[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 29, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1169-D1172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH EXTENSION AND EDUCATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT
Committee on Agriculture: Ordered reported amended H.R. 2534, 
Agricultural Research Extension and Education Reauthorization Act of 
1997.
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION'S GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE RESULTS 
ACT REPORT
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Risk Management and Specialty 
Crops held a hearing on the Review of the Commodity Futures Trading 
Commission's Government Performance Results Act Report. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
PARK SERVICE HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior held a hearing on 
Park Service Housing and Construction. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of the Interior: Wilma A. Lewis, 
Inspector General; Paul Henne, Acting Assistant Director, 
Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service; Mat Millenbach, Deputy 
Director, Bureau of Land Management; Robert Stanton, Director, Dennis 
Galvin, Deputy Director, and Charlie Clapper, Assistant Director, 
Denver Service Center, all with the National Park Service; Barry T. 
Hill, Associate Director (Energy, Resources and Science), GAO; and Lyle 
Laverty, Director, Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness Resources 
Management, Forest Service, USDA.
CHILD HEALTH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education held a hearing on Child Health. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of Health and 
Human Services: Duane Alexander, M.D., Director, National Institute of 
Child Health and Human Development; Alan Leshner, M.D., Director, 
National Institute of Drug Abuse; Steven E. Hyman, M.D., Director, 
National Institute of Mental Health; Audrey Nora, M.D., Director, 
Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services 
Administration; and James Marks, M.D., Director, National Center for 
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention; and Ernest Wynder, M.D., President, American 
Health Foundation.
MEDICARE HOME HEALTH
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 
held a hearing on Medicare Home Health. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Health and Human Services: 
June Gibbs Brown, Inspector General; and Linda Ruiz, Director, Program 
Integrity, Health Care Financing Administration; Charles L. Owens, 
Chief, Financial Crimes Section, FBI, Department of Justice; William J. 
Scanlon, Director, Health Systems Issues, GAO; and public witnesses.

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MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection approved for full Committee action amended the 
following bills: H.R. 2691, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration Reauthorization Act of 1997; and H.R. 2369, Wireless 
Privacy Enhancement Act of 1997.
  Prior to this action, the Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 2691. 
Testimony was heard from Philip Recht, Deputy Administrator, National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation; 
and public witnesses.
AMERICAN WORKER--CROSSROADS PROJECT--FUTURE OF WORK IN AMERICA
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on the American Worker at a Crossroads 
Project, ``Future of Work in America''. Testimony was heard from Edward 
Montgomery, Chief Economist, Department of Labor; William Brock, former 
Secretary of Labor; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT REPORT--PERSIAN GULF WAR VETERANS' ILLNESSES
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight: Subcommittee on Human 
Resources approved for full Committee action the following draft 
report: ``Oversight Report on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses: VA, DOD 
Continue to Resist Strong Evidence Linking Toxic Causes to Chronic 
Health Effects''.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN EUROPE
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on Recent 
Developments in Europe. Testimony was heard from Ambassador Marc 
Grossman, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs, 
Department of State.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific, approved for full Committee action the following resolutions: 
H. Res. 282, amended, Congratulating the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations (ASEAN) on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary; H. Con. Res. 
172, amended, expressing the sense of Congress in support of efforts to 
foster friendship and cooperation between the United States and 
Mongolia; H. Res. 231, amended, urging the President to make clear to 
the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the commitment of 
the American people in support of democracy and religious and economic 
freedom for the people of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; and H. 
Con. Res. 156, amended, expressing concern for the continued 
deterioration of human rights in Afghanistan and emphasizing the need 
for a peaceful political settlement in that country.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported the following measures: 
H.R. 1023, amended, Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1997; H.R. 
1753, amended, to provide for the establishment of not less than 2,500 
Boys and Girls Clubs of America facilities by the year 2000; H.R. 2460, 
Wireless Telephone Protection Act; H.R. 429, NATO Special Immigration 
Amendments of 1997; H.J. Res. 91, amended, granting the consent of 
Congress to the Apalachicola-Chattahoocee-Flint River Basin Compact; 
H.J. Res. 92, amended, granting the consent of Congress to the Alabama-
Cossa Tallapoose River Basin Compact; H.J. Res. 95, granting the 
consent of Congress to the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development 
Compact; H.J. Res. 96, granting the consent and approval of Congress 
for the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the 
District of Columbia to amend the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit 
Regulation Compact.
  The Committee also considered private immigration bills.
GUAM LEGISLATION
Committee on Resources: Held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 
100, Guam Commonwealth Act; H.R. 2370, Guam Judicial Empowerment Act of 
1997; and S. 210, to amend the Organic Act of Guam, the Revised Organic 
Act of the Virgin Islands, and the Compact of Free Association Act. 
Testimony was heard from Senator Akaka; Representatives Mink of Hawaii 
and Becerra; the following officials of the Department of the Interior: 
John R. Garamendi, Deputy Secretary; and Allen Staymen, Director, 
Office of Insular Affairs; the following officials of Guam: Carl T.C. 
Gutierrez, Governor; Anthony C. Blaz, Vice Speaker; Mark Forbes, 
Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Affairs; and Ben Pangelinan, 
member, Senate; all with the Legislature; Peter C. Signenza, Chief 
Justice, Supreme Court and Alberto C. Lamorena, III, Presiding Judge, 
Superior Court; Ben Blaz, former Delegate, U.S. House of 
Representatives; and public witnesses.
HELPING EMPOWER LOW-INCOME PARENTS (HELP) SCHOLARSHIPS AMENDMENTS AND 
CHARTER SCHOOLS AMENDMENTS ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule providing for 
consideration of H.R. 2746, Helping Empower Low-income Parents (HELP) 
Scholarships Amendments of 1997, in the House under a closed rule. The 
rule provides for two hours of debate equally divided and controlled by 
the chairman and

