[Senate Report 108-31]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




108th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     108-31

======================================================================

                                     

                                     

                                     


                              R E P O R T

                           ON THE ACTIVITIES

                                 of the

                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

                                 of the

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                               during the

                             107TH CONGRESS

                              pursuant to

                    Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules

                                 of the

                          UNITED STATES SENATE




                 March 31, 2003.--Ordered to be printed


____________________________________________________________________________
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                                [107th]
                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

    CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa, 
             Chairman

MAX BAUCUS, Montana                  ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaFRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            DON NICKLES, Oklahoma
JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               PHIL GRAMM, Texas
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota            TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
BOB GRAHAM, Florida                  JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey     JON KYL, Arizona
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas

 Kolan Davis, Staff Director and 
           Chief Counsel
  John Angell, Democratic Staff 
             Director

                                 ------                                

               Subcommittee on Taxation and Irs Oversight

  DON NICKLES, Oklahoma, Chairman

KENT CONRAD, North Dakota            TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey     ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas         FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska
MAX BAUCUS, Montana

                                 ------                                

                  Subcommittee on International Trade

  ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah, Chairman

MAX BAUCUS, Montana                  CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaFRED THOMPSON, Tennessee
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota            PHIL GRAMM, Texas
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas         JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont
BOB GRAHAM, Florida                  OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey

                                  (ii)
?

           Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy

    JON KYL, Arizona, Chairman

JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               DON NICKLES, Oklahoma
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaTRENT LOTT, Mississippi
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            PHIL GRAMM, Texas
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts

                      Subcommittee on Health Care

     OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine, 
            Chairwoman

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaPHIL GRAMM, Texas
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         JON KYL, Arizona
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey     ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas         DON NICKLES, Oklahoma
JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee
BOB GRAHAM, Florida

                                 ------                                

          Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction

   FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska, 
             Chairman

BOB GRAHAM, Florida                  CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa
MAX BAUCUS, Montana                  JON KYL, Arizona
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota

                                 (iii)
?

                                [107th]*
                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

   MAX BAUCUS, Montana, Chairman

CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa            JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah                 Virginia
FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska           TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota
DON NICKLES, Oklahoma                JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana
PHIL GRAMM, Texas                    KENT CONRAD, North Dakota
TRENT LOTT, Mississippi              BOB GRAHAM, Florida
FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee             JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine              JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico
JON KYL, Arizona                     JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts
CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming       ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey
                                     BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas
          Senator Dole resigned from the Senate on 

    John Angell, Staff Director
  Kolan Davis, Republican Staff 
    Director and Chief Counsel

                                 ------                                

               Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight

    KENT CONRAD, North Dakota, 
             Chairman

DON NICKLES, Oklahoma                ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey
TRENT LOTT, Mississippi              JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana
ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah                 JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico
FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee             BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine              MAX BAUCUS, Montana
FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska           JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
                                     Virginia

                                 ------                                

                  Subcommittee on International Trade

   MAX BAUCUS, Montana, Chairman

ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah                 JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa            Virginia
FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee             TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota
FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska           KENT CONRAD, North Dakota
PHIL GRAMM, Texas                    JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts
TRENT LOTT, Mississippi              BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine              BOB GRAHAM, Florida
CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming                ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey
                                     JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont

------------

    * On June 6, 2001, the Democratic party assumed the majority 
membership of the Senate. The ranking Democrat on the committee, 
Senator Max Baucus of Montana, assumed the chairmanship of the 
committee.

                                  (iv)
?

           Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy

 JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana, Chairman

JON KYL, Arizona                     JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
DON NICKLES, Oklahoma                Virginia
TRENT LOTT, Mississippi              JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico
PHIL GRAMM, Texas                    TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota
CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming                JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts
                                     JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont

                      Subcommittee on Health Care

   JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
        Virginia, Chairman

OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine              TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota
PHIL GRAMM, Texas                    JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico
CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa            JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts
JON KYL, Arizona                     ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey
ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah                 BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas
DON NICKLES, Oklahoma                JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana
FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee             BOB GRAHAM, Florida
CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming                JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont

                                 ------                                

          Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction

   BOB GRAHAM, Florida, Chairman

FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska           MAX BAUCUS, Montana
JON KYL, Arizona                     KENT CONRAD, North Dakota

                                  (v)
?

                                [108th]
                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

    CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa, 
             Chairman

MAX BAUCUS, Montana                  ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaDON NICKLES, Oklahoma
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota            JON KYL, Arizona
BOB GRAHAM, Florida                  CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming
JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont       RICK SANTORUM, Pennsylvania
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            BILL FRIST, Tennessee
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         GORDON SMITH, Oregon
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas         JIM BUNNING, Kentucky

 Kolan Davis, Staff Director and 
           Chief Counsel
  Jeff Forbes, Democratic Staff 
             Director

                                 ------                                

               Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight

  DON NICKLES, Oklahoma, Chairman

KENT CONRAD, North Dakota            ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas         OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming
MAX BAUCUS, Montana                  RICK SANTORUM, Pennsylvania
JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont       GORDON SMITH, Oregon

                                 ------                                

                  Subcommittee on International Trade

  CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming, Chairman

MAX BAUCUS, Montana                  ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaCHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota            GORDON SMITH, Oregon
BOB GRAHAM, Florida                  OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont       BILL FRIST, Tennessee
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         JIM BUNNING, Kentucky

                                  (vi)
?

           Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy

   RICK SANTORUM, Pennsylvania, 
             Chairman

JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            JON KYL, Arizona
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaDON NICKLES, Oklahoma
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas         BILL FRIST, Tennessee

                                 ------                                

                      Subcommittee on Health Care

    JON KYL, Arizona, Chairman

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West VirginiaOLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
TOM DASCHLE, South Dakota            BILL FRIST, Tennessee
BOB GRAHAM, Florida                  JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
JAMES M. JEFFORDS (I), Vermont       DON NICKLES, Oklahoma
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico            CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         RICK SANTORUM, Pennsylvania
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas         GORDON SMITH, Oregon
JOHN BREAUX, Louisiana               ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
MAX BAUCUS, Montana                  TRENT LOTT, Mississippi

                                 ------                                

          Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction

  GORDON SMITH, Oregon, Chairman

BOB GRAHAM, Florida                  TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota            JOHN KYL, Arizona

                                 (vii)
?

  

                         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                                       U.S. Senate,
                                      Committee on Finance,
                                    Washington, DC, March 31, 2003.
Hon. Emily Reynolds,
Secretary, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Ms. Reynolds: In accordance with rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the United States Senate and the pertinent 
unanimous consent order pertaining to this rule, I am 
transmitting herewith a report on the activities of the 
Committee on Finance of the United States Senate for the 107th 
Congress.

            Sincerely,
                                     Charles E. Grassley, Chairman.

                                 (viii)
?



                            C O N T E N T S

                                                                   Page

Committee on Finance.............................................    ii
Subcommittees of the 107th Congress..............................   iii
Letter of Transmittal............................................  viii
Committee Jurisdiction...........................................     1
Rules of Procedure...............................................     2
Tax and Revenue Issues--Summary of Activities....................     7
  Hearings and Meetings..........................................     7
  Full Committee Field Hearings..................................     9
  Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction Hearings 
    and Meetings.................................................     9
Trade--Summary of Activities.....................................    11
  Hearings and Meetings..........................................    12
  Subcommittee on International Trade Hearings and Meetings......    13
Health--Summary of Activities....................................    14
  Hearings and Meetings..........................................    14
  Full Committee Field Hearings..................................    17
  Subcommittee on Health Care Hearings and Meetings..............    18
Social Security--Summary of Activities...........................    19
  Hearings and Meetings..........................................    20
  Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy Hearings and 
    Meetings.....................................................    21
Welfare..........................................................    22
  Hearings and Meetings..........................................    22
Committee on Finance Oversight Activities........................    23
  Hearings and Meetings..........................................    23
Bills and Resolutions Referred to the Committee..................    24
Calendar of Hearings.............................................    25
Full Committee Legislative Activities............................    29
Full Committee Business Meetings.................................    38
Calendar of Nominations..........................................    41
Reports, Prints and Studies......................................    55
Official Communications..........................................    56

                                  (ix)
?

108th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     108-31

======================================================================



 
 REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE DURING THE 107TH 
                                CONGRESS

                                _______
                                

                 March 31, 2003.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Grassley, from the Committee on Finance, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

    This report reviews the legislative and oversight 
activities of the Committee on Finance during the 107th 
Congress. These activities parallel the broad scope of 
responsibilities vested in the Committee by the Legislative 
Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, rule XXV(k) of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, and additional authorizing 
resolutions.

                         COMMITTEE JURISDICTION

    Rule XXV(i) of the Standing Rules of the Senate requires 
reference to this Committee of all proposed legislation, and 
other matters, dealing with (i) Committee on Finance, to which 
committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, 
petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the 
following subjects:
          1. Bonded debt of the United States, except as 
        provided in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
          2. Customs, collection districts, and ports of entry 
        and delivery.
          3. Deposit of public moneys.
          4. General revenue sharing.
          5. Health programs under the Social Security Act and 
        health programs financed by a specific tax or trust 
        fund.
          6. National social security.
          7. Reciprocal trade agreements.
          8. Revenue measures generally, except as provided in 
        the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
          9. Revenue measures relating to the insular 
        possessions.
          10. Tariffs and import quotas, and matters related 
        thereto.
          11. Transportation of dutiable goods.

                                  (1)


