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This is traditionally an annual hearing of the Committee with school nutrition managers who travel to Washington, DC. Their representatives testify to the Committee regarding the practical benefits of the nutrition policies under the legislative review of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. Testimony was presented by Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ranking Member, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Patrick Leahy (D-VT); and Elizabeth Dole (R-NC). Testimony was also presented by panel members Annette Bomar Hopgood, Director, School and Community Nutrition Program, Georgia Department of Education, Atlanta, Georgia; Karen Johnson, School Nutrition Association President, Director of Child Nutrition Programs, Yuma, Arizona; Ruth Jonen, Nutrition Association President-Elect, Director of Food Service, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Illinois; and Dora Rivas, Chair, School Nutrition Association Public Policy and Legislative Committee, Director, Food and Child Nutrition Services, Dallas Independent School District, Dallas, Texas. An appendix provides prepared statements from: Honorable Elizabeth Dole; Annette Bomar Hopgood; and Karen Johnson.

This Congressional hearing before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary presents testimony on the Technology Education and Copyright Harmonization Act, or the TEACH Act, introduced by Senator Orin Hatch (Utah) and Senator Patrick Leahy (Vermont). This legislation updates the education and distance learning provisions of the copyright law for the 21st century, allowing students and teachers to benefit from the deployment of advanced digital transmission technologies like the Internet in education. Opening statements of Senator Hatch and Senator Leahy are given. Statements from two other committee members are included: Senator Edward Kennedy (Massachusetts) and Senator Maria Cantwell (Washington) (submission for the record). The following witnesses provide statements: Allan Robert Adler, Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs, Association of American Publishers; Gary Carpentier, Adjunct Professor of Law, Washington College of Law, American University; Gerald A. Heeger, President, University of Maryland University College; Paul LeBlanc, President, Marlboro College, Vermont; Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights; and Richard M. Siddoway, Principal, Utah Electronic High School. In a session of questions and answers, responses are provided by Allan Robert Adler, Gary Carpentier, Gerald A. Heeger, Richard M. Siddoway, and Marybeth Peters. (AEF)

This document presents witness testimonies addressing faith-based charities that offer critically needed social services through publicly funded and professionally managed programs. Specifically, the hearing discusses the possibility of extensive expansion of government involvement in faith-based charities, and some of the legal and policy concerns that have been raised about proposed expansions of charitable choice by religious leaders, civil rights leaders, and American citizens. Following opening statements from Senators Orrin G. Hatch, Patrick J. Leahy, and Arlen Specter, witnesses present testimonies on their experiences, thoughts, and concerns regarding the charitable choice approach to government funding of social services. The panelists included Rev. Charles Adams, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church; John L. Avery, National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors; Nathan J. Diament, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Carl H. Esbeck, Department of Justice; Rev. W. Wilson Goode, Amachi Program; Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Douglas Laycock, University of Texas; Edward Morgan, Christian Herald Association; Hon. Rick Santorum, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania; Hon. Robert Scott, U.S. Representative from Virginia; Rev. Eliezer Valentin-Castanon, United Methodist Church; and Rabbi David Zwiebel, Agudath Israel of America. (GCP)

These hearings transcripts present testimony before a congressional committee comparing early childhood education and care in the United States with that of other industrialized countries, focusing on all arrangements for children under compulsory school age. The opening statement from the committee chair, Senator James Jeffords, notes the linkage between participation in preschool and numerous positive outcomes as well as the evidence that preschool participation benefits low-income children more than children from more economically advantaged families. Jefford's statement notes that: American children are not entering school ready to learn, especially children from inner cities; the child care workforce is undertrained and paid low wages; and some local and state governments have accepted a view of early education and care adopted in other industrialized nations and have devised a variety of ways to finance programs for 3- and 4-year-olds. Providing testimony regarding the early education and care systems of industrialized nations are representatives of the Institute for Child and Family Policy at Columbia University, the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, the Bristol (Vermont) Family Center, the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children, and the director of educational programs of the French-American Foundation. The testimony focused on the models of early childhood education and care programs in the United States and elsewhere, and discussed their eligibility, coverage, financing mechanisms, staffing and compensation, and outcomes and impacts. Prepared statements also included information on selected findings from a 15-nation study of early childhood care and education programs, the French day care system, and the experiences of one family center in Vermont. (KB)

