[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D632-D634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH--PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP EFFORTS
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Forestry, Resource 
Conservation, and Research held a hearing on public and private 
partnership efforts in agricultural research. Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the USDA: Robert E. Armstrong, Acting 
Executive Director, Alternative Agricultural Research and 
Commercialization Corporation; Bob Robinson, Administrator, Cooperative 
State Research, Education and Extension Service; and Peter Johnson, 
Director, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research; and 
public witnesses.
BUDGET ALLOCATION
Committee on Appropriations: Approved a Section 602(b) budget 
allocation report for fiscal year 1998.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction 
approved for full Committee action the Military Construction 
appropriation for fiscal year 1998.
FINANCIAL MODERNIZATION
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Continued markup of 
Financial Modernization legislation.
  Will continue tomorrow.
TRANSPORTATION-RELATED AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment held a 
hearing on Reauthorizaton of Transportation-Related Air Quality 
Improvement Programs. Testimony was heard from David M. Gardiner, 
Assistant Administrator, Policy, Planning and Evaluation, EPA; Kevin 
Heanue, Director, Office of Environment and Planning, Federal Highway 
Administration, Department of Transportation; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Ordered reported amended H.R. 
1818, Juvenile Crime Control and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1997.
  The Committee also began markup of H. Res. 139, expressing the sense 
of the House of Representatives that the Department of Education, 
States, and local education agencies should spend a greater percentage 
of Federal education tax dollars in our children's classrooms.
COMMITTEE RULES
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight: Amended Committee rules 
regarding deposition authority.
OVERSIGHT--ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight: Subcommittee on 
Government Management, Information, and Technology held a hearing on 
Oversight of Electronic Funds Transfer. Testimony was heard from Jerry 
Hawke, Under Secretary, Domestic Finance, Department of the Treasury; 
Marty Wagner, Associate Administrator, GSA; Mark D. Catlett, Chief 
Financial Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs; and public 
witnesses.
AFRICA'S EMERGING CAPITAL MARKETS
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Africa held a 
hearing on Africa's Emerging Capital Markets. Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
U.S.-VIETNAM RELATIONS
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific held a hearing on the U.S.-Vietnam Relations. Testimony was 
heard from Jeffrey

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Bader, Deputy Assistant Secretary, East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 
Department of State; Susan G. Esserman, General Counsel, Office of the 
U.S. Trade Representative; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported the following measures: 
H.R. 1866, Need-Based Educational Aid Antitrust Protection Act of 1997; 
H.R. 1901, Federal Tort Claims Act Clarification Act; H.R. 1086, 
amended, to codify without substantive change laws related to 
transportation and to improve the United States Code; H.R. 103, Private 
Security Officer Quality Assurance Act of 1997; H.R. 1847, amended, 
Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Act of 1997; H.R. 748, amended. 
Prohibition on Financial Transactions With Countries Supporting 
Terrorism Act of 1997; H.R. 1532, amended, Veterans' Cemetery 
Protection Act of 1997; H. Res. 154, expressing the sense of the House 
that the Nation's children are its most valuable assets and that their 
protection should be the Nation's highest priority; H. Con. Res. 75, 
expressing the sense of the Congress that States should work more 
aggressively to attack the problem of violent crimes committed by 
repeat offenders and criminals serving abbreviated sentences; H.R. 
1840, Law Enforcement Technology Advertisement Clarification Act of 
1997; H.R. 567, Madrid Protocol Implementation Act; H.R. 1661, amended, 
Trademark Law Treaty Implementation Act; H.R. 1581, to reauthorize the 
program established under chapter 44 of title 28, United States Code, 
relating to arbitration; and H.R. 1898, Juvenile Rape in Prison 
Protection Act of 1997.
VOLUNTEERS FOR WILDLIFE ACT
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, 
Wildlife and Oceans held a hearing on H.R. 1856, Volunteers for 
Wildlife Act of 1997. Testimony was heard from Robert Streeter, 
Assistant Director, Refuges and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Department of the Interior; and public witnesses.
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITIES--COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND 
OVERSIGHT
Committee on Rules: Held a hearing on H. Res. 167, providing special 
investigative authorities for the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight. Testimony was heard from Chairman Burton and Representative 
Waxman.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a vote of 9 to 4, a structured rule on 
H.R. 1119, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1998 and 
1999 providing two hours of general debate equally divided between the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on National 
Security. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of 
the bill. The rule provides for consideration of the committee 
amendment in the nature of a substitute now printed in the bill as an 
original bill for the purposes of amendment and all points of order are 
waived against the amendment in the nature of a substitute. The rule 
makes in order only those amendments printed in the report of the 
Committee on Rules and the amendments en bloc described in section 3 of 
the resolution. The rule provides that, except as specified in section 
5 of the resolution, amendments will be considered only in the order 
and manner specified in the report. Except as otherwise provided in the 
report, amendments shall be debatable for 10 minutes divided between a 
proponent and an opponent. Amendments shall be considered as read and 
are not amendable (except for pro forma amendments offered by the 
Chairman and ranking minority member of the National Security 
Committee). All points of order are waived against the amendments 
printed in the report and those described in section 3 of this 
resolution. The rule provides for an extra 60 minutes of debate on 
Bosnia, equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on National Security. The rule authorizes the 
Chairman of the National Security Committee or his designee 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, shall be debatable for 20 minutes 
divided between the Chairman and ranking member of the National 
Security Committee or their designees and which shall not be subject to 
amendment or demand for division of the question. The rule provides 
that, for the purposes of inclusion in such amendments en bloc, an 
amendment printed in the form of a motion to strike may be modified to 
the form of a germane perfecting amendment to the text originally 
proposed to be stricken. The original proponent of an amendment 
included in such amendments en bloc may insert a statement in the 
Congressional Record immediately before the dispositions of the en bloc 
amendments. The rule permits the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole 
to postpone votes on any amendment and to reduce to 5 minutes the time 
for voting after the first of a series of votes provided that the first 
vote is not less than 15 minutes. The rule also permits the Chairman of 
the Committee of the Whole to recognize for consideration of any 
amendment printed in the report out of the order in which printed,

