[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 6 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D57-D60]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
ASIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS--U.S. AGRICULTURE
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities held 
a hearing on the Asian financial crisis and to its relationship to U.S. 
agriculture. Testimony was heard from August Schumacher, Jr., Under 
Secretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, USDA.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held a 
hearing on Inspector General. Testimony was heard from Roger C. 
Viadero, Inspector General, USDA.

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INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior held an oversight 
hearing on National Park Service, Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife 
Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Testimony was heard from, 
Barry T. Hill, Associate Director, Energy, Resources and Science, GAO; 
the following officials of the Department of the Interior: Robert J. 
Williams, Acting Inspector General; John Berry, Assistant Secretary, 
Policy, Management and Budget; John Rogers, Deputy Director, Fish and 
Wildlife Service; Pat Shea, Director, Bureau of Land Management; and 
Robert Stanton, Director, National Park Service; the following 
officials of the USDA: Robert Young, Deputy Assistant Inspector 
General, Audit, and Robert C. Joslin, Deputy Chief, National Forest 
System, Forest Service; I. Michael Heyman, Secretary, Smithsonian 
Institution; Lawrence J. Wilker, President, John F. Kennedy Center for 
the Performing Arts; Earl A. Powell, III, Director, National Gallery of 
Art; and Walter Reich, Museum Director, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative held a hearing 
on the Joint Economic Committee, the Architect of the Capitol, the 
Joint Committee on Taxation, the GAO and the Capitol Police. Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Joint Economic Committee: 
Representative Saxton, Chairman; and Christopher Frenze, Executive 
Director; the following officials of the Office of the Architect of the 
Capitol: Alan M. Hantman, Architect; Stuart Prefnall, Budget Officer; 
Robert Miley, Superintendent, House Office Buildings, and Dan Hanlon, 
Director, of Engineering; the following officials of the Joint 
Committee on Taxation: Representative Archer, Vice Chairman; Mary M. 
Schmitt, Deputy Chief of Staff-Law; and Bernard A. Schmitt, Deputy 
Chief of Staff-Revenue Analysis; James F. Hinchman, Acting Comptroller 
General, GAO; the following members of the U.S. Capitol Police Board: 
Wilson Livingood, Sergeant at Arms, House of Representatives; Gregory 
S. Casey, Sergeant at Arms, Senate; Alan M. Hantman, Architect of the 
Capitol; and Gary L. Abrecht, Chief, U.S. Capitol Police.
LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human 
Services and Education continued appropriation hearings. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE AVAILABILITY ACT
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing 
and Community Opportunity approved for full Committee action amended 
H.R. 219, Homeowners' Insurance Availability Act of 1997.
SUPERFUND PROGRAM STATUS
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials 
held a hearing on the Status of the Superfund Program. Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Environmental Protection 
Issues Division, GAO: Peter F. Guerrero, Director; and Jim Donaghy, 
Eileen Larence and Mitchell Karpman, all Assistant Directors; Tim 
Fields, Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Workforce 
Protections approved for full Committee action the following bills: 
H.R. 2864, amended, to require the Secretary of Labor to establish a 
program under which employers may consult with State officials 
respecting compliance with occupational safety and health requirements; 
H.R. 2877, amended, to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 
1970; and H.R. 3096, to correct a provision relating to termination of 
benefits for convicted persons.
PATIENT ACCESS ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight: Held a hearing on Patient 
Access to Alternative Treatments: Beyond the FDA. Testimony was heard 
from former Representative Berkley W. Bedell of Iowa; and public 
witnesses.
FEDERAL AVIATION YEAR 2000 IMPACTS ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight: Subcommittee on 
Government Management, Information, and Technology, and the 
Subcommittee on Technology of the Committee on Science held a joint 
hearing on Federal Aviation Administration at Risk: Year 2000 Impacts 
on the Air Traffic Control System. Testimony was heard from Joel 
Willemssen, Director, Accounting and Information Management Division, 
GAO; the following officials of the Department of Transportation: Ken 
Mead, Inspector General and Jane Garvey, Administrator, FAA; and a 
public witness.

