To extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on ``Review of Current Investigations and Regulatory Actions Regarding the Mutual Fund Industry.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 10 a.m., on steroids.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 10, at 11:30 a.m., to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda

On Wednesday, March 10, at 11:30 a.m., the Committee will hold a Business Meeting in Dirksen 366 to consider the following items on the agenda:

Agenda Item 1: To consider the nomination of Susan Johnson Grant, to be Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Energy.

Agenda Item 8: S. 1307--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to assist in the implementation of fish passage and screening facilities at non-Federal water projects, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 9: S. 1355--A bill to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to participate in the rehabilitation of the Wallowa Lake Dam in Oregon, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 10: S. 1421--A bill to authorize the subdivision and dedication of restricted land owned by Alaska Natives.

Agenda Item 12: H.R. 620--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide supplemental funding and other services that are necessary to assist the State of California or local educational agencies in California in providing educational services for students attending schools located within the Park.

Agenda Item 17: H.R. 2696--To establish institutes to demonstrate and promote the use of adaptive ecosystem management to reduce the risk of wildfires, and restore the health of fire-adapted forest and woodland ecosystems of the interior West.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 9:25 a.m., to conduct a business meeting to consider a GSA resolution and S. 1904, S. 2022, and S. 2043, and to conduct a hearing on the proposed FY 2005 EPA budget.

The hearing will be held in SD 406.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 2 p.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``United States Economic and Trade Policy in the Middle East.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 10, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., to hold a hearing on Nonproliferation and Arms Control Strategy.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday. March 10, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a hearing on ``A Fresh Start for Haiti? Charting the Future of U.S.-Haitian Relations.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on the proposed reorganization of major agencies and functions related to Indian trust reform matters without the Department of the Interior.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 10 a.m. on ``Letting the People Decide: The Constitutional Amendment Authorizing Congress to Prohibit Physical Desecration of the flag of the United States,'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Witness List:

Panel I: The Honorable Daniel J. Bryant, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Panel II: Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, Chairman of the Board, Citizens Flag Alliance, Recipient, Medal of Honor, Summer, WA; John Andretti, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Driver, Mooresville, NC; Richard D. Parker, Williams Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA; Gary E. May, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Southern Indiana (1981-1985), Evansville, IN; and Lawrence Korb, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Navy Veteran, Alexandria, VA.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 2:30 p.m. on ``Judicial Nominations'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Witness List:

Panel I: Senators.

Panel II: Peter W. Hall, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit.

Panel III: Jane J. Boyle, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas; Marcia G. Cooke, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida; and Walter D. Kelley, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the scope and operation of organizations registered under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, for a joint hearing with the House of Representatives's Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to hear the legislative presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The hearing will take place in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Economic Committee be authorized to conduct a hearing in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Wednesday, March 10, 2004, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 10, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., in open and closed session to receive testimony on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Programs of the Department of Energy and the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program of the Department of Defense, in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 1 p.m. to conduct a hearing on ``Argentina's Financial Crisis.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on public lands and forests of the committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 10th, at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearings is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 1354, to resolve certain conveyances and provide for alternative land selections under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act related to Cape Fox Corporation and Sealaska Corporation, and for other purposes; S. 1575 and H.R. 1092, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain parcels of federal land in Carson City and Douglas County, NV; S. 1778, to authorize a land conveyance between the United States and the City of Craig, AK, and for other purposes; S. 1819 and H.R. 272, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land to Lander County, NV, and the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to Eureka County, NV, for continued use as cemeteries; and H.R. 3249, to extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 10, 2004, at 2 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on the posture of the U.S. Transportation Command, in review of the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2005 and the future years defense program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 2:30 p.m. on NASA/Mars Exploration Program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 28, 2004, at 11 a.m., in closed session, to receive a briefing regarding the performance of force protection equipment for ground forces in Iraq, including the up-armored HMMWV, and potential alternatives to meet force protection needs of the combatant commander.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., on Telecommunications Policy Review: A Look Ahead, in SR-253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Wednesday, April 28 at 11:30 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda Item 1: S. 203--A bill to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, WY to locatable mineral development for bentonite mining.