                         I. RULES OF PROCEDURE

    Rule 1. Regular Meeting Days.--The regular meeting day of 
the committee shall be the second and fourth Tuesday of each 
month, except that if there be no business before the committee 
the regular meeting shall be omitted.
    Rule 2. Committee Meetings.--(a) Except as provided by 
paragraph 3 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate 
(relating to special meetings called by a majority of the 
committee) and subsection (b) of this rule, committee meetings, 
for the conduct of business, for the purpose of holding 
hearings, or for any other purpose, shall be called by the 
chairman. Members will be notified of committee meetings at 
least 48 hours in advance, unless the chairman determines that 
an emergency situation requires a meeting on shorter notice. 
The notification will include a written agenda together with 
materials prepared by the staff relating to that agenda. After 
the agenda for a committee meeting is published and 
distributed, no nongermane items may be brought up during that 
meeting unless at least two-thirds of the members present agree 
to consider those items.
    (b) In the absence of the chairman, meetings of the 
committee may be called by the ranking majority member of the 
committee who is present, provided authority to call meetings 
has been delegated to such member by the chairman.
    Rule 3. Presiding Officer.--(a) The chairman shall preside 
at all meetings and hearings of the committee except that in 
his absence the ranking majority member who is present at the 
meeting shall preside.
    (b) Notwithstanding the rule prescribed by subsection (a) 
any member of the committee may preside over the conduct of a 
hearing.
    Rule 4. Quorums.--(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) 
one-third of the membership of the committee, including not 
less than one member of the majority party and one member of 
the minority party, shall constitute a quorum for the conduct 
of business.
    (b) Notwithstanding the rule prescribed by subsection (a), 
one member shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of 
conducting a hearing.
    Rule 5. Reporting of Measures or Recommendations.--No 
measure or recommendation shall be reported from the committee 
unless a majority of the committee is actually present and a 
majority of those present concur.
    Rule 6. Proxy Voting; Polling.--(a) Except as provided by 
paragraph 7(a)(3) of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the 
Senate (relating to limitation on use of proxy voting to report 
a measure or matter), members who are unable to be present may 
have their vote recorded by proxy.
    (b) At the discretion of the committee, members who are 
unable to be present and whose vote has not been cast by proxy 
may be polled for the purpose of recording their vote on any 
rollcall taken by the committee.
    Rule 7. Order of Motions.--When several motions are before 
the committee dealing with related or overlapping matters, the 
chairman may specify the order in which the motions shall be 
voted upon.
    Rule 8. Bringing a Matter to a Vote.--If the chairman 
determines that a motion or amendment has been adequately 
debated, he may call for a vote on such motion or amendment, 
and the vote shall then be taken, unless the committee votes to 
continue debate on such motion or amendment, as the case may 
be. The vote on a motion to continue debate on any motion or 
amendment shall be taken without debate.
    Rule 9. Public Announcement of Committee Votes.--Pursuant 
to paragraph 7(b) of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the 
Senate (relating to public announcement of votes), the results 
of rollcall votes taken by the committee on any measure (or 
amendment thereto) or matter shall be announced publicly not 
later than the day on which such measure or matter is ordered 
reported from the committee.
    Rule 10. Subpoenas.--Subpoenas for attendance of witnesses 
and the production of memoranda, documents, and records shall 
be issued by the chairman, or by any other member of the 
committee designated by him.
    Rule  11.  Nominations.--In considering a nomination, the 
Committee may conduct an investigation or review of the 
nominee's experience, qualifications, and suitability, to serve 
in the position to which he or she has been nominated. To aid 
in such investigation or review, each nominee may be required 
to submit a sworn detailed statement including biographical, 
financial, policy, and other information which the Committee 
may request. The Committee may specify which items in such 
statement are to be received on a confidential basis. Witnesses 
called to testify on the nomination may be required to testify 
under oath.
    Rule 12. Open Committee Hearings.--To the extent required 
by paragraph 5 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate 
(relating to limitations on open hearings), each hearing 
conducted by the committee shall be open to the public.
    Rule 13. Announcement of Hearings.--The committee shall 
undertake consistent with the provisions of paragraph 4(a) of 
Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate (relating to 
public notice of committee hearings) to issue public 
announcements of hearings it intends to hold at least one week 
prior to the commencement of such hearings.
    Rule 14. Witnesses at Hearings.--(a) Each witness who is 
scheduled to testify at any hearing must submit his written 
testimony to the staff director not later than noon of the 
business day immediately before the last business day preceding 
the day on which he is scheduled to appear. Such written 
testimony shall be accompanied by a brief summary of the 
principal points covered in the written testimony. Having 
submitted his written testimony, the witness shall be allowed 
not more than ten minutes for oral presentation of his 
statement.
    (b) Witnesses may not read their entire written testimony, 
but must confine their oral presentation to a summarization of 
their arguments.
    (c) Witnesses shall observe proper standards of dignity, 
decorum and propriety while presenting their views to the 
committee. Any witness who violates this rule shall be 
dismissed, and his testimony (both oral and written) shall not 
appear in the record of the hearing.
    (d) In scheduling witnesses for hearings, the staff shall 
attempt to schedule witnesses so as to attain a balance of 
views early in the hearings. Every member of the committee may 
designate witnesses who will appear before the committee to 
testify. To the extent that a witness designated by a member 
cannot be scheduled to testify during the time set aside for 
the hearing, a special time will be set aside for the witness 
to testify if the member designating that witness is available 
at that time to chair the hearing.
    Rule 15. Audiences.--Persons admitted into the audience for 
open hearings of the committee shall conduct themselves with 
the dignity, decorum, courtesy and propriety traditionally 
observed by the Senate. Demonstrations of approval or 
disapproval of any statement or act by any member or witness 
are not allowed. Persons creating confusion or distractions or 
otherwise disrupting the orderly proceeding of the hearing 
shall be expelled from the hearing.
    Rule 16. Broadcasting of Hearings.--(a) Broadcasting of 
open hearings by television or radio coverage shall be allowed 
upon approval by the chairman of a request filed with the staff 
director not later than noon of the day before the day on which 
such coverage is desired.
    (b) If such approval is granted, broadcasting coverage of 
the hearing shall be conducted unobtrusively and in accordance 
with the standards of dignity, propriety, courtesy and decorum 
traditionally observed by the Senate.
    (c) Equipment necessary for coverage by television and 
radio media shall not be installed in, or removed from, the 
hearing room while the committee is in session.
    (d) Additional lighting may be installed in the hearing 
room by the media in order to raise the ambient lighting level 
to the lowest level necessary to provide adequate television 
coverage of the hearing at the then current state of the art of 
television coverage.
    (e) The additional lighting authorized by subsection (d) of 
this rule shall not be directed into the eyes of any members of 
the committee or of any witness, and at the request of any such 
member or witness, offending lighting shall be extinguished.
    (f) No witness shall be required to be photographed at any 
hearing or to give testimony while the broadcasting (or 
coverage) of that hearing is being conducted. At the request of 
any such witness who does not wish to be subjected to radio or 
television coverage, all equipment used for coverage shall be 
turned off.
    Rule 17. Subcommittees.--(a) The chairman, subject to the 
approval of the committee, shall appoint legislative 
subcommittees. All legislation shall be kept on the full 
committee calendar unless a majority of the members present and 
voting agree to refer specific legislation to an appropriate 
subcommittee.
    (b) The chairman may limit the period during which House-
passed legislation referred to a subcommittee under paragraph 
(a) will remain in that subcommittee. At the end of that 
period, the legislation will be restored to the full committee 
calendar. The period referred to in the preceding sentences 
should be 6 weeks, but may be extended in the event that 
adjournment or a long recess is imminent.
    (c) All decisions of the chairman are subject to approval 
or modification by a majority vote of the committee.
    (d) The full committee may at any time by majority vote of 
those members present discharge a subcommittee from further 
consideration of a specific piece of legislation.
    (e) Because the Senate is constitutionally prohibited from 
passing revenue legislation originating in the Senate, 
subcommittees may mark up legislation originating in the Senate 
and referred to them under Rule 16(a) to develop specific 
proposals for full committee consideration but may not report 
such legislation to the full committee. The preceding sentence 
does not apply to nonrevenue legislation originating in the 
Senate.
    (f) The chairman and ranking minority members shall serve 
as nonvoting ex officio members of the subcommittees on which 
they do not serve as voting members.
    (g) Any member of the committee may attend hearings held by 
any subcommittee and question witnesses testifying before that 
subcommittee.
    (h) Subcommittee meeting times shall be coordinated by the 
staff director to insure that--
        (1) no subcommittee meeting will be held when the 
        committee is in executive session, except by unanimous 
        consent;
        (2) no more than one subcommittee will meet when the 
        full committee is holding hearings; and
        (3) not more than two subcommittees will meet at the 
        same time.
    Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), a subcommittee may 
meet when the full committee is holding hearings and two 
subcommittees may meet at the same time only upon the approval 
of the chairman and the ranking minority member of the 
committee and subcommittees involved.
    (i) All nominations shall be considered by the full 
committee.
    (j) The chairman will attempt to schedule reasonably 
frequent meetings of the full committee to permit consideration 
of legislation reported favorably to the committee by the 
subcommittees.
    Rule 18. Transcripts of Committee Meetings.--An accurate 
record shall be kept of all markups of the committee, whether 
they be open or closed to the public. This record, marked as 
``uncorrected,'' shall be available for inspection by Members 
of the Senate, or members of the committee together with their 
staffs, at any time. This record shall not be published or made 
public in any way except:
    (a) By majority vote of the committee after all members of 
the committee have had a reasonable opportunity to correct 
their remarks for grammatical errors or to accurately reflect 
statements made.
    (b) Any member may release his own remarks made in any 
markup of the committee provided that every member or witness 
whose remarks are contained in the released portion is given a 
reasonable opportunity before release to correct their remarks.
    Notwithstanding the above, in the case of the record of an 
executive session of the committee that is closed to the public 
pursuant to Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the 
record shall not be published or made public in any way except 
by majority vote of the committee after all members of the 
committee have had a reasonable opportunity to correct their 
remarks for grammatical errors or to accurately reflect 
statements made.
    Rule 19. Amendment of Rules.--The foregoing rules may be 
added to, modified, amended or suspended at any time.

                         TAX AND REVENUE ISSUES

                         SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES

                  Full Committee Hearings and Meetings

2001
Feb. 14, 2001--Hearing: ``Making Education More Affordable: The 
    Tax Code as a Student.'' This hearing focused on tax relief 
    proposals designed to aid parents and students with the 
    rising cost of education. In addition, the hearing focused 
    on proposals to assist local school districts with the cost 
    of school construction.
Feb. 28, 2001--Hearing: ``Revenue Proposals and Tax Cuts in the 
    President's Budget.'' Treasury Secretary O'Neill testified 
    on revenue proposals in the Administration's FY 2002 
    budget.
Mar. 7, 2001--Hearing: ``Marginal Rate Reductions.'' This 
    hearing focused on proposals to reduce explicit and 
    implicit marginal Federal income tax rates.
Mar. 8, 2001--Hearing: ``Easing the Family Tax Burden.'' This 
    hearing focused on trends in the Federal income tax burden 
    on families and proposals to provide tax relief to 
    families.
Mar. 14, 2001--Hearing: ``Encouraging Charitable Giving.'' This 
    hearing focused on proposed tax incentives for charitable 
    giving.
Mar. 15, 2001--Hearing: ``Preserving and Protecting Family 
    Business Legacies.'' This hearing focused on proposals to 
    provide relief from the burden of Federal estate, gift and 
    generation skipping transfer taxes.
Mar. 28, 2001--Hearing: ``Preserving and Protecting Main Street 
    USA.'' This hearing focused on the Federal estate, gift, 
    and generation skipping transfer tax burden on small 
    business and agriculture. In addition, this hearing focused 
    on other Federal income tax burdens on small business and 
    agriculture.
Mar. 29, 2001--Hearing: ``Budget Surpluses and Debt 
    Reduction.'' This hearing focused on the economic and 
    budgetary implications of projected budget surpluses.
Apr. 5, 2001--Hearing: ``Oversight of the Internal Revenue 
    Service: Taxpayer Beware.'' This hearing examined scams, 
    schemes, and cons directed at taxpayers by unscrupulous 
    individuals.
Apr. 26, 2001--Hearing: ``Tax Code Complexity: New Hope for 
    Fresh Solutions.'' This hearing focused on proposals for 
    broad-based individual income tax simplification.
May 2, 2001--Members' Meeting on Administration's Tax Relief 
    package.
May 25, 2001--Public Conference Meeting with U.S. House of 
    Representatives, House Committee on Ways and Means, 
    Taxpayer Relief Act of 2001.
June 12, 2001--Hearing: ``Preserving and Protecting our Natural 
    Resources.'' This hearing focused on tax relief proposals 
    directed at conservation.
July 10, 2001--Hearing: ``The Role of Tax Incentives in Energy 
    Policy, Part I.'' This hearing focused on tax incentives 
    for efficient consumption of energy for transportation and 
    tax incentives for conservation.
July 11, 2001--Hearing: ``The Role of Tax Incentives in Energy 
    Policy, Part II.'' This hearing focused on tax incentives 
    for production of energy from conventional and alternative 
    sources.
Aug. 1, 2001--Hearing: ``Cybershopping and Sales Tax: Finding 
    the Right Mix.'' This hearing addressed; (1) the impact of 
    revenue loss on the states; (2) states efforts to simplify 
    their sales tax regimes in order to reduce the sales tax 
    collection burden on remote sellers; (3) the schism between 
    states and localities on the issue of sales tax 
    simplification; (4) the burden on remote retailers to 
    collect and remit taxes to the states; (5) the merits of a 
    tax free Internet; and (6) the International implications 
    of requiring non-domestic corporations to collect and remit 
    sales tax when a sale is made online.
Sept. 25, 2001--Members' Meeting on the State of the Economy. 
    This meeting featured Federal Reserve Chairman Alan 
    Greenspan and Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. 
    Chairman Greenspan and Secretary Rubin were asked to weigh 
    in on the need for economic stimulus proposals in the wake 
    of the September 11, 2001 tragedies.
Oct. 2, 2001--Members' Meeting on Tax Stimulus Package.
Oct. 3, 2001--Hearing: ``Addressing the Need for an Economic 
    Stimulus Package.'' Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill 
    testified on the contours of a possible economic stimulus 
    package.
Oct. 11, 2001--Members' Meeting on Tax Stimulus Package.
Nov. 7, 2001--Members' Meeting on the Economic Stimulus 
    Package.
2002
Feb. 5, 2002--Hearing: ``President's Fiscal Year 2003 budget 
    and tax proposals.'' This hearing featured an analysis of 
    the Administrations fiscal year 2003 budget and tax 
    proposals.
Feb. 12, 2002--Members' Meeting on Energy Tax Legislation.
Feb. 27, 2002--Hearing: ``Retirement Security: Picking up the 
    Enron Pieces.'' This hearing focused on the adverse effect 
    of the Enron corporation's bankruptcy on its employees 
    pensions and retirement savings. The hearing also explored 
    possible legislative fixes to the problems caused by the 
    Enron collapse.
Mar. 21, 2002--Hearing: ``Corporate Tax Shelters: Looking Under 
    the Roof.'' This hearing detailed the need for greater 
    measures to address abusive corporate tax shelters and 
    their promoters.
Apr. 11, 2002--Hearing: ``Schemes, Scams and Cons, Part II: The 
    IRS Strikes Back.'' This hearing focused on IRS efforts to 
    combat individual tax shelters and their promoters.
Apr. 18, 2002--Hearing: ``Corporate Governance and Executive 
    Compensation.'' This hearing explored the tax treatment of 
    executive compensation and ways that the tax code could 
    promote better corporate governance.
May 9, 2002--Hearing: ``Revenue Issues Related to the Highway 
    Trust Fund.'' This hearing focused on the flow of taxes to 
    the Highway Trust Fund and the transportation and tax 
    policies used to determine the overall vigor of the Highway 
    Trust Fund.
June 4, 2002--Hearing: ``Small Business and Rural Economic 
    Development.'' This hearing focused on the effect of tax 
    policy on job creation in small businesses. The witnesses 
    focused on issues including rural out-migration, broadband 
    infrastructure, and special occupational taxes.
June 4, 2002--Members' Meeting on Tax Legislation Promoting 
    Charitable Giving.
July 17, 2002--Hearing: ``Schemes, Scams and Cons, Part IV: 
    Fuel Tax Fraud.'' This hearing focused on tax fraud 
    involving fuel excise taxes and IRS efforts to combat the 
    problem.
Sept. 25, 2002--Joint Hearing with Environment and Public Works 
    Committee on ``Innovative Financing: Beyond the Highway 
    Trust Fund.'' This hearing explored financing options for 
    the highway trust fund in anticipation of the re-
    authorization of the trust fund in the 108th Congress.
Oct. 9, 2002--Hearing: ``The Financial War on Terrorism: New 
    Money Trails Present Fresh Challenges.'' This hearing 
    focused on the efforts by the Treasury Department to shut 
    down and destabilize efforts to fund terrorist activities. 
    Representatives from Treasuries office of Foreign Asset 
    Control and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 
    testified.

                     Full Committee Field Hearings

Aug. 24, 2001--Field hearing: ``The Role of Tax Incentives in 
    Addressing Rural Energy Needs and Conservation,'' Billings, 
    Montana. This field hearing focused on the role of tax 
    incentives in addressing rural energy needs and 
    conservation. The hearing identified tax provisions 
    affecting rural electric cooperatives, transmission 
    infrastructure and Indian tribes, as well as targeted tax 
    incentives for clean coal technology, renewable and 
    alternative energy resources, and the natural gas industry.

   Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction Hearings and 
                                Meetings

Feb. 14, 2002--Hearing: ``The Administration's Request to 
    Increase the Federal Debt Limit.'' The purpose of this 
    hearing was to explore a December 11, 2001 request from the 
    Administration to increase the statutory limitation on 
    Federal debt by $750 Billion from $5.950 trillion to $6.7 
    trillion. The Treasury Department had forecast that the 
    Federal Government would reach the statutory debt ceiling 
    in February of 2002. The hearing focused on four broad 
    questions: what factors led the administration to make a 
    one-time request for an increase of $750 billion; for what 
    purposes would the $750 billion be used; what would be the 
    ramifications of this increase in the debt ceiling for our 
    economy; and how would the Nation's return to deficit 
    spending affect its fiscal situation today and in the near 
    future? Witnesses included Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill; 
    and economists and budget experts from the National Center 
    for Policy Analysis, the Concord Coalition, and the 
    Brookings Institution.

                                 TRADE

                         SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES

    During the 107th Congress, the Committee examined and acted 
upon many important issues related to international trade and 
the American economy.
    In the first session, Chairman Grassley convened two 
important hearings on a free trade agreement with Jordan and 
normalized trading relations with the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam. These hearings highlighted the progress of expanding 
trade liberalization in these regions of the world and the 
interdependence of global economies.
    The first session also included confirmation hearings for 
Robert Zoellick to be United States Trade Representative, Grant 
Aldonas to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International 
Trade, and Faryar Shirzad to be Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce; Linnett F. Deily to be Deputy United States Trade 
Representative, Peter Allgeier to be Deputy United States Trade 
Representative, Allen Frederick Johnson to be Chief Agriculture 
Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
William Henry Lash, II, to be Assistant Secretary, Department 
of Commerce, Robert C. Bonner to be Commissioner of Customs, 
Department of the Treasury, Jon M. Huntsman to be Deputy United 
States Trade Representative. Additionally, the Committee 
considered an original resolution on steel.
    In the second session, Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member 
Grassley convened hearings on the Andean Trade Preferences Act, 
the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, 
Fisherman, Communities and Firms Act, and the Bipartisan Trade 
Promotion Authority Act. The Andean Trade Preferences Act, 
first granted in 1991, reauthorized trade preferences to four 
Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru). Trade 
Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, Fisherman, 
Communities and Firms Act reauthorized the trade adjustment 
assistance program for five years, making various improvements 
to the operation of the current program, and extending trade 
adjustment assistance benefits to additional classes of trade-
impacted workers. The Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act 
grants the President fast-track trade negotiating authority, 
establishing procedures for the operation of such authority, 
and setting for the negotiating objectives of the United States 
in negotiations conducted pursuant to such authority. All three 
bills passed the Senate on August 1, 2002 as part of the Trade 
Act of 2002 and were made public law on August 6, 2002.
    The second session included confirmation hearings for 
Randal Quarles to be Deputy Under Secretary of the Department 
of Treasury, Charlotte Lane to be a Member of the United States 
International Trade Commission.
    In the second session, the Committee convened hearings to 
assess on-going trade negotiations as well as international 
trade issues associated with the new Department of Homeland 
Security. Among the issues discussed during the on-going trade 
negotiations hearings were the WTO-Doha Round, the Free Trade 
Agreement of the Americas, and the U.S.-Chile and the U.S.-
Singapore Free Trade Agreements. In assessing the new 
Department of Homeland Security, the Committee held a hearing 
to investigate the need to achieve and the means for achieving 
an appropriate balance between enhancing homeland security 
through the inclusion of the U.S. Customs Service in the new 
Department of Homeland Security and the need to assure the 
continued efficient operation of Customs' commercial functions.

                  Full Committee Hearings and Meetings

Feb. 27, 2001--Hearing: ``Globalization and American Trade 
    Policy.'' Overview of U.S. trade policy, with a focus on 
    principal trade policy challenges and opportunities. Review 
    the benefits to the United States from globalization, and 
    how best to continue both the process of enhancing global 
    economic interdependence, and maintaining the benefits that 
    flow to the American economy as a result.
Mar. 20, 2001--Hearing: ``Jordan Free Trade Agreement.'' 
    Reviewed the importance of the free trade agreement with 
    Jordan, and implications for the Middle East region and for 
    U.S. trade policy.
Apr. 4, 2001--Hearing: ``International Trade and the American 
    Economy.'' Reviewed international trade's importance to the 
    U.S. economy, and the impact of trade promotion authority 
    on the economy.
Apr. 5, 2001--Members' Meeting with the King of Jordan. To 
    provide a forum for Senators to meet with His Majesty King 
    Abdullah II and discuss bilateral trade and security 
    issues.
June 20, 2001--Hearing: ``Fast Track Trade Negotiating 
    Authority.'' Explored the possibility of granting the 
    President Trade Negotiating Authority, and the important 
    issues associated with trade negotiations.
June 21, 2001--Hearing: ``Fast Track Trade Negotiating 
    Authority.'' Discussed the roles of Congress and the 
    Administration in trade negotiations and the process 
    associated with Trade Negotiating Authority.
June 26, 2001--Hearing: ``The U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade 
    Agreement.'' To discuss approval of the U.S.-Vietnam 
    Bilateral trade agreement, and extension of normal trade 
    relations for Vietnam.
July 19, 2001--Hearing: ``Trade Adjustment Assistance.'' 
    Assessing the role of trade adjustment assistance in 
    advancing trade liberalization and considering the need for 
    reform and expansion of existing trade adjustment 
    assistance programs in light of both past experience and 
    anticipated future needs.
Nov. 16, 2001--Members' Meeting with Ambassador Zoellick. 
    Discussing the results of the Doha Ministerial of the World 
    Trade Organization and the launching of the Doha 
    Development Agenda round of trade negotiations.
Feb. 6, 2002--Hearing: ``Ongoing U.S. Trade Negotiations.'' 
    Reviewing developments in and prospects for ongoing trade 
    negotiations, including the WTO Doha Round, the Free Trade 
    Agreement of the Americas, and U.S.-Chile and U.S.-
    Singapore Free Trade Agreements, including specific 
    sectoral issues affecting agriculture, semiconductors, and 
    manufacturing.
Feb. 13, 2002--Hearing: ``Sectoral Trade Disputes: Lumber and 
    Steel.'' Assessing the origins, status, and future 
    prospects for resolving persistent trade disputes involving 
    unfair trade practices affecting the U.S. lumber and steel 
    industries.
July 16, 2002--Hearing: ``Homeland Security and International 
    Trade.'' Assessing the need to achieve and the means for 
    achieving an appropriate balance between the goal of 
    enhancing homeland security through inclusion of the U.S. 
    Customs Service in the new Department of Homeland Security 
    and the need to assure the continued efficient operation of 
    Customs' commercial functions.
July 30, 2002--Hearing: ``The Role of the Extraterritorial 
    Income Exclusion Act in the International Competitiveness 
    of U.S. Companies.'' Assessing the history of the bilateral 
    dispute between the United States and the European Union 
    concerning the Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act and 
    its predecessor the Foreign Sales Corporation and 
    considering policy options for responding to the 
    unfavorable WTO Appellate Body decision and resolving the 
    underlying dispute.

       Subcommittee on International Trade Hearings and Meetings

July 20, 2001--Hearing: ``Trade Adjustment Assistance.'' 
    Examining specific aspects of the operation of existing 
    trade adjustment assistance programs, and considering 
    proposals for reform, expansion, and improvement of those 
    programs.
Aug. 30, 2001--Hearing: ``Andean Trade Preferences Act.'' 
    Assessing issues associated with the renewal and proposed 
    expansion of trade preferences first granted in 1991 to the 
    four Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and 
    Peru).

                                 HEALTH

                         SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES

    Health Care Programs--During the 107th Congress, the 
Committee continued its work on two principal areas that also 
received significant attention in the 106th Congress: adding a 
prescription drug benefit to Medicare and expanding health 
coverage to the uninsured. The Committee held multiple hearings 
and member meetings on Medicare prescription drugs. These 
hearings and meetings were intended to build upon hearings held 
in the previous Congress and to find consensus within the 
Committee to move forward.
    In June and July of the second session, Chairman Baucus 
convened a series of executive sessions on Medicare 
prescription drugs. These meetings focused on drug benefit 
structures, the appropriate federal cost of a new benefit, the 
effect of different delivery models on stability, efficiency, 
private plan participation, and prescription drug prices, and 
the advantages and disadvantages of variation in premiums and 
benefits.
    The Committee also devoted considerable time and attention 
to addressing the issue of health coverage for the uninsured. 
In the first session, the Committee held hearings to evaluate 
the depth and breadth of the problem and to explore possible 
solutions. Incremental solutions to help the uninsured include 
expansions of existing public programs to new populations, such 
as parents of children eligible for Medicaid or assistance 
under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and tax 
incentives aimed at employers, individuals, or both.
    The economic stimulus bill marked up in the Committee 
during the first session included federal subsidies for health 
insurance for displaced workers. Although these provisions were 
not enacted as part of the stimulus bill, the deliberations 
over method, amount, and duration of the subsidies set the 
stage for further negotiations in the context of trade 
adjustment assistance. The trade bill signed into law in July 
2002 included a refundable, advanceable tax credit for COBRA 
continuation coverage or other forms of group health insurance.

                  Full Committee Hearings and Meetings

Mar. 13, 2001--Hearing: ``Living Without Health Insurance: 
    Who's Uninsured and Why?'' This hearing focused on the 
    growing trends and demographics of Americans who lack 
    health insurance. This includes age, ethnicity, 
    socioeconomic status, and the type of employment. Witnesses 
    included a General Accounting Office (GAO) expert, and 
    representatives from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and 
    the Uninsured, the Healthcare Leadership Council, The Urban 
    Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Mar. 13, 2001--Hearing: ``Living Without Health Insurance: 
    Solutions to the Problem.'' This second hearing on health 
    insurance focused on possible solutions to fixing the 
    uninsured problem. Experts focused on a refundable health 
    insurance tax credit, extending outreach efforts to those 
    who are already eligible for other federal programs, and 
    the expansion of the Medicare, Medicaid and S-CHIP 
    programs. Witnesses included William Scanlon, the Director 
    of Health Care Issues for the General Accounting Office 
    (GAO), and representatives from the National Association of 
    Health Underwriters, the Economic and Social Research 
    Institute, The Commonwealth Fund, the Rhode Island 
    Department of Human Services and the Center on Budget 
    Policies and Priorities.
Mar. 22, 2001--Hearing: ``Prescription Drugs and Medicare 
    Financing.'' This hearing provided a general look into the 
    status of the Medicare program and the impact additional 
    benefits (such as prescription drugs) would have on the 
    longevity of the program. Witness included Dan Crippen 
    (Director of the Congressional Budget Office), David M. 
    Walker (Comptroller General, United States General 
    Accounting Office), and two representatives from the Health 
    Care Financing Administration and the Kaiser Family 
    Foundation.
Mar. 27, 2001--Hearing: ``Society's Great Challenge: The 
    Affordability of Long-Term Care.'' The purpose of this 
    hearing was to raise awareness about the financial risk to 
    every individual's retirement income security posed by 
    long-term care needs and to consider steps Congress can 
    take to help Americans meet their long-term care 
    challenges. Witnesses included specialists from the 
    Congressional Research Service, the General Accounting 
    Office, a husband of an Alzheimer's patient, The National 
    Alliance for Caregiving, The Lewin Group, and the District 
    of Columbia Department of Health.
Apr. 3, 2001--Hearing: ``Medicare and Managed Care: Finding 
    Successful Solutions.'' This hearing focused on finding 
    ways to improve Medicare and managed care. Experts 
    discussed the options of changing the Medicare plus Choice 
    (M + C) plan design, payment structures, and regulatory 
    requirements. Witnesses included experts from the 
    Congressional Research Service, Medicare Payment Advisory 
    Commission, United Healthcare of the Midwest, Towers 
    Perrin, University of California, and The Urban Institute.
Apr. 24, 2001--Hearing: ``Finding the Right Fit: Medicare, 
    Prescription Drugs and Current Coverage Options.'' This 
    hearing continued the discussion of a prescription drug 
    benefit for the Medicare program and the options currently 
    available to the Medicare population. Witnesses included 
    delegates from Hewitt Associates, American Association of 
    Health Plans, Mathematica Policy Research, National 
    Governors Association, and Rutgers University.
June 19, 2001--Hearing: ``Medicare Governance: Perspectives on 
    the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, 
    formerly HCFA).'' The purpose of this hearing was to get an 
    overview on the changes that have been made by Secretary 
    Thompson and the newly named agency and to hear what the 
    ``Next Steps'' would be. Witnesses included Secretary Tommy 
    Thompson (Department of Health and Human Services), William 
    Scanlon (Director, Health Care issues for the General 
    Accounting Office), and representatives from Georgetown 
    University, Deaconess Billings Clinic, and the University 
    of Oregon.
June 27, 2001--Hearing: ``Prescription for Fraud: Consultants 
    Selling Doctors Bad Billing Advice.'' This hearing 
    addressed possible fraud within the Centers for Medicare 
    and Medicaid Services (CMS). The General Accounting 
    Office's Office of Special Investigations looked into the 
    fraud at the request of Senator Grassley and presented its 
    findings at the hearing. It found (among other things) that 
    consultants were teaching providers how to bill for 
    services never rendered, how to keep overpayments, and how 
    to discriminate against patients with lower paying 
    premiums. Witnesses included representatives from the 
    Office of Special Investigations (General Accounting 
    Office), a private practitioner, CMS, and the Department of 
    Health and Human Services.
Mar. 7, 2002--Hearing: ``The Administration's FY 2003 Budget 
    Proposals for Prescription Drugs.'' Administration 
    officials Tom Scully, Administrator of the Centers for 
    Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Bobby Jindal, HHS 
    Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, outlined 
    the Administration's proposals for $190 billion in new 
    Medicare spending from FY 2002-2011. In addition to a 
    prescription drug benefit and Medicare reform beginning in 
    FY 2006, the Administration proposed: (1) providing drug 
    coverage to low-income Medicare beneficiaries through 
    Medicaid or state pharmacy assistance plans; (2) waivers to 
    allow states to provide Medicaid drug coverage to certain 
    Medicare beneficiaries; (3) a prescription drug discount 
    card program; and (4) an increase in Medicare+Choice 
    funding. Additional witnesses, including Dan Crippen, 
    Director of the Congressional Budget Office, former Senator 
    J. Robert Kerrey, representing the Concord Coalition, and 
    beneficiary advocacy groups testified regarding: 
    prescription drug spending among seniors; perspectives on 
    the need for and design of a new Medicare drug benefit; our 
    Nation's ability to afford and sustain a new prescription 
    drug benefit; and the current market for drug discount 
    cards.
June 18, 2002--Hearing: ``Elder Justice: Protecting Seniors 
    from Abuse and Neglect.'' This hearing explored the problem 
    of elder abuse and neglect as a failure of coordination 
    between health care, social services, and law enforcement 
    systems. Witnesses included an advocate for the prevention 
    of elder abuse, an expert on elder treatment in the long-
    term care setting, a geriatrician, an expert on Adult 
    Protective Services, a law enforcement professional, and an 
    academic who spoke about the gaps in health care, social 
    service, and law enforcement responses to elder abuse and 
    neglect, and the paucity of research on the subject.
June 19, 2002--Members' Meeting on Medicare Prescription Drugs. 
    This meeting was the first in a series of six meetings 
    aimed at reaching consensus among Finance Committee members 
    on a Medicare prescription drug benefit. Chairman Baucus 
    outlined the agenda for the series of meetings. Committee 
    members debated a possible schedule for action. Members 
    also reviewed several pending proposals, including 
    proposals outlined by Senator Bob Graham and by Ranking 
    Member Grassley.
June 26, 2002--Members' Meeting on Medicare Prescription Drugs. 
    This meeting was called to consider options for benefit 
    structures and the appropriate federal cost of a benefit. 
    Chairman Baucus outlined areas of agreement and 
    disagreement. Committee staff provided an overview of 
    current and projected spending on prescription drugs by 
    Medicare beneficiaries, and described sample benefit 
    structures corresponding to different levels of federal 
    spending. Committee members offered their opinions on these 
    and other related issues.
June 27, 2002--Members' Meeting on Medicare Prescription Drugs. 
    This meeting continued the discussion of design options for 
    a Medicare prescription drug benefit. The discussion 
    focused on beneficiary and private plan participation under 
    different models, the effect of a Medicare drug benefit on 
    employer-based prescription drug coverage, and the impact 
    of different proposals on prescription drug prices. The 
    Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) answered 
    questions about the cost implications and feasibility of 
    various drug benefit designs and about CBO's time-frame for 
    providing cost estimates.
July 9, 2002--Members' Meeting on Medicare Prescription Drugs. 
    This meeting was called to consider drug benefit delivery 
    models and options for improving the existing cost-sharing 
    structure of Medicare fee-for-service benefits. Committee 
    staff outlined the delivery models employed by pending drug 
    benefit proposals and the role of insurance risk in these 
    models. Members discussed the effect of different delivery 
    models on stability, efficiency, private plan 
    participation, prescription drug prices, and variation in 
    premiums and benefits. Ranking Member Grassley reviewed his 
    proposal for an enhanced Medicare fee-for-service option.
July 10, 2002--Members' Meeting on Medicare Prescription Drugs. 
    At this meeting, members continued their discussion about 
    the merits of different delivery models. Chairman Baucus 
    and Ranking Member Grassley presented possible compromise 
    delivery models and members explored additional options for 
    compromise.
July 11, 2002--Members' Meeting on Medicare Prescription Drugs. 
    This final meeting was intended to assess the positions of 
    each member of the Finance Committee on issues related to a 
    Medicare prescription drug benefit. Chairman Baucus polled 
    members about their preferences for the over-all federal 
    cost of the benefit and their willingness to compromise on 
    the delivery model. Members also discussed options for a 
    limited benefit aimed only at low-income beneficiaries and 
    beneficiaries with catastrophic drug costs.