These hearing transcripts recount testimony before Congress on proposals to work with recipient governments and communities to establish a preschool and school feeding program in developing countries. Of particular focus in the hearing was the infrastructure needed to implement the program effectively and the roles of government agencies, nongovernmental agencies, voluntary agencies, the agricultural community, and the private commercial sector. Oral or written testimony was offered by Ambassador George McGovern; Senators Lugar, Cochran, Harkin, Leahy, Durbin, Daschle, Johnson, and Dole; and Representative James McGovern, as well as by the executive director of the World Food Program, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and directors/chairs of private voluntary relief organizations. It was asserted that international lunch programs have the potential benefit of helping to achieve several foreign policy goals: reducing hunger, increasing and enhancing education in developing countries, increasing education for girls, reducing child labor, increasing opportunities for orphans of war or disease, decreasing population, and decreasing pressure on food resources and on the environment. Testimony by representatives of private voluntary organizations pointed out: (1) the need to involve private voluntary organizations in implementing a school feeding program; (2) the importance of improving educational quality to enhance the school feeding impact; (3) the need for a multifaceted, multiyear approach; (4) the need for involving the private commercial sector; and (5) concerns about the real impact of a school feeding program on childrens nutrition. Appended are prepared statements submitted by congressmen and a concept paper by Food for Education and Economic Development. (KB)

This Congressional report contains the testimony and documents presented for the record of a hearing to gather input regarding the Strengthening Working Families Act of 2001, which was drafted to provide the assistance needed by former welfare recipients and other poor working parents to remain employed and advance in the labor market. The following are among the agencies and organizations represented at the hearing: Goodwill of Acadiana (Opelousas, Louisiana); Center for Fathers, Families, and Workforce Development (Baltimore, Maryland); Welfare to Work Partnership (Washington, DC); Catholic Charities (Alexandria, Virginia); United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Child Welfare League of America; M.A.R.C.H, Inc. (Mediation Achieving Results for Children); and Center for Law and Social Policy. The following are among the topics discussed by witnesses: changes in employment levels and poverty levels since passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act; the need to make sure that working poor families are better off financially than before they started on welfare; the problems that former welfare recipients and other poor workers with families face with regard to affording housing, food, transportation, child care, and health care; the effectiveness of block grants; and the role of work supports and education in boosting job retention and worker advancement. (MN)

This Congressional report contains the remarks made at a special meeting of the United States Committee on Aging to celebrate senior citizen's service to their community and examine policies regarding federally funded senior service programs. The following are among the programs, agencies, and organizations represented: Senior Companion Program; Catholic Charities; Foster Grandparents Program; Retired and Seniors Volunteer Program; South Central Indiana Interfaith Community Council; Big Brothers Program; Corporation for National Service; National Senior Service Corps; Civic Ventures; American Association of Retired Persons; and Purdue University. A large part of the testimony focused on senior citizens' service in areas such as mentoring, literacy education, and companionship and assistance to help other senior citizens remain at home. Extensive attention was also paid to the need for and possibility of additional government funding for the following activities: (1) expansion of existing senior service programs that have proved effective; (2) establishment of financial incentives to increase volunteering by senior citizens; (3) provision of additional training for seniors in areas such as physical and mental health, nutrition, child psychology, identifying signs of child abuse, and provision of long-term care and educational services; and (4) additional research on senior service programs. (Contains 37 references.) (MN)

The purposes of Senate bill S.1415 concerning youth smoking are reviewed and a favorable report with an amendment is provided. The background and need for the legislation is analyzed and the legislative history, including hearings and testimony, is summarized. An analysis of Sections 1-10 is presented individually. Discussion of the bill follows by titles: (1) "Regulation of the Tobacco Industry" includes jurisdiction of FDA and advertising; (2) "Reductions in Underage Tobacco Use" which includes goals, state enforcement incentives, and smoking cessation programs; (3) "Tobacco Product Warnings and Smoke Constituent Disclosure"; (4) "National Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund," which includes spending for childcare and early childhood development; (5) "Standards to Reduce Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke"; (6) "Application to Indian Tribes"; (7) "Civil Liability of Manufacturers of Tobacco Products"; (8) "Tobacco Industry Compliance and Employee Protection from Reprisals"; (9) "Public Disclosure of Tobacco Industry Documents"; (10) "Long-Term Assistance for Farmers," which includes the "Tobacco Community Revitalization Trust Fund" and transition assistance; (11) "Miscellaneous"; (12) "Tobacco Asbestos Trust Fund"; and (13) "Veterans Benefits." A statement of intent of the committee for additional amendments is included. Additional views of several senators and a chart of roll-call votes in committee are appended. (EMK)

