[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D386-D388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior continued 
appropriation hearings. Testimony was heard from Members of Congress.
LABOR, HHS, EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing on NIH, with 
emphasis on Budget/Road Map. Testimony was heard from Elias A. 
Zerhouni, MD, Director, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services.
TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury 
and Independent Agencies held a hearing on the IRS. Testimony was heard 
from Mark W. Everson. Commissioner, IRS, Department of the Treasury
VA, HUD, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent 
Agencies held a hearing on NASA. Testimony was heard from Sean O'Keefe, 
Administrator, NASA.
IRAQ'S TRANSITION TO SOVEREIGNTY
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on Iraq's Transition to 
Sovereignty. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Defense: Paul D. Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary; GEN Richard 
B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Judith Yaphe, 
Senior Fellow, National Defense University; Mark I. Grossman, Under 
Secretary, Political Affairs, Department of State; Amatzia Baram, 
Resident Fellow, United States Institute of Peace; and GEN John Keane, 
USA (ret.), former Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army.
DOD PERFORMANCE OF ACQUISITION PROCESS
Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on the Performance of the 
Department of Defense Acquisition Process in Support of Force 
Protection for Combat Forces. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Defense: Michael W. Wynne, Acting Under 
Secretary (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics); LTG Joseph L. 
Yakovac, Jr., USA, Military Deputy and Director, Army Acquisition 
Corps, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, 
Logistics and Technology); and MG Buford C. Blount III, USA, Assistant 
Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3, both with the Department of the Army; LTG 
Edward Hanlon, Jr., USMC, Deputy Commandant, Combat Development and 
Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; and BG 
William D. Catto, USMC, Commanding General, Marine Corps Systems 
Command, both with the Department of the Navy.
RAISING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT--IMPORTANCE OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Held a hearing on the 
Importance of Highly Qualified Teachers in Raising Academic 
Achievement. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
DOD--CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AFFECTING READINESS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air 
Quality and the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials 
held a joint hearing entitled ``Current Environmental Issues Affecting 
the Readiness of the Department of Defense.'' Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of the Department of Defense: Raymond DuBois, 
Deputy Under Secretary, Installations and Environment; and BG Louis W. 
Weber, USA, Director of Training; Marianne Lamont Horinko, Assistant 
Administrator, Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA; the following 
officials of the State of Colorado: Douglas H. Benevento, Executive 
Director, Department of Public Health and Environment; and Dan Miller, 
First Assistant Attorney General, Natural Resources and Environmental 
Section, Department of Law; and public witnesses.
FASB STOCK OPTIONS PROPOSAL--EFFECT ON U.S. ECONOMY AND JOBS
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Capital Markets, 
Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises held a hearing entitled 
``The FASB Stock Options Proposal: Its Effect on the U.S. Economy and 
Jobs.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
DOD'S COUNTERNARCOTICS
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug 
Policy and Human Resources held a hearing entitled ``DOD's 
Counternarcotics: What Is Congress Getting For Its Money?'' Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: 
Tom O'Connell, Assistant Secretary, Special Operations and Low 
Intensity Conflict; and BG Benjamin Mixon, USA, U.S. Southern Command, 
J-3 Operations Office; and RADM David Kunkel, USCG, U.S. Pacific 
Command, J-3

[[Page D387]]