                     Full Committee Field Hearings

May 28, 2002--Hearing: ``Regulatory Relief for Medicare--The 
    Case for Cutting Red Tape,'' Bozeman, Montana. This 
    hearing, which was held in Bozeman, Montana, examined the 
    increase in regulatory burdens on health care providers 
    under the Medicare program. It also examined possible 
    solutions to improving the management of the Medicare 
    program and reducing regulatory burden.

           Subcommittee on Health Care Hearings and Meetings

Mar. 14, 2002--Hearing: ``Reimbursement and Access to 
    Prescription Drugs Under Medicare Part B.'' This 
    Subcommittee hearing examined problems with the present 
    reimbursement system for prescriptions drugs covered under 
    Medicare Part B. That system uses a methodology based on 
    drugs' Average Wholesale Price (AWP). Administration and 
    U.S. General Accounting Office witnesses spoke about 
    various studies indicating that using AWP as a benchmark 
    has resulted in Medicare overpaying substantially for 
    prescription drugs. Other witnesses representing 
    oncologists and cancer patients testified that any change 
    in reimbursement for Medicare Part B drugs should be 
    accompanied by a change in payment for the administration 
    of the drugs, which is presently underpaid by Medicare. 
    They also advocated Medicare coverage for oral anti-cancer 
    drugs.

                            SOCIAL SECURITY

                         SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES

    During the 107th Congress, the Committee examined many 
important issues related to the Social Security program and the 
Supplemental Security Income program (SSI)--both of which are 
administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The 
Committee also helped to enact a major reform of the Railroad 
Retirement Program.
    In the first session, Chairman Grassley convened a hearing 
on improper payments made by the Social Security Administration 
and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This hearing 
highlighted some of the progress the two agencies have made in 
addressing improper payments, but the hearing also made it 
clear that substantial progress still needs to occur for both 
agencies to reduce waste, fraud and abuse to a minimum.
    The first session also included the confirmation hearing of 
Jo Anne Barnhart to be Commissioner of the Social Security 
Administration. Prior to her nomination, Ms. Barnhart had a 
strong career of public service--including service as an 
administrator of large Federal programs and was widely regarded 
as an expert on many of the administrative issues facing Social 
Security. During her confirmation hearing, she agreed at--at 
Senator Baucus' request--to provide within six months an 
analysis of why disability applicants (for both Social Security 
and SSI) must wait a long time to become eligible for benefits, 
and what recommendations she would have for fixing this serious 
problem. The Committee was pleased to approve her nomination 
and expedite her confirmation by the full Senate.
    In the first session, the Committee also helped to enact a 
major reform of the Railroad Retirement Program, H.R. 10, The 
Railroad Retirement and Survivors Improvement Act of 2001.
    In the second session, Chairman Baucus held hearings on the 
Final Report from the President's Commission to Strengthen 
Social Security. In addition, the Social Security and Family 
Policy Subcommittee of the Finance Committee held a hearing on 
protecting Social Security numbers. Both hearings helped to 
inform committee members about the advantages and disadvantages 
of various policy options and the associated trade-offs in 
these policy areas. The Committee was able to move forward in 
the legislative process with S. 848, legislation dealing with 
the protection of Social Security numbers.
    In the second session, the Committee worked closely with 
the House Ways and Means Committee to consider two pieces of 
legislation that had broad bipartisan support. Both bills, H.R. 
4069 and H.R. 4070, were passed overwhelmingly by the House of 
Representatives. The Committee was able to amend H.R. 4070 and 
pre-conference it with the House Ways and Means Committee 
staff, and pass the pre-conferenced version of H.R. 4070 on the 
floor of the Senate. Unfortunately, the House of 
Representatives was unable to act on the pre-conferenced 
Senate-passed legislation before adjourning. The Committee was 
also able to move H.R. 4069 forward in the legislative process.
    Legislative activities related to income security in the 
107th Congress centered on reauthorization of the Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Created in 1996, 
the TANF program provides assistance to low-income families and 
moves them off welfare and into work. This program replaced the 
Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. TANF is a 
block grant, under which States receive a fixed sum per year 
and have substantial flexibility in designing welfare-to-work 
strategies.
    The 1996 welfare law funded TANF through FY 2002, meaning a 
reauthorization was required in 2002 to continue the program in 
future years. The Finance Committee conducted a series of 
hearings to assess the progress of welfare reform to date and 
to solicit advice for improvements to include in 
reauthorization. There was general agreement that substantial 
progress had been achieved under the 1996 law. There were also 
many suggestions for improvements.
    While the Finance Committee marked up legislation to 
reauthorize the TANF program, the bill was not considered by 
the full Senate prior to the end of the Congress. Funding for 
the program was continued through the second quarter of fiscal 
year 2003, with the expectation that funding would be extended 
through the end of the fiscal year while the Committee 
continued its activities to reauthorize the program in the 
108th Congress.
    In addition to TANF, the Committee addressed unemployment 
compensation. The economic legislation marked up by the 
Committee in the first session included an extension of 
unemployment benefits to individuals who had exhausted 
eligibility for regular unemployment benefits and were still 
unable to locate work due to the weak economy. An additional 
extension of benefits was considered at the end of the second 
session as the initial benefit extension period was set to 
expire.

                  Full Committee Hearings and Meetings

Mar. 20, 2001--Joint Hearing with Committee on Ways and Means, 
    ``Social Security and Medicare Trustees' 2001 Annual 
    Reports.'' This annual hearing featured an explanation of 
    the Annual Reports by Secretary O'Neill before both 
    Committees. Secretary O'Neill was the only witness.
Oct. 4, 2001--Hearing: ``Jo Anne Barnhart to be Commissioner of 
    the Social Security Administration.'' The Committee held a 
    hearing on the nomination of Jo Anne Barnhart to be the 
    next commissioner of the Social Security Administration, 
    the federal agency that dispenses more than $400 billion of 
    benefits each year to 44 million beneficiaries, and employs 
    65,000 employees. The primary focus of the hearing was the 
    significant challenges facing the Social Security 
    Administration, such as the long delays nationwide for 
    applicants to receive a final decision on disability 
    benefits, inadequate budget and staff to address increasing 
    workloads, failure of the agency to answer a third of the 
    800 number service calls, and the potential loss of the 
    agency's most experienced employees over the next 10 years 
    through retirement and attrition. At the request of Senator 
    Baucus, Ms. Barnhart agreed to provide within six months an 
    analysis of why disability applicants (for both Social 
    Security and SSI) must wait a long time to become eligible 
    for benefits, and what recommendations she would have for 
    fixing this serious problem. The hearing also included a 
    brief discussion of President Bush's proposal to divert 
    part of the Social Security payroll tax into individual 
    worker accounts which could be invested in the stock 
    market.
Oct. 3, 2002--Hearing: ``Final Report produced by the 
    President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security.'' 
    This hearing was the first congressional hearing to examine 
    the recommendations made by President Bush's commission. 
    The commission was composed of 16 individuals, eight 
    Republicans and eight Democrats, and was charged to develop 
    a plan to allow workers to divert a portion of their Social 
    Security payroll taxes into private investment accounts. 
    The final report of the commission offered three different 
    models for setting up private accounts. Witnesses at the 
    hearing included Olivia Mitchell, a member of the 
    President's Commission; Social Security financing experts 
    from The Brookings Institution, the CATO Institute, and the 
    Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; a representative 
    from AARP, the President of the National Committee to 
    Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the Executive 
    Director of the Concord Coalition, and a representative 
    from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities.

           Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy

July 11, 2002--Hearing: ``Protecting the Social Security 
    Number: an issue of Privacy or Security'' This hearing was 
    designed to examine some of the policy implications of 
    legislation (S. 848) which dealt with the protection of 
    Social Security numbers from theft and abuse. The 
    legislation was initiated by Senator Feinstein and passed 
    by the Judiciary Committee (of which she is a member) on 
    May 16, 2002. Under a unanimous consent agreement reached 
    by Senators Feinstein and Baucus, the legislation was then 
    immediately referred to the Finance Committee. The 
    Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy of the 
    Finance Committee decided to schedule a hearing in order to 
    better inform Committee members and their staffs about the 
    issues related to protecting Social Security numbers. Much 
    of the hearing focused on an approach to protecting Social 
    Security numbers which is to limit the availability and use 
    of Social Security numbers, as proposed in S. 848. In 
    addition, the hearing also discussed proposals that were 
    not in S. 848, such as providing additional protections to 
    Social Security numbers by using a public key encryption or 
    PIN (personal identification number) system.
    Witnesses included Senator Gregg, Senator Feinstein, the 
    Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, 
    the Inspector General of the Social Security 
    Administration; and representatives from LexisNexis and the 
    NCR Corporation. A representative from the Justice 
    Department was present, but did not submit a statement for 
    the hearing.

