[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 102 (Thursday, July 11, 1996)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D729-D731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
DAIRY AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCER PROTECTION ACT OF 1996
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry 
held a hearing to review the Dairy and Livestock Producer Protection 
Act of 1996. Testimony was heard from Senator Pressler; the following 
officials of the USDA: James Baker, Administrator, Grain Inspector and 
Packers and Stockyards Administration; and Lon Hatamiya, Administrator, 
Agricultural Marketing Service, and public witnesses.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, AND JUDICIARY APPROPRIATIONS; BUDGET 
ALLOCATIONS
Committee on Appropriations; Ordered reported the Commerce, Justice, 
State, and Judiciary appropriations for fiscal year 1997.
  The Committee also approved 602 (b) Budget allocation for fiscal year 
1997.
ONLINE BANKING
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Subcommittee on Capital 
Markets, Securities and Government Sponsored Enterprises concluded 
hearings on Online Banking and Technology in Banking. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
EVOLUTION OF THE BUDGET PROCESS
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on ``How Did We Get Here From 
There?'' A discussion of the Evolution of the Budget Process from 1974 
to the Present. Testimony was heard from James Blum, Deputy Director, 
CBO; and Susan Irving, Associate Director, Budget Issues, GAO.
  Hearings continue July 17.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Hazardous 
Materials held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 3553, Federal 
Trade Commission Reauthorization Act of 1996; and H.R. 447, to 
establish a toll free number in the Department of Commerce to assist 
consumers in determining if products are American-made. Testimony was 
heard from Representative Traficant; and the following officials of the 
FTC: Robert Pitofsky, Chairman; Mary L. Azcuenaga, Roscoe B. Starek 
III, Janet T. Steiger and Christine A. Varney, all Commissioners.
FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment began 
markup of H.R. 1627, Food Quality Protection Act of 1995.
OVERSIGHT--LABOR UNION RACKETEERING
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight: Subcommittee on Human 
Resources and Intergovernmental Relations held an oversight hearing on 
the Department of Labor's Efforts Against Labor Union Racketeering. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
Labor: Charles C. Masten, Inspector General; Stephen Cossu, Deputy 
Assistant Inspector General, Labor Racketeering; J. Davitt McAteer, 
Acting Solicitor of Labor; John Kotch, Director, Office of the Labor-
Management Standards; and Alan Lebowitz, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
Program Operations, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration; and 
John Keeney, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, 
Department of Justice.
CUBAN LIBERTY AND DEMOCRATIC SOLIDARITY ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on the Western 
Hemisphere held a hearing on the Implementation of the Cuban Liberty 
and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 Testimony was heard 
from Representatives Diaz-Balart and Deutsch; and Michael Ranneberger, 
Coordinator for Cuban Affairs, Department of State.

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VICTIMS RIGHTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Held a hearing on proposals for a 
constitutional amendment to provide rights to victims of crime (H.J. 
Res. 173 and H.J. Res. 174). Testimony was heard from Senators Kyl and 
Feinstein; Representative Royce; John Schmidt, Associate Attorney 
General, Department of Justice; and public witnesses.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY ACT
Committee on National Security: Held a hearing on H.R. 3237, 
Intelligence Community Act. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Defense: John White, Deputy Secretary; 
Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper, USMC, Commanding General, Combat Development 
Command, Quantico, U.S. Marine Corps; Maj. Gen. Ed Anderson, USA, 
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Plans, U.S. Army; Maj. 
Gen. Boddy O. Floyd, USAF, Director, Forces, Office of the Deputy Chief 
of Staff, Plans and Operations, U.S. Air Force; and RAdm. John M. 
