[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 130 (Thursday, September 30, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1068-D1071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Ordered reported the Labor, Health and 
Human Services, and Education appropriations for fiscal year 2000.
ANTHRAX VACCINE IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM
Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a 
hearing on the Department of Defense Anthrax Vaccine Immunization 
Program. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: John Hamre, Deputy Secretary; Gen. Anthony 
Zinni, USMC Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command; Gen. John Keane, 
USA, Vice Chief of Staff, Army; Dave Oliver, Principal Deputy Under 
Secretary, Acquisition and Technology; Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck, USA, 
Surgeon General, Army; Lt. Col. Redmond Handy, USAF (ret.); Maj. 
Jeffrey Jeffords, USAF, 164th Airlift Wing, Tennessee Air National 
Guard; Master Sgt. William Colley, USAF, 137th Airlift Wing, Oklahoma 
Air National Guard; Col. Myron G. Ashcraft, USAF, Chief of Staff, 
Headquarters Ohio Air National Guard; Lt. (jg) Chris Rohrbach, USN, 
Assistant Officer in Charge, Bravo Platoon, Group 8, Little Creek, 
Virginia; and Gunnery Sgt. Larry Miyamoto, USMC, Chemical Biological 
Incident Response Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment approved 
for full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 2634, amended, Drug 
Addiction Treatment Act of 1999; H.Res. 278, expressing the sense of 
the House of Representatives regarding the importance of education, 
early detection and treatment, and other efforts in the fight against 
breast cancer; H.R. 1070, to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act 
to provide medical assistance for certain women screened and found to 
have breast or cervical cancer under a federally funded screening 
program; H.R. 2418, amended, Organ Procurement and Transplantation 
Network Amendments of 1999; and H.R. 11, amended, to amend the Clean 
Air Act to permit the exclusive application of California State 
regulations regarding reformulated gas in certain areas within the 
State.
SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES INTERNET ACCESS ACT
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection held a hearing on H.R. 1746, Schools and Libraries 
Internet Access Act. Testimony was heard from Representatives Weller 
and Tancredo; Christopher J. Wright, General Counsel, FCC; Kelly Levy, 
Acting Associate Administrator, Office of Policy Analysis and 
Development. National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, Department of Commerce; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Government Reform: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 1451, amended, to establish the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial 
Commission; H. Res. 279, amended, congratulating Henry ``Hank'' Aaron 
on the 25th anniversary of breaking the Major League Baseball career 
home run record established by Babe Ruth and recognizing him as one of 
the greatest baseball players of all time; H.R. 2904, amended, to amend 
the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to reauthorize funding for the 
Office of Government Ethics; H.R. 915, amended, to authorize a cost of 
living adjustment in the pay of administrative law judges; H.R. 2885, 
amended, Statistical Efficiency Act of 1999; H.R. 1788, amended, Nazi 
Benefits Termination Act of 1999; 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.

[[Page D1069]]

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 Hopkinton, 
Massachusetts, as the ``Thomas J. Brown Post Office Building''; 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''; H.R. 1374, amended, to designate the United 
States Post Office building located at 680 State Highway 130 in 
Hamilton, New Jersey, as the ``John K. Rafferty Hamilton Post Office 
Building''; H.R. 2302, to designate the building of the United States 
Postal Service located at 307 Main Street in Johnson City, New York, as 
the ``James W. McCabe, Sr. Post Office Building''; H.R. 2358, to 
designate the United States Post Office located at 3813 Main Street in 
East Chicago, Indiana, as the ``Lance Corporal Harold Gomez Post 
Office''; H.R. 2460, to designate the United States Post Office located 
at 125 Border Avenue West in Wiggins, Mississippi, as the ``Jay Hanna 
`Dizzy' Dean Post Office''; H.R. 2591, to designate the United States 
Post Office located at 713 Elm Street in Wakefield, Kansas, as the 
``William H. Avery Post Office''; and H.R. 2938, to designate the 
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 424 South 
Michigan Street in South Bend, Indiana, as the ``John Brademas Post 
Office''.
GRANT WAIVERS
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Economic 
Growth, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs and the Subcommittee 
on Government Management, Information, and Technology held a joint 
hearing on Grant Waivers: H.R. 2376, to require executive agencies to 
establish expedited review procedures for granting a waiver to a State 
under a grant program administered by the agency if another State has 
already been granted a similar waiver by the agency under such program, 
and Streamlining the Process. Testimony was heard from Representative 
Green of Wisconsin; John J. Callahan, Assistant Secretary and Chief 
Financial Officer, Department of Health and Human Services; Samuel 
Chambers, Jr., Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA; and 
public witnesses.
HONESTY IN SWEEPSTAKES ACT
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Postal Service approved 
for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 170, Honesty in Sweepstakes 
Act of 1999.
EAST TIMOR--HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on International 
Operations and Human Rights held a hearing on the Humanitarian Crisis 
in East Timor. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of State: Harold Hongju Koh, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of 
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; and Julia Taft, Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration; and public 
witnesses.
ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES IN GLOBAL AND NATIONAL COMMERCE ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual 
Property held a hearing on H.R. 1714, Electronic Signatures in Global 
and National Commerce Act. Testimony was heard from Andrew Pincus, 
General Counsel, Department of Commerce; Ivan K. Fong, Deputy Associate 
Attorney General, Department of Justice; Pamela Meade Sargent, U.S. 
Magistrate Judge, Western District of Virginia; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime held a hearing on the 
following bills: H.R. 1349, Federal Prisoner Health Care Copayment Act 
of 1999; and H.R. 1887, to amend title 18, United States Code, to 
punish the depiction of animal cruelty. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Salmon; Philip S. Wise, Assistant Director, Federal 
Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims 
approved for full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 1520, 
Child Status Protection Act of 1999; H.R. 2886, to amend the 
Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an adopted alien who is 
less than 18 years of age may be considered a child under such Act if 
adopted with or after a sibling who is a child under such Act; H.R. 
2961, International Patient Act.
  The Subcommittee also passed on for full Committee action two private 
relief bills.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands 
held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 1864, to standardize the 
process for conducting public hearings for Federal agencies within the 
Department of the Interior; H.R. 1866, to provide a process for the 
public to appeal certain decisions made by the National Park Service 
and by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and