                     Welfare Hearings and Meetings

Oct. 11, 2001--Hearing: ``Strengthening Families Work Place Act 
    of 2001.'' A hearing to assess S. 685, the Strengthening 
    Working Families Act, a measure including several 
    provisions intended to assist low-income working families, 
    such as changes to child support distribution rules and 
    efforts to promote responsible fatherhood. Witnesses 
    included representatives of Goodwill, the United Way, 
    Catholic Charities, and the Welfare-to-Work Partnership.
Mar. 12, 2002--Hearing: ``Welfare Reform: What Have We 
    Learned?'' This initial hearing for TANF reauthorization 
    assessed the lessons learned since the 1996 welfare reform 
    law was enacted. The testimony was mostly positive about 
    the changes seen under the 1996 law but several suggestions 
    for improvement were made. Witnesses included Tommy 
    Thompson, the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Mar. 19, 2002--Hearing: With Health, Labor, Education and 
    Policy Subcommittee: ``Supporting Working Families.'' A 
    part of the committee consideration of TANF 
    reauthorization, this hearing addressed the child care 
    situation in the United States. Testimony focused on the 
    role of child care in supporting working parents and the 
    adequacy of current federal funding for child care. 
    Witnesses included Wade Horn, an Assistant Secretary of 
    Health and Human Services.
Apr. 10, 2002--Hearing: ``Issues in TANF Reauthorization: 
    Requiring and Supporting Work.'' This hearing focused on 
    implementing welfare-to-work programs, such as work 
    requirements within the TANF program and associated 
    measures to assist low-income working families, such as 
    child care or health coverage. Much of the testimony 
    discussed elements of the reauthorization put forward by 
    the Bush Administration and assessed its potential impacts. 
    Witnesses included Governors John Engler (R-MI) and Howard 
    Dean (D-VT) on behalf of the National Governors 
    Association.
Apr. 25, 2002--Hearing: ``Issues in TANF Reauthorization: 
    Helping Hard-to-Employ Families.'' Committee consideration 
    of TANF reauthorization sought to address issues concerning 
    families with the most barriers to employment. Testimony at 
    this hearing focused on current state efforts and ways to 
    improve aid to such families as part of TANF 
    reauthorization. Witnesses included Natasha Metcalf, 
    Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services, 
    on behalf of State welfare program administrators.
May 16, 2002--Hearing: ``TANF Reauthorization: Building 
    Stronger Families.'' This hearing addressed elements of 
    TANF reauthorization related to family policy, such as teen 
    pregnancy prevention and marriage promotion programs. 
    Another aspect of welfare reform has been prevention, 
    through efforts to discourage families from becoming in 
    need of cash aid in the first place. The testimony offered 
    suggestions for a variety of steps to improve these 
    preventative efforts. Witnesses included Wade Horn, an 
    Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services.

               COMMITTEE ON FINANCE OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES

                  Full Committee Hearings and Meetings

April 5, 2001--Hearing: ``Oversight of the Internal Revenue 
    Service: Taxpayer Beware: Schemes, Scams and Cons.'' 
    Highlighted the tax schemes that are being perpetrated on 
    the internet and elsewhere that encourage taxpayers to file 
    frivolous tax returns. Reviewed the effectiveness of IRS 
    efforts to police promoters of tax schemes on the internet.
April 25, 2001--Hearing: ``Medicare & SSI Benefits: Turning Off 
    the Spigot to Prisoners, Fugitives, the Deceased and Other 
    Ineligibles.'' Looked at improper payments made by the 
    Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the 
    Social Security Administration, including mistakes, errors 
    and fraud that result in the loss of billions in government 
    funds. For example, social security checks being sent to 
    deceased individuals, and fugitive felons receiving checks. 
    Reviewed with GAO efforts to provide greater cross 
    communication to address this matter.
June 27, 2001--Hearing: ``Prescription for Fraud: Consultants 
    Selling Doctors Bad Billing Advice.'' Investigated teaching 
    seminars that taught doctors how to defraud Medicare. 
    Office of Special Investigation (OSI) at General Accounting 
    Office (GAO) conducted undercover investigation of these 
    seminars. Results were provided to the Committee.

            BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE

    There were 1,016 Senate bills and 23 House bills referred 
to the Committee for consideration during the 107th Congress. 
In addition, 15 Senate and House resolutions (joint, concurrent 
or simple resolutions) were referred to the Committee.

                          CALENDAR OF HEARINGS


Jan. 17, 2001.............................  Nomination of Paul O'Neill
                                             to be Secretary of the U.S.
                                             Treasury
Jan. 18, 2001.............................  Nomination of Tommy Thompson
                                             to be Secretary of Health
                                             and Human Services
Jan. 30, 2001.............................  Nomination of Robert
                                             Zoellick to be U.S. Trade
                                             Representative
Feb. 14, 2001.............................  Making Education More
                                             Affordable: The Tax Code as
                                             a Student
Feb. 27, 2001.............................  Globalization and American
                                             Trade Policy
Feb. 28, 2001.............................  Nomination of Mark A.
                                             Weinberger, to be Assistant
                                             Secretary, Department of
                                             the Treasury and John M.
                                             Duncan, to be Deputy Under
                                             Secretary, U.S. Department
                                             of Treasury
Feb. 28, 2001.............................  Revenue Proposals and Tax
                                             Cuts in the President's
                                             Budget
Mar. 7, 2001..............................  Marginal Rate Reductions
Mar. 8, 2001..............................  Easing the Family Tax Burden
Mar. 13, 2001.............................  Living without Health
                                             Insurance: Who's Uninsured
                                             and Why?
Mar. 14, 2001.............................  Encouraging Charitable
                                             Giving
Mar. 15, 2001.............................  Preserving and Protecting
                                             Family Business Legacies
Mar. 15, 2001.............................  Living Without Health
                                             Insurance: Solutions to the
                                             Problem
Mar. 20, 2001.............................  Joint Hearing with Committee
                                             on Ways and Means on Social
                                             Security and Medicare
                                             Trustees' 2001 Annual
                                             Reports
Mar. 20, 2001.............................  Jordan Free Trade Agreement
Mar. 22, 2001.............................  Prescription Drugs and
                                             Medicare
Mar. 27, 2001.............................  Society's Great Challenge:
                                             The Affordability of Long-
                                             Term Care
Mar. 28, 2001.............................  Preserving and Protecting
                                             Main Street USA
Mar. 29, 2001.............................  Debt Reduction
Mar. 29, 2001.............................  Nominations of Kenneth W.
                                             Dam to be Deputy Secretary,
                                             Department of the Treasury,
                                             David Aufhauser, to be
                                             General Counsel, Department
                                             of the Treasury, Michele A.
                                             Davis to be Assistant
                                             Secretary, Department of
                                             Treasury, and Faryar
                                             Shirzad to be Assistant
                                             Secretary, Department of
                                             Commerce
Apr. 3, 2001..............................  Medicare and Managed Care:
                                             Finding Successful
                                             Solutions
Apr. 4, 2001..............................  International Trade and the
                                             American Economy
Apr. 5, 2001..............................  Oversight of the Internal
                                             Revenue Service: Taxpayer
                                             Beware
Apr. 5, 2001..............................  Member's Meeting with the
                                             King of Jordan
Apr. 24, 2001.............................  Finding the Right Fit:
                                             Medicare, Prescription
                                             Drugs and Current Coverage
                                             Options
Apr. 25, 2001.............................  Medicare & SSI Benefits:
                                             Turning off the Spicot to
                                             Prisoners, Fugitives, the
                                             Deceased & other
                                             ineligibles
Apr. 26, 2001.............................  Tax Code Complexity: New
                                             Hope for Fresh Solutions
Apr. 26, 2001.............................  Nominations of Grant D.
                                             Aldonas to be Under
                                             Secretary of Commerce for
                                             International Trade, John
                                             B. Taylor to be Under
                                             Secretary, U.S. Department
                                             of the Treasury, and Scott
                                             Whitaker to be Assistant
                                             Secretary, Department of
                                             Health and Human Services
May 16, 2001..............................  Nominations of Claude Allen
                                             to be Deputy Secretary of
                                             Health and Human Services,
                                             Thomas Scully to be
                                             Administrator of the Health
                                             Care Financing
                                             Administration, Piyush
                                             Jindal to be Assistant
                                             Secretary for Planning and
                                             Evaluation, Department of
                                             Health and Human Services,
                                             Linnett F. Deily to be
                                             Deputy United States Trade
                                             Representative, Peter
                                             Allgeier to be Deputy
                                             United States Trade
                                             Representative, Peter
                                             Fisher to be Under
                                             Secretary of Treasury for
                                             Domestic Finance, and James
                                             Gurule to be Under
                                             Secretary of the Treasury
                                             for Enforcement
June 12, 2001.............................  Preserving and Protecting
                                             our Natural Resources
June 19, 2001.............................  Medicare Governance:
                                             Perspectives on the Centers
                                             for Medicare and Medicaid
                                             Services (formerly HCFA)
June 20, 2001.............................  Fast Track Trade Negotiating
                                             Authority
June 21, 2001.............................  Fast Track Trade Negotiating
                                             Authority
June 21, 2001.............................  Nominations of Allen
                                             Frederick Johnson, to be
                                             Chief Agricultural
                                             Negotiator, Office of the
                                             United States Trade
                                             Representative, Executive
                                             Office of the President,
                                             William Henry Lash, III, to
                                             be Assistant Secretary,
                                             Department of Commerce,
                                             Brian Carlton Roseboro, to
                                             be Assistant Secretary,
                                             Department of the Treasury,
                                             Kevin Keane, to be
                                             Assistant Secretary,
                                             Department of Health and
                                             Human Services, and Wade F.
                                             Horn, to be Assistant
                                             Secretary for Family
                                             Support, Department of
                                             Health and Human Services
June 26, 2001.............................  The U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral
                                             Trade Agreement
June 27, 2001.............................  Prescription for Fraud:
                                             Consultants Selling Doctors
                                             Bad Billing Advice
July 10, 2001.............................  The Role of Tax Incentives
                                             in Energy Policy, Part I
July 11, 2001.............................  The Role of Tax Incentives
                                             in Energy Policy, Part II.
July 19, 2001.............................  Trade Adjustment Assistance
July 20, 2001.............................  International Trade
                                             Subcommittee Hearing on
                                             Trade Adjustment Assistance
July 31, 2001.............................  Nominations of Alex Azar,
                                             II, to be General Counsel
                                             of the Department of Health
                                             and Human Services,
                                             Department of Health and
                                             Human Services, Robert C.
                                             Bonner, to be Commissioner
                                             of Customs, Department of
                                             the Treasury, Jon M.
                                             Huntsman, Jr., to be Deputy
                                             United States Trade
                                             Representative, Executive
                                             Office of the President,
                                             Janet Rehnquist, to be
                                             Inspector General,
                                             Department of Health and
                                             Human Services, and Rosario
                                             Marin, to be Treasurer of
                                             the United States,
                                             Department of the Treasury
Aug. 1, 2001..............................  Cybershopping and Sales Tax:
                                             Finding the Right Mix
Aug. 3, 2001..............................  International Trade
                                             Subcommittee Hearing on
                                             Andean Trade Preference Act
Aug. 24, 2002.............................  Field Hearing on The Role of
                                             Tax Incentives in
                                             Addressing Rural Energy
                                             Needs and Conservation
Oct. 3, 2001..............................  Addressing the Need for an
                                             Economic Stimulus Package
Oct. 4, 2001..............................  Nomination of Jo Anne
                                             Barnhart, to be
                                             Commissioner, Social
                                             Security Administration
Oct. 11, 2001.............................  Subcommittee on Social
                                             Security and Family Policy:
                                             Strengthening Families Work
                                             Place Act of 2001
Nov. 15, 2001.............................  Nominations of Richard
                                             Clarida, to be Assistant
                                             Secretary of the Treasury,
                                             Department of the Treasury,
                                             Kenneth Lawson, to be
                                             Assistant Secretary of the
                                             Treasury, Department of the
                                             Treasury, B. John Williams,
                                             Jr., to be Chief Counsel
                                             for the Internal Revenue
                                             Service, Department of the
                                             Treasury, Janet Hale, to be
                                             Assistant Secretary of
                                             Health and Human Services,
                                             Department of Health and
                                             Human Services, Joan E.
                                             Ohl, to be Commissioner on
                                             Children, Youth, and
                                             Families, Department of
                                             Health and Human Services,
                                             James B. Lockhart, III, to
                                             be Deputy Commissioner of
                                             Social Security, Social
                                             Security Administration,
                                             and Harold Daub, to be
                                             Member of the Social
                                             Security Advisory Board,
                                             Social Security
                                             Administration
Dec. 19, 2001.............................  Nomination of Edward
                                             Kingman, to be Assistant
                                             Secretary of the Treasury,
                                             Department of the Treasury
Feb. 5, 2002..............................  President's Fiscal Year 2003
                                             Budget and Tax Proposals
Feb. 6, 2002..............................  Ongoing U.S. Trade
                                             Negotiations
Feb. 13, 2002.............................  Sectoral Trade Disputes:
                                             Lumber and Steel
Feb. 14, 2002.............................  Subcommittee on Long Term
                                             Growth and Debt Reduction:
                                             Administration's Request to
                                             Increase the Federal Debt
                                             Limit
Feb. 27, 2002.............................  Retirement Security: Picking
                                             up the Enron Pieces
Mar. 7, 2002..............................  Bush's Proposal for Medicare
                                             Modernization
Mar. 12, 2002.............................  Welfare Reform: What Have We
                                             Learned?
Mar. 14, 2002.............................  Subcommittee on Health Care
                                             Hearing on Reimbursement
                                             and Access to Prescription
                                             Drugs Under Medicare Part B
Mar. 19, 2002.............................  Subcommittee on Social
                                             Security and Family Policy
                                             and Health, Education and
                                             Labor Subcommittee Hearing:
                                             Supporting Working Families
Mar. 21, 2002.............................  Nomination of Randal
                                             Quarles, to be Deputy Under
                                             Secretary of the Treasury,
                                             Department of the Treasury
Mar. 21, 2002.............................  Corporate Tax Shelters:
                                             Looking Under the Roof
Apr. 10, 2002.............................  Issues in TANF
                                             Reauthorization: Requiring
                                             and Supporting Work
Apr. 11, 2002.............................  Schemes, Scams and Cons,
                                             Part II: The IRS Strikes
                                             Back
Apr. 18, 2002.............................  Corporate Governance and
                                             Executive Compensation
Apr. 25, 2002.............................  Subcommittee Hearing on
                                             Issues in TANF
                                             Reauthorization: Helping
                                             Hard-to-Employ Families
May 9, 2002...............................  Revenue Issues Related to
                                             the Highway Trust Fund
May 14, 2002..............................  Joint Committee on Taxation:
                                             To Convene a Joint Review
                                             of the Strategic Plans and
                                             Budget of IRS
May 16, 2002..............................  TANF Reauthorization:
                                             Building Stronger Families
May 28, 2002..............................  Field Hearing on Regulatory
                                             Relief for Medicare: The
                                             Case for Cutting Red Tape
June 4, 2002..............................  Small Business and Rural
                                             Economic Development
June 18, 2002.............................  Elder Justice: Protecting
                                             Seniors for Abuse and
                                             Neglect
June 27, 2002.............................  Nomination of Charlotte
                                             Lane, to be a Member of the
                                             United States International
                                             Trade Commission
July 11, 2002.............................  Subcommittee on Social
                                             Security Hearing on
                                             Protecting the Social
                                             Security: An Issue of
                                             Privacy or Security
July 16, 2002.............................  Homeland Security and
                                             International Trade
July 17, 2002.............................  Schemes, Scams and Cons,
                                             Part IV: Fuel Tax Fraud
July 30, 2002.............................  The Role of the
                                             Extraterritorial Income
                                             Exclusion Act in the
                                             International
                                             Competitiveness of U.S.
                                             Companies
Aug. 1, 2002..............................  Nomination of Pamela Olson,
                                             to be Assistant Secretary
                                             of the Treasury
Oct. 3, 2002..............................  Final Report produced by the
                                             President's Commission to
                                             Strengthen Social Security
Oct. 9, 2002..............................  The Financial War on
                                             Terrorism: New Money Trails
                                             Present Fresh Challenges



