[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 105 (Wednesday, August 3, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
    THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE 
                         COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1994

                                 ______


                         HON. WILLIAM J. HUGHES

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 3, 1994

  Mr. HUGHES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the General Agreement on 
Tariffs and Trade Copyright Act of 1994. The Subcommittee on 
Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration, which I chair, has 
exclusive jurisdiction over domestic intellectual property law. The 
subcommittee also has joint jurisdiction over trade laws such as 
section 337. The GATT/TRIP's agreement raises quite a number of 
important intellectual property issues within the subcommittee's 
jurisdiction and of interest to its members.
  The U.S. Trade Representative has identified a very limited number of 
changes in domestic intellectual property law as being required by the 
GATT/TRIP's agreement. In the field of copyright, only one change has 
been identified as being required: repeal of the computer program 
sunset.
  USTR has also identified a number of discretionary changes which, in 
its opinion, might be appropriate in the TRIP's implementing 
legislation, including a provision to grant retroactive protection to 
works of Berne and WTO origin that have not fallen into the public 
domain in their source country, a Federal antibootlegging statue, and 
Federal protection for foreign pre-1972 sound recordings.
  The procedure under which the GATT agreement and other fast track 
trade agreements are considered in Congress denies to Congress and its 
committees the ability to apply the normal legislative processes, 
particularly the ability to amend the legislation after introduction. 
For this reason, the primary test for determining whether a particular 
matter should be included in fast track legislation is not whether it 
is a meritorious proposal, but rather whether it is an essential 
proposal; that is, essential to carry out our treaty obligations.
  The administration has proposed including the nonessential items 
which I described above in the GATT/TRIP's implementation package. 
Discussions to determine if this is appropriate, and the form such 
legislation should take, have been held between our committee, the 
Senate Judiciary Committee, and the administration.
  We entered into such discussions with the understanding that these 
items would be included in the GATT implementation package only if all 
agreed to their inclusion and to their contents.
  Unfortunately, the complexity of the issues involved, and the process 
followed by the administration's lead agency, the Office of the U.S. 
Trade Representative, have as of yet left us unable successfully to 
complete this process in a manner which would permit the inclusion of 
these items in the GATT package.
  However, the matters in question--restoration of copyright protection 
for Berne works, a Federal antibootlegging statute, and Federal 
protection for foreign pre-1972 sound recordings--are each important 
proposals which, in my view, merit prompt and serious consideration in 
the normal legislative process. For this reason, I am today introducing 
a bill addressing these three matters. The subcommittee intends to hold 
a joint hearing with the Senate Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights and 
Trademarks at the earliest possible date.
  This bill and the hearings will take the debate out of the shadows 
and will provide a constructive starting point for necessary public 
discussions on the important issues raised by the TRIP's agreement.

                                H.R. --

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``General Agreement on Tariffs 
     and Trade Copyright Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 2. RENTAL RIGHTS IN COMPUTER PROGRAMS.

       Section 804(c) of Public Law 101-650, 104 Stat. 5136, is 
     amended by striking the first sentence.

                TITLE I--FEDERAL ANTIBOOTLEG PROVISIONS

     SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Federal Anti-Bootleg Act 
     of 1994''.

     SEC. 102. UNAUTHORIZED FIXATION OF AND TRAFFICKING IN SOUND 
                   RECORDINGS AND MUSIC VIDEOS OF LIVE MUSICAL 
                   PERFORMANCES.

       Title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding the 
     following:

     Sec. 2319A. Unauthorized fixation of and trafficking in sound 
       recordings and music videos of live musical performances

       ``(a) Whoever, without the consent of a featured performer, 
     knowingly and for purposes of commercial advantage or private 
     financial gain--
       ``(1) fixes the sounds or sounds and images of a live 
     musical performance in a copy or phonorecord, or reproduces 
     phonorecords or copies of such a performance from an 
     unauthorized fixation;
       ``(2) transmits of otherwise communities to the public the 
     sounds or sounds in images of a live musical performance; or
       ``(3) distributes or offers to distribute, sells or offers 
     to sell, rents or offers to rent, or traffics any copy or 
     phonorecord fixed without the consent of a featured 
     performer, regardless of whether the fixations occurred in 
     the United States;