Luecke, USN, Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Plans, Policy 
and Operations), U.S. Navy.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT TIMBER CONTRACT EXTENSION ACT
Committee on Resources: and the Subcommittee on Resource Conservation, 
Research, and Forestry of the Committee on Agriculture held a joint 
hearing on H.R. 3659, Environmental Improvement Timber Contract 
Extension Act of 1996. Testimony was heard from James R. Lyons, Under 
Secretary, Natural Resources and the Environment, USDA; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans 
held a hearing on H.R. 3579, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
convey certain property containing a fish and wildlife facility to the 
State of Wyoming; followed by an oversight hearing on non-indigenous 
species. Testimony was heard from Representative Cubin; Gary Edwards, 
Assistant Director, Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Department of the Interior; Sally Yozell, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA, Department of Commerce; Hachiro Shimanuki, 
Research Leader, Plant Sciences Institute, Bee Research Laboratory, 
USDA; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power approved for 
full Committee action the following measures: H.R. 2392, amended, to 
amend the Umatilla Basin Project Act to establish boundaries for 
irrigation districts within the Umatilla Basin; S. 1467, amended, Fort 
Peck Rural County Water System Act of 1995; H.R. 3258, amended, to 
direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain real property 
located within the Carlsbad Project in New Mexico to Carlsbad 
Irrigation District; and a measure to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to sell the Sly Park Dam and Reservoir.
TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule providing 1 
hour of debate on H.R. 3756, making appropriations for the Treasury 
Department, the United States Postal Service; the Executive Office of 
the President and certain Independent Agencies, for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 1997. The rule waives sections 302(f) (prohibiting 
consideration of legislation providing new entitlement authority in 
excess of a committee's allocation) and 308(a) (requiring a CBO cost 
estimate in the committee report on legislation providing new 
entitlement authority which becomes effective during the fiscal year 
which ends in the calendar year in which the bill is reported), of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 against consideration of the bill.
  The rule provides for the adoption in the House and in the Committee 
of the Whole of the amendment printed in part 1 of the Rules Committee 
report relating to certain expedited procedures under the rules 
Committee's jurisdiction. The rule waives clause 2 of rule XXI 
(prohibiting unauthorized appropriations and legislation on general 
appropriations) and clause 6 of rule XXI (prohibiting reappropriations) 
against provisions of the bill, except as otherwise noted in the rule.
  The rule provides for consideration, before any other amendment, of 
those amendments printed in part 2 of the Rules Committee report, which 
shall be considered in the order printed, shall be offered by a Member 
designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be 
debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and 
controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to 
amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for a division of the 
question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.
  The rule provides for priority in recognition for those amendments 
that are pre-printed in the Congressional Record. The rule allows the 
Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone votes during 
consideration of the bill, and to reduce voting time to five minutes on 
a postponed question if the vote follows a fifteen minute vote. The 
rule provides that a motion to rise and report the bill to the House 
with such amendments as may have been

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adopted shall have precedence over a motion to amend, if offered by the 
Majority Leader or a designee after the reading of the final lines of 
the bill. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with 
or without instructions. Testimony was heard from Representatives 
Lightfoot, Gutknecht, Metcalf, Tiahrt, Deal of Georgia, Hoyer and 
Luther.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct: Met in executive session to 
consider pending business.
ISTEA REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Surface 
Transportation continued hearings on ISTEA Reauthorization Maintaining 
Adequate Infrastructure: Federal Funding Distribution Formulas 
Testimony was heard from Representatives DeLay, Condit, Sanford, 
Brewster, Largent, Hutchinson, Mica, Fowler, Brown of Florida, Buyer, 
Hamilton, Hostettler, Ramstad, Inglis of South Carolina and Lewis of 
Kentucky; John Daly, Commissioner, Department of Transportation, State 
of New York; Robert Martinez, Secretary of Transportation, State of 
Virginia; Dean Dunphy, Secretary, Department of Business, 
Transportation and Housing, State of California; Wayne Shackelford, 
Commissioner, Department of Transportation, State of Georgia; and a 
public witness.
  Hearings continue July 18.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ISSUES
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Human Resources held a 
hearing on unemployment insurance issues. Testimony was herd from 
Representatives English of Pennsylvania, Upton and Farr; Raymond 
Uhalde, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training 
Administration, Department of Labor; Loleta A. Didrickson, Comptroller, 
State of Illinois; David Poythress, Commissioner of Labor, State of 
Georgia; and public witnesses.