                 FULL COMMITTEE LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

H.R. 1836, Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 
    2001 (``EGTRRA'') included marginal income tax rate relief 
    for all Federal income tax payers. Also included were 
    broad-based tax relief measures for families, including 
    marriage penalty relief, an expansion of the child tax 
    credit, dependent care tax credit, adoption tax credit, and 
    other measures. This legislation also provided relief from 
    the burden of Federal estate, gift, and generation skipping 
    transfer taxes. This legislation included a comprehensive 
    package of tax incentives for retirement security. Finally, 
    a package of tax relief measures directed at the rising 
    cost of education for parents and students was included.
H.R. 3090, The Restoring Earnings to Lift Individuals and 
    Empower Families Act of 2001 included provisions to provide 
    health insurance for displaced workers. The bill would 
    provide a temporary 75 percent premium subsidy for 
    displaced workers eligible for COBRA coverage. Such 
    subsidies would be available for up to 12 months. In 
    addition, the bill included a temporary state option to 
    provide Medicaid coverage to workers laid off after 
    September 11, 2001 who are not eligible for COBRA. States 
    choosing this option would receive the enhanced S-CHIP 
    matching rate. The bill also provided temporary fiscal 
    relief to states through a temporary increase in the 
    federal Medicaid matching rate (FMAP). States in which the 
    federal matching rate fell in fiscal year 2002 would be 
    ``held harmless'' and retain their fiscal year 2001 
    matching rate. All states would receive a federal Medicaid 
    matching rate increase of 1.0 percent, while states with 
    higher than average unemployment rates over the previous 
    three months would receive an additional 1.0 percent 
    increase in the matching rate. In exchange for these 
    increases, states would maintain current Medicaid 
    eligibility levels.
    The stimulus bill marked up in the Committee also included 
    provisions to create a temporary program of extended 
    unemployment benefits. The bill would provide unemployment 
    benefits to those individuals who had exhausted eligibility 
    for regular unemployment benefits and were still unable to 
    locate work, due to the weak economy. In addition, the bill 
    included provisions to provide unemployment compensation, 
    on a temporary basis, to those who are currently ineligible 
    due to antiquated rules concerning part-time work and 
    benefit periods. It also included a provision to provide a 
    temporary federal supplement to regular unemployment 
    benefits of 15 percent or $25 per week, whichever is 
    greater. These provisions were also intended to stimulate 
    the economy through assistance to families likely to spend 
    it immediately. The Committee favorably reported the bill 
    on November 8, 2001. A provision creating the extended 
    benefits program, but not the health subsidies or further 
    changes to the unemployment compensation program, was 
    signed into law on March 9, 2002.
S. 1979, Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2002
    The Committee reported S. 1979, the Energy Tax Incentives 
Act of 2002, to the full Senate on February 13, 2002. The bill 
included tax incentives for the production of electricity from 
renewable resources, alternative vehicles an fuels, application 
of clean coal technologies, energy gas properties, and it 
modified tax rules governing nuclear decommissioning funds. The 
bill also changed the tax law regarding the sale of electricity 
transmission assets related to electricity restructuring.
S. 2498, Tax Shelter Transparency Act
    Tax Shelter Transparency Act, S. 2498, was reported to the 
full Senate on June 18, 2002 by Senate Report 107-198. The 
identical legislation was also included in the Charity Aid, 
Recovery and Empowerment Act (CARE) Act of 2002, reported to 
the full Senate on June 18, 2002 by Senate Report 107-211. S. 
2498 contains a number of provisions designed to reinforce the 
Treasury Department's new tax shelter disclosure initiative by 
encouraging greater disclosure to IRS up-front and imposing 
increased penalties on taxpayers and promoters that fail to 
properly notify the IRS of these transactions.
S. 2119, Reversing the Expatriation of Profits Offshore Act
    S. 2119, Reversing the Expatriation of Profits Offshore 
(REPO) Act, was reported to the full Senate on June 18, 2002 by 
Senate Report 107-188. The identical legislation was also 
included in the Charity Aid Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act 
of 2002, also reported to the full Senate on June 18, 2002 by 
Senate Report 107-211. S. 2119 takes action to curtail the 
benefits of inversion transactions by providing for the tax 
treatment of inverted corporate entities. The bill defines two 
different types of corporate inversion transactions and 
establishes a different set of consequences for each type.
S. 1971, National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee Act
    The Committee marked up S. 1971, the National Employee 
Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee Act, on July 11, 2002, and 
ordered the bill, as amended, favorably reported by voice vote. 
The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the 
Employee Retirement Income Security assets are adequately 
diversified and by providing workers with adequate access to, 
and information about, their pension plans, and for other 
purposes.
H.R. 5063, Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2002
S. 763, Affordable Education Act of 2001
    This legislation provided tax relief for parents and 
students directed at the rising cost of education. These 
measures were included, in H.R. 1836, the Economic Growth and 
Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.
S.J. Res. 16, U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement
    U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (S.J. Res. 16, 
reported to the full Senate on 7/27/01 by Senate Report 107-49; 
final Senate action taken on H.J. Res. 51, the House 
counterpart)--Implementing the bilateral trade agreement signed 
by the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 
July 13, 2000, by approving the extension of nondiscriminatory 
treatment to products imported into the United States from 
Vietnam. The joint resolution passed the Senate on October 3, 
2001, and was signed by the President on October 16, 2001.
S.643, U.S.-Jordan free Trade
    U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (S. 
643, reported to the full Senate on 9/04/01 by Senate Report 
107-59; final Senate action taken on H.R. 2603, the House 
counterpart)--Implementing the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement 
signed on October 24, 2000 and making necessary conforming 
changes to U.S. law. The bill passed the Senate on September 
24, 2001, and was signed by the President on Sept. 28, 2001.
An Original Committee Resolution Calling for an investigation of the 
        importation of certain steel products
    Original Committee Resolution on Steel (unnumbered, adopted 
by the Committee on 7/26/01)--Requiring the International Trade 
Commission to institute a global safeguard investigation of 
imports of certain steel products pursuant to section 201 of 
the Trade Act of 1974. As prescribed in section 202(b)(1)(A) of 
the Trade Act of 1974, this original committee resolution was 
effective upon its adoption by the Committee and did not 
require action by the full Senate.
H.R. 3009, Andean Trade Preference Act
    Andean Trade Preferences Act (H.R. 3009, reported to the 
full Senate on 12/14/01 by Senate Report 107-126; final Senate 
action taken on H.R. 3009, which incorporated the House 
counterpart to the Committee's reported bill)--Reauthorizing 
and expanding the trade preferences first granted in 1991 to 
the four Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and 
Peru). The bill passed the Senate as part of H.R. 3009, the 
Trade Act of 2002, on May 23, 2002, the Conference Report was 
agreed to in the Senate on August 1, 2002, and the bill was 
signed by the President on August 6, 2002.
S. 1209, Trade Adjustment Assistance Act
    Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, 
Fishermen, Communities, and Firms Act (S. 1209, reported to the 
full Senate on 2/04/02 by Senate Report 107-134; final Senate 
action taken on H.R. 3009, which incorporated the House 
counterpart to the Committee's reported bill)--Reauthorizing 
the trade adjustment assistance program for five years, making 
various improvements to the operation of the current program, 
and extending trade adjustment assistance benefits to 
additional classes of trade-impacted workers. The Trade 
Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provisions of the Trade Bill of 
2002 include health care coverage for displaced workers for the 
first time in the program's history. The bill passed the Senate 
as part of H.R. 3009, the Trade Act of 2002, on May 23, 2002, 
the Conference Report was agreed to in the Senate on August 1, 
2002, and the bill was signed by the President on August 6, 
2002.
H.R. 3005, Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2001
    Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2001 (H.R. 
3005, reported to the full Senate on 2/28/02 by Senate Report 
107-139)--Granting fast-track trade negotiating authority to 
the President, establishing procedures for the operation of 
such authority, and setting for the negotiating objectives of 
the United States in negotiations conducted pursuant to such 
authority. The bill passed the Senate as part of H.R. 3009, the 
Trade Act of 2002, on May 23, 2002, the Conference Report was 
agreed to in the Senate on August 1, 2002, and the bill was 
signed by the President on August 6, 2002.
H.R. 7, Charity, Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act of 2002
    The CARE Act provided tax incentives to encourage greater 
charitable giving. The legislation included: a limited 
charitable deduction for taxpayers who do not submit an 
itemized tax return; improved treatment of charitable donations 
of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs); tax incentives to 
increase the donation of food and books; and, changes in the 
tax code to encourage gifts and sales of land for conservation 
purposes.
    The CARE Act included other measures to provide additional 
resources to faith-related social service organizations. First, 
the legislation restored State authority to transfer up to ten 
percent of TANF funds to carry out State programs under SSA 
title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services). Second, 
the provision increased SSBG funding in fiscal years 2003 and 
2004. And finally, the bill required the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to submit annual reports on SSBG 
expenditures to the Congress. The bill was marked up in 
Committee on June 13, 2002.
H.R. 4737, Work, Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids Act of 2002
    After a series of hearings at the Full Committee and 
Subcommittee levels, the Finance Committee approved the WORK 
Act on June 26, 2002, which would continue the Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program through FY 2007. 
The WORK Act improved the TANF program by increasing the work 
participation standards States are required to meet and 
providing States additional options in designing welfare-to-
work programs. It required States to move towards ``universal 
engagement'' of welfare recipients so that every adult 
receiving aid would have a plan for moving off of welfare. It 
also increased funding for child care assistance, a crucial 
part of welfare reform. In addition, the WORK Act contained 
reforms of child support distribution rules and continued 
transitional Medicaid coverage for those leaving welfare for 
work. While the Finance Committee approved the legislation on 
June 26, 2002, it was not considered by the full Senate prior 
to the end of the Congress. As with many government programs, 
TANF funding for FY 2003 was provided through continuing 
resolutions.
S. 321, Family Opportunity Act
    The Family Opportunity Act (S. 321) would expand 
eligibility and benefits for disabled children under the 
Medicaid program. Specifically, the bill would give states the 
option of providing coverage to certain children who meet the 
disability standard used in the Supplemental Security Income 
(SSI) program, but who are ineligible for SSI benefits because 
they do not meet that program's income or asset requirements. 
The bill would also allow states to provide home and community-
based services to individuals under age 21 who need inpatient 
psychiatric hospital services, and would extend eligibility to 
SSI recipients under age 21 during the month they apply for SSI 
benefits. Finally, the bill would appropriate $12 million to 
establish health information centers for families with disabled 
children. The Committee favorably reported the bill on July 11, 
2002.
S. 724, Mothers and Newborns Health Insurance Act of 2002
    The Mothers and Newborns Health Insurance Act of 2002 
(S.724) would allow states to provide health insurance coverage 
to pregnant women under the State Children's Health Insurance 
Program (S-CHIP). The bill would provide $200 million annually 
for states to provide pregnancy related benefits (including 60 
days of postpartum care) under S-CHIP or Medicaid to women with 
incomes from 185 percent of the federal poverty level up to the 
income limits applied to children under the S-CHIP program. Any 
child born to a woman covered under this program would be 
automatically covered under S-CHIP for one year. States would 
receive the higher S-CHIP matching rate for beneficiaries of 
this program. The Committee favorably reported the bill on July 
11, 2002.
S. 942, TANF Reauthorization
    The TANF program created by the 1996 welfare reform law 
included a funding stream to address inequities in the 
allocation of TANF funds by state. These ``supplemental 
grants'' were only funded through FY 2001, while the rest of 
TANF was funded through FY 2002, because of financial 
limitations in 1996. The TANF Supplemental Grants Act continued 
funding for the grants for FY 2002. It was approved by the 
Finance Committee during the meeting of July 17 and July 26, 
2001, and approved by the Senate on December 8, 2001.
S. 3233
    The Administrative Simplification Compliance Act extended 
the deadline for compliance with the Electronic Health Care 
Transactions and Code Sets standards mandated by the Health 
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The 
deadline for all covered health care providers and health plans 
was extended by one year to October 16, 2003 except for small 
health plans (whose compliance date was already October 16, 
2003). This bill requires covered entities must submit a 
compliance plan to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services by October 15, 2002 in order to receive the extension. 
This bill was discharged from the Senate Finance Committee on 
November, 27, 2001 and signed into law on December 27, 2001.
S. 3448
    The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness 
Act of 2002 included language that modified two provisions of 
the Medicare+Choice program. Prior to enactment of this bill, 
Medicare+Choice plans were required to submit their Adjusted 
Community Rate (ACR) filings to CMS by no later than July 1 of 
each year. A lock-in requirement, which limited Medicare+Choice 
plan enrollees' ability to switch plans mid-year, was scheduled 
to be implemented in 2002. This bill changed the ACR filing 
deadline to the second Monday in September for benefit years 
2003-2005, and it delayed implementation of the lock-in 
requirement for three years. This bill was signed into law on 
June 12, 2002.
H.R. 5738, To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to 
        special diabetes programs for Type I diabetes and Indians
    The Special Diabetes Programs have historically fallen 
under the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee. H.R. 5738 
extended both the Special Diabetes Program for Indians and the 
Special Diabetes Program for Type I Diabetes for five years and 
increased the funding for each program to $150 million per 
year. This legislation passed the Senate on November 20, 2002 
and was signed into law on December 17, 2002.
H.R. 10--The Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001
    H.R. 10 modified the federally administered railroad 
retirement system by increasing benefits (including providing 
higher annuities for retirees' surviving spouses, reducing the 
age of retirement for eligibility for Tier II railroad 
pensions, and reducing the vesting period), reducing payroll 
tax burdens (with future automatic tax rate adjustments if the 
value of pension assets does not do as well as expected), and 
allowing professionally managed diversified investment of 
Railroad Retirement pension assets through an investment trust 
in order to produce higher future investment returns.
    The original House bill, H.R. 1140, was passed by the House 
of Representatives on July 31, 2001 by a vote of 384-33. Later 
in the session, the full Senate took up an unrelated bill, H.R. 
10, and substituted the text of H.R. 1140 for the text of H.R. 
10. The text of H.R. 1140 was then open to amendment. This bill 
was managed on the floor by Senator Baucus and passed the 
Senate on December 5, 2001 by a vote of 90 to 9. The House 
passed the Senate-passed bill by a vote of 369-33 on December 
11, 2001. The President signed the bill into law on December 
21, 2001.
S. 848--Social Security Number Misuse Prevention Act of 2002
    With regard to the Social Security number, this bill would 
prohibit the sale, purchase, or display of a Social Security 
number to the general public without the individual's consent, 
with exceptions for legitimate business and government 
activity; prohibit the release of certain key public records to 
the general public unless Social Security numbers are first 
redacted (this provision applies only to records created after 
the bill is enacted); require Social Security numbers to be 
removed from government checks, drivers licenses, and motor 
vehicle registrations; prohibit the employment of prisoners in 
any capacity that would give them access to Social Security 
numbers; make it a crime to obtain an SSN for the purpose of 
locating or identifying a person with the intent to physically 
harm that person; give consumers the right to refuse to give 
out their Social Security numbers when purchasing a good or 
service from a commercial entity, unless the entity has a 
legitimate need as specified in the law; and create new civil 
monetary penalties, criminal penalties, and civil actions to 
help prevent misuse of Social Security numbers. In addition, 
the bill requires all new credit card payment processing 
machines to truncate the credit card account numbers to the 
last five digits on the printed receipt.
    This bill was introduced by Senators Feinstein and Gregg on 
May 9, 2001. The bill was reported by the Judiciary Committee 
May 16, 2002 and then referred to the Finance Committee. The 
Finance Committee held a hearing on the legislation and related 
matters on July 11, 2002. After a long series of discussions 
and negotiations with Senator Feinstein and other interested 
parties, the Finance Committee developed a compromise version 
of S. 848.
    In order to move this legislation forward expeditiously, 
Senator Feinstein and Senator Gregg introduced the substitute 
for S. 848 as new legislation (S. 3100, see below) on October 
10, 2002 with Senator Baucus as an original cosponsor.
H.R. 4069--Social Security Benefit Enhancements for Women Act of 2002
    This bill would allow more disabled widows to qualify for 
benefits, eliminate benefit reductions for widows whose 
husbands die shortly after receiving Social Security benefits 
for early retirement, and allow elderly, divorced women to 
receive benefits sooner when their former husbands remarry.
    The House passed this bill on May 14, 2002 by a vote of 
418-0. The bill was sent to the Senate and referred to the 
Finance Committee. On October 1, 2002, on the Senate floor, a 
unanimous consent request was made to have the Senate Finance 
Committee be discharged of further consideration of the bill 
and to have the Senate proceed to its consideration and pass 
it. However, there was an objection to the unanimous consent 
request.
S. 3100--Social Security Number Misuse Prevention Act of 2002
    This bill is the Finance Committee substitute for S. 848 
(see above). The bill retains the basic structure and 
objectives of the Judiciary Committee-reported bill, but makes 
several substantive changes, additions and deletions to improve 
the original bill. S. 3100 makes clear that it is permissible 
to sell, purchase or display Social Security numbers for any 
legitimate use required, authorized or excepted by any Federal 
law; stops new public records containing Social Security 
numbers from being posted on the Internet and calls for a study 
by the General Accounting Office of issues pertaining to the 
display of Social Security numbers on any public records; 
permits State Attorneys General to enforce the new ``right to 
refuse'' to provide a Social Security number, but prohibits 
class action lawsuits to enforce this new ``right;'' sunsets 
the ``right to refuse'' after six years, and calls for a report 
by the Attorney General--six months after the sunset--regarding 
the effectiveness of this ``right to refuse'' and whether it 
should be reauthorized.
    This bill was introduced on October 10, 2002. Senator 
Baucus used procedures in Rule XIV of the Senate to have S. 
3100 placed on the Senate Calendar, rather than have it 
referred to Committee. Once on the calendar, the bill would be 
eligible to be called up for debate by the entire Senate, but 
no further action occurred on the bill.
H.R. 4070--The Social Security Program Protection Act of 2002
    On November 18, 2002, the Senate passed H.R. 4070 by 
unanimous consent. H.R. 4070--as passed--would make a number of 
important changes to the Social Security and Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) programs.
    First, the legislation would increase requirements for the 
Social Security Administration (SSA) to provide restitution to 
beneficiaries when representative payees defraud their 
beneficiaries of benefits. The legislation would also tighten 
the qualifications for representative payees, increase 
oversight of the representative payee program, and impose 
stricter penalties on those representative payees who violate 
their responsibilities.
    The legislation would also expand protection to seniors and 
disabled individuals by increasing the list of references to 
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid which cannot be used by 
private-sector individuals, companies and organizations to give 
a false impression of federal endorsement. The legislation 
would also protect seniors from those who would deceptively 
attempt to charge them for services that the seniors could 
receive for free from SSA.
    The legislation would improve program integrity by 
prohibiting the payment of Title II Social Security benefits to 
fugitive felons. The bill included a program integrity 
provision which would give the SSA Inspector General additional 
tools to pursue individuals who commit fraud by concealing work 
activity while they are receiving Social Security and SSI 
disability benefits. The legislation also included a provision 
to eliminate a loophole regarding the Government Pension 
Offset.
    The legislation would impose a cap of $75 on the 6.3 
percent assessment on fees paid to attorneys who represent 
Title II disability beneficiaries and approved and withheld 
from the benefits of such beneficiaries by SSA. The cap would 
be indexed for inflation. The legislation requested the General 
Accounting Office to conduct a study of claimant representation 
in the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income 
programs. The study would include an evaluation of the 
potential advantages and disadvantages of extending the fee 
withholding process to non-attorney representatives.
    H.R. 4070 also includes technical amendments to improve the 
effectiveness of the ``Ticket to Work and Work Incentives 
Improvement Act,'' legislation passed in 1999 to help 
beneficiaries with disabilities become employed and move toward 
self-sufficiency. In addition, the legislation included four 
technical refinements to the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' 
Improvement Act of 2001.
    The original House bill passed the House of Representatives 
on June 26, 2002 by a vote of 425-0. The Senate Finance 
Committee staff pre-conferenced the bill with the staff from 
the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill was changed to 
reflect the pre-conference agreement. The bill was taken up on 
the Senate floor and passed by unanimous consent on November 
18, 2002. The House of Representative did not act on the 
Senate-passed bill before adjourning.

