[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 20, 1999)] [Daily Digest] [Pages D1170-D1172] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION MINISTERIAL Committee on Agriculture: Held a hearing to review the Administration's preparations for the 1999 World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial. Testimony was heard from Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture; and Charlene Barshefsky, U.S. Trade Representative. U.S. FORCES--THREAT POSED BY PROLIFERATION OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Procurement and the Subcommittee on Military Research held a joint hearing on the threat to U.S. forces posed by the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons. Testimony was heard from Norman L. Rabkin, Director, National Security Preparedness Issues, GAO; the following officials of the Department of Defense: Rear Adm. Richard A. Mayo, USN, Vice Director, Medical Readiness, J-4, The Joint Staff; Rear Adm. James D. MacArthur, USN, Deputy Director, Strategy and Policy, J-5, The Joint Staff; and Hans Mark, Director, Defense Research and Engineering; and a public witness. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SECURITY ISSUES Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Procurement held a hearing on the Department of Energy security issues. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of Energy: Glenn S. Podonsky, Director, Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance; Gilbert G. Weigand, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Strategic Computing and Simulation; and Gen. Eugene E. Habiger, USAF (ret.), Director, Office of Security and Emergency Operations; C. Paul Robinson, Director, Sandia National Laboratories; and Edward J. McCallum, former Director, Office of Safeguards and Security, Department of Defense. RENTAL FAIRNESS ACT Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials held a hearing on H.R. 1954, Rental Fairness Act of 1999. Testimony was heard from public witnesses. SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT AMENDMENTS Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Health and Environment held a hearing on the Implementation [[Page D1171]] of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996. Testimony was heard from Peter F. Guerrero, Director, Environmental Protection Issues, GAO; the following officials of the EPA: Norine E. Noonan, Assistant Administrator, Research and Development; and Cynthia C. Dougherty, Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water; and public witnesses. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology held a hearing on the National Archives and Records Administration. Testimony was heard from John W. Carlin, Archivist of the United States, National Archives and Records Administration; L. Nye Stevens, Director, Federal Management and Workforce Issues, GAO; and public witnesses. COMBATING TERRORISM Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans' Affairs and International Relations held a hearing on Combating Terrorism: Assessing the Threat. Testimony was heard from Henry L. Hinton, Jr., Assistant Comptroller General, National Security and International Affairs Division, GAO; and public witnesses. INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on Intercountry Adoption: Implementation of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Testimony was heard from Representative Bliley; Mary Ryan, Assistant Secretary, Consular Affairs, Department of State; Pat Montoya, Commissioner for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Health and Human Services; and public witnesses. REGIONAL SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific held a hearing on Regional Security in South Asia. Testimony was heard from Karl F. Inderfurth, Assistant Secretary, South Asian Affairs, Department of State; Arona Butcher, Chief of Country and Regional Analysis Division, Office of Economics, U.S. International Trade Commission; and public witnesses. OVERSIGHT Committee on the Judiciary: Held an oversight hearing on Competitive Issues in Agriculture and the Food Marketing Industry. Testimony was heard from Representatives Thune, Minge and Pomeroy; Enrique Figueroa, Deputy Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, USDA; John Nannes, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, Department of Justice; Willard Tom, Deputy Director, Bureau of Competition, FTC; and public witnesses. MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES Committee on Resources: Ordered reported the following bills: H.R. 348, to authorize the construction of a monument to honor those who have served the Nation's civil defense and emergency management programs; S. 416, amended, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the city of Sisters, Oregon, a certain parcel of land for use in connection with a sewage treatment facility; H.R. 1695, amended, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal public lands in the Ivanpah Valley, Nevada, to Clark County, Nevada, for the development of an airport facility; H.R. 1725, Miwaleta Park Expansion Act; H.R. 2632, Dugger Mountain Wilderness Act of 1999; H.R. 2737, amended, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the State of Illinois certain Federal land associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to be used as an historic and interpretive site along the trail; H.R. 2889, to amend the Central Utah Project Completion Act to provide for acquisition of water and water rights for Central Utah Project purposes, completion of Central Utah project facilities, and implementation of water conservation measures; H.R. 3080, to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the American Indian Education Foundation; and H.R. 3090, amended, to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to restore certain lands to the Elim Native Corporation. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL ACT Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule on H.R. 2300, Academic Achievement for all Act (Straight A's Act), providing two hours of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The rule makes in order the Committee on Education and the Workforce amendment in the nature of a substitute now printed in the bill as an original bill for the purpose of amendment, modified by the amendments printed in Part A of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying the resolution. The rule waives clause 4 of rule XXI (prohibiting appropriations in legislative bills) against the amendment in the nature of a substitute, as modified. The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in Part B of the report of the Committee on Rules, which may be offered only in the order printed in the report, maybe 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 [[Page D1172]] 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 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. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. CONFERENCE REPORT--INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving all points of order against the conference report on H.R. 2466, Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations, 2000 and against its consideration. The rule provides that the conference report shall be considered as read. Testimony was heard from Representative Regula. TURKEY, TAIWAN, AND MEXICO EARTHQUAKES: LESSONS LEARNED Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Basic Research held a hearing on the Turkey, Taiwan and Mexico Earthquakes: Lessons Learned. Testimony was heard from Waverly Person, Director, National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior; and public witnesses. COMPUTER SECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACT Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Technology approved for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 2413, Computer Security Enhancement Act of 1999. STATE OF AIRLINE COMPETITION Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Aviation held a hearing on the State of Airline Competition. Testimony was heard from public witnesses. Hearings continue tomorrow. Joint Meetings AUTHORIZATION--FAA Conferees continued to resolve the differences between the Senate and House passed versions of H.R. 1000, to amend title 49, United States Code, to reauthorize programs of the Federal Aviation Administration, but did not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to call.