[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 61 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D508-D510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
YEAR 2000 COMPLIANCE
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee held 
hearings to examine the Department of Agriculture information 
technology systems to ensure compliance with Year 2000 deadline, 
receiving testimony from Marsha Pyle Martin, Chairman and Chief 
Executive Officer, Farm Credit Administration; Brooksley Born, 
Chairperson, Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Anne F. Thomson 
Reed, Chief Information Officer, Department of Agriculture; Joel C. 
Willemssen, Director, Civil Agencies Information Systems, Accounting 
and Information Management Division, General Accounting Office; Peter 
de Jager, de Jager and Company, Ltd., Toronto, Canada; and Irene Dec, 
Prudential Insurance Company of America, Roseland, New Jersey.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.
SUBCOMMITTEE ALLOCATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Committee completed its review of 
subcommittee 302(b) allocations of budget outlays and new budget 
authority allocated to the committee in S. Con. Res. 86, setting forth 
the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal 
years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

[[Page D509]]


ERISA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education and Related Agencies concluded hearings to 
examine the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preemption, 
focusing on remedies for denied or delayed health claims, after 
receiving testimony from Olena Berg, Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Pension and Welfare Benefits; Evan Miller, Hogan & Hartson, on behalf 
of the Association of Private Pension, and Ronald F. Pollack, Families 
USA Foundation, both of Washington, D.C.; and Mark Smith, AMP 
Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the National 
Association of Manufacturers.
APPROPRIATIONS--BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND FIREARMS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury and General 
Government concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
year 1999 for the Department of the Treasury, focusing on the Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Gang Resistance, Education and Training 
program, after receiving testimony from John W. Magaw, Director, and 
Gale Rossides, Assistant Director for Training and Professional 
Development, both of the Bureau of ATF, Department of the Treasury; 
Edward N. Kondracki, La Crosse Police Department, La Crosse, Wisconsin; 
Cuyler Windham, Cumberland County Police Department, Fayetteville, 
North Carolina; and numerous public witnesses.
NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National 
Parks, Historic Preservation, and Recreation concluded hearings on S. 
1693, to improve state-of-the-art protection and interpretation to NPS 
sources, focusing on Title IX, Commercial Filming in National Parks, 
and Title X, Capital Improvement Project Bond Demonstration Program, 
and S. 1614, to require a permit for the making of a motion picture, 
television program, or other forms of commercial visual depiction in a 
unit of the National Park System or National Wildlife Refuge System, 
after receiving testimony from Representative Hefley; Destry Jarvis, 
Assistant Director for External Affairs, National Park Service, 
Department of the Interior; Albert C. Eisenberg, National Parks and 
Conservation Association, Jack Valenti, Motion Picture Association of 
America, Jeff Perlman, American Advertising Federation, and Daniel L. 
Jaffe, Association of National Advertisers, Inc., all of Washington, 
D.C.; Matthew Miller, Association of Independent Commercial Producers, 
Inc., and Alfred R. Califano, OneSuch Films, both of New York, New 
York; Leigh von der Esch, State of Utah Film Commission, Salt Lake 
City; and Victor S. Perlman, American Society of Media Photographers, 
Princeton Junction, New Jersey.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported S. 1415, to 
reform and restructure the processes by which tobacco products are 
manufactured, marketed, and distributed, to prevent the use of tobacco 
products by minors, and to redress the adverse health effects of 
tobacco use, with amendments.
CHINA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee held hearings to examine 
United States interests at the forthcoming U.S.-China summit to be held 
in June, receiving testimony from Stanley O. Roth, Assistant Secretary 
of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Robert Kagan, Carnegie 
Endowment for International Peace, Mike Jendrzejczyk, Human Rights 
Watch/Asia Division, and Robert A. Kapp, United States-China Business 
Council, all of Washington, D.C.; and Arthur Waldron, University of 
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.
IRAN
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South 
Asian Affairs concluded hearings to examine United States policy toward 
Iran, after receiving testimony from Martin S. Indyk, Assistant 
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Richard W. Murphy, Council 
on Foreign Relations, New York, New York; and Michael Eisenstadt, 
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Steven Emerson, both of 
Washington, D.C.
SAFETY OF FOOD IMPORTS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Permanent Subcommittee on 
Investigations held hearings to examine the adequacy of procedures and 
systems used by the Department of Agriculture Food Safety and 
Inspection Service and the Department of Health and Human Services Food 
and Drug Administration to oversee the safety of food imported into the 
United States, receiving testimony from Robert E. Robertson, Associate 
Director, Food and Agriculture Issues, Resources, Community, and 
Economic Development Division, General Accounting Office; Reggie Jang, 
San Francisco, California, former Consumer Safety Inspector, Food and 
Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Resources; and Mary 
Ellen Camire, University of Maine, Orono.
  Hearings were recessed subject to call.

[[Page D510]]


NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nominations of Rosemary S. Pooler and Robert D. Sack, both of New York, 
each to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, Victoria 
A. Roberts, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District 
of Michigan, Richard W. Roberts, to be United States District Judge for 
the District of Columbia, and Ronnie L. White, to be United States 
District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, after the nominees 
testified and answered questions in their own behalf. Ms. Roberts was 
introduced by Senators Levin and Abraham and Representative Upton, Mr. 
Roberts was introduced by District of Columbia Delegate Norton, and Mr. 
White was introduced by Senator Bond and Representative Clay.
NOMINATION
Committee on Small Business: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of New York, to be Deputy Administrator 
of the Small Business Administration.
  Prior to this action, committee concluded hearings on the nomination 
of Mr. Hochberg, after the nominee testified and answered questions in 
his own behalf. Testimony was also received on the nominee from Senator 
D'Amato; Representative Forbes; and Ada Alvarez, Administrator, Small 
Business Administration.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on 
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the 
intelligence community.
  Committee recessed subject to call.