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DORNAN V. SANCHEZ--CONTESTED ELECTION; COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Committee on House Oversight: Ordered favorably reported a resolution 
regarding the Contested Election in the 46th Congressional District of 
California.
  The Committee also approved pending committee business.
DORNAN V. SANCHEZ--CONTESTED ELECTION
Committee on House Oversight: Task Force for the Contested Election in 
the 46th Congressional District of California approved for full 
Committee action a resolution regarding the Contested Election in the 
46th Congressional Election of California.
U.S. CHINA NUCLEAR COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on Implementation 
of the U.S.-China Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. Testimony was heard 
from Robert Einhorn, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Non-Proliferation, 
Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State.
  The Committee also met in executive session to hold a hearing on this 
subject. Testimony was heard from John Lauder, Director, 
Nonproliferation Center, CIA.
ASIA--FINANCIAL CRISIS
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific and the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade 
held a joint hearing on the Financial Crisis in Asia. Testimony was 
heard from Lawrence H. Summers, Deputy Secretary, Department of the 
Treasury; Stuart Eizenstat, Under Secretary, Economic, Business, and 
Agricultural Affairs, Department of State; and public witnesses.
CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution approved 
for full Committee action H.R. 3117, Civil Rights Commission Act of 
1998.
OVERSIGHT--COPYRIGHT LICENSING REGIMES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual 
Property held an oversight hearing regarding copyright licensing 
regimes covering retransmission of broadcast signals. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
INTERNET GAMBLING PROHIBITION ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime held a hearing 
regarding Gambling in Cyberspace: a hearing on the legality of gambling 
on the Internet, focusing on H.R. 2380, Internet Gambling Prohibition 
Act of 1997. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
NURSING RELIEF ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims 
approved for full Committee action amended H.R. 2759, Health 
Professional Shortage Area Nursing Relief Act of 1997.
REPRESENTATIVE DELLUMS HONORED
Committee on National Security: Met to honor Rep. Donald V. Dellums.
PROHIBIT SPENDING EDUCATION FUNDS ON NATIONAL TESTING WITHOUT SPECIFIC 
AUTHORITY
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule providing 1 
hour of debate on H.R. 2846, to prohibit spending Federal education 
funds on national testing without explicit and specific legislation. 
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 
authorizes the Chairman to accord priority in recognition to Members 
who have pre-printed their amendments in the Congressional Record. The 
rule allows for the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone 
votes during consideration of the bill, and to reduce voting time to 
five minutes on a postponed question if the vote follows a fifteen 
minute vote. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit with 
or without instructions. Chairman Goodling, Representatives Clay and 
Martinez. Testimony was heard from
RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a closed rule providing 1 
hour of debate on S. 1575, to rename the Washington National Airport 
located in the District of Columbia and Virginia as the Ronald Reagan 
Washington National Airport. The rule provides for the consideration of 
the bill in the House and that the bill be considered as read. Finally, 
the rule provides one motion to recommit.
ROAD FROM KYOTO
Committee on Science: Held a hearing on the Road from Kyoto Part I: 
Where Are We, Where Are We Going, and How Do We Get There? Testimony 
was heard from Kathleen A. McGintly, Chair, Council on Environmental 
Quality; Jay E. Hakes, Administrator, Energy Information 
Administration, Department of Energy; and public witnesses.

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BUDGET REQUEST
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Held a hearing on the Department of 
Veterans Affairs budget request for FY 1999. Testimony was heard from 
Togo D. West, Jr., Acting Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Benefits held a hearing 
on the Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation 
Programs. Testimony was heard from Cynthia M. Fagnoni, Associate 
Director, Veterans' Affairs and Military Health Care Issues, Health, 
Educators, and Human Services Division, GAO; Espiridion Borrego, 
Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, 
Department of Labor; Joseph Thompson, Under Secretary, Benefits, 
Department of Veterans Affairs; representatives of various veterans 
organization; and a public witness.
FEDERAL TAX BURDEN
Committee on Ways and Means: Continued hearings on proposals to reduce 
the Federal tax burden on the American public. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Thune; June O'Neill, Director, CBO; and public 
witnesses.
  Hearings continue February 12.