     shall, upon judgment of conviction, be fined not more than 
     $250,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.
       ``(b) When a person is convicted of a violation of 
     subsection (a), the court shall in its judgment of conviction 
     order the forfeiture and destruction of any copies of 
     phonorecords created in violation thereof, as well as any 
     plates, molds, matrices, masters, tapes, and film negatives 
     by means of which such copies or phonorecords may be made. 
     The court may also, in its discretion, order the forfeiture 
     and destruction of any other equipment by means of which such 
     copies or phonorecords may be reproduced, taking into account 
     the nature, scope, and proportionality of the use of the 
     equipment in the offense.
       ``(c) If copies or phonorecords of sounds or sounds and 
     images of a live musical performance are fixed outside of the 
     United States without the consent of a featured performer, 
     such copies or phonorecords are subject to seizure and 
     forfeiture in the same manner as property imported in 
     violation of the customs revenue laws. The Secretary of the 
     Treasury and the United States Postal Service shall, 
     separately or jointly, make regulations for the enforcement 
     of the provisions of this subsection, including regulations 
     by which any featured performer may, upon payment of a 
     specified fee, be entitled to notification by the United 
     States Customs Service of the importation of phonorecords or 
     copies that appear to consist of unauthorized fixations of 
     the sounds or sounds and images of a live musical 
     performance.
       ``(d) As used in this section--
       ``(1) The terms `copy,' `fixed', `musical work', 
     `phonorecord', `reproduce', `sound recordings', and 
     `transmit' have the same meanings given such terms in section 
     101 of title 17, United States Code.
       ``(2) The term `traffic' means transport, transfer, or 
     otherwise dispose of, to another, as consideration for 
     anything of value, or make or obtain control of which intent 
     to transport, transfer, or dispose of.
       ``(e) This section shall apply to the following acts that 
     occur 1 year after the entry into force of the World Trade 
     Organization Agreement--
       ``(1) live musical performances fixed without the consent 
     of a featured performer;
       ``(2) distributions, offers to sell, sales, offers to sell, 
     rentals, offers to rent, or trafficking in any copy or 
     phonorecord fixed without the consent of a featured 
     performer, regardless of when the fixation occurred; and
       ``(3) transmissions or other communications to the public 
     of sounds or sounds and images of a live musical performance 
     fixed without consent of a featured performer.''.
                 TITLE II--COPYRIGHT IN RESTORED WORKS

     SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Berne and GATT 
     Retroactivity Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 202. RESTORED WORKS.

       (a) In General.--Section 104A of title 17, United States 
     Code, is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 104A. COPYRIGHT IN RESTORED WORKS.

