[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 21, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D842-D843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATION
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
hearings on the nomination of William J. Rainer, of New Mexico, to be 
Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, after the 
nominee, who was introduced by Senators Bingaman and Dodd, testified 
and answered questions in his own behalf.
FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
oversight hearings on the Farmland Protection Program, which helps 
farmers keep their land in agriculture by providing funding to purchase 
the development rights of farmland, after receiving testimony from 
Richard Rominger, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; Samuel E. Hayes, 
Jr., Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg; Gus Seelig, 
Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Montpelier; Michael G. 
Fitzpatrick, Bucks County Board of Commissioners, Doylestown, 
Pennsylvania; Guy F. Donaldson, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Camp Hill; 
Ralph Grossi, American Farmland Trust, Washington, D.C.; Wayne Dillman, 
Indiana Farmers Union, Martinville; and Joseph M. Gergela, III, Long 
Island Farm Bureau, Inc., Calverton, New York.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nominations of F. Whitten Peters, of the District of Columbia, to be 
Secretary of the Air Force, and Arthur L. Money, of Virginia, to be an 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and 
Intelligence, after the nominees testified and answered questions in 
their own behalf.
LAND CONVEYANCE AND MANAGEMENT BILLS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and 
Public Land Management concluded hearings on S. 1184, to authorize the 
Secretary of Agriculture to dispose of land for recreation or other 
public purposes, S. 1129, to facilitate the acquisition of inholdings 
in Federal land management units and the disposal of surplus public 
land, and H.R.150, to amend the Act popularly known as the Recreation 
and Public Purposes Act to authorize disposal of certain public lands 
or national forest lands to local education agencies for use for 
elementary or secondary schools, including public charter schools, 
after receiving testimony from Senator Kyl; Representative Hayworth; 
Paul Brouha, Associate Deputy Chief, Forest Service, Department of 
Agriculture; Larry Finfer, Assistant Director, Bureau of Land 
Management, Department of the Interior; Lorenzo J. Valdez, Rio Arriba 
County, Espanola, New Mexico; Don Stapley, District 2 Maricopa County, 
Phoenix, Arizona; Mayor Ginny Handorf, Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona; 
Daniel Williams, Congress for the New Urbanism, Miami, Florida; and 
William R. Humphries, Lindrith, New Mexico.
HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on 
Fisheries, Wildlife, and Drinking Water concluded hearings to examine 
the extent and quality of the science of the Endangered Species Act's 
habitat conservation plans, after receiving testimony from Donald J. 
Barry, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and 
Parks; Monica P. Medina, General Counsel, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce; Lorin L. Hicks, 
Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc., Seattle, Washington; Steven P. 
Courtney, Sustainable Ecosystems Institute, Portland, Oregon; Michael 
A. O'Connell, Nature Conservancy, Mission Viejo, California; Laura C. 
Hood, Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, D.C.; and Gregory A. Thomas, 
Natural Heritage Institute, San Francisco, California.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported an original 
bill entitled the Taxpayers Refund Act of 1999.
TAIWAN-CHINA RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs concluded hearings on recent developments in Taiwan-China 
relations, after receiving testimony from Steve J. Yates, Heritage 
Foundation, James R. Lilley, American Enterprise Institute, and Gerrit 
Gong, Center for Strategic and International Studies, all of 
Washington, D.C.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee held hearings on the role of 
sanctions in United States national security policy, receiving 
testimony from Senators Lugar, Dodd, Hagel, and Ashcroft.
  Hearings recessed subject to call.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nominations of Barbara J. Griffiths, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to 
the Republic of Iceland, Richard Monroe Miles, of South Carolina, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria, Carl Spielvogel, of New York, 
to be Ambassador to the

[[Page D843]]

Slovak Republic, J. Richard Fredericks, of California, to be Ambassador 
to Switzerland, and to serve concurrently and without additional 
compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein, and 
William B. Taylor, Jr., of Virginia, for the Rank of Ambassador during 
tenure of service as Coordinator of U.S. Assistance for the New 
Independent States, after the nominees testified and answered questions 
in their own behalf. Mr. Fredericks was introduced by Senator Boxer, 
and Mr. Spielvogel was introduced by Senator Daschle.
RUSSIAN SPACE LAUNCH QUOTA
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International 
Security, Proliferation and Federal Services concluded hearings to 
examine quota based trade agreements as an instrument of commercial 
space launch trade policy between the United States and Russia, after 
receiving testimony from Catherine Novelli, Assistant U.S. Trade 
Representative for Europe and the Mediterranean; Walter B. Slocombe, 
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; John D. Holum, Senior Advisor 
for Arms Control and International Security, Department of State; and 
Will Trafton, International Launch Services/Lockheed Khrunichev Energia 
International, Inc., San Diego, California.
FEDERAL ASSET FORFEITURE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Oversight 
concluded oversight hearings on Federal asset forfeiture, focusing on 
its role in fighting crime and the need for reform of the asset 
forfeiture laws, after receiving testimony from Representatives Hyde 
and Weiner; Eric H. Holder, Jr., Deputy Attorney General, and Richard 
A. Fiano, Chief of Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration, both of 
the Department of Justice; James E. Johnson, Under Secretary for 
Enforcement, and Bonni G. Tischler, Assistant Commissioner, Office of 
Investigations, U.S. Customs Service, both of the Department of the 
Treasury; Gilbert G. Gallegos, Fraternal Order of Police, Samuel J. 
Buffone, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Roger 
Pilon, CATO Institute, all of Washington, D.C.; Johnny Mack Brown, 
Greenville County Sheriff's Office, Greenville, South Carolina, on 
behalf of the National Sheriffs Association; Johnny L. Hughes, 
Annapolis, Maryland, on behalf of the National Troopers Coalition.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL GAMING AGREEMENT ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on S. 985, to 
amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, after receiving testimony from 
Senator Enzi; Hilda A. Manuel, Deputy Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 
Department of the Interior; James E. Billie, Seminole Tribe of Florida, 
Hollywood; Raymond C. Scheppach, National Governors' Association, and 
Richard G. Hill, National Indian Gaming Association, both of 
Washington, D.C.