[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 14, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D802-D804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export 
Financing and Related Programs approved for full Committee action the 
Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs 
appropriations for fiscal year 2000.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia 
approved for full Committee action the District of Columbia 
appropriations for fiscal year 2000.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REORGANIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on Department of Energy 
reorganization. Testimony was heard from Victor H. Reis, Assistant 
Secretary, Defense Programs, Department of Energy.
AGING CRISIS
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing 
and Community Opportunity held a hearing on the Aging Crisis and H.R. 
202, Preserving Affordable Housing for Senior Citizens into the 21st 
Century Act. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
HOW HEALTHY ARE THE GOVERNMENT'S MEDICARE FRAUD FIGHTERS?
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 
held a hearing on How Healthy Are the Government's Medicare Fraud 
Fighters? Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Health and Human Services: George Grob, Deputy Inspector 
General, Evaluations and Inspection; Jack Hartwig, Deputy Inspector 
General, Investigation; Marjorie Kanoph, M.D., Deputy Director, 
Medicare Contractor Management, Center for Beneficiary Services and 
Penny Thompson, Director, Program Integrity Group, both with the Health 
Care Financing Administration; the following officials of the GAO: 
Leslie G. Aronovitz, CPA, Manager, Chicago Field Office; and Robert H. 
Hast, Acting Assistant Comptroller General, Office of Special 
Investigations; and public witnesses.

[[Page D803]]


COMPREHENSIVE RETIREMENT SECURITY AND PENSION REFORM ACT
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Ordered reported, amended, 
H.R. 1102, Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act.
UNITED NATIONS--TREATMENT OF ISRAEL
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on the Treatment 
of Israel by the United Nations. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of State: David Welch, Assistant Secretary, 
International Organization Affairs; and Martin Indyk, Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; and public witnesses.
TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule on H.R. 2490, 
making appropriations for the Treasury Department, the United States 
Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain 
Independent Agencies, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000. 
providing one hour of general debate to be equally divided between the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the bill. The rule waives clause 2 of rule XXI 
(prohibiting unauthorized or legislative provisions in an 
appropriations bill) against provisions in the bill. The rule 
authorizes the chair to accord priority in recognition to Members who 
have preprinted their amendments in the Congressional Record. The rule 
permits the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone votes 
during consideration of the bill, and to reduce voting time to five 
minutes on a postponed question if the vote follows a fifteen minute 
vote. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. Testimony was heard from Representatives Kolbe, Tiahrt, 
Weldon of Florida, Hoyer, Maloney of New York, Wexler and Hoeffel.
AMERICAN EMBASSY SECURITY ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule on H.R. 
2415, American Embassy Security Act of 1999 providing one hour of 
general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations. 
The rule provides that before consideration of any other amendment it 
shall be in order to consider the first amendment printed in part A of 
the Rules Committee report, if offered by Representative Gilman or his 
designee, which shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 10 
minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an 
opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject 
to a demand for a division of the question in the House or in the 
Committee of the Whole. All points of order are waived against that 
amendment. The rule provides that no further amendment to the bill 
shall be in order except those printed in the Rules Committee report 
and the amendments en bloc described in section 2 of the resolution. 
The rule provides that each amendment may be offered only in the order 
printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in 
the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the 
time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the 
proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment except as 
specified in the report, and shall not be subject to a demand for 
division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. 
The rule authorizes the chairman of the Committee on International 
Relations or his designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of 
amendments printed in part B of the report of the Committee on Rules or 
germane modifications of any such amendment which shall be considered 
as read (except that modifications shall be reported), shall be 
debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman 
and ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations 
or their designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be 
subject to a demand for division of the question. The rule allows the 
chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone votes during 
consideration of the bill and to reduce voting time to five minutes on 
a postponed question if the vote follows a fifteen minute vote. The 
rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. The 
rule provides that, after passage of H.R. 2415, it shall be in order to 
take from the Speaker's table the bill S. 886 and to consider the 
Senate bill in the House. The rule waives all points of order against 
the Senate bill and against its consideration. The rule provides that 
it shall be in order to move to strike all after the enacting clause of 
the Senate bill and to insert in lieu thereof the provisions of H.R. 
2415 as passed by the House and waives all points of order against that 
motion. Testimony was heard from Chairman Gilman and Representatives 
Goodling, Smith of New Jersey, Campbell, Rohrabacher, Sanford, 
Greenwood, Bilbray, Gibbons. Gejdenson, McKinney, Delahunt, Traficant, 
Engel, Waters, Maloney of New York, Jackson of Illinois, Kucinich, 
Tierney, Capuano, Capps and Weiner.

[[Page D804]]


NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Basic Research held a hearing on 
the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act. 
Testimony was heard from Neal Lane, Director, Office of Science and 
Technology Policy; and public witnesses.
FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACT
Committee on Ways and Means: Ordered reported, amended, H.R. 2488, 
Financial Freedom Act of 1999.
ENCRYPTION
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Held a hearing on 
Encryption. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Justice: Janet Reno, Attorney General; and Louis J. 
Freeh, Director, FBI; John J. Hamre, Deputy Secretary, Department of 
Defense; and Thomas Constantine, former Director, DEA, Department of 
Justice.