[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 44 (Thursday, April 1, 2004)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D335-D337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Related Agencies, and Education concluded a hearing to 
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for the National 
Institutes of Health, after receiving testimony from Elias Zerhouni, 
Director, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human 
Services, who was accompanied by several of his associates.
APPROPRIATIONS: INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior and Related 
Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for 
fiscal year 2005 for the Indian Health Service, Department of Health 
and Human Services, after receiving testimony from Charles W. Grim, 
Assistant Surgeon General, and Director, Indian Health Service, and 
Gary J. Hartz, Assistant Surgeon General, Acting Director, Office of 
Public Health, both of the Department of Health and Human Services.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent 
Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for 
fiscal year 2005 for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
after receiving testimony from John Weicher, Commissioner, Federal 
Housing Administration, Michael Liu, Assistant Secretary for Public and 
Indian Housing, Roy A. Benardi, Assistant Secretary for Community 
Planning and Development, all of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development.
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, 
and General Government held a hearing to examine future challenges 
facing the United States Postal Service, focusing on the Transformation 
Plan of both the near-term and long-term efforts that will result in a 
continued ability to fulfill the mission of the Postal Service--to 
deliver business and personal mail affordably to everyone, everywhere, 
receiving testimony from John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief 
Executive Officer, U.S. Postal Service.
APPROPRIATIONS: AGRICULTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine 
proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for certain programs 
under its jurisdiction, after receiving testimony from Eric M. Bost, 
Under Secretary for Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, Elsa A. 
Murano, Under Secretary for Food Safety, and William T. Hawks, Under 
Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, all of the Department 
of Agriculture; and Lester M. Crawford, Acting Commissioner, Food and 
Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the proposed Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, 
focusing on the military strategy and operational requirements of the 
unified and regional commands, after receiving testimony from Admiral 
Thomas B. Fargo, USN, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Navy; 
General Leon J. LaPorte, USA, Commander, United Nations Command and 
Republic of Korea/United States Combined Forces Command, and Commander, 
U.S. Forces Korea, U.S. Army; and General James T. Hill, USA, 
Commander, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army.
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management 
Support concluded a hearing to examine the proposed Defense 
Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005, focusing on military 
installation programs, after receiving testimony from Raymond F. 
DuBois, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and 
Environment; Major General Larry J. Lust, USA, Assistant Chief of Staff 
for Installation Management, U.S. Army; Rear Admiral Christopher 
Weaver, USN, Commander, Navy Installations Command; Brigadier General 
Willie J. Williams, USMC, Assistant Deputy Commandant, Installations 
and Logistics (Facilities), U.S. Marine Corps; and Major General L. 
Dean Fox, USAF, Air Force Civil Engineer.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered 
favorably reported S. 1508, to address regulation of secondary mortgage 
market enterprises, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
NASA'S BUDGET
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the

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President's proposed fiscal year 2005 budget request for the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), focusing on goals set 
forth in the new U.S. space exploration policy, major implementation 
elements and associated budget details, implications for NASA's 
organization, and what the Nation's future in exploration and discovery 
will look like in the coming years, after receiving testimony from Sean 
O'Keefe, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air, 
Climate Change and Nuclear Safety concluded an oversight hearing to 
examine the implementation of the National Ambient Air Quality 
Standards for particulate matter and ozone, focusing on Federal and 
State governments meeting standards to improve air quality, after 
receiving testimony from Michael O. Leavitt, Administrator, 
Environmental Protection Agency; Robert A. Eckels, County Judge, Harris 
County, Texas; Michael Fisher, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, 
Cincinnati, Ohio; and George D. Thurston, New York University School of 
Medicine, New York.
ECONOMIC TREATIES
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment 
and Protocol to Convention on International Interests in Mobile 
Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment, concluded at Cape 
Town, South Africa, on November 16, 2001 (Treaty Doc. 108-10), 
Additional Protocol Between the Government of the United States of 
America and the Government of Romania Concerning the Reciprocal 
Encouragement and Protection of Investment of May 28, 1992, signed at 
Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-13), Additional 
Protocol Between the United States of America and the Republic of 
Bulgaria Amending the Treaty Between the United States of America and 
the Republic of Bulgaria Concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal 
Protection of Investment of September 23, 1992, signed at Brussels on 
September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-15), Protocol Between the 
Government of the United States of America and the Government of the 
Republic of Estonia to the Treaty for the Encouragement and Reciprocal 
Protection of Investment of April 19, 1994, signed at Brussels on 
October 24, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-17), Additional Protocol Between the 
United States of America and the Czech Republic to the Treaty Between 
the United States of America and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic 
Concerning the Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investment of 
October 22, 1991, signed at Brussels on December 10, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 
108-18), Additional Protocol Between the United States of America and 
the Slovak Republic to the Treaty Between the United States of America 
and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic Concerning the Reciprocal 
Encouragement and Protection of Investment of October 22, 1991, signed 
at Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-19), Additional 
Protocol Between the Government of the United States of America and the 
Government of the Republic of Latvia to the Treaty for the 
Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment of January 13, 
1995, signed at Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 108-20), 
Additional Protocol Between the Government of the United States of 
America and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to the Treaty 
for the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment of 
January 14, 1998, signed at Brussels on September 22, 2003 (Treaty Doc. 
108-21), and the Additional Protocol Between the United States of 
America and the Republic of Poland to the Treaty Between the United 
States of America and the Republic of Poland Concerning Business and 
Economic Relations of March 21, 1990, signed at Brussels on January 12, 
2004 (Treaty Doc. 108-22), after receiving testimony from Shaun E. 
Donnelly, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business 
Affairs; and Jeffrey Rosen, General Counsel, Department of 
Transportation.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nominations of Peter W. Hall, of Vermont, to be United States Circuit 
Judge for the Second Circuit, William Gerry Myers III, of Idaho, to be 
United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Roger T. Benitez, to 
be United States District Judge for the Southern District of 
California, Jane J. Boyle, to be United States District Judge for the 
Northern District of Texas, Marcia G. Cooke, to be United States 
District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, Paul S. Diamond, 
to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of 
Pennsylvania, Walter D. Kelley, Jr., to be United States District Judge 
for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew G. Whitaker, to be 
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, Department of 
Justice.
TEMPORARY GUEST WORKER PROPOSAL
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration and Border 
Security concluded a hearing to examine the security of this nation's 
borders under the proposed temporary guest worker program, after 
receiving testimony from Robert Bonner, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection, and C.

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Stewart Verdery, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Policy, Border and 
Transportation Security Directorate, both of the Department of Homeland 
Security; Donna Bucella, Director, Terrorist Screening Center, Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice; Daniel Griswald, Cato 
Institute, Washington, D.C.; and Margaret D. Stock, U.S. Military 
Academy, West Point, New York.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Veterans Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of Robert N. Davis, to be a Judge of the United States 
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, who was introduced by Senators 
Cochran and Lott; and Pamela M. Iovino, of the District of Columbia, to 
be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Congressional 
Affairs, who was introduced by Representative Murphy, after the 
nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.