Operations Office, Department of Homeland Security.
IRAQ OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Security, 
Emerging Threats and International Relations held a hearing on Iraq 
Oil-for-Food Program: Starving for Accountability. Testimony was heard 
from the following officials of the Department of State: Patrick F. 
Kennedy, U.S. Representative for United Nations Management and Reform, 
U.S. Mission to the United Nations; and Robin L. Raphel, Coordinator, 
Office of Iraq Reconstruction; Michael J. Thibault, Deputy Director, 
Defense Contract Audit Agency, Department of Defense; Jeff Ross, Senior 
Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, Executive Office for Terrorist 
Financing and Financial Crimes, Department of the Treasury; and public 
witnesses.
PROTECTING OUR NATION'S CYBER SPACE
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Technology, Information 
Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, hearing entitled 
``Protecting Our Nation's Cyber Space: Educational Awareness for the 
Cyber Citizen.'' Testimony was heard from Orson Swindle, Commissioner, 
FTC; Amit Yoran, Director, National Cyber Security Directorate, 
Department of Homeland Security; and public witnesses.
TAIWAN RELATIONS ACT
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on The Taiwan 
Relations Act: The Next Twenty-Five Years. Testimony was heard from 
James A. Kelly, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs, Department of State; Peter W. Rodman, Assistant Secretary, 
International Security Affairs, Department of Defense; and public 
witnesses.
U.S. AND NORTHERN EUROPE: THE E-PINE INITIATIVE
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Europe held a 
hearing on the U.S. and Northern Europe: The e-PINE Initiative. 
Testimony was heard from Heather Conley, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State; and the 
following Ambassadors to the United States: His Excellency Jan K. 
Eliasson, Sweden; and His Excellency Vygaudas Usackas, Republic of 
Lithuania.
OVERSIGHT--DEADLINE EXTENSION FOR REQUIRING FOREIGN VISITORS TO PRESENT 
BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS
Committee on the Judiciary: Held an oversight hearing entitled ``Should 
the Congress extend the October, 2004 Statutory Deadline for Requiring 
Foreign Visitors to Present Biometric Passports?'' Testimony was heard 
from Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State; and Tom Ridge, Secretary of 
Homeland Security.
TERRORIST PENALTIES ENHANCEMENT ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and 
Homeland Security approved for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 
2934, Terrorist Penalties Enhancement Act of 2003.
  Prior to this action, the Subcommittee held a hearing on this 
legislation. Testimony was heard from Representative Carter; Johnny 
Sutton, U.S. Attorney, Western District of Texas, Department of 
Justice; and public witnesses.
COLORADO RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION BOUNDARY CORRECTION ACT
Committee on Resources: Held a hearing on H.R. 2941, Colorado River 
Indian Reservation Boundary Correction Act. Testimony was heard from 
Michael Olsen, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs, 
Department of the Interior; and a public witness.
TRIBAL FOREST PROTECTION ACT OF 2004
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
a hearing on H.R. 3846, Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004. Testimony 
was heard from Mark Rey, Under Secretary, Natural Resources and 
Environment, USDA; and public witnesses.
CONTINUITY IN REPRESENTATION ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by a vote of 6 to 3, a structured rule 
providing 60 minutes of general debate on H.R. 2844, Continuity in 
Representation Act of 2004, with 40 minutes equally divided and 
controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee 
on House Administration and 20 minutes equally divided and controlled 
by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on the 
Judiciary. The rule waives points of order against consideration of the 
bill for failure to comply with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII (requiring 
the inclusion of general performance goals and objectives in a 
committee report). The rule provides that the amendment in the nature 
of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary now 
printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in Part A of the 
report of the Committee on Rules accompanying the resolution, shall be 
considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment, which 
shall be considered as read. The rule makes in order only those 
amendments printed in part B of the Rules Committee report accompanying 
the resolution. The rule provides that the amendments made in order may 
be offered only in the

[[Page D388]]

order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated 
in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the 
time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the 
proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall 
not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or 
in the Committee of the Whole. The rule waives all points of order 
against the amendments printed in the report. Finally, the rule 
provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported, as 
amended, H.R. 3879, Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005.
GDIP BUDGET
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
hold a hearing on GDIP Budget. Testimony was heard from departmental 
witnesses.
BRIEFING--NARCO-TERROR CONNECTIONS
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Terrorism 
and Homeland Security met in executive session to receive a briefing on 
Narco-Terror Connections. The Subcommittee was briefed by departmental 
witnesses.
DHS INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION DIVISION
Select Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, 
Science, and Research and Development and the Subcommittee on 
Infrastructure and Border Security held a joint hearing entitled ``The 
DHS Infrastructure Protection Division: Public-Private Partnerships to 
Secure Critical Infrastructures''. Testimony was heard from Robert 
Liscouski, Assistant Secretary, Infrastructure Protection, Department 
of Homeland Security; Robert Dacey, Director, Informational Security 
Issues, GAO; George C. Newstrom, Secretary of Technology, State of 
Virginia; and public witnesses.

 Joint Meetings
 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
 Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 
outlook for the U.S. economy, after receiving testimony from Alan 
Greenspan, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.