[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2003)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D338-D339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: NAVY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded hearings 
to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2004 for the Navy, 
after receiving testimony from Hansford T. Johnson, Acting Secretary of 
the Navy; Admiral Vernon E. Clark, U.S. Navy, Chief of Naval 
Operations; and General Michael W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine 
Corps.
D.C. FOSTER CARE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on District of Columbia 
concluded hearings to examine the status of foster care in the District 
of Columbia, focusing on child welfare reform, and issues associated 
with the Child and Family Services Agency's performance and policies, 
after receiving testimony from Representative Tom Davis; Cornelia M. 
Ashby, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, 
General Accounting Office; Olivia A. Golden, Director, District of 
Columbia Child and Family Services Agency; Judith W. Meltzer, Center 
for the Study of Social Policy, Washington, D.C.; and Ann E. 
Schneiders, National Association of Counsel for Children, Denver, 
Colorado.
APPROPRIATIONS: FAA
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, 
and General Government to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
year 2004 for the Federal Aviation Administration, focusing on aviation 
safety and security issues, and financial challenges facing the 
aviation industry, after receiving testimony from Kenneth M. Mead, 
Inspector General, Marion C. Blakey, Administrator, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Jeffrey N. Shane, Under Secretary for Policy, all of 
the Department of Transportation.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION: DOE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded 
hearings to examine proposed legislation authorizing funds for fiscal 
year 2004 for the Department of Defense, focusing on the Department of 
Energy Office of Environmental Management and Office of Legacy 
Management, after receiving testimony from Jessie Hill Roberson, 
Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management, and Michael W. Owen, 
Director, Office of Worker and Community Transition, both of the 
Department of Energy.
UNIVERSAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Communications concluded hearings on the future of Universal Service, 
focusing on preserving and advancing high quality, reliable and 
affordable telecommunications services to the greatest extent 
throughout America, after receiving testimony from Kathleen Q. 
Abernathy, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; Carson 
Hughes, Telepax, Inc./Cellular South Licenses, Inc., Jackson, 
Mississippi, on behalf of the Wireless Independent Group; Joel E. 
Lubin, AT&T Corporation, Washington, D.C.; Matthew Dosch, Comporium 
Group, Rock Hill, South Carolina, on behalf of the United States 
Telecom Association; Robert W. Orent, Hiawatha Communications, Inc., 
Munising, Michigan, on behalf of the Independent Telephone and 
Telecommunications Alliance; William R. Gillis, Washington State 
University, Pullman; and Thomas R. Meade, Alaska Communications 
Systems, Jack H. Rhyner, TelAlaska, Inc., and Dana L. Tindall, General 
Communication, Inc., all of Anchorage, Alaska.
NASA
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Science, Technology, and Space concluded hearings to examine certain 
issues with respect to the NASA human space flight program, and the 
Space Shuttle Columbia accident, after receiving testimony from Marcia 
S. Smith, Specialist in Aerospace and Telecommunication Policy, 
Resources, Science and Industry Division, Congressional Research 
Service, Library of Congress; Brian E. Chase, National Space Society, 
Washington, D.C.; and Alex Roland, Duke University Department of 
History, Durham, North Carolina.
MILITARY ENCROACHMENT
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded 
oversight hearings to examine certain provisions of the President's 
proposed budget request for the National Defense Authorization Act for 
fiscal year 2004 relating to encroachment of environmental laws on 
military bases and training operations, after receiving testimony from 
Benedict S. Cohen, Deputy General Counsel for Environment and 
Installations, Department of Defense; John Peter Suarez, Assistant 
Administrator for Enforcement, and Compliance Assurance, Environmental 
Protection Agency; H. Craig Manson, Assistant Secretary of the Interior 
for Fish and Wildlife and Parks; Barry W. Holman, Director of Defense 
Infrastructure Issues, General Accounting Office; Frank J. Gaffney, 
Jr., Center for Security Policy, and Jamie Rappaport

[[Page D339]]

Clark, National Wildlife Federation, both of Washington, D.C.; Daniel 
S. Miller, Colorado Department of Law, and Douglas Benevento, Colorado 
Department of Public Health and Environment, both of Denver; Ingrid 
Lindemann, Aurora Colorado, on behalf of the National League of Cities; 
Bonner Cohen, Lexington Institute, Arlington, Virginia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following business items:
  An original bill, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to 
provide energy tax incentives;
  S. 760, to implement effective measures to stop trade in conflict 
diamonds, with an amendment;
  S. 753, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the 
modernization of the United States Tax Court; and
  The nominations of Mark W. Everson, of Texas, to be Commissioner of 
Internal Revenue, and Raymond T. Wagner, Jr., of Missouri, to be a 
Member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board, both of the 
Department of Treasury, and Diane L. Kroupa, of Minnesota, Mark Van 
Dyke Holmes, of New York, Harry A. Haines, of Montana, Robert Allen 
Wherry, Jr., of Colorado, and Joseph Robert Goeke, of Illinois, each to 
be a Judge of the United States Tax Court.
FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee held hearings to examine the 
President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2004 for United 
States foreign assistance, focusing on security and economic assistance 
programs, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Eurasia, and the Western 
Hemisphere, and development and expanding economies, after receiving 
testimony from William M. Bellamy, Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Charles P. Ries, Principal Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and J. 
Curtis Struble, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of the Western 
Hemisphere Affairs, all of the Department of State; and Constance Berry 
Newman, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Africa, Kent R. Hill, 
Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, Adolfo A. 
Franco, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and the 
Caribbean, and E. Anne Peterson, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for 
Global Health, all of the United States Agency for International 
Development.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on the 
nominations of Clay Johnson III, of Texas, to be Deputy Director for 
Management, Office of Management and Budget, who was introduced by 
Senators Hutchison and Cornyn, Albert Casey, of Texas, and James C. 
Miller III, of Virginia, each to be a Governor of the United States 
Postal Service, who were both introduced by Senator Hutchison, after 
each nominee testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S. 719, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the 
payment of compensation for certain individuals with injuries resulting 
from the administration of smallpox countermeasures, with an amendment;
  S. 389, to increase the supply of quality child care, with 
amendments;
  S. 231, to authorize the use of certain grant funds to establish an 
information clearinghouse that provides information to increase public 
access to defibrillation in schools.
INDIAN HEALTH CARE
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearing to examine S. 
556, to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise and 
extend that Act, after receiving testimony from Charles W. Grim, 
Interim Director, Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human 
Services; Julia Davis-Wheeler, Denver, Colorado, on behalf of the 
National Indian Health Board; and Don Kashevaroff, Alaska Native Tribal 
Health Consortium, Anchorage, Alaska.