[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 113 (Wednesday, August 4, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D931-D934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE, COMPENSATION, AND LIABILITY ACT 
IMPROVEMENTS
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials 
held a hearing on legislation to Improve the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, focusing on 
several brownfields-related provisions contained in the following 
bills: H.R. 1300, Recycle America's Land Act of 1999; H.R. 1750, 
Community Revitalization and Brownfield Cleanup Act of 1999; and H.R. 
2580, Land Recycling Act of 1999. Testimony was heard from Tim Fields, 
Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, 
EPA; Lois Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General, Environmental 
Protection Division, Department of Justice; and public witnesses.
MEDICARE+CHOICE--PROGRAM EVALUATION
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and the Environment held 
a hearing on Medicare+ Choice: An Evaluation of the Program. Testimony 
was heard from Robert Berenson, M.D., Director, Center for Health Plans 
and Providers, Health Care Financing Administration, Department of 
Health and Human Services; and public witnesses.
OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Civil Service held a 
hearing on reauthorization of the Office of Government Ethics. 
Testimony was heard from Stephen D. Potts, Director, Office of 
Government Ethics; and a public witness.
GUN MANUFACTURERS--HUD'S ROLE IN LITIGATION
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug 
Policy, and Human Resources held a hearing on What is HUD's Role in 
Litigation Against Gun Manufacturers? Testimony was heard from Gail 
Laster, General Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development; 
and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; DECEPTIVE SWEEPSTAKES MAILINGS
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on the Postal Service 
approved for full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 2319, to 
make the American Battle Monuments Commission and the World War II 
Memorial Advisory Board eligible to use

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nonprofit standard mail rates of postage; H.R. 642, to redesignate the 
Federal building located at 701 South Santa Fe Avenue in Compton, 
California, and known as the Compton Main Post Office, as the ``Mervyn 
Malcolm Dymally Post Office Building''; H.R. 643, to redesignate the 
Federal building located at 10301 South Compton Avenue, in Los Angeles, 
California, and known as the Watts Finance Office, as the ``Augustus F. 
Hawkins Post Office Building''; H.R. 1666, to designate the facility of 
the United States Postal Service at 200 East Pinckney Street in 
Madison, Florida, as the ``Captain Colin P. Kelly, Jr. Post Office''; 
H.R. 2307, to designate the building of the United States Postal 
Service located at 5 Cedar Street in Hoskinton, Massachusetts, as the 
``Thomas J. Brown Postal Office Building''; and H.R. 2357, to designate 
the United States Post Office located at 3675 Warrensville Center Road 
in Shaker Heights, Ohio, as the ``Louise Stokes Post Office''.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on Deceptive Sweepstakes 
Mailings. Testimony was heard from Representatives LoBiondo and Rogan; 
Orson Swindle, Commissioner, FTC; Bernard L. Ungar, Director, 
Government Business Operations Issues, GAO; Ken Hunter, Chief Postal 
Inspector, U.S. Postal Service; and public witnesses.
BALKANS--U.S. INTERESTS AND GOALS
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on The Balkans: 
What Are U.S. Interests and the Goals of U.S. Engagement? Testimony was 
heard from the following officials of the Department of State: E. 
Anthony Wayne, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau for 
European and Canadian Affairs; and Ambassador Larry C. Napper, 
Coordinator, East European Assistance; Ambassador James Pardew, 
Principal Deputy Special Adviser to the President and the Secretary of 
State for Kosovo and Dayton Accords Implementation; and public 
witnesses.
FREEDOM FROM SEXUAL TRAFFICKING ACT
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on International 
Operations and Human Rights approved for full Committee action, 
amended, H.R. 1356, Freedom From Sexual Trafficking Act of 1999.
OVERSIGHT--HATE CRIMES VIOLENCE
Committee on the Judiciary: Held an oversight hearing on Hate Crimes 
Violence. Testimony was heard from Eric H. Holder, Deputy Attorney 
General, Department of Justice; Reuben Greenberg, Chief of Police, 
Charleston, South Carolina; and public witnesses.
UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution approved 
for full Committee action, amended, H.R. 2436, Unborn Victims of 
Violence Act of 1999.
SUBPOENA
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims 
approved a motion to issue a subpoena duces tecum directed to the U.S. 
Department of Justice regarding criminal aliens released by the 
Immigration and Naturalization Service who commit additional crimes in 
the United States after they are released.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Ordered reported, amended, the following bills: 
H.R. 795, Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation Indian 
Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 1999; H.R. 970, Perkins County 
Rural Water System Act of 1999; H.R. 1231, to direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to convey certain National Forest lands to Elko County, 
Nevada, for continued use as a cemetery; H.R. 1444, to authorize the 
Secretary of the Army to develop and implement projects for fish 
screens, fish passage devices, and other similar measures to mitigate 
adverse impacts associated with irrigation system water diversions by 
local governmental entities in the States of Oregon, Washington, 
Montana, and Idaho; H.R. 1619, Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley 
National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 1999; and H.R. 2435, 
to expand the boundaries of the Gettysburg National Military Park to 
include the Wills House.
VA, HUD AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Rules: The Committee granted, by voice vote, an open rule 
providing one hour of general debate on H.R. 2684, making 
appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and 
Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies, boards, 
commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2000, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule 
waives points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to 
comply with clause 2 of rule XXI (prohibiting unauthorized or 
legislative provisions or transfers of funds on a general 
appropriations bill), except as specified in the rule. The rule 
provides that, before consideration of

