[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 63 (Wednesday, May 8, 1996)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D438-D440]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--COMMERCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, 
the Judiciary, and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget 
estimates for fiscal year 1997 for the Department of Commerce, 
receiving testimony from Michael Kantor, Secretary of Commerce.
  Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.

[[Page D439]]


APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held hearings on 
proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1997 for the Department of 
Defense, receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their respective 
activities from Robert M. Walker, Assistant Secretary of the Army for 
Installations, Logistics and Environment; Robert B. Pirie, Jr., 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment; 
Rodney A. Coleman, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, 
Reserve Affairs, Installation and Environment; Lt. Gen. Arthur 
Williams, Commander, United States Army Corps of Engineers; and Rear 
Adm. David Nash, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command.
  Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, May 22.
APPROPRIATIONS--ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior held hearings on 
proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1997 for the National 
Endowment for the Arts, receiving testimony from Jane Alexander, 
Chairperson, National Endowment for the Arts.
  Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, May 15.
APPROPRIATIONS--IRS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service 
and General Government held hearings on proposed budget estimates for 
fiscal year 1997 for the Internal Revenue Service, receiving testimony 
from Margaret M. Richardson, Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service, 
Department of the Treasury.
  Subcommittee will meet again on Wednesday, May 15.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following bills:
  H.R. 2853, to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment 
(most-favored-nation treatment) to the products of Bulgaria;
  H.R. 1642, to extend nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation 
treatment) to the products of Cambodia; and
  H.R. 3074, to amend the United States-Israel Free Trade Area 
Implementation Act of 1985 to provide the President with additional 
proclamation authority with respect to articles of the West Bank or 
Gaza Strip or a qualifying industrial zone, with an amendment.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nominations of Dennis C. Jett, of New Mexico, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Peru, Dennis K. Hayes, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Suriname, and Donald J. Planty, of New York, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Guatemala, after the nominees testified 
and answered questions in their own behalf. Mr. Jett was introduced by 
Senator Bingaman.
JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Youth Violence concluded 
hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for programs of the 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the implementation of 
Federal programs to prevent and control youth violence, and S. 1245, to 
identify violent and hard-core juvenile offenders and treat them as 
adults, after receiving testimony from Senator Ashcroft; Shay Bilchik, 
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 
Department of Justice; Laurie E. Ekstrand, Associate Director, 
Administration of Justice Issues, General Government Division, General 
Accounting Office; Marvin E. Wolfgang, Sellin Criminology Center, and 
Ira Schwartz, both of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; 
Lavonda Taylor, Coalition for Juvenile Justice, West Memphis, Arkansas; 
Delbert S. Elliott, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence/
University of Colorado, Boulder; and Terence P. Thornberry, Hindelang 
Criminal Justice Research Center, Albany, New York.
AUTHORIZATION--OLDER AMERICANS ACT
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee ordered favorably 
reported, with amendments, S. 1643, authorizing funds for fiscal years 
1997 through 2001 for programs of the Older Americans Act of 1965.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee held hearings on 
proposals to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide 
for a voluntary system of spending limits and partial public financing 
of Senate primary and general election campaigns, to limit 
contributions by multicandidate political committees, and to reform the 
financing of Federal elections and Senate campaigns, receiving 
testimony from Larry J. Sabato and Lillian R. BeVier, both of the 
University of Virginia, Charlottesville; Herbert E. Alexander, 
University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Norman J. Ornstein, 
American Enterprise Institute for Public

[[Page D440]]

Policy Research, and Candice J. Nelson, American University, both of 
Washington, D.C.; and Frederick Schauer, Harvard University, Cambridge, 
Massachusetts.
  Hearings continue on Wednesday, May 15.
VA HEALTH CARE ELIGIBILITY REFORM
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on 
proposals to reform eligibility rules for Department of Veterans 
Affairs' health care benefits, focusing on the effects of veterans' 
health care eligibility priorities which govern all veterans' access to 
VA care and programs, including related measures S. 1345, S. 1359, S. 
1563, and provisions of H.R. 1385, after receiving testimony from 
Kenneth W. Kizer, Under Secretary for Health, and Mary Lou Keener, 
General Counsel, both of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
Michael A. Miller, Unit Chief, Defense, International Affairs, and 
Veterans' Affairs Cost Estimates Unit, Budget Analysis Division, 
Congressional Budget Office.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
consider certain intelligence matters.
  Committee will meet again on Friday, May 10.
WHITEWATER
Special Committee to Investigate the Whitewater Development Corporation 
and Related Matters: Committee resumed hearings to examine certain 
matters relative to the Whitewater Development Corporation, receiving 
testimony from Ron Proctor, Vernon Dewey, Don Denton, Robert Ritter, 
James Patterson, and Frank Burge, all of Little Rock, Arkansas.
  Hearings continue tomorrow.