[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D441-D442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
LABOR, HHS, AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education held a hearing on the SSA, the Department of 
Education; Postsecondary Education and the Occupational Safety and 
Health Review Commission. Testimony was heard from Kenneth Apfel, 
Commissioner, SSA; David Longanecker, Assistant Secretary, 
Postsecondary Education, Department of Education; and Stuart E. 
Weisberg, Chairman, Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Y2K AND MEDICARE PROVIDERS
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment and the 
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a joint hearing on 
Y2K and Medicare Providers: Inoculating Against the Y2K Bug. Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Health and 
Human Services: Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, Administrator, Health Care 
Financing Administration; and George Grob, Deputy Inspector General; 
Joel C. Willemssen, Director, Civil Agencies Information Systems, 
Accounting and Information Management Division, GAO; and public 
witnesses.
MINIMUM WAGE--IMPACT ON POVERTY
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Held a hearing on Minimum 
Wage: Reviewing Recent Evidence of Its Impact on Poverty. Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
RESOLUTIONS--REMOVE U.S. ARMED FORCES FROM OPERATIONS AGAINST 
YUGOSLAVIA; DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
Committee on International Relations: Ordered adversely reported the 
following resolutions: by a vote of 30 ayes to 19 nays, 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; and, by a vote of 49 ayes to 0 nays, H.J. Res. 44, 
declaring a state of war between the United States and the Government 
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
BANKRUPTCY REFORM ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Continued markup of H.R. 833, Bankruptcy 
Reform Act of 1999.
  Will continue tomorrow.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health 
approved for full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 359, 
Emigrant Wilderness Preservation Act of 1999; H.R. 898, Spanish Peaks 
Wilderness Act of 1999; H.R. 1523, Forests Roads-Community Right-To-
Know Act; and H.R. 1524, Public Forests Emergency Act of 1999.
OVERSIGHT--EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands 
held an oversight hearing on issues regarding Everglades National Park 
and surrounding areas impacted by management of the Everglades. 
Testimony was heard from William Leary, Senior Counselor to the 
Assistant Secretary, Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, National Parks Service, 
Department of the Interior; Steve Shiver, Mayor, Homestead, Florida; 
and public witnesses.
MEASURES RELATING TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
Committee on Rules, granted by a vote of 9 to 2, a closed rule 
providing for one hour of debate equally divided and controlled among 
the chairmen and ranking minority members of the committees on 
International Relations and Armed Services. The rule provides for 
consideration in the House, without intervention of the question of 
consideration, H.R.

[[Page D442]]

1569, prohibiting the use of funds appropriated to the Department of 
Defense from being used for the deployment of ground elements of the 
U.S. Armed Forces in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia unless that 
deployment is specifically authorized by law, under a closed amendment 
process and providing for no intervening motion except (1) one hour of 
debate equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member 
of the Committee on Armed Services and (2) one motion to recommit. The 
rule provides for consideration in the House, without intervention of 
any point of order or the question of consideration, H. Con. Res. 82, 
directing the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from their 
positions against Yugoslavia, under a closed amendment process and 
providing for one hour of debate equally divided between the chairman 
and ranking minority member of the Committee on International 
Relations. The rule provides for consideration in the House without 
intervention of any points of order or the question of consideration, 
H.J. Res. 44, declaring a state of war between the U.S. and Yugoslavia, 
under a closed amendment process and providing for no intervening 
motion except for (1) one hour of debate equally divided between the 
chairman and ranking minority of the Committee on International 
Relations and (2) one motion to recommit. The rule provides that it 
shall be in order on the same legislative day without intervention of 
the question of consideration to consider in the House S. Con. Res. 21, 
authorizing the President to conduct military air operations and 
missile strikes against Yugoslavia, if called up by Representative 
Gejdenson or his designee, under a closed amendment process and 
providing one hour of debate equally divided between the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations. 
The rule provides that provisions of sections 6 and 7 of the War Powers 
Resolution shall not apply during the remainder of the 106th Congress 
to a measure introduced pursuant to section 5 of the War Powers 
Resolution with respect to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Goodling, Campbell, Weldon of 
Pennsylvania, and Gejdenson.
FARM AND RANCH RISK MANAGEMENT ACT
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, 
Business Opportunities and Special Business Problems held a hearing on 
H.R. 957, Farm and Ranch Risk Management Act. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Hulshof; and public witnesses.
FATHERHOOD
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Human Resources held a 
hearing on Fatherhood. Testimony was heard from Raymond J. Uhalde, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, 
Department of Labor; and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Joint Committee on Printing: Committee approved its rules of procedure 
for the 106th Congress.
BELARUS
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: Commission concluded 
hearings on the political and economic situation in Belarus, focusing 
on authoritarian rule, human rights repression, democratic opposition, 
and the upcoming presidential elections, after receiving testimony from 
Ross L. Wilson, Principal Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large/Special 
Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States, and 
Arkady M. Cherepansky, Charge D'Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of 
Belarus, both of Washington, D.C.; Ambassador Hans-Georg Wieck, Head of 
OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group, and Ambassador Andrei Sannikov, 
former Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus, both of Miensk, Belarus; and 
Rachel Denber, Deputy Director, European and Central Asia Division of 
Human Rights Watch, and Catherine A. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, 
International League for Human Rights/Representative of the ILHR at the 
United Nations, both of New York, New York.