[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 102 (Thursday, July 17, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D780-D782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
USDA'S CIVIL RIGHTS ACTION TEAM REPORT
Committee on Agriculture: Held a hearing to review the USDA's Civil 
Rights Action Team Report. Testimony was heard from Representatives 
Waters and Conyers; and Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Ordered reported the following 
appropriations for fiscal year 1998: Energy and Water Development; and 
Legislative Branch.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia 
continued appropriation hearings. Testimony was heard from Members of 
Congress and public witnesses.
FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPETITIVENESS ACT
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials 
held a hearing on H.R. 10, Financial Services Competitiveness Act of 
1997. Testimony was heard from Arthur Levitt, Jr., Chairman, SEC; Alan 
Greenspan, Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System; the 
following officials of the Department of the Treasury: John D. Hawke, 
Under Secretary, Domestic Finance; Eugene A. Ludwig, Comptroller and 
Nicolas Retsinas, Director, Office of Thrift Supervision; William J. 
Baer, Director, Bureau of Competition, FTC; Andrew C. Hove, Jr., 
Chairman, FDIC; and public witnesses.
  Hearings continue July 25th.
HIGHER EDUCATION AMENDMENTS
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Postsecondary 
Education,Training and Life-Long Learning continued hearings on H.R. 6, 
Higher Education Amendments of 1997, with emphasis on Campus Crime and 
Regulatory Reform. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
  Hearings continue July 22.
NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight: Subcommittee on National 
Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice continued 
hearings on National Drug Control Policy: Drug Interdiction Efforts in 
Florida and the Caribbean. Testimony was heard from Speaker Gingrich; 
the following officials of the U.S. Customs Service, Department of the 
Treasury: Samuel Banks, Deputy Commissioner; Peter Girard, Group 
Supervisor for Cargo Theft Miami Seaport, Office of Investigations; and 
Mike Sinclair, Chief of Miami Seaport Cargo, Inspection Team; James 
Milford, Deputy Administrator, DEA, Department of Justice; Rear Adm. 
Norman Saunders, USCG, Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District, U.S. 
Coast Guard, Department of Transportation; James H. Wallwork, 
Commissioner, Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor; and public 
witnesses.
INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OVERSIGHT--STATE DEPARTMENT AND AID
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on Inspector 
General's Oversight of the Department of State and Agency for 
International Development. Testimony was heard from Jacquelyn L. 
Williams-Bridgers, Inspector General, Department of State; Jeffrey 
Rush, Inspector General, AID, U.S. International Development 
Cooperation Agency; and a public witness.
INTERNET TAX FREEDOM ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law held a hearing on H.R. 1054, Internet Tax Freedom 
Act. Testimony was heard from Senator Wyden; Representative Cox of 
California; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution held an 
oversight hearing on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Testimony was 
heard from Cornelia Blanchette, Associate Director, Employment and 
Education Issues, GAO; the following officials of the U.S. Commission 
on Civil Rights: Mary Frances Berry, Chairperson; and Carl Anderson, 
Commissioner; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--FAIRNESS IN MUSIC LICENSING
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual 
Property held an oversight hearing

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on Fairness in Music Licensing. Testimony was heard from Robert Stoll, 
Administrator, Office of Legislative Affairs, Patent and Trademark 
Office, Department of Commerce; Marybeth Peters, Register of 
Copyrights, Library of Congress; and public witnesses.
NATO EXPANSION
Committee on National Security: Held a hearing on NATO expansion. 
Testimony was heard from Walter Slocombe, Under Secretary, Policy, 
Department of Defense; John Kornblum, Assistant Secretary, European and 
Canadian Affairs, Department of State; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, 
Wildlife & Oceans held an oversight hearing to review the final outcome 
of the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention 
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 
(CITES). Testimony was heard from Donald J. Barry, Acting Assistant 
Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior.
OVERSIGHT
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held an 
oversight hearing on Compliance by certain Departments with the 
Government Performance and Results Act. Testimony was heard from Susan 
D. Kladiva, Acting Associate Director, Energy Resources, and Science 
Issues, GAO; the following officials of the Department of the Interior: 
Eluid L. Martinez, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation; and Gordon P. 
Eaton, Director, U.S. Geological Survey; and Robert Sanmartin, 
Executive Director, Energy and Resources Board, Department of Energy.
TRANSPORTATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule providing 1 
hour of debate on H.R. 2169, making appropriations for the Department 
of Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 1998. The rule waives clause 2(I)(6) of rule XI (relating 
to the 3-day availability of the report), clause 7 of rule XXI 
(relating to the 3-day availability of printed hearings), and section 
401(a) (prohibiting consideration of legislation containing contract 
authority not previously subject to appropriation) of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 against consideration of the bill.
  The rule waives clause 6 of rule XXI (prohibiting reappropriations in 
an appropriations bill) against provisions in the bill and clause 2 of 
rule XXI (prohibiting unauthorized and legislative provisions in an 
appropriations bill) against provisions in the bill except as otherwise 
specified in the rule.
  The rule provides that the amendment printed in section 2 of the 
resolution shall be considered as adopted. The rule authorizes the 
Chair to accord priority in recognition to Members who have pre-printed 
their amendments 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 to five minutes on a postponed 
question if the vote follows a fifteen minute vote. Finally, the rule 
provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Wolf, Shuster, Sabo and 
Oberstar.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION AND APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION 
REAUTHORIZATIONS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Public 
Buildings and Economic Development concluded hearings on the 
Reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration and the 
Appalachian Regional Commission. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Kanjorski and McGovern; and public witnesses.
AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Surface 
Transportation held a hearing on Road Rage: Causes and Dangers of 
Aggressive Driving. Testimony was heard from Ricardo Martinez, M.D., 
Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
Department of Transportation; and public witnesses.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT WITHIN VA
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations continued hearings on sexual harassment issues involving 
senior career managers within the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
H.R. 1703, the Department of Veterans Affairs Employment Discrimination 
Prevention Act. Testimony was heard from Senator Faircloth and the 
following officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Hershel W. 
Gober, Acting Secretary; and William T. Merriman, Deputy Inspector 
General.
HCFA'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AUDIT
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on 
the Inspector General's Audit of Health Care Financing Administration's 
Financial Statements. Testimony was heard from the following officials 
of the Department of Health and

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Human Services: June Gibbs Brown, Inspector General; and Bruce Vladeck, 
Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration.