade the United States 
     Congress that local control remains of critical importance to 
     continued socio-economic development in our islands.
       Many of these problems would disappear if there was a grasp 
     of the covenant. We have local self-government, but we must 
     learn to exercise that right effectively.
       For instance, there is a common misperception in our 
     Commonwealth that multi-year financial assistance is a right 
     and that assistance will flow indefinitely. It is not a 
     right. The covenant states that the initial period shall 
     be for seven years, and indicates that the United States 
     Congress may continue or discontinue such assistance at 
     its discretion. Section 704(d) reads: ``* * *guaranteed 
     annual direct grant assistance * * * will continue until 
     Congress appropriates a different amount or otherwise 
     provides by law.'' Multi-year financial assistance is in 
     jeopardy, because we have not demonstrated any fiscal 
     responsibility and have not justified our need for it.
       Take another example, headnote 3(a): Duty free status was 
     extended to the Commonwealth to create local employment 
     opportunities in the local marketplace. Instead, the industry 
     employs nonresidents in large numbers. Although technically 
     legal, this is not the purpose of headnote 3(a). The chief 
     objection of the Congress to the CNMI's position on headnote 
     3(a) is that it violates the spirit of the program, which was 
     intended to promote local employment.
       Labor abuses in the industry have sparked outrage and have 
     prompted the Congress to explore the withdrawal of headnote 
     3(a) privileges from the Commonwealth. We believe that we 
     would not be in this position had we made good on promises to 
     increase the level of local employment requirements.
       Similarly, we stand to lose local control over minimum wage 
     and immigration, because we have failed to regulate both 
     effectively. In these instances, the Congress is not 
     intruding in the exercise of local self-government. Local 
     control over minimum wage and immigration are not rights 
     guaranteed in the covenant; rather, they are privileges 
     granted and subject to change by the United States Congress. 
     If we had recognized this distinction, we may have chosen to 
     deal with these issues differently.
       We have experienced problems in the past, because of the 
     difference between the two sides in their perceptions of the 
     self-government and sovereignty provisions of the covenant. 
     We want our relationship with the Federal Government to be 
     based on fairness, mutual respect, understanding, and 
     cooperation. This can be achieved by a clear and definitive 
     understanding of the covenant.
       We want a better relationship with the Federal Government. 
     We are firm, but fair in our insistence that we live up to 
     our covenant. Our covenant is the document that governs our 
     relationship with the Federal Government. We will make 
     demands when our covenant gives us such a right. But we will 
     ask for assistance when our covenant does not give us the 
     right.
       We have reached a new political maturity in the Northern 
     Marianas. We want a partnership with the United States 
     Government. We will seek help when we need it, and be 
     independent otherwise.


                our new administration is built on reform

       The administration of Governor Tenorio and myself was 
     elected on a platform of reform. Since taking office in 
     January, we have begun to address some of the problems that 
     affected the previous administration. Those problems 
     concerned alien labor, immigration, and tax policies.
       We are committed to making our reforms work. We are 
     confident that they will work. Not only will the reforms be 
     directly beneficial to our people, they will also improve our 
     relationship with the Federal Government.


                         non-voting delegate seat

       Recent efforts to promote a non-voting delegate seat are 
     supported by our administration. We would, however, require a 
     certain proviso in the statute allowing it, stating that the 
     granting of such a seat will in no way adversely affect any 
     other provisions of the covenant.


                                conclusion

       Governor Tenorio and I want to achieve a more positive 
     relationship with the United States. We believe that our 
     relationship can be restored to one of fairness mutual 
     respect. Our working reference would be the covenant.
       We give plain meaning to the terms of the covenant. We 
     recognize the applicability of Federal laws as long as they 
     are consistent with our covenant. And if the United States 
     enacts a Federal law applicable in the Commonwealth pursuant 
     to the covenant, the United States has an obligation to 
     monitor and enforce that law.
       We have the right to local self-government, but we also 
     recognize that there are responsibilities inherent in the 
     exercise of self-government and we would not shirk from those 
     responsibilities. We are confident that the Federal 
     Government will be responsive to our needs as long as we act 
     in good faith. Such privileges as headnote 3(a), for example, 
     might be extended if we make a good faith effort to comply 
     with the spirit of the law.
       We are hopeful of our relationship, and we see a good 
     working relationship in the future. Si yuus maase and thank 
     you.
  


                       SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

  Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February 
4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized 
schedule of all meetings and hearings of Senate committees, 
subcommittees, joint committees, and committees of conference. This 
title requires all such committees to notify the Office of the Senate 
Daily Digest--designated by the Rules Committee--of the time, place, 
and purpose of the meetings, when scheduled, and any cancellations or 
changes in the meetings as they occur.
  As an additional procedure along with the computerization of this 
information, the Office of the Senate Daily Digest will prepare this 
information for printing in the Extensions of Remarks section of the 
Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
  Meetings scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, 1994, may be found in the 
Daily Digest of today's Record.

