[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D998-D1001]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
EXPORT PROMOTION
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
International Finance concluded hearings to review the Fourth Annual 
Report of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, created by the 
Export Enhancement Act of 1992 to provide for a unified federal export 
promotion strategy, focusing on foreign trade practices by United 
States competitors, after receiving testimony from Stuart E. Eizenstat, 
Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade.

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MARS DISCOVERY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Science, Technology and Space concluded hearings to examine the recent 
discovery of evidence of past life on Mars, after receiving testimony 
from Ernest J. Moniz, Associate Director for Science, Office of Science 
and Technology Policy; Wes Huntress, Administrative Assistant, Space 
Science Program, and David S. McKay, Assistant for Exploration, Earth 
Science and Solar System Exploration Division, Johnson Space Center 
(Houston, Texas), both of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration; Nancy Hinman, University of Montana, Missoula; Harry Y. 
McSween, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and John Kerridge, 
University of California at San Diego, La Jolla.
AVIATION SAFETY
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
hearings to examine aviation safety issues, focusing on the treatment 
of families following airline accidents, after receiving testimony from 
Victoria Cummock, Coral Gables, Florida, on behalf of the Families of 
Pan Am 103 Lockerbie; Richard Kessler, Atlanta, Georgia, on behalf of 
the victims of ValuJet Flight 592; Dario Cremades, New York, New York, 
and A. Frank Carven III, Bel Air, Maryland, both on behalf of victims 
of TWA Flight 800; Hans Ephraimson-Abt, New York, New York, on behalf 
of the American Association of Families of Korean Airlines Flight 007 
Victims; and Kendra St. Charles, Akron, Ohio, on behalf of the victims 
of USAir Flight 405.
NORTH CAROLINA LAND CLAIM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and 
Public Land Management concluded hearings on S. 987, to provide for the 
full settlement of all claims of Swain County, North Carolina, against 
the United States under the agreement dated July 30, 1943, after 
receiving testimony from Senators Helms and Faircloth; Representative 
Charles Taylor; Denis Galvin, Associate Director for Planning and 
Development, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; Linda 
Hogue, North Shore Road Association, and Bill Lewis, Swain County 
Commission, both of Bryson City, North Carolina; Helen Vance, North 
Shore Cemetery Association, Sylva, North Carolina; Joyce C. Dugan, 
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee, North Carolina; Peter 
Kirby, Wilderness Society, Atlanta, Georgia; Ted Snyder, Sierra Club, 
Walhalla, South Carolina; John Thornton, National Parks and 
Conservation Association, Washington, D.C.; and John George, Angwin, 
California.
TRADE LAW AMENDMENTS
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported H.R. 3815, 
to make technical corrections and miscellaneous amendments to trade 
laws, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported 
the following business items:
  The nominations of Richard W. Bogosian, of Maryland, for the rank of 
Ambassador during his tenure of service as Special Coordinator for 
Rwanda/Burundi, Dennis K. Hays, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the 
Republic of Suriname, Genta Hawkins Holmes, of California, to be 
Ambassador to Australia, Arma Jane Karaer, of Virginia, to be 
Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, and to serve concurrently and without 
additional compensation as Ambassador to Solomon Islands, and as 
Ambassador to the Republic of Vanuatu, John Francis Maisto, of 
Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Venezuela, Anne W. 
Patterson, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of El 
Salvador, John Stern Wolf, of Maryland, for the rank of Ambassador 
during his tenure of service as U.S. Coordinator for Asia Pacific 
Economic Cooperation, Marilyn McAfee, of Florida, a Career Member of 
the Senior Foreign Service of the U.S. Information Agency, for 
promotion to the Class of Career Minister, Madeleine Korbel Albright, 
of the District of Columbia, and Edward William Gnehm Jr., of Georgia, 
each to be a United States Representative to the Fifty-first Session of 
the General Assembly of the United Nations, Karl Frederick Inderfurth, 
of North Carolina, and Victor Marrero, of New York, each to be an 
Alternate United States Representative to the Fifty-first Session of 
the General Assembly of the United Nations, and certain Foreign Service 
officer promotion lists.
  Convention Between the Government of the United States and the 
Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the Avoidance of Double 
Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on 
Income and Capital, together with the Protocol and the two related 
exchanges of notes, signed at Almaty on October 24, 1993 (Treaty Doc. 
No. 103-33), with a proviso;
  An exchange of notes dated at Washington July 10, 1995, relating to 
the Tax Convention with the Republic of Kazakhstan--Treaty Doc. No. 
103-33 (Treaty Doc. No. 104-15), with a proviso;
  The Protocol between the Government of the United States and the 
Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Respect of the 
Netherlands Antilles Amending Article VIII of the 1948 Convention with 
Respect to Taxes on Income and Certain