                    FULL COMMITTEE BUSINESS MEETINGS

February 28, 2001
    The Committee held an organizational meeting where it took 
action on the following business items:
    Committee Funding Resolution
    Committee Rules
    Adoption of Subcommittees
    Designation of Committee Members to Serve on the Joint 
            Committee on Taxation
    Designation of Committee Members to Serve as Congressional 
            Advisors on Trade Policy and Negotiations
    Nominations of John Duncan to be Assistant Secretary of the 
            Treasury for Legislative Affairs, Department of the 
            Treasury and Mark Weinberger to be Assistant 
            Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy, 
            Department of the Treasury
March 13, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    S. 763, Affordable Education Act of 2001
May 1, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    The Nominations of Grant Aldonas to be Under Secretary of 
            Commerce for International Trade, Department of 
            Commerce; John B. Taylor to be Under Secretary of 
            Treasury for International Affairs, Department of 
            the Treasury; Scott Whitaker to be Assistant 
            Secretary of Health and Human Services for 
            Legislation, Department of Health and Human 
            Services; Kenneth Dam to be Deputy Secretary of the 
            Treasury, Department of the Treasury; David 
            Aufhauser to be General Counsel, Department of the 
            Treasury; and Faryar Shirzad to be Assistant 
            Secretary of Commerce, Department of Commerce.
May 15, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    H.R. 3090, Restoring Earnings to Lift Individuals and 
            Empower Families Act of 2001
May 24, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    The Nominations of Claude Allen to be Deputy Secretary, 
            Department of Health and Human Services; Thomas 
            Scully to be Administrator of the Health Care 
            Financing Administration, Department of Health and 
            Human Services; Piyush Jindal to be Assistant 
            Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department 
            of Health and Human Services; Peter Fisher to be 
            Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, Department of 
            the Treasury; and James Gurule to be Under 
            Secretary for the Treasury for Enforcement, 
            Department of the Treasury.
July 17, 2001 and July 26, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    The organization of the Committee for the 107th Congress, 
            including Subcommittee Membership, Joint Tax 
            Membership, and Trade Membership.
    The Nominations of Wade Horn, to be Assistant Secretary of 
            HHS for Family Support, William Lash, III, to be 
            Assistant Secretary, Department of Commerce, Allen 
            Johnson, to be Chief Agricultural Negotiator, 
            Office of the Untied States Trade Representative, 
            Brian Roseboro, to be Assistant Secretary of 
            Financial Markets, Department of the Treasury, and 
            Kevin Keane, to be Assistant Secretary for Public 
            Affairs of HHS; S.J. Res 16, U.S. Bilateral Trade 
            Agreement; S. 942, TANF Reauthorization; S. 643, 
            U.S.-Jordan Free Trade; An Original Committee 
            Resolution calling for an investigation of the 
            importation of certain steel products
November 1, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    The Nomination of Jo Anne Barnhart, to be Commissioner of 
            the Social Security Administration
    S. 942, TANF Supplement Grant program for one year
November 8, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    S. 3090, Economic Recovery and Assistance for American 
            Workers Act of 2001
November 29, 2001 and December 4, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    S. 525, The Andean Trade Preference Act
    S. 1209, Trade Adjustment Assistance Act
December 12, 2001 and December 18, 2001
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    H.R. 3005, Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2001
    The Nominations of Richard Clarida, to be Assistant 
            Secretary of Treasury for Economic Policy, Kenneth 
            Lawson, to be Assistant Secretary of Treasury for 
            Enforcement, B. John Williams, Jr., to be Chief 
            Counsel, Assistant General Counsel for the IRS, 
            Janet Hale, to be Assistant Secretary of HHS for 
            Management and Budget, Joan Ohl, to be Commissioner 
            of Children, Youth and Family Administration, HHS, 
            James Lockhart, III, to be Deputy Commissioner of 
            the Social Security Administration, and Harold 
            Daub, to be a Member of the Social Security 
            Advisory Board.
February 13, 2002
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    S. 1979, Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2002
June 13, 2002 and June 18, 2002
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    H.R. 7, Charity Aid, Recovery & Empowerment Act of 2002
    S. 2498, Tax Shelter Transparency Act
    S. 2119, Reversing the Expatriation of Profits Offshore Act
June 26, 2002
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    H. R. 4737, Work, Opportunity, and Responsibility for Kids 
            Act of 2002
July 11, 2002
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    S. 321, Family Opportunity Act
    S. 724, Mothers and Newborns Health Insurance Act of 2002
    S. 1971, National Employee Savings and Trust Equity 
            Guarantee Act.
August 1, 2002
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    The Nomination of Pamela Olson, to be Assistant Secretary 
            of Treasury for Tax Policy.
September 5, 2002 and September 12, 2002
    The Committee ordered favorably reported the following 
business items:
    H.R. 5063, Armed Services Tax Fairness Act of 2002.

                        CALENDAR OF NOMINATIONS

Jan. 5, 2001
Frazier, Gregory M., of Kansas, to be Chief Agricultural 
    Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade 
    Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, to which 
    position he was appointed during the last recess of the 
    Senate.

  Jan. 5, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Mar. 19, 2001--Received message of withdrawal of nomination 
            from the President.

Jan. 5, 2001
Devaney, Dennis M., of Michigan, to be a Member of the United 
    States International Trade Commission for a term expiring 
    December 16, 2009, vice Thelma J. Askey, term expired, to 
    which position he was appointed during the last recess of 
    the Senate.

  Jan. 5, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Mar. 19, 2001--Received message of withdrawal of nomination 
            from the President.

Jan. 20, 2001
Thompson, Tommy G., of Wisconsin, to be Secretary of Health and 
    Human Services.


  Jan. 20, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Jan. 23, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent.

  Jan. 23, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 11.

  Jan. 24, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 100-
            0. Record Vote Number: 4.

Jan. 29, 2001
Zoellick, Robert B., of Virginia, to be United States Trade 
    Representative, with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary 
    and Plenipotentiary.

  Jan. 29, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Jan. 30, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Feb. 6, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent. Agreement of February 1, 2001.