       ``(a) Automatic Protection and Term.--
       ``(1) Term.--Copyright subsists, in accordance with this 
     section works, and vests automatically on the date of 
     restoration.
       ``(A) Copyright in restored works published or registered 
     with the Copyright Office before January 1, 1978, shall 
     endure for a term of 75 years from the date of first 
     publication or registration as the case may be.
       ``(B) Copyright in works created on or after January 1, 
     1978, shall endure for the term of protection established in 
     section 302.
       ``(2) Exception.--No work in which the copyright was ever 
     owned or administered by the Alien Property Custodian and in 
     which the restored copyright would be owned by a government 
     or instrumentality thereof, shall be a restored work.
       ``(b) Ownership of Restored Copyright.--A restored work 
     vests initially in the author of the work as determined 
     according to the law of its source country.
       ``(c) Filing of Notice of Intent to Enforce Restored 
     Copyright Against Reliance Parties.--Any person owning 
     copyright in a restored work or an exclusive right therein 
     may file with the Copyright Office a notice of intent to 
     enforce that copyright against reliance parties. Acceptance 
     of a notice by the Copyright Office shall not create a 
     presumption of the validity of any of the facts stated 
     therein.
       ``(d) Remedies for Infringement of Restored Copyrights.--
       ``(1) Enforcement of copyright in restored works in the 
     absence of a reliance party.--As against any party who is not 
     a reliance party, the remedies provided in chapter 5 of this 
     title shall be available immediately upon restoration with 
     respect to any infringing act commenced on or after the date 
     of restoration.
       ``(2) Enforcement of copyright in restored works as against 
     reliance parties.--As against a reliance party, subject to 
     paragraph (3), the remedies provided in chapter 5 of this 
     title shall be available upon restoration--
       ``(A)(i) if the owner of the restored work files with the 
     Copyright Office, between the date of restoration and 24 
     months thereafter, a notice of intent to enforce a restored 
     work; and
       ``(ii) the act of infringement commenced on or after 12 
     months from the date of publication of the notice in the 
     Federal Register.
       ``(B)(i) if the owner of the copyright in the restored work 
     or an exclusive right therein serves upon that reliance party 
     a notice of intent to enforce a restored work; and
       ``(ii) the act of infringement commenced prior to receipt 
     of the notice;
       ``(C) if copies of a restored work are made after 
     publication of the notice of intent in the Federal Register; 
     or
       ``(D) in the case of a particular reliance party, after 
     receipt of a notice of intent to enforce the restored work.
       ``(3) Commencement of infringement for reliance parties.--
     For purposes of section 412, in the case of reliance parties, 
     infringement shall be deemed to have commenced prior to 
     registration when acts which would have constituted 
     infringement were committed prior to the date of the 
     restoration and continued after such date.
       ``(e) Notices of Intent to Enforce a Restored Copyright.--
       ``(1) Notices of intent filed with the copyright office.--
     (A)(i) Notices of intent filed with the Copyright Office to 
     enforce a restored work shall be signed by the owner of the 
     copyright or the owner of the exclusive right filing the 
     notice and shall identify the title of the restored work. If 
     the notice is signed by an agent, the agency relationship 
     must have been constituted in a writing signed by the owner 
     of the restored work or the owner of the exclusive right 
     therein prior to the filing of the notice. The notice may 
     contain any other information specified in regulations 
     established by the Register of Copyrights pursuant to this 
     section.
       ``(ii) If a restored work has no formal title, it shall be 
     described in the notice of intent in detail sufficient to aid 
     in its identification. Minor errors or omissions may be 
     corrected after the period established in subsection 
     (d)(2)(A) and shall be published by the Register of 
     Copyrights in the Federal Register pursuant to subparagraph 
     (B).
       ``(B)(i) The Register of Copyrights shall publish in the 
     Federal Register, commencing not later than 4 months after 
     the date of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of 
     Intellectual Property of the General Agreement on Tariffs and 
     Trade becomes effective with respect to the United States and 
     every 4 months thereafter, lists identifying restored works 
     and the ownership thereof if a notice of intent to enforce a 
     restored work has been filed.
       ``(ii) Not less than 1 list containing all notices of 
     intent to enforce a restored work filed with the Copyright 
     Office shall be maintained in the Public Information Office 
     of the Copyright Office and shall be available for inspection 
     and copying during regular business hours pursuant to 
     sections 705 and 708.
       ``(C) The Register of Copyrights is authorized to fix 
     reasonable fees based on the costs of receipt, processing, 
     recording, and publication of notices of intent to enforce a 
     restored work.
       ``(D)(i) Not later than 30 days after the date the 
     Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property 
     of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade becomes 
     effective with respect to the United States, the Copyright 
     Office shall establish and publish in the Federal Register 
     regulations governing the filing under this subsection of 
     notices of intent to enforce a restored work.
       ``(ii) Such regulations shall permit owners of restored 
     works to simultaneously obtain registration for a claim of 
     copyright in the restored work.
       ``(2) Notices of intent served on a reliance party.--
       ``(A) Notices of the intent to enforce a restored work may 
     be served by the copyright owner of the restored work or by 
     the owner of any exclusive right therein on a reliance party.
       ``(B) Such notice shall identify the restored work and the 
     use to which the owner objects and shall include an address 
     and telephone number at which the reliance party may contact 
     the owner.
       ``(f) Immunity From Warranty and Related Liability.--An 
     individual who warranted, promised, or guaranteed that a work 
     that such individual created did not violate 1 of the 
     exclusive rights granted in section 106, shall not be liable 
     for legal, equitable, arbitral, or administrative relief if 
     the warranty, promise, or guarantee is breached by virtue of 
     the restoration of copyright under this section.
       ``(g) Definitions.--For purposes of this section and 
     section 109(a):
       ``(1) The term `date of adherence' means the earlier of the 
     dates upon which a foreign country that is not a member of 
     the Berne Union or the World Trade Organization, as of the 
     date of the enactment of the General Agreement on Tariffs and 
     Trade Intellectual Property Act of 1994, becomes a member of 
     the Berne Union or the World Trade Organization.
       ``(2) The term `date of restoration' of a restored 
     copyright means--
       ``(A) the date the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of 
     Intellectual Property of the General Agreement on Tariffs and 
     Trade becomes effective with respect to the United States, if 
     the work is a restored work on such date; or
       ``(B) the date of adherence.
       ``(3) The term `eligible country' means a country, other 
     than the United States, which, on the date that copyright is 
     restored under the provisions of this section, has joined the 
     World Trade Organization or adhered to the Berne Convention 
     for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
       ``(4) The term `reliance party' means any person who, prior 
     to the date the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of 
     Intellectual Property of the General Agreement on Tariffs and 
     Trade becomes effective with respect to the United States, or 
     who, prior to the date of adherence of a source country which 
     became an eligible country after the date of the enactment of 
     such Act--
       ``(A) engaged in acts which would have violated section 106 
     if the restored work had been subject to copyright 
     protection, and who, after the date the Agreement on Trade-
     Related Aspects of Intellectual Property of the General 
     Agreement on Tariffs and Trade becomes effective with respect 
     to the United States, or after the date of adherence, 
     continued to engage in such acts; or
       ``(B) made substantial monetary investments in a creation 
     of a work which incorporates material portions of a restored 
     work.
       ``(5) The term `restored work' means an original work of 
     authorship that--
       ``(A) is protected under subsection (a);
       ``(B) is not in the public domain in its source country;
       ``(C) is in the public domain in the United States due to--
       ``(i) noncompliance with formalities imposed at any time by 
     United States copyright law, including failure of renewal, 
     lack of proper notice, or failure to comply with any 
     manufacturing requirement; or
       ``(ii) lack of subject matter protection in the case of 
     sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972; and
       ``(D) has not less than 1 author who was, at the time the 
     work was created, a national or domiciliary of an eligible 
     country, and if published, was first published in an eligible 
     country but not published in the United States during the 30-
     day period following publication in such eligible country.
       ``(6) The term `source country' of a restored work means--
       ``(A) a country other than the United States;
       ``(B) in the case of an unpublished work--
       ``(i) the eligible country in which the author is a 
     national or domiciliary, or, if a restored work has more than 
     1 author, the majority of foreign authors are nationals or 
     domiciliaries of such eligible countries; or
       ``(ii) if the majority of authors are not foreign, the 
     source country shall be the country, other than the United 
     States, which has the most significant contacts with the 
     work; and
       ``(C) in the case of a published work, the eligible country 
     in which the work is first published, or if the restored work 
     is published on the same day in 2 or more eligible countries, 
     the source country shall be the country, other than the 
     United States, which has the most significant contacts with 
     the work.''.
       (b) Limitation.--Section 109(a) of title 17, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(e) the sale or other disposition without the 
     authorization of the owner of a restored work of copies or 
     phonorecords manufactured before the date of restoration of 
     works in which copyright has been restored under section 104A 
     may be sold or otherwise disposed of only during the period 
     specified in section 104A(d)(3), and after such period, only 
     as part of a sale or disposition of not more than 1 copy or 
     phonorecord at a time.''.
  


