[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)] [Daily Digest] [Pages D156-D158] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES; COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION Committee on Agriculture: Approved Committee Budget Views and Estimates for Fiscal Year 2004 for submission to the Committee on the Budget. The Committee also met again for organizational purposes. AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies held a hearing on Office of Inspector General. Testimony was heard from Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General, USDA. INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior held a hearing on Secretary of the Interior. Testimony was heard from Gale A. Norton, Secretary of the Interior. MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction held a hearing on Army Construction. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of the Army: Mario P. Fiori, Assistant Secretary (Installations and Environment); Major Gen. Larry J. Lust, USA, Assistant Chief of Staff, Installation Management; Major Gen. Collis N. Phillips, USA, Deputy Chief, Army Reserve; and Brig. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, USA, Deputy Director, Army National Guard. The Subcommittee also held a hearing on Navy Construction. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of the Navy: Hansford T. Johnson, Acting Secretary; Rear Adm. Michael R. Johnson, USN, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command; and Brig. Gen. Ronald S. Coleman, USMC, Acting Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics. VA, HUD, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies held a hearing on American Battle Monuments Commission. Testimony was heard from Major Gen. John Herrling, USA (Ret.), Secretary, American Battle Monuments Commission. The Subcommittee also held a hearing on Selective Service System. Testimony was heard from Lewis C. Brodsky, Acting Director, Selective Service System. NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BUDGET REQUEST Committee on Armed Services: Continued hearings on the fiscal year 2004 National Defense Authorization budget request. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of the Navy: Hansford T. Johnson, Acting Secretary; Adm. Vernon E. Clark, USN, Chief of Naval Operations; and Gen. Michael W. Hagee, USMC, Commandant, Marine Corps. Hearings continue tomorrow. EUROPEAN THEATER--U.S. FORWARD-DEPLOYED STRATEGY Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on U.S. forward-deployed strategy in the European Theater. Testimony was heard from Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, USA (Ret.), former Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army; Fred Kagan, Associate Professor, Military History, U.S. Military Academy, Department of the Army; and a public witness. HHS BUDGET PRIORITIES Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services Budget Priorities Fiscal Year 2004. Testimony was heard from Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services; and public witnesses. BACK TO WORK INCENTIVE ACT Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness approved for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 444, Back to Work Incentive Act of 2003. THEFT AT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing entitled [[Page D157]] ``Procurement and Property Mismanagement and Theft at Los Alamos National Laboratory.'' Testimony was heard from Gregory H. Friedman, Inspector General, Department of Energy; and public witnesses. In response to a subpoena, Jaret McDonald testified before the Subcommittee. HEALTH OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR: FCC COMMISSIONERS PERSPECTIVE Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Health of the Telecommunications Sector: A Perspective from the Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission.'' Testimony was heard from the following officials of the FCC: Michael K. Powell, Chairman; Kevin J. Martin, Michael J. Copps, Kathleen Q. Abernathy, and Jonathan S. Adelstein, all Commissioners. DEFRAUDED INVESTORS--RETURNING MONEY Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises held a hearing entitled ``It's only FAIR: Returning Money to Defrauded Investors.'' Testimony was heard from Stephen M. Cutler, Director, Division of Enforcement, SEC. RUSSIA'S POLICIES TOWARD AXIS OF EVIL Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on Russia's Policies Toward the Axis of Evil: Money and Geopolitics in Iraq and Iran. Testimony was heard from public witnesses. OVERSIGHT--PEER-TO-PEER PIRACY ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property held an oversight hearing on ``Peer-to-Peer Piracy On University Campuses.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses. HUMAN CLONING PROHIBITION ACT Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule providing 1 hour of debate on H.R. 534, Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2003. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill. The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution. The rule provides that the amendments made in order may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for a time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to amendment. The rule waives all points of order against the amendments printed in the report. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Testimony was heard from Chairman Sensenbrenner and Representatives Stearns, Greenwood, Weldon of Florida, Scott of Virginia, Lofgren and Deutsch. SBA'S BUDGET; COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing on the Small Business Administration's Budget for Fiscal Year 2004. Testimony was heard from Hector Barreto, Administrator, SBA; and public witnesses. Prior to the hearing, the Committee met for organizational purposes. MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported the following bills H.R. 875, Over-the-Road Bus Security; H.R. 866, Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of 2003; H.R. 874, Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2003. H. Res. 19, designating the room numbered H-236 in the House of Representatives wing of the Capitol as the ``Richard K. Armey Room;'' and H.R. 145, to designate the Federal building located at 290 Broadway in New York, New York, as the ``Ted Weiss Federal Building.'' The Committee also approved Committee Budget Views and Estimates for Fiscal Year 2004 for submission to the Committee on the Budget. PLANES, TRAINS, AND INTERMODALISM: IMPROVING LINK BETWEEN AIR AND RAIL Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Aviation and the Subcommittee on Railroads held a joint hearing on Planes, Trains, and Intermodalism: Improving the Link Between Air and Rail. Testimony was heard from R.E.G. Davies, Curator of Air Transport, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution; Martin O'Malley, Mayor, Baltimore, Maryland; and public witnesses. BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES; ADMINISTRATION'S TRADE AGENDA Committee on Ways and Means: Approved Committee Budget Views and Estimates for Fiscal year 2004 for submission to the Committee on the Budget. The Committee also held a hearing on the Administration's Trade Agenda. Testimony was heard from Robert B. Zoellick, U.S. Trade Representative. [[Page D158]] TERRORIST THREAT INTEGRATION CENTER Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security met in executive session to hold a hearing on Terrorist Threat Integration Center. Testimony was heard from departmental witnesses. Joint Meetings GROWTH AND JOBS PLAN Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded hearings to examine the Economic Report of the President, and the economic outlook for the United States and the Administration's policy agenda, after receiving testimony from R. Glenn Hubbard, Chairman, and Randall S. Kroszner, Member, both of the Council of Economic Advisers; and Henry J. Aaron, Brookings Institution, Eric M. Engen, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, and Daniel J. Mitchell, Heritage Foundation, all of Washington, D.C.