[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 17, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D290-D292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
CROP INSURANCE REFORM
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
hearings to examine the nature of risk management in agriculture and 
federal crop insurance programs, after receiving testimony from Ken 
Ackerman, Administrator, Risk Management Agency, Department of 
Agriculture; Phil Cyre, Hazel, South Dakota, on behalf of the National 
Farmers Union; Dean Kleckner, American Farm Bureau Federation, and 
Roger Swartz, Crop Insurance Research Bureau, both of Park Ridge, 
Illinois; Kyle Phillips, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Knoxville; 
Allen Helms, American Cotton Producers, Clarkedale, Arkansas, on behalf 
of the National Cotton Council; Marc Curtis, American Soybean 
Association, Leland, Mississippi; Mike Miller, American Association of 
Crop Insurers, Topeka, Kansas; and Ken Rulon, Cicero, Indiana.
APPROPRIATIONS--AIR FORCE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded hearings 
on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2000 for Air Force 
programs, focusing on airmen, infrastructure, and modernization, after 
receiving testimony from F. Whitten Peters, Acting Secretary, and Gen. 
Michael E. Ryan, Chief of Staff, both of the Air Force.
APPROPRIATIONS--INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch 
concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2000, 
after receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their respective 
activities from James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress; Daniel P. 
Mulhollan, Director, Congressional Research Service; David M. Walker, 
Comptroller General of the United States, General Accounting Office; 
Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer, Government Printing Office; and 
Janet S. Zagorin, American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the 
Law Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
DEFENSE ACQUISITION REFORM
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management 
Support concluded hearings to examine the efforts to reform and 
streamline the Department of Defense's acquisition process, after 
receiving testimony from Paul J. Hoeper, Assistant Secretary of the 
Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology; H. Lee Buchanan, III, 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and 
Acquisition; Darleen A. Druyun, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
the Air Force for Acquisition and Management; and Lt. Gen. Henry T. 
Glisson, USA, Director, Defense Logistics Agency, Department of 
Defense.
AUTHORIZATION--DEFENSE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Airland concluded hearings 
on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 2000 for the 
Department of Defense, focusing on tactical aviation modernization, and 
the future years defense program, after receiving testimony from H. Lee 
Buchanan, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, 
and Acquisition; Darleen A. Druyun, Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition and Management; Philip E. 
Coyle, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, Office of the 
Secretary of Defense; and Louis J. Rodrigues, Director, Defense 
Acquisitions, Issues, National Security and International Affairs 
Division, General Accounting Office.
2000 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee met to mark up a proposed concurrent 
resolution setting forth the fiscal year 2000 budget for the Federal 
Government, but did not complete consideration thereon, and will meet 
again tomorrow.

[[Page D291]]


BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee ordered favorably 
reported the following business items:
  S. 507, to provide for the conservation and development of water and 
related resources, to authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct 
various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United 
States, with amendments;
  S. 148, to require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
program to provide assistance in the conservation of neotropical 
migratory birds;
  S. 574, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to make corrections 
to a map relating to the Coastal Barrier Resources System;
  S. 67, to designate the headquarters building of the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., as the ``Robert C. 
Weaver Federal Building'';
  S. 272 and H.R. 396, bills to designate the Federal building located 
at 1301 Clay Street in Oakland, California, as the ``Ronald V. Dellums 
Federal Building'';
  S. 392, to designate the Federal building and United States 
courthouse located at West 920 Riverside Avenue in Spokane, Washington, 
as the ``Thomas S. Foley Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse'', and the plaza at the south entrance of that building and 
courthouse as the ``Walter F. Horan Plaza'';
  S. 437, to designate the United States courthouse under construction 
at 338 Las Vegas Boulevard South in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the ``Lloyd 
D. George United States Courthouse'';
  S. 453, to designate the Federal building located at 709 West 9th 
Street in Juneau, Alaska, as the ``Hurff A. Saunders Federal 
Building'';
  S. 460, to designate the United States courthouse located at 401 
South Michigan Street in South Bend, Indiana, as the ``Robert K. 
Rodibaugh United States Bankruptcy Courthouse'';
  H.R. 92, to designate the Federal building and United States 
courthouse located at 251 North Main Street in Winston Salem, North 
Carolina, as the ``Hiram H. Ward Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse'';
  H.R. 158, to designate the Federal Courthouse located at 316 North 
26th Street in Billings, Montana, as the ``James F. Battin Federal 
Courthouse'';
  H.R. 233, to designate the Federal building located at 700 East San 
Antonio Street in El Paso, Texas, as the ``Richard C. White Federal 
Building''; and
  The nominations of Gary S. Guzy, of the District of Columbia, to be 
an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and 
Anne Jeannette Udall, of North Carolina, to be a Member of the Board of 
Trustees of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National 
Environmental Policy Foundation.
OPEN SPACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee held hearings to 
examine the loss of open space and environmental quality, focusing on 
sprawl and development, and related proposals, receiving testimony from 
Mayor Paul Helmke, Fort Wayne, Indiana, on behalf of the United States 
Conference of Mayors; Terry Kauffman, Board of Commissioners, Lancaster 
County, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the National Association of 
Counties; Richard Moe, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 
Kathryn Hohmann, Sierra Club, and Gary Garczynski, National Association 
of Home Builders, all of Washington, D.C.; and Nelson C. Rising, 
Catellus Development Corporation, on behalf of the National Realty 
Committee, and Steven Hayward, Pacific Research Institute for Public 
Policy, both of San Francisco, California.
  Hearings will continue tomorrow.
MEDICARE REFORM
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded hearings to examine certain 
Medicare provisions in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 relating to 
provider payment policies and the Medicare+Choice program, after 
receiving testimony from Nancy-Ann DeParle, Administrator, Health Care 
Financing Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; 
William J. Scanlon, Director, Health Financing and Public Health 
Issues, Health, Education, and Human Services Division, General 
Accounting Office; and Gail R. Wilensky, Medicare Payment Advisory 
Commission, Washington, D.C.
U.S.-IRAQ POLICY
Committee on Foreign Relations/Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources: Committee concluded joint hearings to examine the impact of 
the United Nations' proposals to expand Iraqi oil for food on United 
States policy toward Iraq, after receiving testimony from Bill 
Richardson, Secretary of Energy; and Thomas R. Pickering, Under 
Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
NUCLEAR SAFETY TREATY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the 
Convention on Nuclear Safety, done at Vienna on September 20, 1994 
(Treaty Doc. 104-6), after receiving testimony from Robert J. Einhorn, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation; Gary Jones, 
Associate Director for

[[Page D292]]

Energy, Resources and Science Issues, Resources, Community and Economic 
Development Division, General Accounting Office; and Marvin Fertel, 
Nuclear Infrastructure, Support, and International Programs, Nuclear 
Energy Institute, Washington, D.C.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nomination of Robert A. Seiple, of Washington, to be Ambassador at 
Large for International Religious Freedom after the nominee testified 
and answered questions on his own behalf.
INDEPENDENT COUNSEL ACT
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee resumed hearings on the 
future of the Independent Counsel Act, receiving testimony from Janet 
Reno, Attorney General, Department of Justice; Charles G. La Bella, 
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, San Diego, 
former Supervising Attorney, Campaign Financing Task Force; John Q. 
Barrett, St. John's University School of Law, New York, New York, 
former Associate Independent Counsel, Iran-Contra Investigation; and 
Philip B. Heymann, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, former 
Associate Watergate Special Prosecutor.
  Hearings recessed subject to call.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee began 
markup on S. 326, to improve the access and choice of patients to 
quality, affordable health care, but did not complete action thereon, 
and will meet again tomorrow.
NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING ASSISTANCE
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on S. 400, to 
provide technical corrections to the Native American Housing Assistance 
and Self-Determination Act of 1996, and to improve the delivery of 
housing assistance to Indian tribes in a manner that recognizes the 
right of tribal self-governance, after receiving testimony from 
Jacqueline Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development for Native American Programs; and Chester Carl, Window 
Rock, Arizona, and John Williamson, Port Angeles, Washington, both on 
behalf of the National American Indian Housing Council.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on 
intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials from the 
intelligence community.
  Committee will meet again tomorrow.