[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 27 (Thursday, March 4, 2004)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D182-D185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Subcommittee on 
Marketing, Inspection, and Product Promotion concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine the development of a national animal identification plan, 
focusing on the benefits and current status of animal identification systems 
and the plan of the Department of Agriculture for implementation of a 
national identification system, after receiving testimony from William 
Hawks, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; 
Bret D. Marsh, Indianapolis, Indiana, on behalf of the U.S. Animal Health 
Association; Fritz Schmitz-Hsu, Ittigen, Switzerland, on behalf of the 
Animal Tracking Corporation; Mike John, Columbia, Missouri, on behalf of the 
National Cattlemen's Beef Association; Joy Philippi, Bruning, Nebraska, on 
behalf of the National Pork Producers Council; Bob Lehfeldt, Montana Wool 
Growers Association, Helena, on behalf of the American Sheep Industry 
Association; and Ronald Ostberg, Montana Farmers Union, Great Falls, on 
behalf of the National Farmers Union.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies 
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 
2005 for the Department of Energy, after receiving testimony from Spencer 
Abraham, Secretary of Energy.
APPROPRIATIONS: GAO/GPO/CBO
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch concluded a 
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the 
General Accounting Office (GAO), the Government Printing Office (GPO), and 
the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), after receiving testimony from David 
M. Walker, Comptroller General, Gene L. Dodaro, Chief Operating Officer, 
Stanley Czerwinski, Associate Director, Housing and Community Development 
Issues, and Sallyanne Harper, Chief Mission Support Office and Chief 
Financial Officer, all of the General Accounting Office; Bruce James, Public 
Printer and William H. Turri, Deputy Public Printer, both of the Government 
Printing Office; and Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, and Elizabeth M. 
Robinson, Deputy Director, both of the Congressional Budget Office.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget 
estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the Department of Education, after 
receiving testimony from Roderick Paige, Secretary of Education; Paul G. 
Vallas, School District of Philadelphia, Sam Evans, American Foundation for 
Negro Affairs, and C. Delores Tucker, Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Association for Nonviolence, Inc., all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; James 
Weaver, Pennsylvania State Education Association, Harrisburg; Melissa 
Jamula, Reading School District, Reading, Pennsylvania; James R. Scanlon, 
Quakertown Community School District, Quakertown, Pennsylvania; and Marie 
Slobojan, Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, Berwyn, Pennsylvania.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2005, focusing on military 
strategy and operational requirements, after receiving testimony from 
General James L. Jones, Jr., USMC, Commander, United States European Command 
and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; and General John P. Abizaid, USA, 
Commander, United States Central Command.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a hearing 
to examine the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, focusing 
on compensation, benefits, and health care for active and Reserve military 
personnel and their families, after receiving testimony from Senators 
Daschle and Graham (SC); Charles S. Abell, Principal Deputy Under Secretary 
for Personnel and Readiness, and William Winkenwerder, Jr., Assistant 
Secretary for Health Affairs, both of the Department of Defense;

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Joyce Wessel Raezer, National Military Family Association, Sue Schwartz, 
Military Coalition Health Care Committee, Master Sergeant Michael P. Cline, 
USA (Ret.), Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, 
all of Alexandria, Virginia; Deirdre Parke Holleman, Retired Enlisted 
Association, Aurora, Colorado; and Colonel Dennis M. Duggan, USA (Ret.), 
American Legion, Washington, D.C.
2005 BUDGET
Committee on the Budget: Committee continued in evening session to mark up a 
proposed concurrent resolution setting forth the fiscal year 2005 budget for 
the Federal Government.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the nominations of Rhonda Keenum, of Mississippi, to be 
Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States 
and Foreign Commercial Services, who was introduced by Senator Cochran and 
Representative Wicker; Linda Morrison Combs, of North Carolina, to be an 
Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial Officer, 
Department of Transportation, who was introduced by Senator Dole; W. Douglas 
Buttrey, of Tennessee, who was introduced by Representative Ford, and 
Francis Mulvey, of Maryland, both to be a Member of the Surface 
Transportation Board, Department of Transportation, who was introduced by 
Representative Oberstar, after each nominee testified and answered questions 
in their own behalf.
ENERGY OUTLOOK 2004
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 
2004 forecast regarding the supply, demand, and price projections for oil, 
natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable resources, including commercial and 
market perspectives on the state of oil and natural gas markets, after 
receiving testimony from Guy F. Caruso, Administrator, Energy Information 
Administration, Department of Energy; Richard J. Sharples, Anadarko 
Petroleum Corporation, The Woodlands, Texas; Paul D. Koonce, Dominion 
Energy, Inc., Richmond, Virginia; and Jay Saunders, DeutscheBank, New York, 
New York.
NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy concluded 
a hearing to examine new nuclear power generation in the United States, 
focusing on Browns Ferry Unit 1, nuclear power plant license renewal, power 
uprates (requests to raise the maximum power level at which a nuclear power 
plant may be operated), and heightened security at U.S. commercial reactors, 
after receiving testimony from Glenn L. McCullough, Jr., Chairman, Tennessee 
Valley Authority; William D. Travers, Executive Director for Operations, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Marvin S. Fertel, Nuclear Energy 
Institute, Washington, D.C.; James K. Asselstine, Lehman Brothers, Inc., New 
York, New York; and Jim M. Bernhard, Shaw Group, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
following items:
  S. 2144, to authorize appropriations for the Department of State and 
international broadcasting activities for fiscal year 2005, for the Peace 
Corps for fiscal year 2005 through 2007, for foreign assistance programs for 
fiscal year 2005, with amendments;
  S. 2096, to promote a free press and open media through the National 
Endowment for Democracy;
  S. 2127, to build operational readiness in civilian agencies;
  Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the 
Government of Japan for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention 
of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Washington on 
November 6, 2003, together with a Protocol and an exchange of notes (the 
``Convention'') (Treaty Doc. 108-14);
  The Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and 
the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the 
Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with 
Respect to Taxes on Income, Signed at Colombo on March 14, 1985. (Treaty 
Doc. 99-10);
  Protocol Amending the Convention Between the Government of the United 
States of America and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of 
Sri Lanka for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal 
Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income signed at Colombo on March 14, 1985, 
together with an exchange of notes, signed at Washington on September 20, 
2002 (the ``Protocol'') (Treaty Doc. 108-9), with 1 understanding;
  The Protocol Additional to the Agreement Between the United States of 
America and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of 
Safeguards in the United States of America, with annexes, signed at Vienna 
June 12, 1998 (Treaty Doc. 107-7), with 2 conditions and 8 understandings; 
and
  The nominations of Feliciano Foyo, of Florida, and Robert Hurley McKinney, 
of Indiana, each to be a Member of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting, 
Edward E. Kaufman, of Delaware, and Steven J. Simmons, of Connecticut, each 
to be a Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Glyn T. Davies, of 
the District of Columbia, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of 
service as the Political Director for the United States Presidency of the G-
8, and Sanford Gottesman, of Texas, Diane M. Ruebling, of California, and C. 
William Swank, of Ohio, each to be a Member of the Board of Directors

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of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and Richard S. Williamson, 
of Illinois, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as 
Representative of the United States of America on the Human Rights 
Commission of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
HONG KONG
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs concluded a hearing to examine the prospects for democratic 
development in Hong Kong, focusing on the challenge of redefining Hong 
Kong's economic and political structure, after receiving testimony from 
Randall G. Schriver, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and 
Pacific Affairs; Martin Lee Chu-ming and James To, each a member of Hong 
Kong's Legislative Council, Lee Cheuk-yan, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade 
Unions, and Law Yuk-Kai, Human Rights Monitor Director, all of Hong Kong; 
and James V. Feinerman, Georgetown University Law Center, Ellen Bork, 
Project for the New American Century, and John J. Tkacik, Jr., Heritage 
Foundation, all of Washington, D.C.
HIGHER EDUCATION ACT & THE WORKFORCE
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine issues for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, 
focusing on a knowledge-based economy, the relationship between 
postsecondary education and the workforce, and financial aid, after 
receiving testimony from Charles H. Bohlen, Laramie County Community 
College, Cheyenne, Wyoming, on behalf of the American Association of 
Community Colleges on the Higher Education Act; James C. Votruba, Northern 
Kentucky University, Highland Heights; Beth B. Buehlmann, U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce Center for Workforce Preparation, Washington, D.C.; Diana G. 
Oblinger, Microsoft Corporation, Bellevue, Washington; and Ellen O'Brien 
Saunders, Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating 
Board, Olympia.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nominations of Raymond W. Gruender, of Missouri, to be United States Circuit 
Judge for the Eighth Circuit, Franklin S. Van Antwerpen, of Pennsylvania, to 
be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, Judith C. Herrera, to 
be United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico, F. Dennis 
Saylor IV, to be United States District Judge for the District of 
Massachusetts, Sandra L. Townes, to be United States District Judge for the 
Eastern District of New York, Louis Guirola, Jr., to be United States 
District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi, Virginia E. 
Hopkins, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of 
Alabama, Kenneth M. Karas, to be United States District Judge for the 
Southern District of New York, Ricardo S. Martinez, of Washington, to be 
United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington, Gene E. 
K. Pratter, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of 
Pennsylvania, Neil Vincent Wake, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Arizona,
  William S. Duffey, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the 
Northern District of Georgia, and Michele M. Leonhart, of California, to 
be Deputy Administrator of Drug Enforcement,
  Domingo S. Herraiz, of Ohio, to be Director of the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance, LaFayette Collins, to be United States Marshal for the 
Western District of Texas, and Ronald J. Tenpas, of Illinois, to be 
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, all of the 
Department of Justice.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee concluded closed hearings on 
intelligence matters after receiving testimony from officials of the 
intelligence community.
MONEY LAUNDERING
United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: Caucus 
concluded a hearing to examine the current status of federal efforts to 
coordinate and combat money laundering and terrorist financing, after 
receiving testimony from Loren Yager, Director, International Affairs and 
Trade, General Accounting Office; Juan C. Zarate, Deputy Assistant Secretary 
of the Treasury, Executive Office for Terrorist Financing and Financial 
Crimes; Michael T. Dougherty, Director of Operations, U.S. Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security; and Gary M. Bald, 
Acting Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, and Karen P. Tandy, Administrator, Drug Enforcement 
Administration, both of the Department of Justice; and Raymond W. Baker, 
Center for International Policy, Washington, D.C.
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