[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 23, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D157-D160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held a 
hearing on FDA. Testimony was heard from Jane Henney, M.D., 
Commissioner, FDA, Department of Health and Human Services.
LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education held a hearing on Health Resources and Services 
Administration, on the Administration for Children and Families and on 
the Administration on Aging. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Health and Human Services: Claud E. Fox, 
M.D., Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration; and 
Olivia Golden, Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and 
Families.
TRANSPORTATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation held a 
hearing on Surface Transportation Safety. Testimony was heard from 
Phyllis

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Scheinberg, Associate Director, Transportation Issues, GAO; Jim Hall, 
Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board; and the following 
officials of the Department of Transportation: Kenneth Mead, Inspector 
General; Kenneth Wykle, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration; 
Ricardo Martinez, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration; and Charles Hunnicutt, Assistant Secretary, Aviation 
and International Affairs, Office of the Secretary; and public 
witnesses.
TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, 
and General Government held a hearing on Treasury Law Enforcement. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
the Treasury: James E. Johnson, Under Secretary, Enforcement; Bruce J. 
Bowen, Acting Director, U.S. Secret Service; W. Ralph Basham, Director, 
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; John W. Magaw, Director, 
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; and Raymond Kelly, 
Commissioner, U.S. Customs Service.
VA-HUD-INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent 
Agencies held a hearing on the Consumer Product Commission, the 
Consumer Information Center and on the Office of Inspector General, 
FDIC. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Consumer 
Product Safety Commission: Ann Brown, Chairman; Mary Sheila Gall, Vice 
Chairman; and Thomas H. Moore, Commissioner; the following officials of 
the GSA: Teresa Nasif, Director, Consumer Information Center, Beth 
Newberger, Associate Administrator, Public Affairs; and Bill Early, 
Director of Budget; and Gaston Gianni, Jr., Inspector General, FDIC.
DEFENSE INFORMATION SUPERIORITY AND INFORMATION ASSURANCE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Procurement and 
the Subcommittee on Military Research and Development held a joint 
hearing on Defense Information Superiority and Information Assurance. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
Defense: John Hamre, Deputy Secretary; Art Money, Senior Civilian 
Official, Assistant Secretary (Command, Control, Communications and 
Intelligence); Adm. Archie R. Clemins, USN, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific 
Fleet; Vice Adm. Arthur K. Cebrowski, USN, President, Naval War 
College; Lt. Gen. John L. Woodward, USAF, Director, Command, Control, 
Communications and Computers Systems, The Joint Staff; Lt. Gen. William 
H. Campbell, USA, Director, Information Systems, Command, Control, and 
Computers, Department of the Army; Vice Adm. Robert J. Natter, USN, 
Director, Space, Information Warfare, Command and Control, Department 
of the Navy; Lt. Gen. William J. Donahue, USAF, Director, Headquarters 
Communications and Information, Department of the Air Force; and Lt. 
Gen. John E. Rhodes, USMC, Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat 
Development Command, U.S. Marine Corps.
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS--IMPACT OF FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Workforce 
Protections held a hearing on Impact of the Fair Labor Standards Act on 
Volunteer Firefighters. Testimony was heard from Representative 
Bateman; and public witnesses.
Y2K TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE: WILL THE POSTAL SERVICES DELIVER?
Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on the Postal Service, the 
Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology, and 
the Subcommittee on Technology of the Committee on Science held a joint 
hearing on ``Y2K Technology Challenge: Will the Postal Services 
Deliver?'' Testimony was heard from the following officials of the U.S. 
Postal Service: Karla W. Corcoran, Inspector General; and Norman E. 
Lorentz, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; and Jack 
L. Brock, Director, Governmentwide and Defense Information Systems, 
Accounting and Information Management Division, GAO.
OVERSIGHT--MINING, THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources 
held an oversight hearing on Mining, the American Economy and National 
Security--The Role of Public Lands in Maintaining a National Asset. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the U.S. Geological 
Service, Department of the Interior: Michael J. McKinley and W. David 
Menzie, both with the Minerals Information Team; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--FOREST SERVICE BUDGET; EMIGRANT WILDERNESS PRESERVATION ACT
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
an oversight hearing on the Forest Service Budget for Fiscal Year 2000. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the USDA: James R. 
Lyons, Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment; and Mike 
Dombeck, Chief, Forest Service.