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Other Taxes as Applicable to the Netherlands Antilles, signed at 
Washington on October 10, 1995 (Treaty Doc. No. 104-23);
  Protocol, signed at Jakarta July 24, 1996, Amending the Convention 
Between the Government of the United States and the Government of the 
Republic of Indonesia for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the 
Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, with 
Related Protocol and Exchange of Notes Signed at Jakarta on the 11th 
Day of July 1988 (Treaty Doc. No. 104-32);
  An original bill (S. 2130) to extend certain privileges, exemptions, 
and immunities to Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices;
  S. Res. 285, expressing the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of 
State should make improvements in Cambodia's record on human rights, 
the environment, narcotics trafficking and the Royal Government of 
Cambodia's conduct among the primary objectives in our bilateral 
relations with Cambodia, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  H.R. 3916, to make available certain Voice of America and Radio Marti 
multilingual computer readable text and voice recordings;
  H.J. Res. 158, to recognize the Peace Corps on the occasion of its 
35th anniversary and the Americans who have served as Peace Corps 
volunteers, with amendments; and
  H.R. 3846, to provide grant assistance to increase the availability 
of credit to micro and small enterprises lacking full access to credit.
  Also, testimony was received on the aforementioned treaties from 
Kenneth J. Kies, Chief of Staff, Joint Committee on Taxation.
LEBANON
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South 
Asian Affairs concluded hearings to examine the prospects for peace, 
security, and economic development in Lebanon, after receiving 
testimony from Senators Graham and Abraham; former Senator Percy; 
Elizabeth McKune, Director, Office of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and 
Palestinian Affairs, Department of State; Brian Henderson, Merrill 
Lynch International, and Terry Anderson, Columbia University, both of 
New York, New York; Peter J. Tanous, American Task Force for Lebanon, 
Washington, D.C.; and John Kelly, International Equity Partners, 
Conyers, Georgia.
REGULATORY REFORM
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Financial Management 
and Accountability held oversight hearings to review the activities of 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and its implementation 
of Executive Order No. 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, focusing 
on the need to improve the Federal regulatory system, receiving 
testimony from Sally Katzen, Administrator, Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs; L. Nye Stevens, Director, Federal Management and 
Workforce Issues, General Government Division, General Accounting 
Office; Robert L. King, New York State Office of Regulatory Reform, 
Albany; James C. Miller III, Citizens for a Sound Economy, C. Boyden 
Gray, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Robert W. Hahn, American Enterprise 
Institute, and Paul R. Portney, Resources for the Future, all of 
Washington, D.C.; and Scott L. Holman, Bay Cast Inc., Bay City, 
Michigan, on behalf of the United States Chamber of Commerce.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.
WHITE HOUSE INFORMATION ACCESS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee resumed hearings to examine the 
dissemination of Federal Bureau of Investigation background 
investigation reports and other information to the White House, 
receiving testimony from Howard M. Shapiro, General Counsel, Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; and D. Craig 
Livingstone, former Director, White House Office of Personnel Security.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.
PRISON LITIGATION REFORM ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings to examine the 
role of the Department of Justice in implementing the Prison Litigation 
Reform Act, as contained in P.L. 104-134 (Omnibus Consolidated 
Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996), after receiving testimony 
from John R. Schmidt, Associate Attorney General, Department of 
Justice; Michigan Governor John Engler, Lansing; Sarah Vandenbraak, 
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Harrisburg; Laura Chamberlain, 
Assistant Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, New York; Mark 
Soler, Youth Law Center, Washington, D.C.; and Walter Dickey, 
University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison.
INTELLIGENCE RELATED TO GULF WAR ILLNESSES
Committee on Veterans Affairs/Select Committee on 
Intelligence:Committees concluded joint hearings to examine an 
intelligence analysis with regard to the possible exposure of United 
States troops to chemical or biological agents during the Persian Gulf 
War, after receiving testimony from John E. McLaughlin, Vice Chairman 
for Estimates, National Intelligence Council; Sylvia Copeland, Chief, 
CIA Persian Gulf Illnesses Task Force; Stephen C. Joseph, Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; and Kenneth

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W. Kizer, Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health.
NAVAJO-HOPI LAND SETTLEMENT ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee held hearings on S. 2111, to 
make certain amendments to the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 
and to provide for the phase out of the Navajo and Hopi Relocation 
Program within five years, receiving testimony from Christopher J. 
Bavasi, Executive Director, Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian 
Relocation; Ferrell H. Secakuku, Hopi Tribe, Kykotsmovi, Arizona; Herb 
Yazzie, Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona; Nathan David and LaVonne 
Tsosie, both of the Nahat'a' Dziil Chapter, Sanders, Arizona; and 
Bonnie Whitesinger, Sovereign Dineh Nation, Flagstaff, Arizona.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.