Agenda Item 5: S. 1071--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, to conduct a feasibility study on a water conservation project within the Arch Hurley Conservancy District in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 6: S. 1097--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to implement the Calfed Bay-Delta Program.

Agenda Item 9: S. 1467--A bill to establish the Rio Grande Outstanding Natural Area in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 10: S. 1582--A bill to amend the Valles Preservation Act to improve the preservation of the Valles Caldera, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 11: S. 1649--A bill to designate the Ojito Wilderness Study Area as wilderness, to take certain land into trust for the Pueblo of Zia, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 12: S. 1687--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the preservation and interpretation of the historic sites of the Manhattan Project for potential inclusion in the National Park System.

Agenda Item 13: S. 1778--A bill to authorize a land conveyance between the United States and the City of Craig, AK, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 14: S. 1791--A bill to amend the Lease Lot Conveyance Act of 2002 to provide that the amounts received by the United States under that Act shall be deposited in the reclamation fund, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 15: S. 2180--A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain lands in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado.

Agenda Item 16: S. Res. 321--A resolution recognizing the loyal service and outstanding contributions of J. Robert Oppenheimer to the United States and calling on the Secretary of Energy to observe the 100th anniversary of Dr. Oppenheimer's birth with appropriate programs at the Department of Energy and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Agenda Item 20: H.R. 1521--To provide for additional lands to be included within the boundary of the Johnstown Flood National Memorial in the State of Pennsylvania, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 21: H.R. 3249--To extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee.

In addition, the Committee may turn to any other measures that are ready for consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 28th at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing to receive testimony on the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration.

The hearing will be held in SD 406, hearing room.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Taking the Taxpayers for a Ride: Fraud and Abuse in the Power Wheelchair Program.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 10 a.m. to hold a Nomination hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 3 p.m. to hold a Nomination hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at 10 a.m. for a hearing titled ``Government Purchase Cards: Smarter Use Can Save Taxpayers Hundreds of Millions of Dollars.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at 10 a.m. in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on S. 2172, Tribal Contract Support Cost Technical Amendments of 2004.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 2 p.m. on ``The Playwrights Licensing Antitrust Initiative Act: Safeguarding the Future of American Live Theater'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226

Witness List

Arthur Miller, Playwright (Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, All My Sons); Roxbury, CT.

Stephen Sondheim, Lyricist (West Side Story, Gypsy, Sweeney Tood); New York, NY.

Wendy Wasserstein, Playwright (Uncommon Women and Others, Isn't It Romantic, The Heidi Chronicles); New York, NY.

Gerald Schoenfeld, Chairman, League of American Theaters and Producers; Chairman, The Shubert Organization; New York, NY.

Roger Berlind, Producer, Berlind Productions (Kiss Me Kate, City of Angels, Wonderful Town, Caroline or Change); New York, NY.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate for a hearing entitled, ``Impact of Stock Option Expensing on Small Businesses'' on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, beginning at 10 a.m. in Room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Economic Committee be authorized to conduct a hearing in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Wednesday, April 28, 2004, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 28, 2004, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a closed hearing on Intelligence Matters.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Subcommittee on Children and Families, be authorized to meet for a hearing on Healthy Marriage: What is it and why should we promote it? During the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at 2 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services be authorized to meet for a hearing on Mental Health in Children and Youth: Issues Throughout the Development Process during the session of the Senate on Wednesday April 28, 2004, at 10 a.m.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3249-- a bill I introduced with my colleague from Oregon, Mr. DeFazio, which would extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee. I want to commend the chairman of the Resources Committee, Mr. Pombo, and the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Mr. Goodlatte, for expediting the consideration of this legislation in their respective committees.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 3249 would extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee to coincide with the sunset of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, which expires on September 30, 2007. The committee was created in the FY 2001 Interior Appropriations bill and is comprised of local government county and school officials. Its purpose was to develop long-term solutions to ensure the proper management of our national forests, emphasizing forest health and economic activity, and evaluate the effectiveness of the County Schools legislation.

