[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 56 (Thursday, April 22, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D426-D428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Department Operations, 
Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing to review the 
implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act. Testimony was heard 
from Representative Hastings of Washington; Keith Pitts, Special 
Assistant to the Deputy Security, USDA; James V. Adiala, Associate 
Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic

[[Page D427]]

Substances, EPA; Donny Dippel, Assistant Commissioner, Pesticide 
Programs, Department of Agriculture, State of Texas; and public 
witnesses.
INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior held a hearing on 
Florida Initiative. Testimony was heard from Victor S. Rezendes, 
Director, Energy, Resources, and Science Issues, GAO; and Patricia 
Beneke, Assistant Secretary, Water and Science, Department of the 
Interior.
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education continued appropriation hearings. Testimony was 
heard from Members of Congress.
ELECTRICITY COMPETITION
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Power held a hearing 
on Electricity Competition: Reliability and Transmission in Competitive 
Electricity Markets. Testimony was heard from James Hoecker, Chairman, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy; Fred 
Schmidt, Chief, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Office of the Attorney 
General, State of Nevada; and public witnesses.
IDENTITY THEFT
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous 
Materials held a joint hearing on Identity Theft: Is There Another You? 
Testimony was heard from Joan Z. Bernstein, Director, Bureau of 
Consumer Protection, FTC; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Early 
Childhood, Youth, and Families approved for full Committee action, as 
amended, the following bills: H.R. 905, Missing, Exploited, and Runaway 
Children Protection Act; and H.R. 1150, Juvenile Crime Control and 
Delinquency Prevention Act of 1999.
WELFARE REFORM--STATE AND LOCAL INITIATIVES
Committee on Government Reform: Held a hearing on Welfare Reform Is 
Working: A Report on State and Local Initiatives. Testimony was heard 
from Thomas G. Thompson, Governor, State of Wisconsin; Claude A. Allen, 
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, State of Virginia; 
Jason A. Turner, Commissioner, Human Resources Administration, New York 
City; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--DVA's PERSIAN GULF WAR VETERANS ACT IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Security, 
Veterans' Affairs and International Relations held an oversight hearing 
to examine the Department of Veterans Affairs implementation of the 
Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998. Testimony was heard from Senator 
Byrd; the following officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs: 
Susan Mather, M.D., Chief Public Health and Environmental Hazards 
Officer; Fran Murphy, M.D., Chief Consultant, Occupational Medicine; 
John Thompson, Deputy General Counsel; and Robert Epley, Director, 
Compensation and Benefits; and a public witness.
RESOLUTION--REMOVE U.S. ARMED FORCES FROM PRESENT OPERATIONS AGAINST 
YUGOSLAVIA
Committee on International Relations: Continued markup of H. Con. Res. 
82, directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers 
Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from their positions 
in connection with the present operations against the Federal Republic 
of Yugoslavia.
  Will continue April 27.
NORTHERN IRELAND POLICING
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on the Need for 
New and Effective Policing in Northern Ireland. Testimony was heard 
from public witnesses.
BANKRUPTCY REFORM ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Continued markup of H.R. 833, Bankruptcy 
Reform Act of 1999.
  Will continue April 27.
CONSEQUENCES OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime approved for full 
Committee action H.R. 1501, Consequences for Juvenile Offenders Act of 
1999.
SPANISH PEAKS WILDERNESS ACT; OVERSIGHT--FOREST ROADS
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
a hearing H.R. 898, Spanish Peaks Wilderness Act of 1999. Testimony was 
heard from Representative McInnis; Ron Stewart, Deputy Chief, Forest 
Service, USDA; and public witnesses.
  The Subcommittee also held an oversight hearing on a proposed measure 
on Forest Roads, Community Right to Know. Testimony was heard from Ron 
Stewart, Deputy Chief, Forest Service, USDA; and public witnesses.

[[Page D428]]


WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT; RESOLUTIONS; MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported the 
following bills: H.R. 1480, amended, Water Resources Development Act of 
1999; H.R. 118, to designate the Federal building at 300 East 8th 
Street in Austin, Texas, as the ``J.J. `Jake' Pickle Federal 
Building''; H.R. 560, amended, to designate the Federal building 
located at 300 Recinto Sur Street in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, as the 
``Jose V. Toledo United States Post Office and Courthouse''; H.R. 686, 
to designate a United States courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, as the 
``Garza-Vela United States Courthouse''; H.R. 1121, to designate the 
Federal building and United States courthouse located at 18 Greenville 
Street in Newnan, Georgia, as the ``Lewis R. Morgan Federal Building 
and 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. 1034, amended, to declare a portion of the James 
River and Kanawha Canal in Richmond, Virginia, to be nonnavigable 
waters of the United States for purposes of title 46, United States 
Code, and other maritime laws of the United States; and H.R. 1162, to 
designate the bridge on United States Route 231 that crosses the Ohio 
River between Maceo, Kentucky, and Rockport, Indiana, as the ``William 
H. Natcher Bridge''.
  The Committee also approved 6 Corps of Engineers Survey Resolutions.
VETERANS--LONG-TERM CARE
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
on the issue of long-term care for veterans. Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Kenneth 
W. Kizer, M.D., Under Secretary, Health; and Kathleen Greve, Chief, 
State Home Construction; and public witnesses.
MEDICARE COVERAGE APPEALS
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on 
Medicare Coverage Decisions and Beneficiary Appeals. Testimony was 
heard from following officials of the Health Care Financing 
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services: Michael Hash, 
Deputy Administrator; and Jeff Kang, M.D., Director, Office of Clinical 
Standards and Quality; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--CHILD PROTECTION
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Human Resources held an 
oversight hearing on Child Protection. Testimony was heard from Olivia 
A. Golden, Assistant Secretary, Children and Families, Department of 
Health and Human Services; Karen Spar, Congressional Research Service, 
Education and Public Welfare Division, Library of Congress; Kathleen 
Kearney, Secretary, Department of Children and Families, State of 
Florida; Jess McDonald, Director, Department of Children and Family 
Services, State of Illinois; and public witnesses.