These hearings transcripts present testimony regarding child care before the Senate's Subcommittee on Children and Families. The hearings attempted to answer three questions before action is taken by Congress concerning the care of the nation's children: (1) what is best for children?; (2) what do families really want?; and (3) what truly effective steps can be taken to enable families to provide the best care they can get for their children? Oral and written statements were offered by: (1) Indiana Senator Dan Coats; (2) Diane G. Fisher, a psychologist and policy consultant from the Independent Women's Forum; (3) Dr. Stanley Greensban, a child psychologist; (4) Jay Belsky, a professor of human development and family studies; (5) Dr. Armand Nicholi, a clinician and researcher from Harvard Medical School; (6) Ellen Gallinsky, a representative from the Family and Work Institute; (7) Darcy Olgen, a representative of The Cato Institute; (8) Danielle Crittenden, a representative from The Woman's Quarterly; and (9) Anita Blair, a representative of the Independent Women's Institute. (EV)

This congressional report contains testimony examining the vocational rehabilitation system and the Vocational Rehabilitation Act and exploring some of the issues, including linkage, faced by the vocational rehabilitation system in Ohio. Statements were provided by a U.S. senator (Mike DeWine, Ohio) and representatives of the following agencies and organizations: Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission; The Ohio State University; Ohio Client Assistance Program; Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities; Ohio Association for the Deaf; and Ohio Disabilities Planning Council. Special attention was paid to proposed changes in the Vocational Rehabilitation Act to streamline the program's bureaucracy and regulations and improve the quality and quantity of job placements for people with disabilities. Other topics discussed include the following: the vocational rehabilitation process at the direct-service level; the role of the private sector in vocational rehabilitation; the Individualized Written Rehabilitation Program; and the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems' nationwide Client Assistance Program. Appended are written statements by representatives of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission and National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems. (MN)

This congressional report contains testimony pertaining to reauthorization of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, which was drafted to authorize funds for programs covered by the act and consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States. Statements were provided by three U.S. senators (Mike DeWine, Ohio; Paul D. Wellstone, Minnesota; Tom Harkin, Iowa) and representatives of the following agencies and organizations: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services of the U.S. Department of Education; Rehabilitation Services Administration; National Institution of Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission; Vermont Association of Business, Industry, and Rehabilitation; National Council for Independent Living; Fairfax Opportunities Unlimited; Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities; Council for State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation; and Arkansas Rehabilitation Services. An appendix constituting approximately 50% of the document contains statements, articles, publications, and letters that were submitted by 18 individuals and representatives of the following agencies and organizations: Council of Organizational Representatives; National Rehabilitation Association; National Industries for the Blind; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; and American Foundation for the Blind. (MN)

This hearing, the ninth in a series discussing issues related to the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, focuses on three programs: Aid for Institutional Development, or Title III; the National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership Program; and the TRIO programs, which provide support services and scholarships for students, as well as institutional aid to colleges and universities and are intended to assist low-income, first-generation college students. The following witnesses made statements: (1) Moses Griffin, Wilberforce University (Ohio), who suggested that common evaluation criteria are inadequate for judging program effectiveness at historically black colleges and universities; (2) R. Vic Morgan, Sul Ross State University (Texas); who discussed the role of Title III at Hispanic-serving institutions; (3) Linda Shiller, speaking on behalf of the National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership Program, who discussed the programs of the Vermont Student Assistance Program; and (4) Ann Coles, who spoke on behalf of the National Council of Educational Opportunity Associations, and noted that over 2 million TRIO program participants had graduated from colleges over the past 30 years. Additional materials from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities are appended. (CH)

These hearings transcripts present testimony concerning the status of medical and scientific findings on prenatal and postnatal brain development and the implications of federal policies for childhood development. Testimony was offered by Senators Dan Coats (Indiana) and Christopher Dodd (Connecticut); psychology professor Edward Zigler of Yale University; medical and psychological researchers; and spokespersons for child and family advocacy groups. The senators focused on the importance of early brain development and its impact on later development and government programs that assist families in raising children such as Head Start and the Family Medical Leave Act. Medical and university representatives described results of positron emission tomography studies of biochemical brain activity, comparative analyses of brain activity in normal and deprived infants, the critical period in brain growth, auditorially-mediated learning and auditory perception in human newborns, the impact of prenatal substance abuse and postnatal abuse on brain development, and the importance of early experience. Professor Zigler maintained that American society does not support optimal early development and recommended expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, addressing the problem of child care, and supporting expanded parent education programs. A clinical psychologist commented on the need to nurture developing attachment relationships and expressed concerns about day care quality. Child and family advocates recommended that the dependent child care tax credit be made universal and noted bills which could assist home-based businesses and telecommuting employees. Materials supporting the testimony are attached. (KB)