                       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 Thursday, August 4, 1994, may be found in the 
Daily Digest of today's Record.

                           MEETINGS SCHEDULED

                                AUGUST 5
     8:30 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
         To hold hearings on the nominations of Jose M. Amador, of 
           Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Science and 
           Education, and Roger C. Viadero, of Virginia, to be 
           Inspector General, both of the Department of 
           Agriculture.
                                                            SR-332
     9:00 a.m.
       Governmental Affairs
       Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
         To hold hearings to examine Blue Cross/Blue Shield 
           Federal contracts.
                                                            SD-342
     9:30 a.m.
       Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
         To continue hearings to examine certain legal issues with 
           regard to the Whitewater Development Company, Inc., and 
           Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan.
                                                            SD-106
       Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
         Business meeting, to consider the nominations of Janet L. 
           Yellen, of California, to be a Member of the Board of 
           Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Julie D. 
           Belaga, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the Board of 
           Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United 
           States, and Susan R. Baron, of Maryland, and Danny K. 
           Davis, of Illinois, each to be a Member of the National 
           Corporation for Housing Partnerships.
                                                            SD-538
       Joint Economic
         To hold hearings to examine the employment-unemployment 
           situation for July.
                                             2359 Rayburn Building
     10:00 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
       Domestic and Foreign Marketing and Product Promotion 
           Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on S. 1557, to revise the Dairy 
           Production Stabilization Act of 1983 to require that 
           members of the National Dairy Promotion and Research 
           Board be elected by milk producers and to prohibit bloc 
           voting by cooperative associations of milk producers in 
           the election of the producers, and S. 1564, to revise 
           the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 to 
           ensure that all persons who benefit from the dairy 
           promotion and research program contribute to the cost 
           of the program, to terminate the program on December 
           31, 1996, and to prohibit bloc voting by cooperative 
           associations of milk producers in connection with the 
           program, and to examine the beef industry long range 
           plan of the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research 
           Board.
                                                            SR-332
     10:30 a.m.
       Veterans' Affairs
         To hold hearings to examine reproductive hazards 
           associated with military service, focusing on the risks 
           of radiation, Agent Orange, and Gulf War exposures.
                                                            SH-216

