[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 17, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D293-D295]
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 Rural Development. Testimony was heard from Jill Long-
Thompson, Under Secretary, Rural Development, USDA.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE, AND JUDICIARY APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, 
and Judiciary held a hearing on the FBI and on U.S. Trade 
Representative. Testimony was heard from Louis Freeh, Director, FBI, 
Department of Justice, and Charlene Barshefsky, U.S. Trade 
Representative.
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense held a hearing on 
fiscal year 2000 Army Budget Overview. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of the Army: Louis Caldera, 
Secretary; and Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, USA, Chief of Staff.
  The Subcommittee also met in executive session to hold a hearing on 
fiscal year 2000 Army Acquisition Program. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of the Army: Paul J. Hoeper, 
Assistant Secretary (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology); Lt. Gen. 
Paul J. Kern, USA, Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary, Army 
(Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology); and Lt. Gen. William H. 
Campbell, USA, Director, Information Systems, Command, Control, 
Communications, and Computers.
FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations held a 
hearing on Secretary of the Treasury. Testimony was heard from Robert 
E. Rubin, Secretary of the Treasury.
INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior held a hearing on 
GAO and National Park Service Housing. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of the Interior: Robert G. 
Stanton, Director, National Park Service and Donald Barry, Assistant 
Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and

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Parks; and Barry T. Hill, Associate Director, Energy, Resources and 
Science Issues, Economic Development Division, GAO.
LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education held a hearing on OSHA, and on Employment And 
Training Administration/Veterans Employment and Inspectors General 
Panel. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Labor: Charles N. Jeffress, Assistant Secretary, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration; Raymond L. Bramucci, 
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training; and Espiridion Borrego, 
Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Services.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction held 
a hearing on Army Construction. Testimony was heard from Mahlon Apgar, 
IV, Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Installations and Environment), 
Department of Defense.
TREASURY--POSTAL SERVICE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, 
and General Government held a hearing on GSA and Judicial Conference of 
the United States. Testimony was heard from David H. Barram, 
Administrator, GSA; and the following officials of the Committee on 
Security and Facilities of the Judicial Conference of the United 
States: Norman H. Stahl, Judge, U.S. Circuit Court, First Circuit, 
Chairman; and Jane R. Roth, Judge, U.S. Circuit Court, Third Circuit, 
member.
BALKANS-U.S. POLICY
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on U.S. policy in the 
Balkans. Ttestimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: Walter Slocombe, Under Secretary, Policy; and 
Gen. Wesley K. Clark, USA, Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command.
REPORT--CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION ON MILITARY TRAINING AND GENDER-
RELATED ISSUES
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a 
hearing on the report of the Congressional Commission on Military 
Training and Gender-Related Issues as required by the National Defense 
Authorization Act for fiscal year 1998. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Congressional Commission on Military 
Training and Gender-Related Issues: Anita K. Blair, Chair; Frederick F. 
Y. Pang, Vice Chairman, Nancy Cantor, Lt. Gen. George R. Christmas, 
USMC (Ret.), Command Sgt. Major Robert A. Dare, Jr., USA (Ret.), 
Lt.Gen. Williams M. Keys, USMC (Ret.), Thomas Moore, Barbara S. Pope 
and Mady Segal, all Commissioners.
ARMED FORCES RETIREMENT HOME
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Readiness held a 
hearing on Armed Forces Retirement Home. Testimony was heard from David 
F. Lacy, Chairman and CEO, Armed Forces Retirement Home Board; and Most 
Reverend William E. Lori, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Archdiocese 
of Washington.
BUDGET RESOLUTION
Committee on the Budget: Ordered reported the Fiscal Year 2000 Budget 
resolution.
OVERSIGHT--FCC AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection held an oversight hearing on reauthorization of the 
FCC. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the FCC: 
William E. Kennard, Chairman; Susan Ness, Harold W. Furchtgott-Roth, 
Michael K. Powell and Gloria Tristani, all Commissioners; and a public 
witness.