This congressional report contains testimony examining the status of vocational assistance and its role in work force development and the Clinton Administration's views on reforming the federal investment in vocational education. Testimony was provided by two U.S. senators (James M. Jeffords, Vermont; Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts) and representatives of the following agencies and organizations: U.S. Department of Education; American Federation of Teachers; Vocational Education Task Force; National Center for Research in Vocational Education; Information Technology Association of America; New Urban High School Project; Clark-Theders Insurance Group; Center for Occupational Research and Development; and Office of Vocational and Technical Education of the Mississippi Department of Education. The following were among the topics discussed: the adequacy of vocational education policy and practices for the 21st century; the role of community and technical colleges in labor force development; career guidance and counseling services provided through the Perkins Act; proposed changes in the Perkins Act to streamline the vocational education system, improve it, and increase its flexibility and accountability; vocational education funding formulas and financing; school-to-work; national skill standards; business and industry views regrading the role of vocational education and skills needed for the work; work-based learning; and vocational education in urban settings. (MN)

This hearing presents testimony on Medicare support for graduate medical education in light of Clinton Administration and other reform proposals to reduce the number of specialized residencies in teaching hospitals. The testimony includes opening statements by Senator William V. Roth, Jr., chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, and Senator Phil Gramm. Bruce Vladeck, administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration offered a statement as administration witness. Statements by public witnesses included those of: Robert Crittenden of the University of Washington School of Medicine; Don E. Detmer, on behalf of the Association of Academic Health Centers; Spencer Foreman, on behalf of the Greater New York Hospital Association of Academic Health; and Ralph W. Muller, on behalf of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Appended are prepared statements by the witnesses and communications regarding graduate medical education reform from the Alaska Family Practice Residency, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, American Association of Dental Schools, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Hospital Association, National Association of Children's Hospitals, National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, and National League for Nursing. (MDM)

This hearing transcript presents testimony exploring how the well-being of abused and neglected children can be improved through an amendment clarifying the "reasonable efforts" requirement of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (1980) to allow the child's health and safety to take precedence over parents' rights. Testimony begins with a statement from Ohio Senator DeWine, which notes the frequency with which abused or neglected children are returned to unsafe or unhealthy home environments, and the number of children in foster care for longer than 2 years. Additional testimony in support of the change is presented from: (1) the acting assistant secretary for Children and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Olivia A. Golden; (2) the director of the University of Rhode Island's Family Violence Research Program, Richard J. Gelles; (3) director of Montgomery County (Ohio) Children Services Board, Helen Leonhart-Jones; and (4) director, Los Angeles County (California) Department of Children and Family Services, Peter Digre. Additional statements, articles, and correspondence--both anecdotal and research-based, are appended from Senator Jeffords, the speakers, and the Child Welfare League of America. (HTH)

Existing U.S. Federal law has not been sufficiently effective in preventing youth violence or in ensuring the punishment of juvenile offenders. Young people are the most violent segment of American society, and there is little reason to believe that a continuation of present Federal policy is likely to reduce youth crime. Bill S. 1952 seeks to make significant changes in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The legislation: (1) makes changes designed to ensure that the Federal Government's policy toward youth violence is focused on those activities that the Federal Government can perform best, that are appropriately Federal, and that would be unlikely to be undertaken by state or local levels of government; (2) eliminates many bureaucratic and procedural requirements of current law; (3) reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and Missing Children's Assistance Act; and (4) repeals authorizations for programs for which there is little or no evidence of success in preventing youth violence and reallocates those funds. The contents of this legislative report, submitted by Mr. Hatch from the Committee on the Judiciary, are: (1) Purpose; (2) Legislative history; (3) Discussion; (4) Vote of the Committee; (5) Section-by-section analysis; (6) Cost estimate; (7) Regulatory impact statement; (8) Additional views of Messrs. Kennedy and Feingold; (9) Additional views of Mr. Kohl; and (10) Changes in existing law. (JBJ)

This hearing transcript presents statements regarding programs that facilitate involvement of marginal or absentee fathers in the upbringing of their children. Opening or prepared statements, reiterating the increase in paternal abandonment and its attendant social costs, are presented for Indiana Senator Dan Coats, Chair of the Subcommittee on Children and Families, North Carolina Senator Lauch Faircloth, and for Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd. Statements and testimony are then presented from four administrators of programs intended to encourage greater paternal responsibility, including the president of the "Promise Keepers" initiative. These statements and testimony explore the detrimental effects of absent fathers, examine policy issues including paternal visitation rights and the cultural construct of marriage, and describe efforts of their various organizations to encourage paternal responsibility. A statement from the president of the Children's Rights Council, on certain policies that have contributed to the increase of absent fathers and changes that would encourage positive parenting, concludes the transcripts. (HTH)