                                AUGUST 8
     9:30 a.m.
       Governmental Affairs
       Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
         To resume hearings to examine Blue Cross/Blue Shield 
           Federal contracts.
                                                            SD-342
     10:30 a.m.
       Environment and Public Works
         To hold hearings on the nominations of Kay Collett Goss, 
           of Arkansas, to be an Associate Director of the Federal 
           Emergency Management Agency (Preparedness, Exercise, 
           and Training Directorate), Robert James Huggett, of 
           Virginia, to be an Assistant Administrator (Office of 
           Research and Development), and William A. Nitze, of the 
           District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Administrator 
           (Office of International Activities), both of the 
           Environmental Protection Agency, and Bill Anoatubby, of 
           Oklahoma, Terrence L. Bracy, of Virginia, Matt James, 
           of California, and Norma Udall, of Virginia, each to be 
           a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris K. 
           Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National 
           Environmental Policy Foundation.
                                                            SD-406
     2:00 p.m.
       Veterans' Affairs
         To hold hearings on the nomination of Linda Marie Hooks, 
           of Georgia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans 
           Affairs (Acquisition and Facilities), S. 2330, to 
           revise title 38, United States Code, to provide that 
           undiagnosed illnesses constitute diseases for purposes 
           of entitlement of veterans to disability compensation 
           for service-connected diseases, and other pending 
           legislation.
                                                            SR-418

                                AUGUST 9
     10:00 a.m.
       Judiciary
       Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on S. 2272, to revise chapter 28 of 
           title 35, United States Code, to provide a defense to 
           patent infringement based on prior use by certain 
           persons, and S. 2341, to revise chapter 30 of title 35, 
           United States Code, to afford third parties an 
           opportunity for greater participation in reexamination 
           proceedings before the United States Patent and 
           Trademark Office.
                                                            SD-226
     2:00 p.m.
       Foreign Relations
         To hold hearings on Richard Holbrooke, of New York, to be 
           Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian 
           Affairs, Eileen A. Malloy, of Connecticut, to be 
           Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, and James W. 
           Swihart, Jr., of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the 
           Republic of Lithuania.
                                                            SD-419

                               AUGUST 10
     9:00 a.m.
       Labor and Human Resources
         Business meeting, to mark up S. 1821, authorizing funds 
           to provide a comprehensive program for the prevention 
           of fetal alcohol syndrome, S. 1781, to make 
           improvements in the Black Lung Benefits Act, and 
           proposed legislation to provide for civil and criminal 
           money penalties reform.
                                                            SD-430
       Office of Technology Assessment
         Board meeting, to consider pending business.
                                                   EF-100, Capitol
     10:00 a.m.
       Foreign Relations
         To hold hearings to examine the current status of the Law 
           of the Sea Convention.
                                                            SD-419
       Indian Affairs
         Business meeting, to mark up S.2269, to protect Native 
           American cultures and to guarantee the free exercise of 
           religion by Native Americans, S.2036, to specify the 
           terms of contracts entered into by the U.S. and Indian 
           tribal organizations under the Indian Self-
           Determination and Education Assistance Act, S.2150, to 
           establish a Native Hawaiian housing program, S. 2259, 
           to provide for the settlement of Confederated Tribes of 
           the Colville Reservation claims concerning their 
           contribution to the production of hydropower by the 
           Grand Coulee Dam, and S. 2329, to provide for the 
           settlement of certain Mohegan Indian land claims within 
           the State of Connecticut; to be followed by hearings on 
           pending nominations.
                                                            SH-216
     1:30 p.m.
       Small Business
         Business meeting, to mark up S. 2060, authorizing funds 
           for fiscal years 1995 through 1997 for programs of the 
           Small Business Administration.
                                                           SR-428A

                               AUGUST 11
     8:30 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
       Agricultural Research, Conservation, Forestry and General 
           Legislation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on the Administration's proposed 
           legislation on meat and poultry inspection.
                                                            SR-332
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
         To hold hearings on S. 1991, to provide for the safety of 
           journeyman boxers; to be followed by hearings on the 
           oversight of activities of the Olympic Committee.
                                                            SR-253

                               AUGUST 12
     8:30 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
       Agricultural Research, Conservation, Forestry and General 
           Legislation Subcommittee
         To continue hearings on the Administration's proposed 
           legislation on meat and poultry inspection.
                                                            SR-385
     2:00 p.m.
       Veterans' Affairs
         Business meeting, to consider the nomination of Linda 
           Marie Hooks, of Georgia, to be an Assistant Secretary 
           of Veterans Affairs (Acquisition and Facilities), and 
           to mark up pending legislation.
                                                            SR-418