  Feb. 6, 2001--Considered by Senate pursuant to the order of 
            February 1, 2001.

  Feb. 6, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 98-0. 
            Record Vote Number: 9.

Feb. 26, 2001
Weinberger, Mark A., of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary 
    of the Treasury, vice Jonathan Talisman, resigned.

  Feb. 26, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 17. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  Mar. 1, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Feb. 28, 2001
Aufhauser, David, of the District of Columbia, to be General 
    Counsel for the Department of the Treasury, vice Neal S. 
    Wolin, resigned.

  Feb. 27, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Armed Services.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Mar. 29, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  May 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 1, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 58. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 26, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Feb. 28, 2001
Duncan, John M., of the District of Columbia, to be a Deputy 
    Under Secretary of the Treasury, vice Ruth Martha Thomas.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 18. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  Feb. 28, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 94-0. 
            Record Vote Number: 14.

Mar. 8, 2001
Dam, Kenneth W., of Illinois, to be Deputy Secretary of the 
    Treasury, vice Stuart E. Eizenstat, resigned.

  Mar. 8, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Mar. 29, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  May 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 1, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 59. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Mar. 22, 2001
Shirzad, Faryar, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    Commerce, vice Troy Hamilton Cribb, resigned.

  Mar. 22, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Mar. 29, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  May 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 1, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 62. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 1, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Mar. 22, 2001
Davis, Michele A., of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    the Treasury, vice Michelle Andrews Smith, resigned.

  Mar. 22, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Mar. 29, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  May 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 1, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 60. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Mar. 29, 2001
Aldonas, Grant D., of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of 
    Commerce for International Trade, vice Robert S. LaRussa.

  Mar. 29, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred jointly to 
            the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
            Affairs; Finance.

  Apr. 24, 2001--Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
            Affairs. Hearings held.

  Apr. 26, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  May 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 10, 2001--Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
            Affairs. Ordered to be reported favorably.

  May 10, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Senator Gramm, 
            Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 
            without printed report.

  May 10, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 74. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 10, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 4, 2001
Taylor, John B., of California, to be an Under Secretary of the 
    Treasury, vice Timothy F. Geithner.

  Apr. 4, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Apr. 26, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  May 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 1, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 61. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 26, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 6, 2001
Jindal, Piyush, of Louisiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    Health and Human Services, vice Margaret Ann Hamburg, 
    resigned.

  Apr. 6, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  May 16, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 24, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 24, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 157. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 25, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 6, 2001
Horn, Wade F., of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary for 
    Family Support, Department of Health and Human Services, 
    vice Olivia A. Golden, resigned.

  Apr. 6, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  June 21, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  July 17, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  July 17, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  July 17, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 235. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  July 25, 2001--Considered by Senate pursuant to the order of 
            July 24, 2001.

  July 25, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 6, 2001
Whitaker, Scott, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    Health and Human Services, vice Richard J. Tarplin, 
    resigned.

  Apr. 6, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Apr. 26, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  May 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 1, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 63. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 1, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 23, 2001
Allgeier, Peter F., of Virginia, to be a Deputy United States 
    Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, vice 
    Richard W. Fisher, resigned.

  Apr. 23, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  May 16, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 26, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent.

  May 26, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 25, 2001
Allen, Claude A., of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Health 
    and Human Services, vice Kevin L. Thurm, resigned.

  Apr. 25, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  May 16, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 24, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 24, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 158. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 26, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 30, 2001
Gurule, James, of Michigan, to be Under Secretary of the 
    Treasury for Enforcement, vice James E. Johnson, resigned.

  Apr. 30, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  May 16, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 24, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 24, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 159. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 30, 2001
Keane, Kevin, of Wisconsin, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    Health and Human Services, vice Melissa T. Skolfield, 
    resigned.

  Apr. 30, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  June 21, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  July 17, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  July 17, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  July 17, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 236. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  July 19, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 30, 2001
Scully, Thomas, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Health 
    Care Financing Administration, vice Nancy-Ann Min Deparle.

  Apr. 30, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  May 16, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 24, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 24, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 160. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  May 25, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 30, 2001
Fisher, Peter R., of New Jersey, to be an Under Secretary of 
    the Treasury, vice Gary Gensler, resigned.

  April 30, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred tothe 
            Committee on Finance.

  May 10, 2001--Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
            Affairs. Hearings held.

  May 16, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 24, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Grassley.

  May 24, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 161. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Apr. 30, 2001
Deily, Linnet F., of California, to be a Deputy United States 
    Trade Representative, with the Rank of Ambassador, vice 
    Rita D. Hayes, resigned.

  Apr. 30, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  May 16, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  May 26, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent.

  May 26, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

May 8, 2001
Lash III, William Henry, of Virginia, to be an Assistant 
    Secretary of Commerce, vice Patrick A. Mulloy, resigned.

  May 8, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  June 21, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  July 17, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  July 17, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  July 17, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 237. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  July 19, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

May 14, 2001
Roseboro, Brian Carlton, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant 
    Secretary of the Treasury, vice Lewis Andrew Sachs, 
    resigned.

  May 14, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  June 21, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  July 17, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  July 17, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  July 17, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 238. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  July 19, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

May 17, 2001
Johnson, Allen Frederick, of Iowa, to be Chief Agricultural 
    Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade 
    Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, vice Gregory 
    M. Frazier.

  May 17, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  June 21, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  July 17, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  July 17, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  July 17, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 239. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  July 19, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

May 22, 2001
Hale, Janet, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    Health and Human Services, vice John Joseph Callahan, 
    resigned.

  May 22, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Returned to the President under the provisions 
            of Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing 
            Rules of the Senate.

June 5, 2001
Rehnquist, Janet, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, 
    Department of Health and Human Services, vice June Gibbs 
    Brown, resigned.

  June 5, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred 
            sequentially to the Committee on Finance, and if 
            and when reported, be further referred to the 
            Governmental Affairs for not to exceed 20 days 
            pursuant to an order of the Senate of January 5, 
            2001.

  July 31, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent. Order of August 3, 2001.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

June 7, 2001
Azar II, Alex, of Maryland, to be General Counsel of the 
    Department of Health and Human Services, vice Harriet S. 
    Rabb, resigned.

  June 7, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  July 31, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent. Order of August 3, 2001.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

June 21, 2001
Huntsman, Jon M., Jr., of Utah, to be a Deputy United States 
    Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, vice 
    Susan G. Esserman, resigned.

  June 21, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  July 31, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent. Order of August 3, 2001.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

June 26, 2001
Bonner, Robert C., of California, to be Commissioner of 
    Customs, vice Raymond W. Kelly, resigned.

  June 26, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  July 31, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Returned to the President under the provisions 
            of Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing 
            Rules of the Senate.

June 26, 2001
Marin, Rosario, of California, to be Treasurer of the United 
    States, vice Mary Ellen Withrow, resigned.

  June 26, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  July 31, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent. Order of August 3, 2001.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Aug. 3, 2001
Williams, B. John, Jr., of Virginia, to be Chief Counsel for 
    the Internal Revenue Service and an Assistant General 
    Counsel in the Department of the Treasury, vice Stuart L. 
    Brown, resigned.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Returned to the President under the provisions 
            of Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing 
            Rules of the Senate.

July 17, 2001
Barnhart, Jo Anne, of Delaware, to be Commissioner of Social 
    Security for the term expiring January 19, 2007, vice 
    Kenneth S. Apfel, term expired.

  July 17, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Aug. 3, 2001--Returned to the President under the provisions 
            of Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing 
            Rules of the Senate.

Sept. 4, 2001
Williams, B. John, Jr., of Virginia, to be Chief Counsel for 
    the Internal Revenue Service and an Assistant General 
    Counsel in the Department of the Treasury, vice Stuart L. 
    Brown, resigned.

  Sept. 4, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 654. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

Sept. 4, 2001
Bonner, Robert C., of California, to be Commissioner of 
    Customs, vice Raymond W. Kelly, resigned.

  Sept. 4, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Sept. 19, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent.

  Sept. 19, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Sept. 4, 2001
Hale, Janet, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    Health and Human Services, vice John Joseph Callahan, 
    resigned.

  Sept. 4, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 655. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

Sept. 4, 2001
Barnhart, Jo Anne, of Delaware, to be Commissioner of Social 
    Security for the term expiring January 19, 2007, vice 
    Kenneth S. Apfel, term expired.

  Sept. 4, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Oct. 4, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Nov. 1, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Nov. 1, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Nov. 1, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 529. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

  Nov. 2, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Sept. 4, 2001
Ohl, Joan E., of West Virginia, to be Commissioner on Children, 
    Youth, and Families, Department of Health and Human 
    Services, vice Patricia T. Montoya, resigned.

  Sept. 4, 2001--Received in the Senate.

  Sept. 5, 2001--Referred to the Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 656. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

Sept. 10, 2001
Wells, Thomas B., of Maryland, to be a Judge of the United 
    States Tax Court for a term expiring fifteen years after he 
    takes office. (Reappointment)

  Sept. 10, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Oct. 2, 2001--Senate Committee on Finance discharged by 
            Unanimous Consent.

  Oct. 2, 2001--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Sept. 14, 2001
Lockhart, James B., III, of Connecticut, to be Deputy 
    Commissioner of Social Security for a term of six years, 
    vice William A. Halter.

  Sept. 14, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 659. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

Sept. 25, 2001
Daub, Harold, of Nebraska, to be a Member of the Social 
    Security Advisory Board for the remainder of the term 
    expiring September 30, 2006, vice Mark A. Weinberger, 
    resigned.

  Sept. 25, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 660. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

Oct. 31, 2001
Clarida, Richard, of Connecticut, to be an Assistant Secretary 
    of the Treasury, vice David W. Wilcox, resigned.

  Oct. 31, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 657. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

Oct. 31, 2001
Lawson, Kenneth, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
    the Treasury, vice Elizabeth Bresee, resigned.

  Oct. 31, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Dec. 18, 2001--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 658. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond 
            to requests to appear and testify before any duly 
            constituted committee of the Senate.

Nov. 15, 2001
Kingman, Edward, Jr., of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary 
    of the Treasury, vice Lisa Gayle Ross, resigned.

  Nov. 15, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

Nov. 28, 2001
Cramer, Francis L., III, of New Hampshire, to be a Judge of the 
    United States Tax Court for a term expiring fifteen years 
    after he takes office, vice Julian L. Jacobs, term expired.

  Nov. 28, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

Dec. 5, 2001
Quarles, Randal, of Utah, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of the 
    Treasury, vice Edwin M. Truman, resigned.

  Dec. 5, 2001--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

June 7, 2002
Lane, Charlotte A., to be Member of the United States 
    International Trade Commission, United States International 
    Trade Commission; vice Dennis M. Devaney.

  June 7, 2002--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  June 27, 2002--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Aug. 1, 2002--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Aug. 1, 2002--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Aug. 1, 2002--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 1001. Subject to nominee's commitment to 
            respond to requests to appear and testify before 
            any duly constituted committee of the Senate.

July 18, 2002
Olson, Pamela F., to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, 
    Department of the Treasury; vice Mark A. Weinberger, 
    resigned.

  July 18, 2002--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Aug. 1, 2002--Committee on Finance. Hearings held.

  Aug. 1, 2002--Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported 
            favorably.

  Aug. 1, 2002--Reported to the Senate by Mr. Baucus.

  Aug. 1, 2002--Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar 
            No. 1000. Subject to nominee's commitment to 
            respond to requests to appear and testify before 
            any duly constituted committee of the Senate.

  Sept. 5, 2002--Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.

Sept. 12, 2002
Bower, Glen L., to be Judge of the United States Tax Court, The 
    Judiciary; vice Carolyn Miller Parr, term expired.

  Sept. 12, 2002--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

Nov. 14, 2002
Pearson, Daniel, to be Member of the United States 
    International Trade Commission, United States International 
    Trade Commission; vice Lynn M. Bragg, term expired.

  Nov. 14, 2002--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 20, 2002--Returned to the President under the provisions 
            of Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing 
            Rules of the Senate.

Nov. 12, 2002
Wagner, Raymond T., Jr., to be Member of the Internal Revenue 
    Service Oversight Board, Department of the Treasury; vice 
    Oversight Board for the remainder of the term expiring 
    September 14, 2004, vice George L. Farr.

  Nov. 12, 2002--Received in the Senate and referred to the 
            Committee on Finance.

  Nov. 20, 2002--Returned to the President under the provisions 
            of Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing 
            Rules of the Senate.

                      REPORTS, PRINTS AND STUDIES

Report on the Activities of the Committee on Finance during the 
    106th Congress

S. 763, Affordable Education Act of 2001

S. J. Res. 16, Approving the Extension of Nondiscriminatory 
    Treatment (Normal Trade Relations) to the Products of the 
    Socialist Republic of Vietnam

S. 643, United States-Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act

S. 942, TANF Supplement Grants Act of 2001

H.R. 3009, Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act

S. 1209, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, 
    Fishermen, Communities, and Firms Act of 2002

H.R. 3005, Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2002

S. 1979, Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2002

S. 2119, Reversing the Expatriation of Profits Offshore Act

S. 2498, the Tax Shelter Transparency Act

H.R. 7, CARE Act of 2002

H.R. 4737, Work, Opportunity, and Responsibility for Kids Act 
    of 2002

S. 724, Mothers and Newborns Health Insurance Act of 2002

S. 1971, National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee 
    Act

S. 321, Family Opportunity Act of 2002

H.R. 5063, Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2002

                        OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS

    During the 107th Congress, a total of 935 official 
communications were submitted to the Committee. Of these, 13 
were Presidential Messages; 862 were Executive Communications--
these communications include reports to advise and inform the 
Congress, required annual or semi-annual agency budget and 
activities summaries, and requests for legislative action. The 
committee also received 60 petitions and memorials.
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