This hearing transcript presents statements and testimony regarding effectiveness of the Healthy Start Demonstration Project to reduce U.S. infant mortality rates and authorization for funding to establish new sites and to enable exiting programs to act as mentors for and to disseminate information to new projects. Opening statements are presented for Senators Nancy Kassebaum, Chair of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, and Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. Prepared statements are then presented for Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, and Dr. Louis Sullivan, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and creator of the Healthy Start initiative. These statements explore infant mortality rates and highlight the effectiveness of the projects in terms of prevention and the need for continued funding. Testimony is then presented from administrators of Healthy Start sites and recipients of these program services, as well as from Marie McCormick, Chair of the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. Prepared statements from the president of a Healthy Start site describing the Healthy Start Initiative in Boston, and from the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation supporting continued funding and highlighting March of Dimes' involvement with Healthy Start conclude the transcripts. Correspondence to Senator Kassebaum regarding Healthy Start is included. (HTH)

The Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space held a hearing in Billings, Montana, on rural America's access to the National Information Infrastructure (NII) and uses of NII in the provision of rural education and services. An Assistant Secretary of Commerce discussed the development of the Internet, problems in rural access to the Internet and other information technologies, a federal grant program that helps rural communities to gain such access, and the effects of deregulation on rural access. A researcher outlined the potential impact of technology on rural schools, including opportunities for new distance learning models, for new models of student learning, and for improving teacher development. A health services administrator described the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network, which delivers specialist physician consultation through video conferencing, delivers mental health consultative services, offers continuing medical and higher education programming to rural communities, and provides community outreach and telebusiness opportunities to geographically isolated communities. The computer systems and telecommunications director at Salish Kootenai College discussed the problems of providing telecommunications technology to tribal colleges on American Indian reservations and related problems involving rural telephone cooperatives, inadequate telephone service, and obsolete laws governing the delivery of utility services. Representatives of communications companies discussed the potential role of NII in promoting rural development and delivering rural services, and the need for continued Congressional action to support telecommunications competition. (SV)

The Subcommittee heard testimony from seven witnesses and statements from three senators on whether or not it is in the Federal Government's best interest to divest itself of the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae), and the College Construction Loan Insurance Association (Connie Lee). Lawrence A. Hough of the Student Loan Marketing Association testified that Sallie Mae is poised to move away from government sponsorship, that it would remain committed to the Federal Family Education Loan Program, and that privatization plans must be designed carefully to assure approval by shareholders. Oliver R. Stockwell of Connie Lee testified that Connie Lee was ready and willing to convert to private status. Senator Dodd appeared and spoke in support of privatization. Leo Kornfeld of the Department of Education testified in support of privatizing Connie Lee and cautioned that the current marketplace needs, offset fees, and exit fees must be considered in any Sallie Mae privatization plan. Darcy Bradbury of the Department of the Treasury argued for privatization to reduce the debt that carries some perception of government support. Senator Claiborne Pell urged caution in privatization. A member of the Congressional Research Service, a representative of the Financial Guaranty Insurers, and a representative of First Boston Corporation also testified on privatization issues. Prepared statements of senators and witnesses are included. (JB)

These Congressional hearings contain testimony pertaining to the future of job training in Ohio. Among the topics discussed are the following: the job training needs of selected special needs groups, including convicted felons on probation, dislocated workers, displaced homemakers, unemployed individuals, underskilled employees, disadvantaged individuals, disabled individuals, and welfare recipients; private sector and federal government roles in job training; public policies creating disincentives to seek training and employment; and cooperation between the business and educational sectors. The following are among the agencies and organizations whose representatives provided testimony at the hearings: Court of Common Pleas; Zagar, Inc.; Hollaender Manufacturing; The George Gund Foundation; Jobs Plus Employment Network; Job Corps; Centers for Independent Living; Ohio Restaurant Association; Ladders for Success; Ohio Department of Employment Services; Ohio Board of Regents; Ohio Department of Development; Ohio Department of Education; Ohio Rehabilitation Commission; Eastland Vocational School District; Adult Education Division and Postsecondary Adult Vocational Education Division, Ohio Vocational Association; Postsecondary Adult Vocational Education Division, Ohio and American Vocational Association; Springfield-Clark Joint Vocational School; and Ohio Women Work. (MN)

