[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 92 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D724-D725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

 Committee Meetings
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS
 Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia 
approved for full Committee action the District of Columbia 
appropriations for fiscal year 2005.
TROOP ROTATIONS; MOBILIZATION OF ARMY'S READY RESERVE
 Committee on Armed Services: Held a hearing on Army and Marine Corps 
troop rotations for Operation Iraqi Freedom 3 and Operation Enduring 
Freedom 6 and the mobilization of the Army's Individual Ready Reserve. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
Defense: David S.C. Chu, Under Secretary, Personnel and Readiness; LTG 
Norton A. Schwartz, USAF, Director of Operations (J-3), Joint Chiefs of 
Staff; LTG Richard A. Cody, USA, Vice Chief of Staff, Department of the 
Army; and LTG Jan C. Huly, USMC, Deputy Commandant, Marine Corps, Plan, 
Policies, and Operations.
EXAMINING CASH BALANCE PENSION PLANS
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Held a hearing entitled 
``Examining Cash Balance Pension Plans: Separating Myth from Fact.'' 
Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL SERVICES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications 
and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Voice Over Internet Protocol 
Services: Will the Technology Disrupt the Industry or Will Regulation 
Disrupt the Technology?'' Testimony was heard from Jeffrey Carlisle, 
Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau, FCC; and 
public witnesses.
ENSURING ACCURACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN LAB TESTING
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Criminal Justice 
continued hearings entitled ``Part II--Ensuring Accuracy and 
Accountability in Laboratory Testing: Does the Experience of Maryland 
General Hospital Expose Cracks in the System?'' Testimony was heard 
from Carol Benner, Director, Office of Health Care Quality, Department 
of Health and Mental Hygiene, State of Maryland; and public witnesses.
FILLING UP--DRIVING DOWN THE COST
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural 
Resources and Regulatory Affairs held a hearing entitled ``Driving Down 
the Cost of Filling Up.'' Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Department of Energy: Guy F. Caruso, Administrator, 
Energy Information Administration; and Mark R. Maddox, Acting Assistant 
Secretary, Fossil Energy; Jeffrey R. Holmstead, Assistant 
Administrator, Air and Radiation, EPA; Jim Wells, Director, Natural 
Resources and Environment, GAO; William E. Kovacic, General Counsel, 
FTC; and public witnesses.
DOD--BUSINESS PROCESS MODERNIZATION
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Government Efficiency 
and Financial Management and the Subcommittee on National Security, 
Emerging Threats and International Relations held a joint oversight 
hearing entitled ``Business Process Modernization at the Department of 
Defense.'' Testimony was heard from Lawrence Lanzilotta, Under 
Secretary, Comptroller (Acting); and Greg Kutz, Director, Financial 
Management and Assurance, GAO.
DEFINING FEDERAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Technology, Information 
Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census held an oversight 
hearing entitled ``Defining Federal Information Technology Research and 
Development: Who? Where? What? Why? And How Much?'' Testimony was heard 
from David Nelson, Director, National Coordination Office, Information 
Technology Research and Development, Executive Office of the President; 
Peter Freeman, Co-Chairman, Interagency Working Group and Assistant 
Director, Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate, 
NSF; Hratch Semerjian, Acting Director, National Institute of Standards 
and Technology, Department of Commerce; C. Edward Oliver, Associate 
Director, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Department 
of Energy; and public witnesses.
ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEM SECURITY
Committee on House Administration: Held a hearing on Electronic Voting 
System Security. Testimony was heard from Kathy Rogers, Director, 
Elections Administration, Office of the Secretary of State, State of 
Georgia; Linda H. Lamone, Administrator, Board of Elections, State of 
Maryland; and public witnesses.
U.S. SUPPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on International 
Terrorism, Nonproliferation and

[[Page D725]]

Human Rights held a hearing on United States Support of Human Rights 
and Democracy. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of State: Lorne W. Craner, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of 
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; and Roger P. Winter, Assistant 
Administrator, Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian 
Assistant, U.S. Agency for International Development; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported the following bills: S. 
2363, to revise and extend the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; and 
H.R. 4518, as amended, Satellite Home Viewer Extension and 
Reauthorization Act of 2004.
 LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS
 Committee on Rules: Granted by voice vote, a structured rule providing 
for consideration of H.R. 4755, making appropriations for the 
Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005. The 
rule provides one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled 
by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the bill. The rule provides that the bill shall be 
considered as read. The rule waives points of order against provisions 
in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI 
(prohibiting unauthorized appropriations or legislative provisions in 
an appropriations bill). The rule makes in order only those amendments 
printed in the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution. The 
rule provides that the amendments printed in the report may be offered 
only in the 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. Testimony was heard from Chairman Kingston and 
Representative Holt.
 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY COMPETITIVENESS ACT OF 2004
 Committee on Rules: Granted by voice vote, a structured rule providing 
for consideration of H.R. 3598, Manufacturing Technology 
Competitiveness Act of 2004. The rule provides one hour of general 
debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Science. The rule waives all points 
of order against consideration of the bill. The rule provides that the 
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on 
Science now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill 
for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read. The rule 
waives all points of order against the committee amendment in the 
nature of a substitute. The rule makes in order only those amendments 
printed in the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution. The 
rule provides that the amendments printed in the report may be offered 
only in the 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 a 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. Testimony was heard from Chairman Boehlert and 
Representatives Ehlers, Peterson (PA), Gordon, Costello, Larson (CT), 
Udall (CO), Jackson-Lee (TX), Slaughter, and Emanuel.
 REBATE OF VALUE ADDED TAXES AT THE BORDER
 Committee on Small Business: Held a hearing on the Rebate of Value 
Added Taxes at the Border and the Competitive Disadvantage for U.S. 
Small Businesses. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
 U.S.-MOROCCO TRADE AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION
 Committee on Ways and Means: Held a hearing on implementation of the 
United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement. Testimony was heard from 
Peter F. Allgeier, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative; and public 
witnesses.

Joint Meetings
SAFE ACCOUNTABLE FLEXIBLE AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION ACT
Conferees met to resolve the differences between the Senate and House 
passed versions of H.R. 3550, to authorize funds for Federal-aid 
highways, highway safety programs, but did not complete action thereon, 
and will meet again on Tuesday, July 13.