[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 52 (Thursday, April 15, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D393-D396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
WATERSHED PROJECTS
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, 
Resource Conservation, and Credit held a hearing regarding Bexar-
Medina-Atascosa Counties Small Watershed Project and H.R. 728, The 
Small Watershed Rehabilitation Amendments of 1999. Testimony was heard 
from Representative Bonilla; Danny D. Sells, Associate Chief, Natural 
Resources Conservation Service, USDA; and public witnesses.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE, AND JUDICIARY APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, 
and Judiciary held a continued appropriations hearing. Testimony was 
heard from Members of Congress.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on NOAA. Testimony was heard 
from D. James Baker, Under Secretary, Oceans and Atmosphere, Department 
of Commerce.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia 
held a hearing on Fiscal Year

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2000 D.C. Budget and on the Mayor's Short-term Action Plan. Testimony 
was heard from Alice Rivlin, Chair, D.C. Financial Responsibility and 
Management Assistance Authority; and the following officials of the 
District of Columbia: Anthony A. Williams, Mayor and Linda W. Cropp, 
Council Chair.
FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export 
Financing and Related Programs held a hearing on the Secretary of 
State. Testimony was heard from Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State.
INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior continued 
appropriation hearings, with emphasis on Native Americans. Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education continued hearings on appropriations. Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
VA-HUD-INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent 
Agencies continued appropriations hearings. Testimony was heard from 
Members of Congress.
NATO MILITARY OPERATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on NATO military operations 
against the Republic of Yugoslavia. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Defense: William S. Cohen, 
Secretary; and Gen. Henry H. Shelton, USA, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of 
Staff.
ENERGY LABORATORIES--COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROBLEMS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Procurement held 
a hearing on recent counterintelligence problems at Department of 
Energy laboratories. Testimony was heard from the following officials 
of the Department of Energy: Notra Trulock III, Special Advisor, 
Intelligence Activities; Ernest J. Moniz, Under Secretary; and Edward 
J. Curran, Director, Office of Counterintelligence; and Elizabeth 
Molter, former Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy.
TRENDS IN MONEY LAUNDERING
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Subcommittee on Financial 
Institutions and Consumer Credit and the Subcommittee on General 
Oversight and Investigations held a joint hearing on Trends in Money 
Laundering. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of the Treasury: Elisabeth Bresee, Assistant Secretary, 
Enforcement; and Bonni G. Tischler, Assistant Commissioner, Office of 
Investigations, U.S. Customs Service; the following officials of the 
Department of Justice: Mary Lee Warren, Deputy Assistant Attorney 
General, Criminal Division; and Jodi Avergun, Assistant U.S. Attorney, 
Eastern Division of New York; Donald Clemmer, Assistant Attorney 
General, State of Texas; and public witnesses.
HOMELESS HOUSING PROGRAMS CONSOLIDATION AND FLEXIBILITY ACT
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing 
and Community Development approved for full Committee action amended 
H.R. 1073, Homeless Housing Programs Consolidation and Flexibility Act.
BOND PRICE COMPETITION IMPROVEMENT ACT
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials 
approved for full Committee action H.R. 1400, Bond Price Competition 
Improvement Act of 1999.
TRANSPLANTATION--INCREASE ORGAN SUPPLY
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment held a 
hearing on Putting Patients First: Increasing Organ Supply for 
Transplantation. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
IMPEDIMENTS TO UNION DEMOCRACY
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Employer-
Employee Relations held a hearing on ``Impediments to Union Democracy: 
Department of Labor Enforcement of Rank-and-File Rights and the 
Boilermakers Union''. Testimony was heard from Bernard Anderson, 
Assistant Secretary, Employment Standards, Department of Labor; and 
public witnesses.
OLDER AMERICANS ACT AMENDMENTS
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Postsecondary 
Education, Training, and Life-Long Learning held a hearing on H.R. 782, 
Older Americans Act Amendments of 1999. Testimony was heard from 
Jeanette Takamura, Assistant Secretary, Aging, Department of Health and 
Human Services; and Raymond Uhalde, Deputy Assistant

