[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 25, 2001)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D347-D349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
FARM BILL: TRADE ISSUES
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
hearings to examine agricultural trade issues, focusing on access to 
world markets, declining export values, tariffs, and barriers to trade, 
after receiving testimony from Bruce A. Babcock, Iowa State University 
Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Ames; Ron Heck, Perry, 
Iowa,

[[Page D348]]

on behalf of the American Soybean Association; Robert Stallman, 
Columbus, Texas, on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation; 
Leland Swenson, Aurora, Colorado, on behalf of the National Farmers 
Union; Charles J. O'Mara, O'Mara and Associates, on behalf of the 
American Oilseed Coalition, and Gary Martin, North American Export 
Grain Association, Inc., both of Washington, D.C.; James Echols, 
Hohenberg Brothers Company, Memphis, Tennessee, on behalf of the 
National Cotton Council of America; Timothy F. Hamilton, Mid-America 
International Agri-Trade Council, Chicago, Illinois; Dennis McDonald, 
Melville, Montana, on behalf of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal 
Fund United Stockgrowers of America; Judith Lewis, United Nations World 
Food Programme, Rome, Italy; and Kenneth Hackett, Catholic Relief 
Services, Baltimore, Maryland, on behalf of the Coalition for Food Aid.
APPROPRIATIONS--AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, and Related Agencies held hearings on proposed budget 
estimates for fiscal year 2002 for the Department of Agriculture, 
receiving testimony from Ann M. Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture, who 
was accompanied by several of her associates.
  Hearings continue on Thursday, May 3.
CHEMICAL DEMILITARIZATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded hearings 
to examine issues related to the state of the Chemical Demilitarization 
Program, which was implemented to eliminate the United States chemical 
weapons inventory consistent with an international treaty obligation, 
the Chemical Weapons Convention, including the Chemical Stockpile 
Emergency Preparedness Program, after receiving testimony from Joseph 
Westphal, Acting Secretary, James Bacon, Program Manager for Chemical 
Demilitarization, and Michael Parker, Program Manager for Assembled 
Chemical Weapons Assessment, all of the Department of the Army; Russell 
Salter, Director, Chemical and Radiological Preparedness Division, 
Federal Emergency Management Agency; James Eli Henderson, Calhoun 
County Commission, and Rufus Kinney and Brenda Lindell, both on behalf 
of the Families Concerned About Nerve Gas Incineration, all of 
Anniston, Alabama; and Craig Williams, Chemical Weapons Working Group, 
Berea, Kentucky.
APPROPRIATIONS--HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates 
for fiscal year 2002 for the Department of Health and Human Services, 
after receiving testimony from Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and 
Human Services.
APPROPRIATIONS--CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE/NEIGHBORHOOD 
REINVESTMENT CORPORATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent 
Agencies concluded hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
year 2002, after receiving testimony in behalf of funds for their 
respective activities from Wendy Zenker, Acting Chief Executive 
Officer, Corporation for National Service; and Ellen W. Lazar, Acting 
Chief Executive Officer, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation.
AUTHORIZATION--NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic concluded 
hearings on proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal year 2002 
for the Department of Defense and the Future Years Defense Program, 
focusing on the National Nuclear Security Administration, after 
receiving testimony from Gen. John A. Gordon, USAF (Ret.), Under 
Secretary for Nuclear Security/Administrator for National Nuclear 
Security Administration, C. Paul Robinson, Director, Sandia National 
Laboratories, C. Bruce Tarter, Director, Lawrence Livermore National 
Laboratory, and John C. Browne, Director, Los Alamos National 
Laboratory, all of the Department of Energy; Joseph J. Buggy, 
Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, South Carolina; John 
Mitchell, BWXT-Y12, Lynchburg, Virginia; David S. Douglas, Honeywell 
Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, Kansas City, Missouri; and 
Dennis R. Ruddy, BWXT Pantex, Amarillo, Texas.
HUD PROGRAMS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Subcommittee on 
Housing and Transportation concluded hearings to examine the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development's program, budget, and management 
priorities for fiscal year 2002, after receiving testimony from Mel 
Martinez, Secretary, and Susan M. Gaffney, Inspector General, both of 
the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Stanley J. Czerwinski, 
Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, General Accounting Office; 
Rene Glover, Atlanta Housing Authority, Atlanta, Georgia, on behalf of 
the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities; and Barbara Sard, 
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, D.C.

