[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 121 (Thursday, September 30, 2004)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D981-D983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
SPECIALTY CROPS COMPETITIVENESS ACT; U.S. NATIONAL ARBORETUM 
APPRECIATION ACT
Committee on Agriculture: Ordered reported, as amended, the following 
bills: H.R. 3242, Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2003; and H.R. 
5120, U.S. National Arboretum Appreciation Act of 2004.
SECRET BALLOT PROTECTION ACT
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Employer-
Employee Relations held a hearing on H.R. 4343, Secret Ballot 
Protection Act of 2004. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Ordered reported the following 
measures: S. 551, Southern Ute and Colorado Intergovernmental Agreement 
Implementation Act of 2003; H.R. 4667, Tapoco Project Licensing Act of 
2004; H.R. 918, amended, Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic 
Disease Prevention Act of 2003; H.R. 3051, amended, National All 
Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2003; H.R. 3858, 
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004; H. Res. 567, 
Congratulating the American

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Dental Association for sponsoring the second annual ``Give Kids a 
Smile'' program which emphasizes the need to improve access to dental 
care for children, and thanking dentists for volunteering their time to 
help provide needed dental care; H. Con. Res. 250, Recognizing 
community organization of public access defibrillation programs; H.R. 
2699, amended, National Uniformity for Food Act of 2003; and H. Con. 
Res. 34, Expressing the sense of the Congress that private health 
insurance companies should take a proactive role in promoting healthy 
lifestyles.
  The Committee also reported adversely H. Res. 776, Of inquiry 
requesting the President and directing the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services provide certain documents to the House of 
Representatives relating to estimates and analyses of the cost of the 
Medicare prescription drug legislation.
CONTROLLING BIOTERROR
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Environment and 
Hazardous Materials held a hearing entitled ``Controlling Bioterror: 
Assessing Our Nation's Drinking Water Security.'' Testimony was heard 
from Benjamin Grumbles, Acting Assistant Administrator, Water, EPA; and 
John B. Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, GAO.
COMBATING INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST FINANCING
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Domestic and 
International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology and the 
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a joint hearing 
entitled ``Combating International Terrorist Financing.'' Testimony was 
heard from John Zarate, Assistant Secretary, Terrorist Financing, 
Department of the Treasury; and E. Anthony Wayne, Assistant Secretary, 
Economic and Business Affairs, Department of State.
``HOW CAN WE MAXIMIZE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN TRANSPORTATION?''
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural 
Resources and Regulatory Affairs held a hearing entitled ``How Can We 
Maximize Private Sector Participation in Transportation?--Part II'' 
Testimony was heard from Jennifer L. Dorn, Administrator, FTA, 
Department of Transportation; Dan Tangherlini, Director, Department of 
Transportation, District of Columbia; and public witnesses.
HHS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Government Efficiency 
and Financial Management held an oversight hearing entitled ``Financial 
Management at the Department of Health and Human Services.'' Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the GAO: Jeffrey C. 
Steinhoff, Managing Director, Financial Management and Assurance; and 
Keith A. Rhodes, Chief Technologist, Center for Technology and 
Engineering; and Kerry N. Weems, Acting Assistant Secretary, Budget, 
Information, and Finance, Department of Health and Human Services.
COMPREHENSIVE PEACE IN SUDAN ACT
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Africa approved 
for full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 5061, Comprehensive Peace 
in Sudan Act.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported the following measures: 
H.R. 4306, amended, To amend section 274A of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act to improve the process for verifying an individual's 
eligibility for employment; S. 1194, amended, Mentally Ill Offender 
Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2003; H.R. 3143, amended, 
International Consumer Protection Act of 2003; H.R. 4264, amended, 
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2004; H.R. 775, Security 
and Fairness Enhancement for America Act of 2003; and H.R. 4453, 
amended, Access to Rural Physicians Improvement Act of 2004.
WEATHER AND OCEANS RESOURCES REALIGNMENT ACT
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, 
Wildlife and Oceans held a hearing on H.R. 4368, To transfer the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the Department of 
the Interior. Testimony was heard from Timothy R. E. Keeney, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA, Department of 
Commerce; Andrew A. Rosenberg, member, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy; 
and public witnesses.
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2004, PART V
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a closed rule providing 1 
hour of debate in the House on H.R. 5183, Surface Transportation 
Extension Act of 2004, Part V, equally divided and controlled by the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the bill. Finally, the rule provides one motion to 
recommit. Testimony was heard from Representative Petri.

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CLEAN WATER ACT--CITIZEN SUIT PROVISIONS BEING MISUSED
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment, oversight hearing entitled ``Are Citizen 
Suit Provisions of the Clean Water Act Being Misused?'' Testimony was 
heard from public witnesses.
IMPROVE DISABILITY PROCESS--SOCIAL SECURITY PROPOSAL
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Social Security and the 
Subcommittee on Human Resource held a joint hearing on the Commissioner 
of Social Security's Proposal to Improve the Disability Process. 
Testimony was heard from Representative McIntyre; Jo Anne B. Barnhart, 
Commissioner, SSA; Hal Daub, Chairman, Social Security Advisory Board; 
and public witnesses.
DISRUPTING TERRORIST TRAVEL
Select Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Infrastructure 
and Border Security and the Subcommittee on Intelligence and 
Counterterrorism held a joint hearing entitled ``Disrupting Terrorist 
Travel: Safeguarding America's Borders Through Information Sharing. 
Testimony was heard from the following officials of the Department of 
Homeland Security: LTG Patrick Hughes, USAF (Ret.), Assistant 
Secretary, Information Analysis; and C. Stewart Verdery, Jr., Assistant 
Secretary, Border and Transportation Security Policy and Planning; and 
a public witness.

Joint Meetings
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Conferees on Wednesday, September 29, 2004, met to resolve the 
differences between the Senate and House passed versions of H.R. 4200, 
to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military 
activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and 
for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces, but did 
not complete action thereon, and recessed subject to the call.