[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 32 (Thursday, February 27, 2003)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D164-D166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Sub committee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies held a 
hearing on Secretary of Agriculture. Testimony was heard from Ann M. 
Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture.
INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior held a hearing on 
Secretary of Energy. Testimony was heard from Spencer Abraham, 
Secretary of Energy.
VA, HUD, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Sub committee on VA, HUD, and Independent 
Agencies held a hearing on Community Development Financial 
Institutions. Testimony was heard from Tony Brown, Director, Community 
Development Financial Institutions, Department of the Treasury.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on Office of Science and 
Technology Policy. Testimony was heard from John H. Marburger, 
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy.

[[Page D165]]


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 Air Force: James G. 
Roche, Secretary; and Gen. John P. Jumper, USAF, Chief of Staff.
DOD BUDGET PRIORITIES
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on the Department of Defense 
Budget Priorities Fiscal Year 2004. Testimony was heard from Paul D. 
Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary, Department of Defense; and a public 
witness.
MEDICAL LIABILITY REFORM--ASSESSING NEED TO ENACT
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health held a hearing 
entitled ``Assessing the Need to Enact Medical Liability Reform.'' 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
NEW BASEL ACCORD--SOUND REGULATION OR CRUSHING COMPLEXITY?
Committee on Financial Services: Sub committee on Domestic and 
International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology held a hearing 
entitled ``The New Basel Accord-Sound Regulation or Crushing 
Complexity?'' Testimony was heard from Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., Vice 
Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System; Donald Powell, 
Chairman, FDIC; John D. Hawke, Comptroller of the Currency, Department 
of the Treasury; and public witnesses.
ADMINISTRATION'S DRUG TREATMENT INITIATIVE
Committee on Government Reform: Sub committee on Criminal Justice, Drug 
Policy and Human Resources, hearing on ``Recovery Now: The President's 
Drug Treatment Initiative.'' Testimony was heard from John Walters, 
Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy; Charles Curie, 
Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services and a public 
witness.
OVERVIEW--U.S. POLICY TOWARD WESTERN HEMISPHERE
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on the Western 
Hemisphere held a hearing on Overview of U.S. Policy Toward the Western 
Hemisphere. Testimony was heard from John P. Walters, Director, Office 
of National Drug Control Policy; and the following officials of the 
Department of State: Adolfo Franco, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for 
Latin America and the Caribbean, AID; and J. Curtis Struble, Acting 
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
OVERSIGHT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Border 
Security, and Claims held an oversight hearing on ``New York's 
`Sanctuary' Policy and the Effect of Such Policies on Public Safety, 
Law Enforcement, and Immigration.'' Testimony was heard from John 
Feinblatt, Criminal Justice Coordinator, City of New York; John 
Nickell, Officer, Police Department, Houston, Texas; Michael J. Cutler, 
former Senior Special Agent, New York District Office, Immigration and 
Naturalization Service, Department of Justice; and a public witness.
NASA'S BUDGET REQUEST
Committee on Science: Held a hearing on NASA's Fiscal Year 2004 Budget 
Request. Testimony was heard from Sean O'Keefe, Administrator, NASA.
BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES
Committee on Small Business: Approved Committee Budget Views and 
Estimates for Fiscal Year 2004 for submission to the Committee on the 
Budget.
OVERSIGHT--AGENCY BUDGETS AND PRIORITIES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment held an oversight hearing on Agency Budgets 
and Priorities for Fiscal Year 2004. Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army: 
R. L. Brownlee, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); 
and Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers, Chief of Engineers; the following 
officials of the EPA: G. Tracy Mehan, III, Assistant Administrator, 
Water; and Marianne Lamont Horinko, Assistant Administrator, Solid 
Waste and Emergency Response; Bill Baxter, Director, TVA; Jamison S. 
Hawkins, Acting Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 
Department of Commerce; and Thomas A. Weber, Associate Chief, Natural 
Resources Conservation Service, USDA.
BUDGET VIEWS AND ESTIMATES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Approved Committee Budget Views and 
Estimates for Fiscal Year 2004 for submission to the Committee on the 
Budget.
PATIENTS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT; ARMED FORCES TAX FAIRNESS ACT
Committee on Ways and Means: Ordered reported, as amended, the 
following bills: H.R. 877, Patients Safety Improvement Act of 2003; and 
H.R. 878, Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2003.

[[Page D166]]


SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTION ACT
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Social Security held a 
hearing on H.R. 743, Social Security Protection Act of 2003. Testimony 
was heard from James G. Huse, Jr., Inspector General, SSA; Barbara 
Bovbjerg, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, GAO; and 
public witnesses.