IMPACT AID
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Early 
Childhood, Youth, and Families held a hearing on Impact Aid: Keeping 
the Federal Promise. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
IMPEDIMENTS TO UNION DEMOCRACY
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommitee on Employer-
Employee Relations held a hearing on Impediments to Union Democracy: 
Public and Private Sector Workers Under the Labor Management Reporting 
and Disclosure Act. Testimony was heard from Representatives Terry, 
Pomeroy and Edwards; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Government Reform: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 208, amended, to amend title 5, United States Code, to allow for 
the contribution of certain rollover distributions to accounts in the 
Thrift Savings Plan, to eliminate certain waiting-period requirements 
for participating in the Thrift Savings Plan; H.R. 683, Decennial 
Census Improvement Act of 1999; H.R. 1058, Census in the Schools 
Promotion Act; H.R. 1010, amended, to improve participation in the 2000 
decennial census by increasing

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the amounts available to the Bureau of the Census for marketing, 
promotion and outreach; H.R. 472, Local Census Quality Check Act; H.R. 
928, 2000 Census Mail Outreach Improvement Act; H.R. 929, 2000 Census 
Language Barrier Removal Act; and H.R. 1009, amended, 2000 Census 
Community Participation Enhancement Act.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on International Relations: Ordered reported H.R. 1143, 
Microenterprise for Self Reliance Act.
  The Committee also favorably considered the following resolutions and 
adopted a motion urging the Chairman to request that they be considered 
on the Suspension Calendar: H. Res. 59, amended, expressing the sense 
of the House of Representatives that the United States remains 
committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); H. Res. 99, 
amended, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding 
the human rights situation in Cuba; H. Con. Res. 35, amended, 
congratulating the State of Qatar and its citizens for their commitment 
to democratic ideals and women's suffrage on the occasion of Qatar's 
historic elections of a central municipal council on March 8, 1999; H. 
Res. 110, congratulating the Government and the people of the Republic 
of El Salvador on successfully completing free and democratic elections 
on March 7, 1999; H. Con. Res. 56, Commemorating the 20th anniversary 
of the Taiwan Relations Act; and H. Con. Res. 37, amended, concerning 
anti-Semitic statements made by members of the Duma of the Russian 
Federation.
TAIWAN RELATIONS ACT--COMMEMORATING TAIWAN RELATIONS ACT--20TH 
ANNIVERSARY; CENTRAL ASIA REPUBLICS-U.S. POLICY CHALLENGES
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific approved for full action H. Con. Res, 56, Commemorating the 
20th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on U.S. Policy Challenges in the 
Central Asian Republics. Testimony was heard from Steven R. 
Sestanovich, Ambassador at Large, Office of the Special Adviser to the 
Secretary for the Newly Independent States, Department of State; and 
public witnesses.
BANKRUPTCY REFORM
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law continued hearings on H.R. 833, Bankruptcy Reform 
Act of 1999. Testimony was heard from William Brown, U.S. Bankruptcy 
Judge, Western District of Tennessee; Randall J. Newsome, U.S. 
Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of California; Richard Stana, 
Associate Director, Administration of Justice Issues, General 
Government Division, GAO; and public witnesses.
  Hearings continue tomorrow.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Ordered reported the following bills: H.R. 39, 
amended, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act; H.R. 992, 
amended, to convey the Sly Park Dam and Reservoir to the El Dorado 
Irrigation District; H.R. 1019, to direct the Secretary of the Interior 
to convey lands and interests comprising the Carlsbad Irrigation 
Project to the Carlsbad Irrigation District; H.R. 841, amended, Welton-
Mohawk Transfer Act; and H.R. 862, Clear Creek Distribution System 
Conveyance Act.
NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE DEPLOYMENT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a vote of 8 to 3, a closed rule 
providing 2 hours of debate on H.R. 4, to declare it to be the policy 
of the United States to deploy a national missile defense. The rule 
provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. The rule 
further provides that it will be in order, upon receipt of a message 
from the Senate transmitting H.R. 4 with Senate amendments, to consider 
in the House a motion offered by the Chairman of the Armed Services 
Committee or his designee that the House disagree to the Senate 
amendments and request or agree to a conference with the Senate. 
Testimony was heard from Chairman Spence and Representatives Weldon of 
Pennsylvania, Skelton, Allen, and Toomey.
OVERSIGHT
Committee on Science: Held an oversight hearing on Why and How you 
should learn Math and Science? Testimony was heard from Vera Rubin, 
member, National Science Board, NSF; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--OFFICE OF MOTOR CARRIERS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Ground 
Transportation held a hearing on Oversight of the Office of Motor 
Carriers. Testimony was heard from Kenneth M. Mead, Inspector General, 
Department of Transportation; and Phyllis F. Scheinberg, Associate 
Director, Transportation Issues, Community, and Economic Development 
Division, GAO.
BUDGET: SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
hold a hearing on Fiscal Year 2000 Budget: Signals Intelligence. 
Testimony was heard from departmental witnesses.