[[Page D349]]


NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
hearings on Brenda L. Becker, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Michael P. 
Jackson, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Transportation, after 
the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. Ms. 
Becker was introduced by Senators Lott and Burns.
AVIATION INDUSTRY LABOR ISSUES
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee held 
hearings to examine labor relations problems that are confronting the 
airline industry today, focusing on the large passenger airline's 
recent union negotiations, receiving testimony from Frederick W. Smith, 
Federal Express Corporation, and Carol B. Hallett, Air Transport 
Association of America, both of Washington, D.C.; Sonny Hall, Transport 
Workers Union, AFL-CIO, New York, New York, on behalf of the 
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO; R. Thomas Buffenbarger, 
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Upper 
Marlboro, Maryland; and Linda F. Farrow, Association of Flight 
Attendants, Rosemont, Illinois.
  Hearings recessed subject to call.
WEST COAST GASOLINE PRICES
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce, and Tourism concluded hearings to 
examine the causes of high retail gasoline prices and competition in 
the gasoline industry in West Coast markets, after receiving testimony 
from Senator Murkowski; Robert Pitofsky, Chairman, Federal Trade 
Commission; Jim Wells, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, and 
Frank Rusco, Senior Economist, both of the General Accounting Office; 
John Cook, Director, Petroleum Division, Energy Information 
Administration, Department of Energy; R. Preston McAfee, University of 
Chicago Graduate School of Business, Chicago, Illinois; Carl Shapiro, 
University of California Haas School of Business/Institute of Business 
and Economic Research, Berkeley; Robert Malone, British Petroleum, 
Washington, D.C.; and Chuck Mau, Portland, Oregon.
MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
Committee on Finance: Committee held hearings to examine certain 
improper payments of Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, and 
disability programs benefits to prisoners, fugitives, the deceased and 
other ineligibles, receiving testimony from James G. Huse, Jr., 
Inspector General, and Fritz Streckewald, Acting Assistant Deputy 
Commissioner, Disability and Income Security Programs, both of the 
Social Security Administration; Michael F. Mangano, Acting Inspector 
General, and Michael McMullan, Acting Deputy Administrator, Health Care 
Financing Administration, both of the Department of Health and Human 
Services; Daniel G. Kyle, Louisiana Legislative Auditors Office, Baton 
Rouge; and Jerome Horn, an incarcerated witness.
  Hearings recessed subject to call.
NOMINATION
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nomination of Andrew S. Natsios, of Massachusetts, to be Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Development, after the 
nominee, who was introduced by Senator Kerry and Representative Wolf, 
testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nominations of Paula J. Dobriansky, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary 
for Global Affairs, Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr., of Virginia, to be 
Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, and Richard Nathan 
Haass, of Maryland, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of 
Service as Director, Policy Planning Staff, all of the Department of 
State. Ms. Dobriansky was introduced by Senators Allen and Dodd, and 
Mr. Bloomfield was introduced by Senator Allen.
POLYGRAPH USAGE
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings to examine the 
accuracy and reliability of polygraphs, as well as the policy and 
potential legal issues that may arise from their use as a screening 
tool in counterintelligence context, after receiving testimony from 
Michael H. Capps, Deputy Director for Developmental Programs, Defense 
Security Service, Department of Defense; William G. Iacono, University 
of Minnesota Department of Psychology/Clinical Science and 
Psychopathology Research Training Program, Minneapolis; Jeffrey H. 
Smith, Arnold and Porter, and Mark S. Zaid, Lobel, Novins and Lamont, 
both of Washington, D.C.; and Richard W. Keifer, American Polygraph 
Association, Apopka, Florida.