[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D535-D536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
AGRICULTURAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
Committee on Agriculture: Held a hearing to review Agricultural Trade 
Negotiations. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO ASSISTIVE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
4278, Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with 
Disabilities Act of 2004.
REGIONAL ENERGY RELIABILITY AND SECURITY
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality 
held a hearing entitled ``Regional Energy Reliability and Security: DOE 
Authority to Energize the Cross Sound Cable.'' Testimony was heard from 
Senator Schumer; Representatives DeLauro, King of New York and Shays; the 
following officials of the Department of Energy: Patrick Wood, III, 
Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and Lee Otis, General 
Counsel; Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General, State of Connecticut; and 
public witnesses.
COMMUNICATIONS MARKETPLACE COMPETITION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the 
Internet held a hearing entitled ``Competition in the Communications 
Marketplace: How Convergence Is Blurring the Lines Between Voice, Video, and 
Data Services.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
PROGRAM ASSESSMENT AND RESULTS ACT; OVERSIGHT--NASA'S FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and 
Financial Management approved for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 
3826, Program Assessment and Results Act.
  The Subcommittee also held an oversight hearing entitled ``Mission 
Impossible? Fixing NASA's Financial Management.'' Testimony was heard from 
the following officials of NASA: Gwendolyn Brown, Chief Financial Officer; 
Robert Cobb, Inspector General; and Greg Kutz, Director, Financial 
Management and Assurance, GAO.
FEDERAL ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Technology, Information 
Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census held an oversight hearing 
entitled ``Federal Enterprise Architecture: A Blueprint for Improved Federal 
IT Investment and Cross-Agency Collaboration and Information Sharing.'' 
Testimony was heard from Karen S. Evans, Administrator of E-Government and 
Information Technology, OMB; Randolph C. Hite, Director, Information 
Technology Architecture and Systems, GAO; Daniel Matthews, Chief Information 
Office, Department of Transportation; Kim Nelson, Chief Information Officer, 
EPA, and public witnesses.
MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACT
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on Implementation of 
the Millennium Challenge Act. Testimony was heard from Paul Applegarth, 
Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation.
ESTABLISH A COMMISSION IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO ASSIST PARLIAMENTS 
IN EMERGING DEMOCRACIES
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Europe approved for 
full Committee action H. Res. 642, Providing for the establishment of a 
commission in the House of Representatives to assist parliaments in emerging 
democracies.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Resources: Ordered reported the following bills: H.R. 646, 
amended, To Expand the boundaries of the Fort Donelson National Battlefield 
to authorize the acquisition and interpretation of lands associated with the 
campaign that resulted in the capture of the fort in 1862; H.R. 1156, To 
amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to 
increase the ceiling on the Federal share of the costs of phase I of the 
Orange County, California, Regional Water Reclamation Project; H.R. 2619, 
amended, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Point National Wildlife Refuge 
Expansion Act of 2003; H.R. 2831, amended, Newlands Project Headquarters and 
Maintenance Yard Facility Transfer Act; H.R. 2909, amended, Utah Test and 
Training Range Protection Act; H.R. 3785, amended, To authorize the exchange 
of certain land in Everglades Park; H.R. 4115, To amend the Act of November 
2, 1966 (80 Stat. 1112), to allow binding arbitration clauses to be included 
in all contracts affecting the land within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa 
Indian Reservation; H.R. 4158, To provide for the conveyance to the 
Government of Mexico of a decommissioned National Oceanic and Atmosphere 
Administration ship; H.R. 4362, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior 
to accept a parcel of Federal land in the State of Washington in trust for 
the Nisqually Tribe, to ensure that the acceptance of such land

[[Page D536]]

does not adversely affect the Bonneville Power Administration; S. 144, 
amended, Noxious Weed Control Act of 2003; and S. 1146, Three Affiliated 
Tribes Health Facility Compensation Act.
FEDERAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY R&D PROGRAMS IMPACT
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing entitled ``The 
Impact of Federal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy R&D Programs.'' 
Testimony was heard from Peter Smith, Energy Research and Development 
Authority, State of New York; and public witnesses.
EPA--HOMELAND SECURITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Science: Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards 
held a hearing entitled ``Homeland Security Research and Development at the 
EPA: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead.'' Testimony was heard from Paul Gilman, 
Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and Development, EPA; Penrose C. 
Albright, Assistant Secretary, Science and Technology Directorate, 
Department of Homeland Security; and public witnesses.
RED TAPE REDUCTION
Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing entitled ``Red Tape Reduction: 
Improving the Competitiveness of America's Small Manufacturers,'' Testimony 
was heard from John Graham, Administrator, Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, OMB; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--BIOMETRICS USE TO IMPROVE AVIATION SECURITY
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Aviation 
held an oversight hearing on The Use of Biometrics to Improve Aviation 
Security. Testimony was heard from Stewart Verdery, Assistant Secretary for 
Policy, Border and Transportation Security, Department of Homeland Security; 
Keith A. Rhodes, Chief Technologist, Applied Research and Methods, GAO; and 
public witnesses.
VETERANS LEGISLATION
  Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Ordered reported the following bills: 
H.R. 4231, amended, Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse Recruitment and 
Retention Act of 2004; H.R. 4248, amended, Homeless Veterans Assistance 
Reauthorization Act of 2004; H.R. 3936, To amend title 38, United States 
Code, to authorize the principal office of the United States Court of 
Appeals for Veterans Claims to be at any location in the Washington, 
D.C., metropolitan area, rather than only in the District of Columbia, 
and expressing the sense of Congress that a dedicated Veterans Courthouse 
and Justice Center should be provided for that Court and those it serves 
and should be located, if feasible, at a site owned by the United States 
that is part of or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation; H.R. 4345, To 
amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the maximum amount of 
home loan guaranty available under the home loan guaranty program of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs; H.R. 1716, amended, Veterans Earn and 
Learn Act of 2004; and H.R. 4175, amended, Veterans' Compensation Cost-
of-Living Adjustment Act of 2004, 2 p.m., 334 Cannon.
VA'S ROLE--IN ELECTRONIC-MEDICAL RECORDS SYSTEMS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 
held a hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs' role in the 
development of interoperable Electronic-medical records systems in the 
Federal Government. Testimony was heard from Linda Koontz, Director, 
Information Management Issues, GAO; Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D., Acting Under 
Secretary, Health, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans 
Affairs; James C. Reardon, Chief Information Officer, Military Health 
System, Department of Defense; and public witnesses.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS--BRIEFING--DOD'S INTELLIGENCE REFORM INITIATIVE
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
consider pending business.
  The Committee also met in executive session to receive a briefing on 
Department of Defense Intelligence Reform Initiative (DoD HUMINT Reform). 
The Committee was briefed by departmental witnesses.
Joint Meetings
2005 BUDGET
Conferees: On Tuesday, May 18, 2004, agreed to file a conference report on 
S. Con. Res. 95, setting forth the congressional budget for the United 
States Government for fiscal year 2005 and including the appropriate 
budgetary levels for fiscal years 2006 through 2009.
F