[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.