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  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on H.R. 359, Emigrant Wilderness 
Preservation Act of 1999. Testimony was heard from Gloria Manning, 
Acting Deputy Chief, National Forest System, Forest Service, USDA; and 
public witnesses.
WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC SAFETY ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule providing 1 
hour of debate on H.R. 438, Wireless Communications and Public Safety 
Act of 1999. The rule waives points of order against consideration of 
the bill for failure to comply with clause 4(a) of rule XIII (requiring 
a three-day layover of the committee report). The rule makes in order 
the Committee on Commerce amendment in the nature of a substitute now 
printed in the bill as an original bill for the purpose of amendment 
and provides that each section shall be considered as read. The rule 
authorizes the Chair 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 one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. Testimony was heard from Representatives Tauzin and 
Markey.
WIRELESS PRIVACY ENHANCEMENT ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule providing 1 
hour of debate on H.R. 514, Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act of 1999. 
The rule waives points of order against consideration of the bill for 
failure to comply with clause 4(a) of rule XIII (requiring a three-day 
layover of the committee report). The rule further provides that each 
section of the bill shall be considered as read. The rule authorizes 
the Chair 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 one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. Testimony was heard from Representatives Tauzin and 
Markey.
FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT ACT; BUDGET VIEWS 
AND ESTIMATES
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule providing 1 
hour of debate on H.R. 409, Federal Financial Assistance Management 
Improvement Act of 1999. The rule further provides that each section of 
the bill shall be considered as read. The rule authorizes the Chair 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 one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. Testimony was heard from Representatives Horn, Portman, 
and Turner.
  The Committee also adopted Committee Budget Views and Estimates for 
Fiscal Year 2000 for submission to the Committee on the Budget.
OVERSIGHT--NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Basic Research held an oversight 
hearing on National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program 
reauthorization. Testimony was heard from Michael J. Armstrong, 
Associate Director, Mitigation, FEMA; P. Patrick Leahy, Chief 
Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior; Joseph 
Bordogna, Acting Deputy Director, NSF; Raymond Kammer, Director, 
National Institute for Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce; and public witnesses.
CLEAN WATER ACT--GOVERNORS' PERSPECTIVES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held a hearing on Governors' Perspectives on 
the Clean Water Act. Testimony was heard from the following Governors: 
George E. Pataki, State of New York; Jim Geringer, State of Wyoming; 
and Parris N. Glendening, State of Maryland.
CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION ON SERVICEMEMBERS AND VETERANS TRANSITION 
ASSISTANCE REPORT
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Held a hearing to receive the Report of 
the Congressional Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition 
Assistance. Testimony was heard from Anthony J. Principi, Chairman, 
Congressional Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition 
Assistance; and former Senator Robert Dole of Kansas.
PRESIDENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY FRAMEWORK
Committee on Ways and Means: Held a hearing on the President's Social 
Security Framework. Testimony was heard from Jacob J. Lew, Director, 
OMB; Kenneth Apfel, Commissioner, SSA; David M. Walker, Comptroller 
General, GAO; the following officials of

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the CBO: Dan L. Crippen, Director; and Barry B. Anderson, Deputy 
Director; Edward Gramlich, member, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve 
System; and public witnesses.
RUSSIAN DEVELOPMENTS: AN INTELLIGENCE UPDATE BRIEFING
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on Russian Developments: An Intelligence Update. The 
Committee was briefed by departmental witnesses.