[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 88 (Tuesday, June 28, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D686-D688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the implementation of the Agricultural Risk 
Protection Act of 2000 and related crop insurance issues, after 
receiving testimony from Keith Collins, Chief Economist, and Ross J. 
Davidson, Jr., Administrator, Risk Management Agency, both of the 
Department of Agriculture; Ron Brichler, Great American Insurance 
Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, on behalf of the American Association of 
Crop Insurers; Norman A.

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Nielsen, Associated Insurance Counselors, Inc., Preston, Iowa, on 
behalf of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America; 
Billy Rose, Crop 1 Insurance, Urbandale, Iowa; Bert Little, Tarleton 
State University Center for Agribusiness Excellence, Stevenville, 
Texas; Bruce A. Babcock, Iowa State University Center for Agricultural 
and Rural Development, Ames; Mike Clemens, Wimbledon, North Dakota, on 
behalf of the National Sunflower Association, U.S. Canola Association, 
and the American Soybean Association; and Ray Buttars, Weston, Idaho, 
on behalf of the National Association of Wheat Growers.
OVERSEAS BASING COMMISSION REPORT
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction and 
Veterans' Affairs concluded a hearing to examine the Commission on the 
Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States 
(Overseas Basing Commission) Report on the U.S. overseas military 
basing posture, after receiving testimony from Al Cornella, Chairman, 
Major General Lewis E. Curtis III, USAF (Ret.), Vice Chairman, and Vice 
Admiral Anthony A. Less, USN (Ret.), Brigadier General Keith Martin, 
Pennsylvania ARNG (Ret.), and Lieutenant General H.G. Taylor, USA 
(Ret.), each a Commissioner, all of the overseas Basing Commission; 
Philip W. Grone, Deputy Under Secretary for Installations and 
Environment, and Ryan Henry, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for 
Policy, both of the Department of Defense; and Rose Likins, Acting 
Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
LAND BILLS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National 
Parks concluded a hearing to examine S. 206, to designate the Ice Age 
Floods National Geologic Trail, S. 556, to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to jointly conduct a study of 
certain land adjacent to the Walnut Canyon National Monument in the 
State of Arizona, S. 588, to amend the National Trails System Act to 
direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
to jointly conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the 
Arizona Trail as a national scenic trail or a national historic trail, 
and S. 955, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
including in the National Park System certain sites in Williamson 
County, Tennessee, relating to the Battle of Franklin, after receiving 
testimony from Donald W. Murphy, Deputy Director, National Park 
Service, Department of the Interior; Mayor Tom Miller, Franklin, 
Tennessee; Elizabeth Archuleta, Coconino County Board of Supervisors, 
Flagstaff, Arizona; Gary Kleinknecht, Ice Age Floods Institute, 
Kennewick, Washington; and Larry Snead, Arizona Trail Association, 
Phoenix.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee met to begin markup of S. 1307, to 
implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free 
Trade Agreement, and S.J. Res. 18, approving the renewal of import 
restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 
2003, but did not complete action thereon, and will meet again on 
Wednesday, June 29, 2005.
MEDICAID
Committee on Finance: Committee held a hearing to examine problems that 
threaten the long term sustainability of Medicaid, focusing on the 
incidence of Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse, receiving testimony from 
Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General, and George M. Reeb, Assistant 
Inspector General, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Audits, 
and Dennis G. Smith, Director, Center for Medicaid and State 
Operations, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, all of the 
Department of Health and Human Services; Leslie G. Aronovitz and 
Kathryn Allen, each a Director, Health Care, both of the Government 
Accountability Office; Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General 
Nicholas J. Messuri, Boston, on behalf of the National Association of 
Medicaid Fraud Control Units; Barbara C. Edwards, Ohio Department of 
Job and Family Services, Columbus; Timothy W. Westmoreland, Georgetown 
University, and James W. Moorman, Taxpayers Against Fraud, both of 
Washington, D.C.; and Charles J. Milligan, Jr., University of Maryland 
Center for Health Program Development and Management, Baltimore.
  Hearing will continue tomorrow.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the 
District of Columbia concluded a hearing to examine the security 
clearance process of the Department of Defense (DOD), focusing on the 
transfer of investigative responsibilities from DOD to the Office of 
Personnel Management (OPM), including the impact this shift will have 
on the ability to investigate and adjudicate security clearances in a 
thorough and expeditious manner, including strategies employed by DOD 
and OPM to remove the Personnel Security Clearance Program from the 
high-risk list, after receiving testimony from Derek B. Stewart, 
Director, Defense Capabilities and Management, Government 
Accountability Office; Kathy L. Dillaman, Deputy

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Associate Director for Human Resource Products and Services, Center for 
Federal Investigative Services, Office of Personnel Management; and 
Heather Anderson, Director, Strategic Integration, Office of the Deputy 
Under Secretary of Defense, Counterintelligence and Security, and 
Acting Director, Defense Security Service.
INDIAN GAMING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine regulation of Indian gaming, after receiving testimony from 
Vivian Juan-Sanders, Tohono O'odham Nation, Sells, Arizona; Dallas 
Massey, Sr., White Mountain Apache Tribe, Whiteriver, Arizona, on 
behalf of Arizona Indian Gaming Association; Deron Marquez, San Manuel 
Band of Mission Indians, Patton, California; Joseph A. Pakootas, 
Colville Business Council, Nespelem, Washington, on behalf of the 
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; James ``JC'' Crawford, 
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, Agency 
Village, South Dakota; James W. Ransom, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, 
Akwesasne, New York; and Doreen Hagen, Prairie Island Indian Community, 
Welch, Minnesota.
VA'S MEDICAL CARE BUDGET
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine budget forecasting and finances of the Veterans Health 
Administration, focusing on project resource requirements for the 
health care needs of veterans, current status of resources, and the 
budget formulation process and current budget status, after receiving 
testimony from R. James Nicholson, Secretary, and Jonathan Perlin, 
Under Secretary for Health, both of the Department of Veteran Affairs.
MEDICAID
Special Committee on Aging: Committee held a hearing to examine the 
structure of the Medicaid program and its use of mandatory and optional 
populations and benefits, focusing on how Congress can meet its 
budgetary obligations to find savings in Medicaid and strengthen the 
program for the long-term, receiving testimony from Pamela S. Hyde, New 
Mexico Human Services Department, Santa Fe; Diane Rowland, The Henry J. 
Kaiser Family Foundation, Howard Bedlin, National Council on the Aging, 
and Jeffrey S. Crowley, Georgetown University, all of Washington, D.C.; 
and Sister Karin Dufault, Catholic Health Association of the United 
States, Seattle, Washington.
  Hearings recessed subject to call.