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any other amendment, it shall be in order to consider the amendment 
printed in the Rules Committee report, which may be offered only by a 
Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, may amend 
portions of the bill not yet read for amendment, 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, and shall 
not be subject to a demand for a division of the question in the House 
or in the Committee of the Whole. The rule waives points of order 
against the amendment printed in the Rules Committee report for failure 
to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI (prohibiting unauthorized or 
legislative provisions or transfers of funds in a general 
appropriations bill). The rule allows the Chairman of the Committee of 
the Whole to accord priority in recognition to Members who have pre-
printed their amendments in the Congressional Record. The rule allows 
the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone votes and 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 Walsh, Obey, Edwards, Evans, Filner, Stabenow, and 
Capuano.
CONFERENCE REPORT--FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACT
  Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving all 
points of order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 
2488, Financial Freedom Act of 1999, and against its consideration. 
The rule provides that the conference report shall be considered as 
read. The rule one hour of debate equally divided and controlled 
between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Ways and Means. The rule provides that clause 5(b) of rule XXI 
(requiring a three-fifths vote on any amendment or measure 
containing a federal income tax rate increase) shall not apply to 
the question of adoption of the conference report and to any 
subsequent conference report or to any motion to dispose of an 
amendment between the houses on the bill. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Thomas.
AVIATION PROGRAMS FUNDING LEVELS
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving all points 
of order against consideration of S. 1467, to extend the funding levels 
for aviation programs for 60 days in the House. The rule makes in order 
a motion to strike all after the enacting clause of the Senate bill and 
to insert the text of H.R. 1000 as passed by the House. The rule waives 
all points of order against the motion to strike. Finally, the rule 
makes in order a motion to go to conference with the Senate on the 
bill, as amended. Testimony was heard from Chairman Shuster and 
Representative Oberstar.
K-12 MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
Committee on Science: Held a hearing on K-12 Math and Science 
Education-Testing and Licensing Teachers. Testimony was heard from 
Thomas A. Elliott, Assistant Superintendent, Division of Teacher 
Education and Licensure, Department of Education, State of Virginia; 
and public witnesses.
Y2K--COMPUTER SECURITY IMPACT
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Technology and the Subcommittee 
on Government Management, Information, and Technology of the Committee 
on Government Reform held a joint hearing on Computer Security Impact 
of Y2K: Expanding Risks of Fraud. Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
SMALL BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS--EFFECTS OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing to investigate the effects 
of federal procurement policy on small business competitiveness. 
Testimony was heard from Deidre Lee, Administrator, Office of Federal 
Procurement Policy, OMB; Robert Neal, Director, Office of Small and 
Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office of the Deputy Secretary 
(International and Commercial Programs, Department of Defense; Richard 
Hayes, Associate Deputy Administrator, Office of Government Contracting 
and Minority Business Development, SBA; and public witnesses.
MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ACT; RAIL PASSENGER DISASTER FAMILY ASSISTANCE ACT
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Ground 
Transportation approved for full Committee action the following 
measures: H. Con. Res. 171, congratulating the American Public Transit 
Association for 25 years of commendable service to the transit industry 
and the Nation; H.R. 2679, Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1999; and H.R. 
2681, Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1999.
DISASTER MITIGATION SPENDING--EFFECTIVENESS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Oversight, Investigations, and Emergency Management held a hearing on 
Effectiveness of Disaster Mitigation Spending. Testimony was heard from 
Stanley Czerwinski, Associate Director, Resources Community, and 
Economic Development Division, GAO; and Michael Armstrong, Associate 
Director, Mitigation Directorate, FEMA.

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KHOBAR TOWERS UPDATE BRIEFING
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a briefing on Khobar Towers Update. The Committee was briefed 
by departmental officials.

Joint Meetings
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT
Conferees agreed to file a conference report on the differences between 
the Senate and House passed versions of S. 507, to provide for the 
conservation and development of water and related resources, and to 
authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various projects for 
improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States.