[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 92 (Thursday, June 28, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7125-S7126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET


            committee on agricultural, nutrition, and forestry

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to meet during 
the session of the Senate on Thursday, June 28, 2001. The purpose of 
this hearing will be to discuss the next Federal farm bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                       committee on armed services

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the 
Senate on Thursday, June 28, 2001, at 2:30 p.m., in open session to 
receive testimony on the fiscal year 2002 budget amendment, in review 
of the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2002 and the 
Future Years Defense Program.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


             committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during 
these session of the Senate on June 28, 2001, to conduct a hearing on 
``The Reauthorization of the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act.''
  THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                committee on energy and natural resources

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the 
session of the Senate on Thursday, June 28 at 9:30 a.m. to conduct an 
oversight hearing. The committee will receive testimony on science and 
technology studies on climate change.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                      Committee on foreign relations

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the 
Senate on Thursday, June 28, 2001, at 2 p.m. to hold a hearing titled, 
``Zimbabwe's Political and Economic Crisis'' as follows:


                                WITNESSES

  Panel 1: Walter H. Kansteiner, Assistant Secretary of State for 
African Affairs, Department of State, Washington, DC.
  Panel 2: Professor Robert Rotberg, President, World Peace Foundation, 
Cambridge, MA.
  Yves Sorokobi, Africa Director, Committee to Protect Journalists, New 
York, NY.
  Mr. John Prendergast, International Crisis Group, Washington, DC.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                    Committee on Governmental Affairs

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet Thursday, June 28, 2001, 
at 9:30 am for a hearing regarding ``The Impact of Electric Industry 
Restructuring on System Reliability.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                  committee on rules and administration

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of 
the Senate on Thursday, June 28, 2001, at 10 a.m., to receive testimony 
from Members of the House of Representatives on election reform.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                      committee on veterans' affairs

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the 
Senate on Thursday, June 28, 2001, at 10 a.m., in room 418 of the 
Russell Senate Office Building, for a hearing on pending veterans' 
benefits legislation as follows:
  S. 1090: Cost-of-living adjustment for veterans' benefits. Sponsor: 
Senator Rockefeller.
  S. 1089: U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) succession 
plan to address judges retiring in 2004/2005. Repeals the NOD as a 
jurisdictional threshold for appearing before the CAVC. Sponsor: 
Senator Rockefeller.
  S. 1091: (1) Eliminates the 30-year limit on manifestation from time 
of exposure for the presumption of service connection for Agent Orange-
related respiratory cancer; (2) Restores a VA presumption, eliminated 
by a Court decision, that in-country Vietnam veterans were exposed to 
Agent Orange; (3) tasks the National Academy of Sciences to continue 
reporting on Agent Orange and its association with disease for 10 more 
years (5 reports). Sponsor: Senator Rockefeller.
  S. 1063: CAVC-requested bill pertaining to administrative matters. 
Sponsor: Senator Rockefeller.
  S. 1088. Creates flexibility for MGIB to pay for high tech/short-term 
courses. Sponsor: Senator Rockefeller.
  S. 1093: Miscellaneous veterans' benefits provisions (based on 
informal input from VA):


                               Compensation

  a. Eliminate compensation for incarcerated persons--We previously 
enacted legislation to reduce compensation to incarcerated veterans to 
the equivalent of 10 percent, disability compensation (or, if they only 
received 10 percent, to the equivalent of 5 percent). Veterans that 
were already incarcerated were grandfathered out of the reduction. This 
change would stop only future payments to these veterans.
  b. Reduce benefits for fugitive felons--Currently, veterans who are 
fugitive from justice are eligible to receive VA benefits. This would 
bar them from receiving benefits while a fugitive (fleeing prosecution, 
confinement for a felony, or in violation of a condition of probation 
or parole).
  c. Duty to assist (technical corrections).


                        vocational rehabilitation

  Eliminate the cap of 500 veteran participants in Voc Rehab's 
``Independent Living'' program. The cap was set when the program was 
initially piloted. While the time limit on the program was repealed, 
the cap on participants was not. VA has not turned any one away from 
the program, but has been exceeding 500 veterans in the last couple of 
years. The goal of the program is to assist a veteran who is too 
disabled to retrain for employment to achieve and maintain a stated 
independent living outcome.


                              loan guaranty

  Increase the home loan guaranty amount to $63,175 from the current 
$50,750, to keep pace with FHA (and the even higher Fannie Mae or 
Freddie Mac). The VA amount has not been increased since 1994.


                                education

  Overturn court decision eliminating the delimiting date for use of 
chapter 35 educational benefits by surviving spouses. The spouse would 
be allowed to choose the beginning date of the eligibility period. It 
could be any date between the effective date of the rating of the 
veteran's service-connected disability as permanently and totally 
disabling, and the date VA notified the veteran of this fact. A 10-year 
period would run from the date the spouse chose.


                                 pension

  a. Excludes life insurance proceeds from countable income for 
determination of nonservice-connected death pension eligibility for 
poor surviving spouses of wartime veterans. Currently, counting life 
insurance could make the spouse ineligible for a year. Modifies 
effective date of beginning benefits.
  b. Modifies the requirement for pensioners to report changes in 
income at the end of the month, to the end of the year.
  S. 131: To increase the rate of the basic benefit of MGIB to the 
average cost of tuition next fiscal year, and then modify the annual 
COLA to be pegged to educational inflation. Sponsor: Senator Johnson.
  S. 228: To make permanent the Native American veterans housing loan

[[Page S7126]]

program. The program is set to expire in 2002. Sponsor: Senator Akaka.
  S. 409: To clarify the standards for compensation for Persian Gulf 
veterans suffering from certain undiagnosed illnesses and to extend 
Persian Gulf compensation presumption. Sponsor: Senator Hutchison.
  S. 457: To establish a presumption of service connection for certain 
veterans with hepatitis C. Sponsor: Senator Snowe.
  S. 662: To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish 
headstones or markers for marked graces of, or to otherwise 
commemorate, certain individuals if buried after November 1, 1990. 
Sponsor: Senator Dodd.
  S. 781: To extend the authority for housing loan guaranties for 
members of the Selected Reserve now set to expire in 2007. Sponsor: 
Senator Akaka.
  S. 912: To increase burial benefits for veterans from $300 to $1,135 
and from $1,500 to $3,713, and plot allowances from $150 to $670. Also, 
to index future increases to the CPI. Sponsor: Senator Mikulski.
  S. 937: To permit the relevant Secretary to transfer entitlement to 
MGIB educational assistance from members of the Armed Forces to their 
dependents for up to 18 months of benefits, and allow them to receive 
the payment as an accelerated payment for a term/semester (solely upon 
the discretion of the Secretary). Sponsor: Senator Cleland.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                        SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special 
Committee on Aging be authorized to meet on Thursday, June 28, 2001, 
from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in Dirksen 226 for the purpose of conducting a 
hearing.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


        SUBCOMMITTEE ON SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AND MERCHANT MARINE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine of the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to 
meet on June 28, 2001, at 2:30 p.m., on Surface Transportation Board 
Rail Merger Rules.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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