[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D973-D975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

 Committee Meetings
 FINANCIAL PRIVACY
 Committee on Banking and Financial Services:  Subcommittee on 
Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit held a hearing on financial 
privacy. Testimony was heard from Leslie Byrne, Director and Special 
Assistant to the President, Office of Consumer Affairs; David Medine, 
Associate Director, Credit Practices Division, FTC; Dan Greenwood, 
Deputy General Counsel, Information Technology Division, State of 
Massachusetts; and public witnesses.
 MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
 Committee on Commerce:  Ordered reported the following bills:  H.R. 
1270, amended, Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1997; H.R. 2472, to extend 
certain programs under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act; and H.R. 
2165, to extend the deadline under

[[Page D974]]

the Federal Power Act applicable to the construction of FERC Project 
Number 3862 in the State of Iowa.
 CONSOLIDATION LOAN PROCESS SHUTDOWN
 Committee on Education and the Workforce:  Subcommittee on 
Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning held a hearing 
on the Shutdown of the Consolidation Loan Process in the William D. 
Ford Direct Student Loan Program. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Education: Marshall Smith, 
Acting Deputy Secretary; and Thomas Bloom, Inspector General; and 
public witnesses.
 SWISS HEROIN EXPERIMENTS FAILURE
 Committee on Government Reform and Oversight:  Subcommittee on 
National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice held a 
hearing on Needle Exchange, Legalization, and the Failure of the Swiss 
Heroin Experiments. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
 U.S. POLICY TOWARD NIGERIA
 Committee on International Relations:  Subcommittee on Africa held a 
hearing on United States Policy Toward Nigeria. Testimony was heard 
from Representative Jefferson; Johnnie Carson, Acting Assistant 
Secretary, Africa, Department of State; and public witnesses.
 FREEDOM FROM RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ACT
 Committee on International Relations:  Subcommittee on International 
Operations and Human Rights approved for full Committee action amended 
H.R. 2431, Freedom From Religious Persecution Act of 1997.
 FIRST AMENDMENT AND RESTRICTIONS ON ISSUE ADVOCACY
 Committee on the Judiciary:  Subcommittee on the Constitution held a 
hearing regarding the First Amendment and Restrictions on Issue 
Advocacy. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
 OVERSIGHT--CRIMINAL ASSET FORFEITURE
 Committee on the Judiciary:  Subcommittee on Crime held an oversight 
hearing on Criminal Asset Forfeiture. Testimony was heard from Jan P. 
Blanton, Director, Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture, Department of 
the Treasury; Stefan D. Cassella, Assistant Chief, Asset Forfeiture and 
Money Laundering Section, Department of Justice; and a public witness.
 OVERSIGHT
 Committee on Resources:  Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources 
concluded oversight hearings on Royalty-In-Kind for Federal oil and gas 
production (Part II). Testimony was heard from Robert Brown, Associate 
Director, Minerals Management Service, Department of the Interior; and 
public witnesses.
 OVERSIGHT--U.S. CANADA PACIFIC SALMON TREATY NEGOTIATIONS
 Committee on Resources:  Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, 
Wildlife and Oceans held an oversight hearing on U.S.-Canada Pacific 
Salmon Treaty negotiations. Testimony was heard from James Pipkin, U.S. 
Special Negotiator for Pacific Salmon; Mary Beth West, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Oceans, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, 
Department of State; David Benton, Commissioner, Pacific Salmon Treaty, 
State of Alaska; and public witnesses.
 GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS
 Committee on Resources:  Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health 
held a hearing on H. Con. Res. 151, expressing the sense of the 
Congress that the United States should manage its public domain 
national Forests to maximize the reduction of carbon dioxide in the 
atmosphere among many other objectives and that the United States 
should serve as an example and as a world leader in actively managing 
its public domain national forests in a manner that substantially 
reduces the amount of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere. Testimony 
was heard from James R. Lyons, Under Secretary, Natural Resources and 
Environment, USDA; and public witnesses.
 CONFERENCE REPORT--AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA, AND RELATED 
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
 Committee on Rules:  Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving all points 
of order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 2160, making 
appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 1998, and against its consideration. The rule also 
provides that upon adoption of the resolution the House shall be 
considered to have adopted the concurrent resolution specified in 
section 3 of the resolution. Testimony was heard from Representatives 
Skeen and Kaptur.
 MIR SAFETY
 Committee on Science:  Held a hearing on MIR Safety. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the NASA: Roberta L. Gross, 
Inspector General; and

[[Page D975]]

Frank Culbertson, Manager, Phase I Program, Lyndon B. Johnson Space 
Center; Marcia S. Smith, Specialist in Aerospace and Telecommunications 
Policy, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress; and a 
public witness.
 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS--STRATEGIC PLAN
 Committee on Veterans' Affairs:  Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs 
strategic plan required by the Government Performance and Results Act. 
Testimony was heard from Cynthia M. Fagnoni, Associate Director, 
Health, Education, and Human Services Division, GAO; Dennis Duffy, 
Assistant Secretary, Policy and Planning, Department of Veterans 
Affairs; the following officials of the Department of Defense: Charles 
Cragin, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (Reserve Affairs); Gary 
Christopherson, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (Health 
Affairs); and Lt. Gen. Norman Lezy, USAF, Deputy Assistant Secretary 
(Military Personnel Policy); Al Borrego, Assistant Secretary-Designate, 
Veterans' Employment and Training Services, Department of Labor; Dennis 
W. Snook, Specialist, Social Legislation, Education and Public Welfare 
Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress; and 
representatives of veterans' organizations.
 CHILD SUPPORT INCENTIVES LEGISLATION
 Committee on Ways and Means:  Subcommittee on Human Resources approved 
for full Committee action amended H.R. 2487, Child Support Incentive 
Act of 1997.
 FUTURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY
 Committee on Ways and Means:  Subcommittee on Social Security 
continued hearings on the Future of Social Security for this Generation 
and the Next. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.

 Joint Meetings
 APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
  Conferees  met to continue to resolve the differences between the 
Senate-and House-passed versions of H.R. 2266, making appropriations 
for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1998, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet again 
tomorrow.
 RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE IN EUROPE
 Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki 
Commission):  Commission concluded hearings to examine religious 
intolerance in participating States of the Organization on Security and 
Cooperation in Europe, focusing on government actions and policies 
inhibiting and restricting the profession and practice of religions or 
beliefs, and related measures, after receiving testimony from Ekaterina 
Smyslova, Institute of Religion and Law, Moscow, Russia; Rev. Drew 
Christiansen, United States Catholic Conference, Washington, D.C.; 
George Papaioannou, Bethesda, Maryland, on behalf of the Greek Orthodox 
Archdiocese of North and South America; James M. McCabe, San Diego, 
California, on behalf of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of 
Pennsylvania; W. Cole Durham, Jr., Brigham Young University School of 
Law, Provo, Utah, on behalf of the International Academy of Freedom of 
Religion and Belief; Shimon Samuels, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Paris, 
France; Laila Al-Marayati, Muslim Women's League, Los Angeles, 
California, on behalf of the Department of State Advisory Committee on 
Religious Freedom Abroad; Steven V. Selthoffer, Evangelical Christian 
Church, and Terry D. Jones, Christliche Gemeinde Koln, both of Cologne, 
Germany; and John Travolta, Chick Corea, and Issac Hayes, all of 
Hollywood, California, all on behalf of the Church of Scientology.