The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Senate Committee Meetings” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Daily Digest section on pages D842-D843 on July 21, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
NOMINATION
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded hearings on the nomination of William J. Rainer, of New Mexico, to be Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, after the nominee, who was introduced by Senators Bingaman and Dodd, testified and answered questions in his own behalf.
FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded oversight hearings on the Farmland Protection Program, which helps farmers keep their land in agriculture by providing funding to purchase the development rights of farmland, after receiving testimony from Richard Rominger, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; Samuel E. Hayes, Jr., Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg; Gus Seelig, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Montpelier; Michael G. Fitzpatrick, Bucks County Board of Commissioners, Doylestown, Pennsylvania; Guy F. Donaldson, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Camp Hill; Ralph Grossi, American Farmland Trust, Washington, D.C.; Wayne Dillman, Indiana Farmers Union, Martinville; and Joseph M. Gergela, III, Long Island Farm Bureau, Inc., Calverton, New York.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded hearings on the nominations of F. Whitten Peters, of the District of Columbia, to be Secretary of the Air Force, and Arthur L. Money, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
LAND CONVEYANCE AND MANAGEMENT BILLS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management concluded hearings on S. 1184, to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to dispose of land for recreation or other public purposes, S. 1129, to facilitate the acquisition of inholdings in Federal land management units and the disposal of surplus public land, and H.R.150, to amend the Act popularly known as the Recreation and Public Purposes Act to authorize disposal of certain public lands or national forest lands to local education agencies for use for elementary or secondary schools, including public charter schools, after receiving testimony from Senator Kyl; Representative Hayworth; Paul Brouha, Associate Deputy Chief, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; Larry Finfer, Assistant Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; Lorenzo J. Valdez, Rio Arriba County, Espanola, New Mexico; Don Stapley, District 2 Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona; Mayor Ginny Handorf, Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona; Daniel Williams, Congress for the New Urbanism, Miami, Florida; and William R. Humphries, Lindrith, New Mexico.
HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Drinking Water concluded hearings to examine the extent and quality of the science of the Endangered Species Act's habitat conservation plans, after receiving testimony from Donald J. Barry, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks; Monica P. Medina, General Counsel, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce; Lorin L. Hicks, Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc., Seattle, Washington; Steven P. Courtney, Sustainable Ecosystems Institute, Portland, Oregon; Michael A. O'Connell, Nature Conservancy, Mission Viejo, California; Laura C. Hood, Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, D.C.; and Gregory A. Thomas, Natural Heritage Institute, San Francisco, California.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee ordered favorably reported an original bill entitled the Taxpayers Refund Act of 1999.
TAIWAN-CHINA RELATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs concluded hearings on recent developments in Taiwan-China relations, after receiving testimony from Steve J. Yates, Heritage Foundation, James R. Lilley, American Enterprise Institute, and Gerrit Gong, Center for Strategic and International Studies, all of Washington, D.C.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee held hearings on the role of sanctions in United States national security policy, receiving testimony from Senators Lugar, Dodd, Hagel, and Ashcroft.
Hearings recessed subject to call.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings on the nominations of Barbara J. Griffiths, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland, Richard Monroe Miles, of South Carolina, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria, Carl Spielvogel, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, J. Richard Fredericks, of California, to be Ambassador to Switzerland, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein, and William B. Taylor, Jr., of Virginia, for the Rank of Ambassador during tenure of service as Coordinator of U.S. Assistance for the New Independent States, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. Mr. Fredericks was introduced by Senator Boxer, and Mr. Spielvogel was introduced by Senator Daschle.
RUSSIAN SPACE LAUNCH QUOTA
Committee on Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation and Federal Services concluded hearings to examine quota based trade agreements as an instrument of commercial space launch trade policy between the United States and Russia, after receiving testimony from Catherine Novelli, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Mediterranean; Walter B. Slocombe, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; John D. Holum, Senior Advisor for Arms Control and International Security, Department of State; and Will Trafton, International Launch Services/Lockheed Khrunichev Energia International, Inc., San Diego, California.
FEDERAL ASSET FORFEITURE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Oversight concluded oversight hearings on Federal asset forfeiture, focusing on its role in fighting crime and the need for reform of the asset forfeiture laws, after receiving testimony from Representatives Hyde and Weiner; Eric H. Holder, Jr., Deputy Attorney General, and Richard A. Fiano, Chief of Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration, both of the Department of Justice; James E. Johnson, Under Secretary for Enforcement, and Bonni G. Tischler, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Investigations, U.S. Customs Service, both of the Department of the Treasury; Gilbert G. Gallegos, Fraternal Order of Police, Samuel J. Buffone, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Roger Pilon, CATO Institute, all of Washington, D.C.; Johnny Mack Brown, Greenville County Sheriff's Office, Greenville, South Carolina, on behalf of the National Sheriffs Association; Johnny L. Hughes, Annapolis, Maryland, on behalf of the National Troopers Coalition.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL GAMING AGREEMENT ACT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded hearings on S. 985, to amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, after receiving testimony from Senator Enzi; Hilda A. Manuel, Deputy Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior; James E. Billie, Seminole Tribe of Florida, Hollywood; Raymond C. Scheppach, National Governors' Association, and Richard G. Hill, National Indian Gaming Association, both of Washington, D.C.
