[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D813-D814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, and Related Agencies approved for full Committee 
consideration an original bill making appropriations for Agriculture, 
Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004.
COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded hearings 
to examine the Compact of Free Association with the Federated States of 
Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, including related 
measure S.J. Res. 16, to approve the ``Compact of Free Association, as 
amended between the Government of the United States of America and the 
Government of the Federated States of Micronesia'', and the ``Compact 
of Free Association, as amended between the Government of the United 
States of America and the Government of the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands'', and otherwise to amend Public Law 99-239, and to appropriate 
for the purposes of amended Public Law 99-239 for fiscal years ending 
on or before September 30, 2023, after receiving testimony from Susan 
S. Westin, Managing Director, International Affairs and Trade, General 
Accounting Office; David Cohen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the 
Interior for Insular Affairs; Albert Short, Director, Office of Compact 
Negotiations, Department of State; Gerald M. Zackios, Minister of 
Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Marshall Islands; and Sebastian 
Anefal, Secretary of Economic Affairs, Federated States of Micronesia.
U.S. TAX POLICY
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded hearings on U.S. 
international tax rules on the competitiveness of U.S. businesses 
abroad, after receiving testimony from Senators Allen, Boxer, and 
Ensign; Pamela Olson, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax 
Policy; H. David Rosenbloom, Caplin and Drysdale, Washington, D.C.; 
James R. Hines, Jr., University of Michigan Business School, Ann Arbor; 
Daniel Kostenbauder, Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, California; 
Charles J. Hahn, Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan; Michael 
Gaffney, Merrill Lynch and Co., New York, New York, on behalf of the 
Securities Industry Association; and Stephen E. Shay, Ropes and Gray, 
LLP, Boston, Massachusetts.
HAITI
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine 
successes and challenges for U.S. policy relative to promoting economic 
development in Haiti, including related measures S. 489, to expand 
certain preferential trade treatment for Haiti and Public Law 105-277, 
the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act, after receiving testimony 
from Marc Grossman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; 
John B. Taylor, Under Secretary of the Treasury for International 
Affairs; Paul Farmer, Harvard Medical School Department of Social 
Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Steven David Forester, Haitian Women 
of Miami, and Rudolph Moise, Haitian Broadcasting Network, both of 
Miami, Florida.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Committee held hearings to examine 
certain situations where parents must relinquish custody in order to 
secure mental health services for their children, receiving testimony 
from Representatives Stark and Patrick Kennedy; Trina W. Osher, 
Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, Alexandria, 
Virginia; Tammy Seltzer, Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental 
Health Law, Washington, D.C.; Jane Adams, Keys for Networking, Topeka, 
Kansas; Theresa Brown, Westbrook, Maine; Cynthia Yonan, Glendale 
Heights, Illinois; and Patricia Cooper, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
  Hearings continue on Thursday, July 17, 2003.

[[Page D814]]


SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on 
Public Health concluded hearings to examine proposed legislation 
authorizing funds for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration, focusing on the importance of substance abuse 
prevention, after receiving testimony from Charles G. Curie, 
Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; Martha B. 
Knisley, District of Columbia Department of Mental Health, Washington, 
D.C.; First Lady of Ohio Hope Taft, Columbus; Lewis E. Gallant, 
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc., 
Washington, D.C.; and Gloria Walker, National Alliance for the Mentally 
Ill, Arlington, Virginia.
VISA ISSUANCE PROCESS
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Border 
Security and Citizenship concluded hearings to examine how the 
Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Justice could more 
effectively manage the visa process with clear and comprehensive 
policies and procedures and increased agency coordination and 
information sharing, after receiving testimony from Jess T. Ford, 
Director, International Affairs and Trade, General Accounting Office; 
Janice L. Jacobs, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa 
Services; and Michael T. Dougherty, Director of Operations, Bureau of 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Jayson P. Ahern, Assistant 
Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, Bureau of Customs and Border 
Protection, both of the Department of Homeland Security.
VA HOSPITALS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded hearings to examine 
the current status of VA hospitals, focusing on funding for VA medical 
care, enactment of Medicare reimbursements for non-service connected 
care, and the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services program 
(CARES), after receiving testimony from Ronald F. Conley, American 
Legion, Indianapolis, Indiana, who was accompanied by several of his 
associates.