[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 18, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D258-D259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS--DEFENSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense resumed hearings 
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 1999 for the Department of 
Defense, focusing on the National Guard and Youth Challenge programs, 
receiving testimony from Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice, Jackson; 
Lt. Gen. Edward D. Baca, Chief, National Guard Bureau; Maj. Gen. 
William Navas, Jr., Director, Army National Guard; Maj. Gen. Paul A. 
Weaver, Jr., Director, Air National Guard; Maj. Gen. Jake Lestenkof, 
Alaska Adjutant General; Joshua B. Phagan, Forsyth, Georgia; and 
Tiffany Brown, Savannah, Georgia.
  Subcommittee will meet again tomorrow.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA REVITALIZATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia 
held hearings on the implementation of the National Capital 
Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-
34) as it relates to the revitalization of the District of Columbia, 
receiving testimony from Andrew F. Brimmer, Chairman, and Camille C. 
Barnett, Chief Management Officer, both of the District of Columbia 
Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority; and 
Anthony Williams, Chief Financial Officer, Government of the District 
of Columbia.
  Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
APPROPRIATIONS--LABOR
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education held hearings on proposed budget estimates for 
fiscal year 1999 for the Department of Labor, receiving testimony from 
Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor.
  Subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, March 24.
DOD ACQUISITION REFORM
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Acquisition and Technology 
held hearings to review the status of acquisition reform in the 
Department of Defense, receiving testimony from Eleanor Hill, Inspector 
General, Jacques Gansler, Under Secretary for Acquisition and 
Technology, and Brig. Gen. Timothy P. Malishenko, USAF, Commander, 
Defense Contract Management Command, Defense Logistics Agency, all of 
the Department of Defense; Louis J. Rodriguez, Director, Defense 
Acquisition Issues, General Accounting Office; John Douglass, Assistant 
Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition); Kenneth 
Oscar, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research, Development 
and Acquisition); and Darleen A. Druyun, Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition and Management).
  Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel resumed hearings 
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 1999 for the 
Department of Defense and the future years defense program, focusing on 
active and reserve military and civilian personnel programs and the 
Service safety programs, receiving testimony from Rudy de Leon, Under 
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Lt. Gen. Frederick E. 
Vollrath, USA, Deputy Chief of Army Staff for Personnel; Vice Adm. 
Daniel T. Oliver, USN, Chief of Navy Personnel; Lt. Gen. Carol A. 
Mutter, USMC, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; 
and Lt. Gen. Michael D. McGinty, USAF, Deputy Chief of Air Force Staff 
for Personnel.
  Subcommittee recessed subject to call.
OTS YEAR 2000 PREPAREDNESS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
Financial Services and Technology concluded hearings to examine the 
status of the Office of Thrift Supervision's (OTS) efforts to ensure 
that the computer operations of OTS and the thrift industry are 
prepared for the Year 2000 computer conversion challenge, after 
receiving testimony from Ellen Seidman, Director, Office of Thrift 
Supervision, Department of the Treasury; and Jack L. Brock, Jr., 
Director, Governmentwide and Defense Information Systems, Accounting 
and Information Management Division, General Accounting Office.
1999 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee continued in evening session to mark 
up a proposed concurrent resolution setting forth the fiscal year 1999 
budget for the Federal Government.

[[Page D259]]


TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Communications held oversight hearings on the implementation of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-104), focusing on the state of 
competition in local and long distance phone service, the cable 
industry, and newspaper and radio ownership, receiving testimony from 
George Reed-Dellinger, HSBC Washington Analysis, and Scott C. Cleland, 
Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc., both of Washington, D.C.; and Tod A. 
Jacobs, Sanford C. Bernstein and Company, New York, New York.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.
AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS TO ASIA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on International Economic 
Policy, Export and Trade Promotion held hearings to examine the role of 
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in supporting United States 
agricultural exports to Asia, receiving testimony from August 
Schumacher, Jr., Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign 
Agricultural Services; Errol Small, Maryland Department of Agriculture, 
Annapolis, Maryland; John Hardin, National Pork Producers Council, 
Danville, Indiana; Bryce Neidig, Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, 
Lincoln, on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation; and John B. 
Campbell, AG Processing Inc. (AGP), Omaha, Nebraska.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.
VACANCIES ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded oversight 
hearings on the implementation of the Vacancies Act, which established 
methods for temporarily filling vacant positions in executive agencies 
and military departments that require Presidential appointment with the 
advice and consent of the Senate, after receiving testimony from 
Senators Byrd and Thurmond; Joseph N. Onek, Principal Deputy Associate 
Attorney General, and Daniel Koffsky, Special Counsel, Office of Legal 
Counsel, both of the Department of Justice; Joan M. Hollenbach, 
Associate General Counsel, General Accounting Office; Morton Rosenberg, 
Specialist in American Public Law, Congressional Research Service, 
Library of Congress; Paul C. Light, The Pew Charitable Trusts, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Michael J. Gerhardt, Case Western 
Reserve University Law School, Cleveland, Ohio.
COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST-BAN TREATY
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International 
Security, Proliferation and Federal Services concluded hearings to 
examine the impact of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty on 
United States nuclear non-proliferation policy, after receiving 
testimony from John D. Holum, Acting Under Secretary of State and 
Director, United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; and 
Spurgeon M. Keeny, Jr., Arms Control Association, Washington, D.C. and 
former Deputy Director, and Kathleen C. Bailey, Lawrence Livermore 
National Laboratory, Livermore, California and former Assistant 
Director for Nonproliferation, both formally of the United States Arms 
Control and Disarmament Agency.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nominations of Kermit Lipez, of Maine, to be United States Circuit 
Judge for the First Circuit, Robert T. Dawson, to be United States 
District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas, Garr M. King, to 
be United States District Judge for the District of Oregon, Johnnie B. 
Rawlinson, to be United States District Judge for the District of 
Nevada, and Gregory Moneta Sleet, to be United States District Judge 
for the District of Delaware, after the nominees testified and answered 
questions in their own behalf. Mr. Lipez was introduced by Senators 
Snowe and Collins and Representatives Baldacci and Allen, Mr. Dawson 
was introduced by Senators Bumpers and Hutchinson and Representative 
Dickey, Mr. King was introduced by Senators Wyden and Gordon Smith, Ms. 
Rawlinson was introduced by Senators Bryan and Reid, and Mr. Sleet was 
introduced by Senator Biden.
PREVENTING ADDICTION TO SMOKING AMONG TEENS ACT
Committee on Labor and Human Resources: Committee resumed markup of S. 
1648, to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act to provide for reductions in youth smoking, for 
advancements in tobacco-related research, and the development of safer 
tobacco products, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed 
subject to call.
1999 SBA BUDGET
Committee on Small Business: Committee held hearings to examine the 
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 1999 for the Small 
Business Administration, receiving testimony from Aida Alvarez, 
Administrator, Small Business Administration.