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ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce. The rule provides one motion to recommit. The rule also 
provides for the consideration of H.R. 2616, Charter Schools Amendments 
Act of 1997, under an open rule. The rule provides one hour of general 
debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The 
rule makes in order the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
amendment in the nature of a substitute as an original bill for the 
purpose of amendment, which shall be considered as read. The rule 
provides for the consideration of the manager's amendment printed in 
the report of the Committee on Rules, if offered by Chairman Goodling 
or his designee, which is considered as read, is not subject to 
amendment or to a division of the question, is debatable for 10 minutes 
equally divided between the proponent and an opponent, and if adopted, 
is considered as part of the base text for further amendment purposes. 
The rule authorizes the Chair to accord priority in recognition to 
Members who have preprinted 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 votes to 
five minutes on a postponed question if the vote follows a fifteen 
minute vote. The rule provides one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. The rule provides that in the engrossment of H.R. 2616, 
the Clerk shall add the text of H.R. 2746, as passed by the House, as a 
new matter at the end of H.R. 2616 and make conforming and designation 
changes within the engrossment. The rule provides that upon the 
addition of the text of H.R. 2746 to the engrossment of H.R. 2616, H.R. 
2746 shall be laid on the table. Finally, the rule provides that H. 
Res. 280 is laid upon the table. Testimony was heard from Chairman 
Goodling and Representatives Riggs, Martinez, Roemer, Scott, Clyburn, 
and Hooley.
SMET--K-12 EDUCATION
Committee on Science: Held a hearing on Science, Math, Engineering, and 
Technology Education (SMET) in America--Collaboration and Coordination 
of Federal Agency Efforts in SMET K-12 Education. Testimony was heard 
from Clifford Gabriel, Acting Associate Director, Science Division, 
Office of Science and Technology Policy; David E. Shaw, Chairman, Panel 
on Educational Technology, President's Committee on Advisors on Science 
and Technology; and public witnesses.
SBA IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESULTS ACT
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing on SBA implementation of 
the Results Act. Testimony was heard from Paul Weech, Chief of Staff, 
SBA; Stanley J. Czerwinski, Associate Director, Housing and Community 
Development, GAO; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; RESOLUTIONS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported 
amended the following bills: H. R. 2626, to make clarifications to the 
Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996; H.R. 2476, to amend title 49, 
United States Code, to require the National Transportation Safety Board 
and individual foreign air carriers to address the needs of families of 
passengers involved in aircraft accidents involving foreign air 
carriers.
  The Committee also approved the following: 10 leasing resolutions; 
three amendments to previously approved resolutions; 1 repair and 
alteration resolution; and 1 design resolution.
SUPERFUND REAUTHORIZATION AND REFORM LEGISLATION
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held a hearing on superfund reauthorization 
and reform proposals. Testimony was heard from Carol Browner, 
Administrator, EPA; Christophe Tulou, Secretary, Department of Natural 
Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware; Paul Helmke, 
Mayor, Fort Wayne, State of Indiana; and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND MONETARY POLICY
Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the 
national economic outlook and monetary policy, focusing on the impact 
of recent developments in world financial markets on the American 
economy, after receiving testimony from Alan Greenspan, Chairman, Board 
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
APPROPRIATIONS--FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Conferees on Tuesday, October 28, met on the differences between the 
Senate- and House-passed versions of H.R. 2159, making appropriations 
for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 1998, but did not complete action 
thereon, and recessed subject to call.

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