[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D341-D343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
EPA'S PROPOSED PLANT PESTICIDE RULE
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Risk Management, Research, 
and Specialty Crops and the Subcommittee on Department Operations, 
Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry held a joint hearing to Review the 
EPA's proposed Plant Pesticide Rule. Testimony was heard from James V. 
Aidala, Associate Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, 
Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, EPA; and public witnesses.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE, AND JUDICIARY APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, 
and the Judiciary held a hearing on Bureau of the Census and on 
Immigration and Naturalization Service. Testimony was heard from 
Kenneth Prewitt, Director, Bureau of the Census, Department of 
Commerce; and Doris Meissner, Commissioner, Immigration and 
Naturalization Service, Department of Justice.
DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense met in executive 
session to hold a hearing on Ballistic Missile Defense. Testimony was 
heard from Lt. Gen. Lester L. Lyles, USAF, Director, Ballistic Missile 
Defense Organization, Department of Defense.
  The Subcommittee also met in executive session to hold a hearing on 
Special Access Programs. Testimony was heard from departmental 
witnesses.
LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education held a hearing on the Corporation for National 
and Community Service; the National Mediation Board; the Federal 
Mediation and Conciliation Service; the U.S. Institute of Peace; the 
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; and Occupational 
Safety and Health Review Commission. Testimony was heard from Harris 
Wofford, President, Corporation for National and Community Service; 
Magdalena G. Jocobson, Chairwoman, National Mediation Board; C. Richard 
Barnes, Director Designee, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; 
Richard H. Solomon, President, U.S. Institute of Peace; and Mary Lu 
Jordan, Chairman, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.
VA-HUD-INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent 
Agencies held a hearing on Office of Science and Technology Policy, and 
on the Department of Defense-Civil, Cemeterial Expenses, Army. 
Testimony was heard from Neal Lane, Director, Office of Science and 
Technology Policy; and Joseph W. Westphal, Assistant Secretary of the 
Army, Civil Works, Department of Defense.
HEDGE FUNDS--BANK LENDING AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS
Committee on Banking and Financial Services, Subcommittees on Financial 
Institutions and Consumer Credit held a hearing on bank lending and 
other transactions with hedge funds. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Federal Reserve System: Laurence H. Meyer, 
member, Board of Governors; and William J. McDonough, President, 
Federal Reserve Bank of New York; and Michael J. Brosnan, Deputy 
Comptroller, Department of the Treasury.
AMERICA'S HEALTH: PROTECTING PATIENTS' ACCESS TO CARE
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment held a 
hearing on America's Health: Protecting Patients' Access to Quality 
Care and Information. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--MEXICAN COUNTER NARCOTICS EFFORTS
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug 
Policy, and Human Resources held an oversight hearing on Mexican 
Counter narcotics Efforts: Are We Getting Full Cooperation? Testimony 
was heard from Jeff Weitzman, Canine Enforcement Officer, Orlando Field 
Division, U.S. Customs Service, Department of the Treasury; Thereon 
Bowman, Chief of Police, Arlington, Texas; and public witnesses.

[[Page D342]]


