[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 25, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D548-D549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
REVIEW--NATIONAL FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING
Committee on Agriculture: Held a hearing to Review National Forest Land 
Management Planning. Testimony was heard from the following officials 
of the USDA: David Tenny, Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources and 
Environment; and Frederick Norbury, Associate Deputy Chief, National 
Forest System, Forest Service; and public witnesses.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS FISCAL YEAR 2006
Committee on Appropriations: Ordered reported the Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006.
U.S. BOXING COMMISSION ACT; DRUG FREE SPORTS ACT
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection approved for full Committee action, as amended, the 
following bills: H.R. 1065, United States Boxing Commission Act; and 
H.R. 1862, Drug Free Sports Act.
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Held a hearing on a Review of 
Community Health Centers: Issues and Opportunities. Testimony was heard 
from the following officials of the Department of Health and Human 
Services: Elizabeth M. Duke, Health Resources and Services 
Administration; and Dennis Smith, Acting Administrator, Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services; and public witnesses.
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE REFORM ACT
Committee on Financial Services: Ordered reported, as amended, H.R. 
1461, Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005.
TAXPAYER PAPERWORK--INCREASING BURDEN
Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs held 
a hearing entitled ``Less is More: The Increasing Burden of Taxpayer 
Paperwork.'' Testimony was heard from Mark W. Everson, Commissioner, 
IRS, Department of the Treasury; John D. Graham, Administrator, Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB; and public witnesses.
AGRO-TERRORISM THREAT
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Intelligence, 
Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment held a hearing 
entitled ``Evaluating the Threat of Agro-Terrorism.'' Testimony was 
heard from Joseph W. Reardon, Food Administrator, Food and Drug 
Protection Division, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 
State of North Carolina; and a public witness.
NORTHERN IRELAND--PEACE PROCESS
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Europe and 
Emerging Threats held a hearing on Northern Ireland: Prospects for the 
Peace Process. Testimony was heard from Mitchell B. Reiss, Special 
Envoy of the President and Secretary of State for the Northern Ireland 
Peace Process, Department of State.
LATIN AMERICA--TRANSPARENCY AND RULE OF LAW
Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee on Western 
Hemisphere held a hearing on Transparency and Rule of Law in Latin 
America. Testimony was heard from Adolfo A. Franco, Assistant 
Administrator, Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean, U. S. Agency 
for International Development; Jonathan D. Farrar, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement 
Affairs, Department of State; and Otto J. Reich, former Assistant 
Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
  Committee on the Judiciary: Ordered reported the following 
measures: H.R. 800, amended, Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms 
Act; H.R. 420, amended, Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005; H. R. 
554, amended, Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act; and 
H. J. Res. 10, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States authorizing the Congress to prohibit the physical 
desecration of the flag of the United States.
MARSHALL ISLANDS--U.S. NUCLEAR LEGACY
Committee on Resources, and the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of 
the Committee on International Relations held a joint oversight hearing 
entitled ``The United States Nuclear Legacy in the Marshall Islands: 
Consideration of Issues Relating to the Changes Circumstances 
Petition.'' Testimony was heard from Howard Krawitz, Acting Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of 
State; Steven V. Cary, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Health, Department 
of Energy; Andre Bouville, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and 
Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Department of Health and 
Human Services; the following officials of The Republic of the Marshall 
Islands: Gerald

[[Page D549]]

Zackios, Foreign Minister; and Judge James H. Plasman, Chairman, 
Nuclear Claims Tribunal; David Bearden, Analyst in Environmental 
Policy, CRS, Library of Congress; and public witnesses.
MILITARY QUALITY OF LIFE, AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Rules: Granted, by voice vote, an open rule providing 1 
hour of general debate on H.R. 2528, making appropriations for military 
quality of life functions of the Department of Defense, military 
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, 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. Under the rules of the House the bill shall 
be read for amendment by paragraph. 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 authorizes the Chair to 
accord priority in recognition to Members who have pre-printed their 
amendments in the Congressional Record. Finally, the rule provides one 
motion to recommit with or without instructions. Testimony was heard 
from Representative Walsh.
U.S. JET TRANSPORT INDUSTRY
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on 
Aviation held an oversight hearing entitled ``The U.S. Jet Transport 
Industry: Global Market Factors Affecting U.S. Producers.'' Testimony 
was heard from Joseph H. Bogosian, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
Manufacturing, Department of Commerce; Ambassador Peter F. Allgeier, 
Deputy U. S. Trade Representative; and public witnesses.
VETERANS MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
held a hearing on the following bills: H.R. 717, To amend title 38, 
United States Code, to expand the scope of programs of education for 
which accelerated payments of educational assistance under the 
Montgomery GI Bill may be used; H.R. 745, Veterans Self-Employment Act 
of 2005; and H.R. 1207, Department of Veterans Affairs Work-Study Act 
of 2005. Testimony was heard from. Representatives Simpson and Sodrel; 
Jack McCoy, Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; Alexander Keenan, 
Director, National Training Center, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration, Department of Transportation; a representative of a 
veterans organization; and public witnesses.
IRAN BRIEFING
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Terrorism, 
Human Intelligence Analysis and Counter-Intelligence met in executive 
session to receive a Briefing on Iran. Testimony was heard from 
departmental witnesses.
BRIEFING--CIA HUMINT TRAINING NEEDS
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on Terrorism, 
Human Intelligence Analysis and Counter-Intelligence met in executive 
session to receive a Briefing on CIA Humint Training Needs. Testimony 
was heard from departmental witnesses.

Joint Meetings
KOSOVO
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission): 
Committee concluded a hearing to examine human rights concerns in 
Kosovo, after receiving testimony from Soren Jessen-Petersen, Special 
Representative of the United Nations Secretary General and Head of 
United Nations Mission in Kosovo; and Charles L. English, Director, 
Office of South Central European Affairs, Department of State.
F