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but not sooner than one hour after the Chairman of the Committee on 
National Security or a designee announces from the floor a request to 
the effect. The rule provides one motion to recommit, with or without 
instructions. Finally, the rule provides that House Resolutions 161, 
162, and 165 are laid on the table. Testimony was heard from Chairman 
Spence, and Representatives Weldon of Pennsylvania, Hefley, Saxton, 
Buyer, Everett, Bartlett, Watts of Oklahoma, Jones, Hilleary, Gilman, 
Bereuter, Oxley, Kasich, Dan Schaefer of Colorado, Shays, Stearns, 
Bachus, Mica, Foley, Forbes, Fox of Pennsylvania, Frelinghuysen, Wamp, 
Metcalf, Brady, Thune, Dellums, Skelton, Spratt, Pickett, Evans, 
McHale, Taylor of Mississippi, Harman, McHale, Kennedy of Rhode Island, 
Blagojevich, Rodriguez, Markey, Mink of Hawaii, Dicks, Frank of 
Massachusetts, Hoyer, Traficant, Pallone, Condit, Faleomavaega, Nadler, 
Moran of Virginia, Roemer, Sanders, Maloney of New York, Jackson-Lee of 
Texas, Woolsey, Farr of California, Luther, Millender-McDonald, and 
Lofgren.
COMMERCIAL SPACE ACT
Committee on Science: Ordered reported amended H.R. 1702, Commercial 
Space Act of 1997.
CHINA'S MFN STATUS
Committee on Ways and Means: Adversely ordered reported H.J. Res. 79, 
disapproving the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment, most-
favored-nation treatment, to the products of the People's Republic of 
China.

Joint Meetings
INDIAN CHILD WELFARE AMENDMENTS
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs concluded joint 
hearings with the House Committee on Resources on S. 569 and H.R. 1082, 
bills to amend the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 to provide for 
retention by an Indian tribe of exclusive jurisdiction over child 
custody proceedings involving Indian children and other related 
requirements, after receiving testimony from Representative Pryce; Ada 
E. Deer, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Thomas 
L. LeClaire, Director, Office of Tribal Justice, Department of Justice; 
Deborah J. Doxtator, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Oneida, Wisconsin; 
Thomas E. Atcitty, Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona; W. Ron Allen, 
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Sequim, Washington, on behalf of the 
National Congress of American Indians; Jane A. Gorman, Tustin, 
California, on behalf of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys; 
and Michael J. Walleri, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Inc., Fairbanks, 
Alaska.