[[Page D1070]]

H.R. 2541, to adjust the boundaries of the Gulf Islands National 
Seashore to include Cat Island, Mississippi. Testimony was heard from 
Representatives Taylor of Mississippi and Underwood; the following 
officials of the Department of the Interior: William Shaddox, Acting 
Associate Director, Professional Services, National Park Service; and 
Juliette Falkner, Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs; and public 
witnesses.
DAKOTA WATER RESOURCES ACT
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing 
on H.R. 2918, Dakota Water Resources Act of 1999. Testimony was heard 
from Senators Conrad and Dorgan; Representative Pomeroy; Eluid 
Martinez, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the 
Interior; Edward P, Schafer, Governor, State of North Dakota; and 
public witnesses.
CONFERENCE REPORT--AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA, AND RELATED 
AGENCIES
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving all points 
of order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 1906, 
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2000, and against its 
consideration. The rule provides that the conference report shall be 
considered as read. Testimony was heard from Representative Skeen.
CONFERENCE REPORT--TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving all points 
of order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 2084, 
Department of Transportation and related agencies Appropriations Act 
2000, and against its consideration. The rule provides that the 
conference report shall be considered as read. Testimony was heard from 
Representative Sabo.
REFORMULATED GASOLINE
Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment concluded 
hearings on Reformulated Gasoline (Part II). Testimony was heard from 
public witnesses.
COMPUTER SECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACT
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Technology held a hearing on H.R. 
2413, Computer Security Enhancement Act of 1999. Testimony was heard 
from Raymond Kammer, Director, National Institutes of Standards and 
Technology, Department of Commerce; Keith Rhodes, Director, Office of 
Computer and Information Technology Assessment, GAO: and public 
witnesses.
WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTERS SUSTAINABILITY ACT
Committee on Small Business: Ordered reported H.R. 1497, Women's 
Business Centers Sustainability Act of 1999.
FUTURE--WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Ground 
Transportation held a hearing on the Future of the Woodrow Wilson 
Bridge. Testimony was heard from Senators Warner and Robb; 
Representatives Davis of Virginia, Moran of Virginia, Hoyer, Wynn, 
Pombo and Radanovich; the following officials of the Department of 
Transportation: Peter J. Basso, Assistant Secretary, Budget and 
Programs and Chief Financial Officer; Kenneth R. Wykle, Administrator, 
Federal Highway Administration; and Raymond J. DeCarli, Deputy 
Inspector General; John D. Porcari, Secretary, Department of 
Transportation, State of Maryland; the following officials of the 
District of Columbia: Carol Schwartz, member, Council; and Vanessa 
Burns, Director, Department of Public Works; and public witnesses.
FINANCIAL DATA QUALITY
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Oversight, Investigations, and Emergency Management held a hearing on 
Financial Data Quality. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Transportation: John L. Meche, Deputy 
Assistant Inspector General, Financial and Information Technology; and 
Jack Basso, Chief Financial Officer; the following officials of the 
GSA: Eugene L. Waszily, Assistant Inspector General, Auditing; and 
William B. Early, Jr., Chief Financial Officer; and the following 
officials of the EPA: James O. Rauch, Assistant Inspector General, 
Audit; and Sallyanne Harper, Chief Financial Officer.
VETERANS' MATTERS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Office of Resolution Management and the Office of Employment 
Discrimination Complaint Adjudication. Testimony was heard from Carlton 
Hadden, Acting Director, Office of Federal Operations, EEOC; Eugene A. 
Brickhouse, Assistant Secretary, Human Resources and Administration, 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and public witnesses.

[[Page D1071]]


LAND USE, CONSERVATION, AND PRESERVATION--IMPACT OF TAX LAWS
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing 
on the Impact of Tax Laws on Land Use, Conservation, and Preservation. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Johnson of Connecticut, 
Kanjorski, Gilchrest, Blumenauer, Pitts and Hoeffel; Leonard Burman, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Tax Analysis, Department of the Treasury; 
Dan W. Reicher, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy, Department of Energy; D. Reid Wilson, Chief of Staff, EPA; and 
public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
FINANCIAL SERVICES MODERNIZATION
Conferees continued to resolve the differences between the Senate and 
House passed versions of S. 900/H.R. 10, bills to enhance competition 
in the financial services industry by providing a prudential framework 
for the affiliation of banks, securities firms, and other financial 
service providers, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed 
subject to call.