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Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor.
TAX REFORM IN THE STATES
Committee on Government Reform: Continued hearings on Tax Reform in the 
States, Part 2, of a series on National Problems, Local Solution: 
Federalism at Work. Testimony was heard from George Pataki, Governor, 
State of New York.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE ACCESS ACT
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on the District of 
Columbia approved for full Committee action amended H.R. 974, District 
of Columbia College Access Act.
``CLINTON-GORE v. THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER''
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Economic 
Growth, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs and the Subcommittee 
on Government Management, Information, and Technology held a joint 
hearing on ``Clinton-Gore v. The American Taxpayer''. Testimony was 
heard from Charles O. Rossotti, Commissioner, IRS, Department of the 
Treasury; the following officials of the GAO; Nye Stevens, Director, 
Federal Management and Workforce Issues; and James R. White, Director, 
Tax Policy and Administrations Issues; Deidre A. Lee, Acting Director, 
Management, OMB; Anne F. Thomson Reed, Chief Information Office, USDA; 
and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; CHILD SURVIVAL AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROGRAM
Committee on International Relations: Ordered reported amended H.R. 
1211, Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001.
  The Committee also favorably considered the following measures and 
adopted a motion urging the Chairman to request that they be considered 
on the Suspension calendar: H.R. 1379, Western Hemisphere Drug 
Elimination Technical Corrections Act; H. Res. 128, amended, condemning 
the murder of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson and calling for the 
protection of defense attorneys in Northern Ireland; H. Con. Res. 54, 
amended, recognizing the historic significance of the first anniversary 
of the Good Friday Peace Agreement; and H. Con. Res. 83, amended, 
expressing the sense of the Congress that the Government of the Federal 
Republic of Yugoslavia and its President Slobodan Milosevic release the 
three illegally detained United States servicemen and abide by the 
Geneva Convention protocols regarding the treatment of both prisoners 
of war and innocent civilians.
  The Committee also held a hearing on The Child Survival and 
Infectious Disease Program: Achievements and Challenges for the Future. 
Testimony was heard from Barbara Turner, Senior Deputy Assistant 
Administrator, Bureau for Global Programs, AID, U.S. International 
Development Cooperation Agency; Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, 
UNICEF; and public witnesses.
STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE--PROPOSALS TO PARTIALLY FILL
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources 
held an oversight hearing on the Administration's proposal to utilize 
28 million barrels of federal royalty oil to partially fill the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Testimony was heard from Rick Furiga, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Department of 
Energy; and Walter Cruickshank, Associate Director, Policy and 
Management Information Improvement, Mineral Management Service, 
Department of the Interior.
OVERSIGHT--MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTING REGULATIONS
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, 
Wildlife and Oceans held an oversight hearing on migratory bird hunting 
regulations to increase the harvest of Mid-Continent light geese. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Peterson of Minnesota and 
Pickering; John Rogers, Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Department of the Interior; and public witnesses.
NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands 
held a hearing on H.R. 834, to extend the authorization for the 
National Historic Preservation Fund. Testimony was heard from Delegate 
Norton; Robert Stanton, Director, National Park Service, Department of 
the Interior; and public witnesses.
NOAA BUDGET AUTHORIZATION REQUESTS
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a 
hearing on Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Authorization Request: NOAA Fleet 
Maintenance and Planning, Aircraft Services and NOAA Corps. Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Commerce: 
Bob Taylor, Acting Deputy Director, NOAA Corps Operations; and George 
Ross, Assistant Inspector General, Audits; and public witnesses.

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MELISSA VIRUS
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Technology held a hearing on The 
Melissa Virus: Inoculating Our Information Technology from Emerging 
Threats. Testimony was heard from Raymond Kammer, Director, National 
Institutes of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce; Michael 
A. Vatis, Director, National Infrastructure and Protection Center, FBI, 
Department of Justice; Keith Rhodes, Technical Director, Office of the 
Chief Scientist, GAO; and a public witness.
BEACHES ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, CLEANUP, AND HEALTH ACT; RESOLUTIONS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported 
amended H.E. 999, Beaches Environmental Assessment, Cleanup, and Health 
Act of 1999.
  The Committee also approved 6 Corps of Engineers Survey resolutions.
BEACHES ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, CLEANUP, AND HEALTH ACT; RESOLUTIONS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment approved for full Committee action amended 
H.R. 999, Beaches Environmental Assessment, Cleanup, and Health Act of 
1999.
  The Subcommittee also approved for full Committee action 6 Corps of 
Engineers Survey resolutions.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS READINESS FOR YEAR 2000
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on the readiness of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs for Year 2000, including emergency medical facility 
preparedness and coordination with FEMA. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Accounting and Information Management 
Division, GAO: Joel C. Willemssen, Director, Civil Agencies Information 
Systems; and Nabajyoti Barkakati, Technical Assistant Director, Office 
of the Chief Scientist; the following officials of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs: Michael Slachta, Jr., Deputy Assistant Inspector 
General, Auditing; Thomas Phelps, Project Manager, Central Office Audit 
Operations Division; Hershel Gober, Deputy Secretary; Ernest D. Castro, 
Year 2000 Program Manager; Sally L. Wallace, Program Manager, Year 
2000, Veterans Benefits Administration; Leonard R. Bourget, Project 
Manager, Year 2000; and Steven Wexler, Chief, Biomedical Engineering, 
both with the Veterans Health Administration; William K. Hubbard, 
Acting Deputy Commissioner, Policy, FDA, Department of Health and Human 
Services; and a public witness.
SOCIAL SECURITY TRUSTEES' REPORT
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Social Security held a 
hearing on the 1999 Social Security Trustees' Report. Testimony was 
heard from the following public members of the Social Security Board of 
Trustees: Stephen G. Kellison; and Marilyn Moon.