[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 93 (Thursday, June 8, 1995)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D705-D707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FOOD STAMP PROGRAM AND COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS REFORMS
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Department Operations, 
Nutrition, and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing to review the 
Administration's proposals to reform the Food Stamp Program and 
Commodity Distribution Programs. Testimony was heard from Delegate 
Faleomavaega; Ellen Haas, Under Secretary, Food and Consumer Service, 
USDA; and public witnesses.
FARM BILL--PEANUT TITLE
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Risk Management and Specialty 
Crops continued hearings on the 1995 Farm Bill--Peanut Title. Testimony 
was heard from Dallas Smith, Deputy Under Secretary, USDA; Robert 
Robinson, Associate Director, Food and Agricultural Issues, GAO; and 
public witnesses.
FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export 
Financing and Related Programs approved for full Committee action the 
Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs 
appropriations for fiscal year 1996.
LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative approved for 
full Committee action Legislative appropriations for fiscal year 1996.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS REGULATORY RELIEF ACT
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Subcommittee on Financial 
Institutions and Consumer Credit concluded hearings on the broad issue 
of regulatory burden relief as well as those matters addressed in H.R. 
1362, Financial Institutions Regulatory Relief Act of 1995. Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE MEDICAID PROGRAM
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment held a 
hearing on the Transformation of the Medicaid Program. Testimony was 
heard from the following Governors: Jim Edgar, Illinois; Mike Leavitt, 
Utah; Lawton Chiles, Florida; and John Engler, Michigan.
  Hearings continue June 15.
FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPETITIVENESS ACT
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance 
and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Hazardous Materials 
concluded joint hearings on H.R. 1062, Financial Services 
Competitiveness Act of 1995. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
PRIVATIZATION ACT
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities: Ordered reported 
amendment H.R. 1720, Privatization Act of 1995.
URBAN EDUCATION REFORM AND DC SCHOOLS
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities: Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Urban Education Reform 
and the District of Columbia Schools. Testimony was heard from the 
following members of the City Council, District of Columbia: Kathleen 
Patterson, Representative, Ward 1; and William Lightfoot, 
Representative At-Large; and public witnesses.
FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities: Subcommittee on 
Workforce Protections held a hearing on the Fair Labor Standards Act. 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
SITUATION IN BOSNIA
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on the Situation 
in Bosnia. Testimony was heard from Peter Tarnoff, Under Secretary, 
Political Affairs, Department of State; and the following officials of 
the Department of Defense: Walter B. Slocombe, Under Secretary, Policy; 
and Gen. Wesley K. Clark, USA, Director, Strategic Plans and Policy, 
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution held a 
hearing on religious liberty and the Bill of Rights. Testimony was 
heard from Representative Istook, and public witnesses.
PATENT LEGISLATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual 
Property held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 632, to enhance 
fairness in compensating owners of patents used by the United States; 
H.R. 1732, Patent Reexamination Reform [[Page D706]] Act of 1995; and 
H.R. 1733, Patent Application Publication Act of 1995. Testimony was 
heard from Representative Frost; Bruce Lehman, Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Patent and 
Trademark Office, Department of Commerce; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime held an oversight 
hearing on the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice. 
Testimony was heard from Kathleen M. Hawk, Director, Federal Bureau of 
Prisons, Department of Justice; Norman Rabkin, Director, Administration 
of Justice Issues, GAO; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources 
held an oversight hearing on alternatives for managing on shore federal 
minerals. Testimony was heard from Sylvia Baca, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Land and Minerals, Department of the Interior; Jim Magagna, 
Director, Federal Land Policy, State of Wyoming; Michael Byrne, 
Director, Department of Conservation, State of California; and public 
witnesses.
COLLECTION OF FEES; OVERSIGHT--FISHERY LAWS
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans 
held a hearing on a number of fishery related issues, including H.R. 
649, (S. 268), to authorize the collection of fees for expenses for 
triploid grass carp certification inspections. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Lincoln.
  The Subcommittee also held an oversight hearing on the following 
Fishery Laws: the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act of 1965; the 
Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986; the Great Lakes and Wildlife 
Restoration Act of 1990; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration Marine Fisheries Authorization Act. Testimony was heard 
from Gary Edwards, Assistant Director, Fisheries, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior; Nancy Foster, Deputy 
Director, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Department of 
Commerce; Paul Sandifer, Vice Chairman, Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission; and Brad Gilman, Pacific States Marine Fisheries 
Commission.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources held 
a hearing on the following: H.R. 799, and H.R. 599, Bonneville Power 
Administration Appropriations Refinancing Act; and H.R. 1743, to amend 
the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to extend the authorizations 
of appropriations through fiscal year 2000. Testimony was heard from 
Robert M. Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Department 
of the Interior; Randall W. Hardy, Chief Executive Officer and 
Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration, Department of Energy; 
and public witnesses.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Committee on Rules: The Committee granted by a recorded vote of 8 to 4, 
a structured rule. The rule waives all points of order against the bill 
and provides two hours of general debate on H.R. 1530, National Defense 
Authorization Act of fiscal year 1996.