Congress charged the committee with evaluating several key areas in making its recommendations. They include the methods by which payments are made to eligible states and counties; the impact of revenues from historical multiple use of federal lands on states and counties; the economic environmental, and social benefits of federal lands to counties and reviewing the costs to counties resulting from the presence of federal lands. The committee held at least six listening sessions throughout the country to understand better the impact that the presence of these federal lands has on counties where they are located. The input gathered from these listening sessions was ultimately used to write the committee's report, which was published in February 2003.

What did the committee's report find? It found what many communities in my district have known for at least the last decade: that the decline in timber receipts from federal lands has had a devastating economic impact on these rural communities. While communities acknowledge the benefits associated with the presence of public lands within their counties, including improved quality of life, recreational opportunities, and the revenue coming into their communities through travel and tourism, the committee validated the claims that these benefits are outweighed by the degradation of county roads and schools that has resulted from the decline in timber receipts. This not only creates access issues for individuals wishing to recreate on public lands, but also creates safety concerns for transporting children to schools, responding to emergencies and day-to-day travel.

This unfortunate reality especially holds true in the counties I represent in eastern Oregon. Between 1990-1999 the counties in this region saw Forest Service payments from timber receipts and other generated revenues drop by 87 percent.

In light of the rapid decline of timber receipts reaching these communities, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. This act stabilized timber revenue dependent counties by providing a temporary ``safety-net'' payment to forest counties and schools at 85 percent of the average of their three highest receipt years from 1986-1999. The legislation also provided an additional 15 percent to support community-based projects, like hazardous fuels treatments taking place on federal lands.

Madam Speaker, the authorization for the Forest Counties Payments Committee expired several weeks ago, on October 11, before it was able to examine fully the impact of the

County Schools legislation. More importantly, if the committee's term is not extended, it will not have the opportunity to examine the potential effect that the implementation of the National Fire Plan or the Healthy Forests Initiative will have on America's forested counties. The Chairman of this committee, Mark Evans, stated in a letter to Chairman Pombo, ``. . . the Committee did not have adequate time to consider ways to integrate the Healthy Forests Initiative and National Fire Plan with future payment options. The timing of development of these two programs along with a 18-month timeframe imposed on the Committee to produce a final report precluded full consideration of possible options.''

Madam Speaker, I agree wholeheartedly with the remarks of Chairman Evans. We need to pass this legislation to allow the Payments Committee to continue its good work. It goes without saying that its future findings will lay the foundation as we move towards the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.

I'd like to once again thank the efforts of Chairman Pombo and Chairman Goodlatte in getting this legislation to the floor in an expeditious fashion. I urge the House to adopt this extension and yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3249) to extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this bill, H.R. 3249, simply changes the termination date of the Forest Counties Payments Committee that was created by Congress in the Interior Appropriations Act of 2001 to coincide with the expiration date in 2006 of the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act of 2000.

The purpose of this committee is to develop recommendations for Congress concerning the Federal program of payments to States and counties and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act that regulates those payments. While some of the work of the committee has been completed, the important job of evaluating the effectiveness of Public Law 106-393 is ongoing and will need to be continued in order to assist Congress as it reviews options for either reauthorization or the development of new legislation. These efforts are crucial if we hope to further our understanding and support for healthy communities and healthy forests.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) for his thoughtful leadership on this issue and on this bill. I urge adoption of the bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 10th, at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 1354, to resolve certain conveyances and provide for alternative land selections under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act related to Cape Fox Corporation and Sealaska Corporation, and for other purposes; S. 1575 and H.R. 1092, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain parcels of Federal land in Carson City and Douglas County, Nevada; S. 1778, to authorize a land conveyance between the United States and the City of Craig, Alaska, and for other purposes; S. 1819 and H.R. 272, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land to Lander County, Nevada, and the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to Eureka County, Nevada, for continued use as cemeteries; and H.R. 3249, to extend the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send two copies of their testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150.

For further information, please contact Frank Gladics at 202-224- 2878.