[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 23, 2000)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D514-D516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
VA, HUD AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent 
Agencies approved for full Committee action the VA, HUD and Independent 
Agencies appropriations for fiscal year 2001.
U.S.--TERRORIST THREATS
Committee on Armed Services: Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism held 
a hearing on terrorist threats to

[[Page D515]]

the United States. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
CHINA--PERMANENT NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials 
held a hearing entitled: ``PNTR: Opening the World's Biggest Potential 
Market to American Financial Services Competition.'' Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY--WHISTLEBLOWERS
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 
held a hearing entitled: ``Whistleblowers at Department of Energy 
Facilities: Is There Really `Zero Tolerance' for Contractor 
Retaliation?'' Testimony was heard from Mary Anne Sullivan, General 
Counsel, Department of Energy; Joe Gutierrez, Assessor, Audits and 
Assessment Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory; and public 
witnesses.
INTERNET--OBSCENE MATERIAL AVAILABLE
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection held a hearing on Obscene Material Available via 
the Internet. Testimony was heard from Alan Gershel, Deputy Assistant 
Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice; and public 
witnesses.
WEALTH THROUGH THE WORKPLACE ACT
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Employer-
Employee Relations approved for full Committee action H.R. 3462, Wealth 
Through The Workplace Act of 2000.
SECRET EVIDENCE REPEAL ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Held a hearing on H.R. 2121, Secret 
Evidence Repeal Act of 1999. Testimony was heard from Representatives 
Campbell and Bonior; the following officials of the Department of 
Justice: Larry R. Parkinson, General Counsel, FBI; and Bo Cooper, 
General Counsel, Immigration and Naturalization Service; and pubic 
witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS POLICIES
Committee on Resources: Held an oversight hearing on Funding of 
Environmental Initiatives and their Influence on Federal Public Lands 
Policies. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands 
held a hearing on H.R. 3033, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
make certain adjustments to the boundaries of Biscayne National Park in 
the State of Florida. Testimony was heard from Representatives Ros-
Lehtinen, Meek of Florida, Hastings of Florida and Shaw; Denis Galvin, 
Deputy Director, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; and 
public witnesses.
NORTHERN COLORADO WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT--WATER CONVEYANCE
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing 
on H.R. 4389, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain 
water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water 
Conservancy District. Testimony was heard from Eluid Martinez, 
Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior; and 
public witnesses.
CHINA--NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TREATMENT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a closed rule providing 
three hours of debate on H.R. 4444, to authorize extension of 
nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the 
People's Republic of China, equally divided among and controlled by the 
chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means, 
Representative Stark of California, and Representative Rohrabacher of 
California. The rule provides that, in lieu of the committee amendment 
in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Ways and 
Means, the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in the 
report of the Committee on Rules accompanying the rule shall be 
considered as adopted. Finally, the rule provides one motion to 
recommit with or without instructions. Testimony was heard from 
Chairman Archer and Representatives Crane, English, Bereuter, Hunter, 
Weldon of Pennsylvania, Levin, Cardin, Markey, Berman, Pelosi and 
Sherman.
REPEAL EXCISE TAX ON TELEPHONE AND OTHER COMMUNICATION SERVICES
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a closed rule on H.R. 3916, 
to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on 
telephone and other communication services providing one hour of debate 
equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on Ways and Means. The rule waives all points 
of order against consideration of the bill. The rule provides that the 
amendment recommended by the Committee on Ways and Means now printed in 
the bill shall be considered as adopted upon adoption of the 
resolution. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or 
without instructions. Testimony was heard from Chairman Archer and 
Representatives Towns and Wynn.

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TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Technology held a hearing on 
Technology Transfer Challenges and Partnerships: A Review of the 
Department of Commerce's Biennial Report on Technology Transfer. 
Testimony was heard from Kelly H. Carnes, Assistant Secretary, 
Technology Policy, Technology Administration, Department of Commerce; 
and public witnesses.

Joint Meetings
RUSSIA HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: Commission concluded 
hearings to examine human rights abuses in Russia, focusing on an 
attack on the Media-Most headquarters in Moscow by armed government 
security agents, alleged illegally acquired tapes and transcripts, and 
the war in Chechnya, after receiving testimony from Lt. Gen. William 
Odom (Ret.), Hudson University, Washington, D.C., former head of the 
National Security Agency; Igor Malashenko, Media-Most, Moscow, Russia; 
Sarah Mendelson, Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, 
Boston, Massachusetts; Georgi Derlugian, Northwestern University 
Department of Sociology, Chicago, Illinois; and Rachel Denber, Human 
Rights Watch, New York, New York.