This document presents witness testimony and supplemental materials from a Congressional hearing regarding legislation to reform national telecommunications policy. Most of the proposed changes would allow Americans greater freedom to choose among communication products and services. Among the topics this hearing addresses are increasing competitiveness of telephone services, cable rate deregulation, and the removal of government-imposed barriers to new investment in and ownership of broadcasting stations. Testimony is included from: (1) Decker Anstrom, National Cable Television Association; (2) Richard H. Cutler, Small Cable Business Association; (3) U. Bertram Ellis, Jr., Ellis Communications, Inc.; (4) Edward O. Fritts, National Association of Broadcasters; (5) Scott Blake Harris, Federal Communications Commission; (6) Gerald L. Hassell, Bank of New York; (7) Roy Neel, United States Telephone Association; (8) Eli Noam, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information; (9) Preston R. Padden, Fox Broadcasting Co.; (10) Bradley Stillman, Consumer Federation of America; and (11) Jim Waterbury, NBC Affiliates Association. The document also features statements by Senators Larry Pressler, Conrad Burns, and John D. Rockefeller. (BEW)

This document contains the text of testimony presented at a congressional hearing examining education's role in economic competitiveness. Senator James M. Jefford's opening statement is followed by testimony given by representatives of the following agencies and organizations: TRW, Inc., Circuit City Stores, Inc., McGraw-Hill, Inc., Drew University, U.S. Bureau of the Census, University of Southern California, Cornell University, and Knowledge Network for All Americans. Also included is a paper titled "Improving Education: How Large Are the Benefits? How Can It Be Done Efficiently?" (Bishop), and a paper titled "Improving National Economic Competitiveness through Educational Investment" (Lloyd). Charts summarizing the following are contained in the testimony: average annual federal taxes by family for 1991; change in median family income by education; education loan debt; employment by major economic sector from 1800 to 1993; the growing gap between individuals based on mastery of the skills required for economic competitiveness; distribution of available capital stocks in the U.S. business economy; components fueling domestic economic growth in the United States from 1929 to 1990; and shifts in federal budget priorities from 1993 to 1995. (MN)

This report of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources recommends that appropriations be authorized for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Historic Building Restoration and Preservation Act (H.R. 2921), as amended. The bill provides the authorization necessary to appropriate funds for structures located on the campuses of HBCUs that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or that are designated a National Historic Landmark. The bill provides authorization for the use of $10 million for grants to 11 projects identified as the most historically significant and critically threatened structures and $5 million to Fisk University, to be funded through the Historic Preservation Fund. The report outlines the bill's legislative history, Committee recommendations and tabulation of votes, Committee amendments, a section-by-section analysis, cost and budgetary considerations, regulatory impact evaluation, and communications from the Department of the Interior. (JDD)

This hearing transcript presents testimony concerning minority participation and retention in higher education with emphasis on implications for student aid programs. Oral testimony or prepared statements were presented by Senators Paul Simon, Claiborne Pell, and Carol Mosely-Braun. Testimony was also offered by: (1) the president and three officials of the American Council on Education; (2) the associate director and two officials from the Education and Employment Issues section of the U.S. General Accounting Office; (3) the executive director of the National Council of Education Opportunity Associations; and (4) the presidents of Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, Nebraska Indian Community College, Hostos Community College, Chicago State University, and Spelman College. The testimony in general pointed to the low, and in some cases declining, rates of participation by Blacks, Latinos, and other minorities in higher education in the United States. Many witnesses decried the lack of minority graduate students and faculty to serve as role models. Much testimony was also critical of federal student aid initiatives, such as the Pell Grant program, for not providing enough money to needy students. (MDM)

The Senate Committee on Finance met to hear testimony on and discuss the preparation of medical doctors and how the Clinton Administration's proposed health care reform would influence medical education and the supply of health care professionals. Peter P. Budetti, director of the Center for Health Policy Research at George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), testified on how past federal policy has contributed to the rise of doctors training in specialties and subspecialties and has caused a decline in general practitioners. Jack M. Colwill, representing the Council on Graduate Medical Education, testified that the nation has too few generalists, has a surplus of specialists, and is moving toward a progressive physician surplus, which may impede the ability to move into systems of managed care and may contribute to escalating costs. Debra J. Folkerts, a family nurse practitioner from Kansas, testified on graduate nurse education and other health care reform efforts. Clayton E. Jensen, dean of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, testified on how his institution has responded to North Dakota's health care service needs. The document also includes statements from Senators Orrin G. Hatch, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Bob Packwood and a position statement from the American Academy of Family Physicians. (JB)

These hearing transcripts present testimony concerning the Clinton Administration's plans to expand and improve Project Head Start. Testimony was heard from Senators Christopher J. Dodd, Dan Coats, Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Strom Thurmond, James M. Jeffords, and Harris Wofford, as well as Representatives Matthew G. Martinez and Susan Molinari, and Mary Jo Bane, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Testimony was also offered by Sandra Kessler Hamburg, director of education studies for the Committee for Economic Development, Valora Washington of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, a Head Start program director, two Head Start parents, and a graduate of a Head Start program. An appendix includes prepared statements delivered by Assistant Secretary Bane, Ms. Hamburg, the Head Start program director, parents, and the Head Start graduate. (MDM)