REGULATORY COSTS AND BENEFITS
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Economic 
Growth, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs held a hearing on 
``Should Agencies Be Allowed To Keep Americans In The Dark About 
Regulatory Costs and Benefits?'' Testimony was heard from 
Representative Bliley; G. Edward DeSeve, Deputy Director, Management, 
OMB; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--ANTHRAX VACCINE INOCULATION PROGRAM
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Security, 
Veterans' Affairs and International Relations held an oversight hearing 
on the Anthrax Vaccine Inoculation Program. Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the Department of Defense: Sue Bailey, 
Assistant Secretary, Health Affairs; Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck, USA; 
Deputy Surgeon General Todd Fisher, USN; and Lt. Gen. Charles H. 
Roadman, II, USAF; and public witnesses.
U.S. POLICY TOWARDS NORTH KOREA--PENDING PERRY REPORT
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on U.S. Policy 
Towards North Korea and the Pending Perry Review. Testimony was heard 
from public witnesses.
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Western 
Hemisphere held a hearing on U.S. Cuba-Relations: Where Are We and 
Where Are We Heading? Testimony was heard from Michael Ranneberger, 
Director, Office of Cuban Affairs, Department of State; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported the following bills: H.R. 
850, Security and Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) Act; H.R. 769, 
Madrid Protocol Implementation Act; H.R. 1189, to make technical 
corrections in title 17, United States Code; H.R. 1027, amended, 
Satellite Television Improvement Act; H.R. 46, Public Safety Officer 
Medal of Valor Act of 1999; and H.R. 441, Nursing Relief for 
Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999,
  The Committee also approved proposed Immigration Subcommittee Rules 
of Procedure for private immigration bills and private claims bills and 
other pending Committee business.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law approved for full Committee action the following 
bills: H.R. 916, to make technical amendments to section 10 of title 9, 
United States Code; and H.R. 462, to clarify that government pension 
plans of the possessions of the United States shall be treated in the 
same manner as State pension plans for purposes of the limitation on 
the State income taxation of pension income.
  The Subcommittee also began markup of H.R. 833, Bankruptcy Reform Act 
of 1999.
  Will continue tomorrow.
CONCURRENT BUDGET RESOLUTION
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule on H. 
Con. Res. 68, establishing the Congressional budget for the United 
States Government for fiscal year 2000, and setting forth appropriate 
budgetary levels for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2009, providing 
three hours of general debate with two hours equally divided and 
controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee 
on the Budget and one hour on economic goals and policies equally 
divided and controlled by Representative Saxton and Representative 
Stark. The rule waives clause 4(a) of rule XIII (requiring a three-day 
layover of the committee report) against consideration of the bill. The 
rule considers the amendment printed in part 1 of the Rules Committee 
report as adopted upon adoption of the resolution. The rule makes in 
order only those amendments printed in part 2 of the Rules Committee 
report to be offered only in the order specified, only by the Member 
designated, debatable for forty minutes each equally divided between 
the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to amendment. 
The rule waives all points of order against the amendments except that 
if an amendment in the nature of a substitute is adopted, it is not in 
order to consider further substitutes. The rule provides that upon the 
conclusion of consideration of the concurrent resolution for amendment, 
for a final period of general debate not to exceed ten minutes equally 
divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of 
the Committee on the Budget. The rule permits the chairman of the 
Budget Committee to offer amendments in the House to achieve 
mathematical consistency pursuant to section 305(a)(5) of the Budget 
Act. Finally, the rule suspends the application of House Rule XXIII 
(relating to the establishment of the statutory limit on the public 
debt) with respect to the concurrent resolution on the budget for 
fiscal year 2000. Testimony was heard from Chairman Kasich and 
Representatives Hunter, Dunn, Graham, Spratt, Minge, Clement, Mink, 
Defazio, Stenholm, John, Filner, Brown of Florida and Guiterrez.

[[Page D343]]


HOME PAGE TAX REPEAL ACT
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Basic Research held a hearing on 
Home Page Tax Repeal Act. Testimony was heard from Representative 
Terry; Larry Rudolph, General Counsel, NSF; and public witnesses.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY BUDGET REQUEST--RESULTS ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment held a 
hearing on fiscal year 2000 Budget Authorization Request: Department of 
Energy--Results Act Implementation. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Energy: Gregory H. Friedman, 
Inspector General; John R. Sullivan, Director, Strategic Planning 
Budget and Program Evaluation, Office of Policy and International 
Affairs; and Gwendolyn Cowan, Director, Office of Procurement and 
Assistance Policy, Office of Procurement and Assistance Management, 
Office of Management and Administration; and Susan D. Kladiva, 
Associate Director, Energy, Resources, and Science, Resources, 
Community, and Economic Development Division, GAO.
RANGE MODERNIZATION
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a 
hearing on Range Modernization, Part 1. Testimony was heard from Major 
Gen. Robert C. Hinson, USAF, Director, Operations, Air Force Space 
Command, U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense; Loren Shriver, Deputy 
Director, Launch and Payload Operations, Kennedy Space Center, NASA; 
and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--OIL POLLUTION ACT
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation and the Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held a joint oversight hearing on the Oil 
Pollution Act of 1990. Testimony was heard from Adm. James M. Loy, 
USCG, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Transportation; 
Elaine Davies, Deputy Director, Office of Emergency and Remedial 
Response, EPA; David Kennedy, Director, Office of Response and 
Restoration, National Ocean Service, NOAA, Department of Commerce; and 
public witnesses.
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE--CHINESE ESPIONAGE ISSUES AT LABORATORIES
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
hold a hearing on Counterintelligence and Chinese Espionage Issues at 
Department of Energy Laboratories. Testimony was heard from 
departmental witnesses.

Joint Meetings
VETERANS PROGRAMS
  Joint Meeting: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded joint 
hearings with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to review the 
legislative recommendations of certain veterans organizations, after 
receiving testimony from Cecil Aultman, AMVETS, Lanham, Maryland; 
Richard M. Throckmorton, America Ex-Prisoners of War, Arvada, Colorado; 
George C. Duggins, Vietnam Veterans of America, Washington, D.C.; and 
Robert F. Norton, Retired Officers Association, Alexandria, Virginia.