[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 125 (Wednesday, October 6, 2004)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1023-D1025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FEDERAL REVENUE OPTIONS
Committee on the Budget: Held a hearing on Federal Revenue Options. 
Testimony was heard from Representatives Linder, Burgess, English, Price 
(NC) and Sandlin; and the following former Representatives from Texas: 
Richard K. Armey; and Bill Archer; and public witnesses.
CHILD PRODUCT SAFETY
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and 
Consumer Protection held a hearing entitled ``Child Product Safety: Do 
Current Standards Provide Enough Protection?'' Testimony was heard from Hal 
Stratton, Chairman, Consumer Product Safety Commission; and public 
witnesses.
OFHEO REPORT--FANNIE MAE--ALLEGATIONS OF ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT FAILURE
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, 
and Government Sponsored Enterprises held a hearing entitled ``The OFHEO 
Report: Allegations of Accounting and Management Failure at Fannie Mae.'' 
Testimony was heard from Armando Falcon, Director, Office of Federal Housing 
Enterprise Oversight, Department of Housing and Urban Development; the 
following officials of Fannie Mae: Franklin D. Raines, Chairman and Chief 
Executive Officer; Timothy Howard, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial 
Officer; and Ann McLaughlin Korologos, Presiding Director, Board of 
Directors.
COMBATING WEST NILE VIRUS--CURRENT CHALLENGES
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural 
Resources and Regulatory Affairs held a hearing entitled ``Current 
Challenges in Combating the West Nile Virus.'' Testimony was heard from the 
following officials of the Department of Health and Human Services: Anthony 
S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious 
Diseases, NIH; and Stephen M. Ostroff, M.D., Deputy Director, National 
Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 
Benjamin J. Grumbles, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, EPA; 
John Pape, Chief Epidemiologist, Department of Public Health and 
Environment, State of Colorado; and public witnesses.
INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2004 ANNUAL REPORT
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on the Annual Report on 
International Religious Freedom 2004 and Designations of Countries of 
Particular Concern. Testimony was heard from Ambassador-at-Large John V. 
Hanford III, International Religious Freedom, Department of State; Preeta 
Bansal, Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; and 
public witnesses.
U.S. TRADE DISPUTES--PERU AND ECUADOR
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere 
held a hearing on U.S. Trade Disputes in Peru and Ecuador, Testimony was 
heard from Earl Anthony Wayne, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Economic and 
Business Affairs, Department of State; Regina K. Vargo, Assistant U.S. Trade 
Representative for the Americas; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution held an 
oversight hearing on the Presidential Succession Act. Testimony was heard 
from

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Representative Sherman; Thomas H. Neale, Government and Finance Division, 
CRS, Library of Congress; and public witnesses.
SAME DAY CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN RESOLUTIONS REPORTED BY THE RULES 
COMMITTEE--CONFERENCE REPORT--AMERICAN JOBS CREATION ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule waiving clause 6(a) of 
rule XIII (requiring a two-thirds vote to consider a rule on the same day it 
is reported from the Rules Committee) against certain resolutions reported 
from the Rules Committee. The rule applies the waiver to any special rule 
reported on the legislative day of October 7, 2004, providing for 
consideration or disposition of a conference report to accompany the bill 
(H.R. 4520) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to remove impediments 
in such Code and make our manufacturing, service, and high-technology 
businesses and workers more competitive and productive both at home and 
abroad.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF MOTIONS TO SUSPEND THE RULES
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a rule providing that 
suspensions will be in order at any time on the legislative day of Thursday, 
October 7, 2004. The rule provides that the Speaker or his designee will 
consult with the Minority Leader or her designee on any suspension 
considered under the rule.
9/11 RECOMMENDATIONS IMPLEMENTATION ACT
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, a structured rule providing 
three hours and forty minutes of general debate on H.R. 10, 9/11 
Recommendations Implementation Act, with 40 minutes equally divided and 
controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence, 30 minutes equally divided and controlled 
by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed 
Services, 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Financial Services, 30 minutes 
equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member 
of the Committee on Government Reform, 30 minutes equally divided and 
controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
the Judiciary, 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations, 20 
minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 20 minutes 
equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member 
of the Select Committee on Homeland Security. The rule waives all points of 
order against consideration of the bill.
  The rule provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
consisting of the text of the Rules Committee print dated October 4, 2004, 
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 
amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of the Rules 
Committee print. The rule makes in order only those further 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. The rule provides one motion to recommit with or 
without instructions.
OVERSIGHT--MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Coast Guard 
and Maritime Transportation held an oversight hearing on Maritime Domain 
Awareness. Testimony was heard from the following officials of the 
Department of Homeland Security: Jeffrey P. High, Director, Maritime Domain 
Awareness, U.S. Coast Guard; and Robert A. Kacksta, Executive Director, 
Border Security and Facilitation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; RADM 
Samuel P. DeBow, Director, Marine and Aviation Operations, NOAA, Department 
of Commerce.
VA SMART CARD INITIATIVE(S)
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 
held a hearing on the status of the Department of Veterans Affairs smart 
card initiative(s). Testimony was heard from Benjamin H. Wu, Deputy Under 
Secretary, Technology, Technology Administration, Department of Commerce; 
Linda Koontz, Director, Information Management Issues, GAO; Robert N. 
McFarland, Assistant Secretary, Information and Technology, Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Robert J. Brandewie, Director, Defense Manpower Data 
Center, Office of the Secretary, Personnel and Readiness, Department of 
Defense; and a public witness.
BRIEFING--THREAT UPDATE
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive session to 
receive a Briefing on Threat Update. The Committee was briefed by 
departmental witnesses.

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