                           MEETINGS SCHEDULED

                                JUNE 15
     9:30 a.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
         Business meeting, to consider pending calendar business.
                                                            SD-366
       Environment and Public Works
       Clean Water, Fisheries and Wildlife Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for programs of the Endangered Species Act, 
           focusing on science and history of the endangered 
           species conservation.
                                                            SD-406
       Governmental Affairs
       Federal Services, Post Office, and Civil Service 
           Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine the licensing process of the 
           Departments of State and Commerce for the commercial 
           export of arms.
                                                            SD-342
       Judiciary
       Constitution Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine the President's 
           constitutional authority with the use of the line item 
           veto.
                                                            SD-226
       Indian Affairs
         To hold hearings on S. 2036, to specify the terms of 
           contracts entered into by the United States and Indian 
           tribal organizations under the Indian Self-
           Determination and Education Assistance Act.
                                                            SR-485
     10:00 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
           Administration, Department of Commerce.
                                                            SR-253
       Finance
         To hold hearings on S. 1780, to revise the Employee 
           Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal 
           Revenue Code of 1986, to provide security for workers, 
           to improve pension plan funding, to limit growth in 
           insurance exposure, and to protect the single-employer 
           plan termination insurance program; to be followed by a 
           hearing and consideration of the nomination of Valerie 
           Lau, of California, to be Inspector General, Department 
           of the Treasury, and to consider the nomination of 
           Ronald K. Noble, of New York, to be Under Secretary of 
           the Treasury for Enforcement.
                                                            SD-215
       Foreign Relations
       International Economic Policy, Trade, Oceans and 
           Environment Subcommittee
         Business meeting, to mark up proposed legislation 
           authorizing funds for fiscal year 1995 for foreign 
           assistance programs.
                                                            SD-419
       Labor and Human Resources
         Business meeting, to mark up S. 1513, authorizing funds 
           for programs of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
           Act, and to consider pending nominations.
                                                            SD-430
     2:30 p.m.
       Appropriations
       District of Columbia Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1995 for the District of Columbia court system and 
           school system.
                                                            SD-192
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation to reform the 
           immigration system.
                                                            SD-226

                                JUNE 16
     9:30 a.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
         To hold hearings on implementation of the Department of 
           Energy's alternative fuel vehicle and fleet programs.
                                                            SD-366
       Rules and Administration
         To hold hearings on S. Res. 69, to require that an 
           evaluation of the financial impact that any Federal 
           mandates would have on State and local governments be 
           included in the committee report accompanying each bill 
           or resolution containing such mandates, S. Res. 157, to 
           require a supermajority for committee approval of bills 
           containing unfunded Federal mandates, and S. Res. 158, 
           to require a supermajority for Senate approval of bills 
           or amendments containing unfunded Federal mandates.
                                                            SR-301
     10:00 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
         To hold hearings to examine the results of the Uruguay 
           Round of Trade Negotiations.
                                                            SR-253
       Governmental Affairs
         Business meeting, to consider pending legislation and 
           nominations.
                                                            SD-342
       Judiciary
       Constitution Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
                                                            SD-226
     2:00 p.m.
       Armed Services
         To hold hearings on the nominations of Gen. J.H. Binford 
           Peay III, USA, for reappointment to the grade of 
           general and to be Commander in Chief, U.S. Central 
           Command, Vice Adm. William J. Flanagan, Jr., USN, for 
           appointment to the grade of admiral and to be Commander 
           in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Maj. Gen. Anthony C. 
           Zinni, USMC, for appointment to the grade of lieutenant 
           general and to be Commanding General, I Marine 
           Expeditionary Force, and Maj. Gen. Paul E. Stein, USAF, 
           for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general and 
           to be Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy.
                                                            SR-222
       Energy and Natural Resources
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation regarding 
           Hawaiian homelands.
                                                            SD-366
     2:30 p.m.
       Select on Intelligence
         To hold closed hearings on intelligence matters.
                                                            SH-219

                                JUNE 17
     10:00 a.m.
       Finance
       Deficits, Debt Management and Long Term Economic Growth 
           Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine the United States' saving 
           crisis and implications for security and long-term 
           growth.
                                                            SD-215

                                JUNE 22
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Communications Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation relating to 
           public rights of way.
                                                            SR-253

                                JUNE 23
     9:00 a.m.
       Office of Technology Assesment
         Board meeting, to consider pending business.
                                                   EF-100, Capitol
     9:30 a.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
         To hold oversight hearings to examine the scientific and 
           technological basis for radon policy.
                                                            SD-366
       Rules and Administration
         To hold hearings on the nominations of Lee Ann Elliott, 
           of Virginia, and Danny Lee McDonald, of Oklahoma, each 
           to be a Member of the Federal Election Commission.
                                                            SR-301
     10:30 a.m.
       Rules and Administration
         To hold oversight hearings on the operations of the 
           Office of the Architect of the Capitol.
                                                            SR-301
     2:00 p.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
       Water and Power Subcommittee
         To hold oversight hearings on the implementation of the 
           Central Valley Project Improvement Act and the 
           coordination of these actions with other Federal 
           protection and restoration efforts in the San Francisco 
           Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
                                                            SD-366

                                JUNE 29
     2:30 p.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Communications Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on S. 2120, to authorize appropriations 
           for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal 
           years 1997 through 1999.
                                                            SR-253

                             CANCELLATIONS

                                JUNE 14
     10:00 a.m.
       Judiciary
       Constitution Subcommittee
         To resume hearings on S. 1882, to amend title 18, United 
           States Code, to promote the safe use of guns and to 
           reduce gun violence.
                                                            SD-226

                                JUNE 15
     2:30 p.m.
       Indian Affairs
         To resume hearings on S. 1021, to protect and preserve 
           the rights of Native Americans to express and exercise 
           their traditional religious beliefs, focusing on an 
           amendment in the nature of a substitute.
                                                            SR-485