This hearing examined issues concerning Project Head Start quality and expansion. Testimony was offered by: (1) Senator Edward Kennedy, who discussed the importance of strengthening Head Start; (2) Mary Jo Bane, Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, who presented highlights of the final report of the Advisory Committee on Head Start Expansion and answered questions about the committee's work; (3) Ronald Herndon, president of the National Head Start Association, who spoke about his experiences as a Head Start program director; (4) Diane Hebert, a parent and committee member of a Head Start program who related how Head Start had helped her and her children; (5) Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, who lauded the expansion of Head Start; (6) Edward Zigler, one of the founders of Head Start, who called for more focused appropriations for the program; (7) Douglas Besharov, a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, who warned that Head Start may be less cost effective than other forms of preschool education; and (8) Lisbeth Schorr of Harvard University, who argued that children should enter Head Start at an earlier age. (MDM)

This special hearing, held in Portland, Oregon, addressed the concept of allowing states and local governments more flexibility in their use of federal funds designated for educational programs in exchange for increased state and local accountability. It focused on programs and policies in place or under consideration in the states of Oregon and Washington. Testimony was presented by: (1) U.S. Representative Jolene Unsoeld of Washington; (2) Oregon State Senator Shirley Gold; (3) U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon; (4) school superintendents from Salem, Oregon, and Olympia, Washington; (5) Oregon State Representative Carolyn Oakley; (6) the heads of boards of education in Salem and Trigard, Oregon; (7) teachers, principals, and a professor from Oregon public schools and universities; and (8) David Geiger, president of the Oregon School Boards Association. (MDM)

In this report, the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources--to which Senate Bill 1513 was referred--recommends that the bill pass as amended, thereby clearing the way for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 legislation, including Title 1. Title 1 funds have been a major factor in providing locally operated "compensatory" educational programs, as well as other educational programs. Renamed the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, the legislation is designed to continue improvement of learning and teaching and also to realign federal educational policy and programs to achieve the educational objectives of the Goals 2000 bill. The report is divided into nine sections. The first 123 pages contain sections on: (1) introduction to and purpose of the legislation; (2) committee views; (3) tabulation of votes cast in committee; (4) cost estimate of the legislation; (5) regulatory impact statement; (6) section-by-section analysis of the bill; (7) additional views of Senator Dave Durenberger; and (8) minority views of Senator Dan Coats. Section 9, the remaining 457 pages, examines changes in existing law that would result from passage of this bill. (ET)

These transcripts feature statements and testimony from a Senate hearing on gun-related violence among school children. Opening statements by judiciary committee members Joseph R. Biden, Paul Simon, Herbert Kohl, Strom Thurmond, and John H. Chaffee offer statistics and anecdotes about the increasing presence of guns on school campuses, the incidence of accidental and intentional shootings and suicides by children, and the impact of drugs and gangs. Testimony was presented by panel members: (1) Jack Vinokur from the Brandywine School District in Wilmington, Delaware, who explained the school district's student code of conduct regarding the possession of weapons and the background to the policy's development; (2) Lieutenant Thomas Byrne of the Chicago Police Department School Patrol Unit, who offered information on how children obtain firearms, why they carry guns to school, and how gangs impact children; and (3) Ronald Stephens of the National School Safety Center in California, who offered additional anecdotes about violence involving children, presented statistics on school crime and violence, suggested that children obtain guns primarily from home, provided an essay by a student about weapons at school, and discussed the influence of drugs and gangs on the proliferation of guns in school. In addition, Stephens suggested 15 ways in which Congress and local communities can respond to the problem. An appended statement by Michael K. Beard, president of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, proposes that reduced, and eventually banned, access to handguns is the most effective solution to gun violence. (AC)

The text of a Senate hearing on juvenile justice is presented in this report. The report opens with testimony by Senator Herbert Kohl. Senator Kohl's testimony focuses on youth violence, prevention, and public policy. A prepared statement by Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., focuses on providing the necessary resources, leadership, and coordination in developing and implementing effective methods of preventing and reducing juvenile delinquency. Testimony and/or materials from these witnesses is included: (1) John Collins, Kenosha County executive, Kenosha, Wisconsin; (2) Lynne Martinez, Commission of Ingham County, Lansing, Michigan; (3) Gladys McCoy, Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, Portland, Oregon; (4) Thomas R. English, executive director, Oregon Council on Crime and Delinquency, Portland, Oregon; (5) Kevin Soucie, intergovernmental relations director, Milwaukee County, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; (6) Michael Greene, juvenile justice administrator, city of New York, New York; (7) Sally Herrick, president, New York State Youth Bureaus, Ballston Spa, New York; and (8) Carole Carpenter, Maricopa County, supervisor, Phoenix, Arizona. (ABL)