  The rule makes in order the National Security Committee amendment in 
the nature of a substitute, as modified by striking section 807 
(recoupment), and by an amendment printed in part 3 of the report on 
this rule (dealing with the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve), as 
original text for amendment purposes. The substitute shall be 
considered as read. The rule waives all points of order against the 
substitute.
  Unless otherwise specified in the rule, the rule makes in order only 
amendments printed in the Rules Committee report, certain amendments en 
bloc, an pro forma amendments offered by the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the National Security Committee. Except as otherwise 
specified in the rule, the amendments shall be considered in the order 
and manner specified in the report. The rule provides that amendments 
printed in Part 2 of the report shall be debatable for 10-minutes each, 
equally divided and controlled by the proponent and opponent. The 
amendments shall be considered as read and are not subject to amendment 
unless otherwise specified in the report, and are not subject to a 
demand for a division of the question in the House or Committee of the 
Whole. The rule waives all points of order against the amendments 
printed in the report. The rule provides for an extra 30-minutes of 
general debate on Cooperative Threat Reduction with the former Soviet 
Union (Part 1, subpart A); and, an extra 60 minutes of general debate 
on ballistic missile defense (Part 1, subpart D).
  The rule provides that Rep. Clinger may offer a germane modification 
to his amendment on acquisition reform with the concurrence of Rep. 
Collins of Illinois.
  The chairman of the National Security Committee or his designee is 
authorized to offer amendments en bloc consisting of amendments in part 
2 of the report or germane modifications thereto, which shall be 
considered as read except that modifications shall be reported, and 
which shall not be subject to [[Page D707]] amendment or a division of 
the question in the House or Committee of the Whole, and which shall be 
debatable for 20-minutes. The rule waives all points of order against 
the en bloc amendments.
  The rule authorizes the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to 
postpone consideration of a request for a recorded vote on any 
amendment and to reduce to 5-minutes the time for voting after the 
first of a series of votes.
  The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole is also authorized to 
recognize for consideration of any amendment printed in the report out 
of the order in which printed but not sooner than one hour after the 
chairman of the National Security Committee or a designee announces 
from the floor a request to that effect.
  The rule authorizes the chairman of the National Security Committee 
to offer an amendment not printed in the report to reconcile spending 
levels of bill with the final defense spending level contained in the 
conference report on the budget resolution, which shall be considered 
as read, shall not be subject to amendment or to a demand for a 
division of the question, and which shall be debatable for 10-minutes 
equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
National Security Committee.
  Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or 
without instructions.
MISCELLANEOUS REAUTHORIZATIONS
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Energy and Environment approved 
for full Committee action the following: Department of Energy R&D 
Authorization Act; the NOAA Authorization Act; and the EPA R&D 
Authorization Act; the NOAA Authorization Act; and the EPA R&D 
Authorization Act.
FAA'S NEW GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM--PREVENTING DELAYS AND COST 
OVERRUNS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation held a hearing on Preventing Delays and Cost Overruns in the 
FAA's New Global Positioning (Satellite Navigation) System. Testimony 
was heard from Kenneth M. Mead, Director, GAO; and public witnesses.
FEDERAL INCOME TAX REPLACEMENT
Committee on Ways and Means: Concluded hearings on Replacing the 
Federal Income Tax. Testimony was heard from Senators Specter and 
Lugar; Representatives Armey, Gephardt, Souder, Tauzin and Schaefer; 
Jack Kemp, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and 
public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN
Joint Economic Committee: Committee held hearings to examine the recent 
economic slowdown and its effects on the national economy, receiving 
testimony from Wayne Angell, Bear, Stearns and Company, New York, New 
York; and Daniel J. Mitchell, Heritage Foundation, Robert Davis, 
National Association of Business Economists, and David Wyss, McGraw-
Hill, Inc., all of Washington, D.C.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate- and House-
passed versions of H. Con. Res. 67, setting forth the congressional 
budget for the United States Government for the fiscal years 1996, 
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, but did not complete action 
thereon, and recessed subject to call.
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission): 
Commission held hearings to examine the recent crisis in the continuing 
conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, receiving testimony from Bosnia-
Herzegovina Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic, Sarajevo.
  Commission recessed subject to call.