This document provides testimony, prepared statements, articles, publications, and other materials concerning the issue of augmenting current student financial assistance programs with the addition of direct student loans (Self Reliance Loans), and examines responsible ways in which the federal government should move in this direction. Among the persons providing testimony are the following: U.S. Senators Bill Bradley (New Jersey), Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts), Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), Nancy Landon Kassebaum (Kansas), Paul Simon (Illinois), Strom Thurmond (South Carolina), and Daniel K. Akaka (Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Thomas E. Petri (Wisconsin). Additional witnesses giving testimony or prepared statements include, among others,: John Silber, president, Boston University (Massachusetts); Father William J. Byron, president, The Catholic University, Washington, D.C.; Barry Bluestone, professor of political economy, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts; Roxie LaFever, vice president, financial aid, University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona; and Elizabeth M. Hicks, coordinator of financial aid, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Materials presented include "Concerns and Unanswered Questions Regarding Income Dependent Education Assistance (IDEA) aka Self Reliance Loans," and a copy of a discussion draft of a bill to amend Part D of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for income dependent education assistance. (GLR)

Hearings were conducted in Newark (New Jersey), Los Angeles (California), Detroit (Michigan), and Atlanta (Georgia) to elicit testimony concerning public investment in education and social services for children and their families. At each of the four hearings, an opening statement by Senator Tom Harkin was followed by statements from individuals interested in children's education and services. In the four hearings, oral and written testimony concerning the need to improve and better fund education and social services for children and their families was presented by nearly 50 senators, representatives, mayors, educators, health care providers, religious leaders, community leaders, and concerned individuals. (MDM)

A one-day hearing convened by the Senate Judiciary Committee examined the effort to meet the needs of children entering school who were exposed to drugs before their birth. Testimony focuses on the extent of the problem nationwide and on the need for early intervention strategies and special teacher training programs. Special note is taken of the problems that result from alcohol abuse, including fetal alcohol syndrome. It is estimated that the cost to prepare children affected by drug and alcohol abuse for school is $20 billion. Statements from Senators Edward Kennedy, Christopher Dodd, Hank Brown, Joseph Biden, Strom Thurmond, and Charles Grassley are presented. Additional statements and testimony are provided by Judy Howard (University of California at Los Angeles), Evelyn Davis (Harlem Hospital Center, New York), and Diane Powell (Project Daisy, Washington, D.C.). Implications for the School Readiness Act of 1991, the pending Children of Substance Abusers bill, and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are noted. (LB)

This report discusses the Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Adoption and Family Services Act of 1991. Section I provides background information on child abuse, family violence, and adoption opportunities, and addresses the need for reauthorization legislation. Section II provides a list of witnesses from relevant hearings, and briefly describes the primary issues raised. Section III, "Committee Views," addresses the following child abuse issues: U.S. Advisory Board, state grants program, change in title of grant program and purposes, requirements for applying and reporting, state task force, community-based prevention grant, child maltreatment and homelessness, child maltreatment and substance abuse, child abuse treatment improvement grants program, and emergency child abuse prevention. Also covered are committee views on family violence and adoption opporunities. Section IV, "Votes in Committee," notes that Senate bill 838 was approved by the committee. Section V describes the Congressional budget office cost estimate for the bill. Section VI states the inflationary or regulatory impact of the bill. Section VII provides a section-by-section analysis of Senate bill 838. The final section contains a detailed description of the changes in existing law. Sections are reviewed under the following titles: miscellaneous programs, community-based child abuse and neglect prevention grants, certain preventive services regarding children of homeless families or families at risk of homelessness, and family violence prevention and services. (LLL)

This hearing was held to discuss a proposal to restore a measure of equity and fairness to the copyright law. Under current law, authors whose works were created after January 1, 1978, receive a single term of copyright protection, extending for the life of the author, plus 50 years. But authors of pre-1978 works are only entitled to a 28-year term of protection, and must file a registration renewal with the copyright office to receive an additional 47-year term of protection. This renewal requirement has caused a number of authors to accidentally forfeit copyright protection for their work, consequences felt most harshly by less noted authors of minor works, and by heirs and families of authors. S. 756, a bill to amend the copyright renewal provisions of title 17, U.S. Code, will automatically grant an additional 47-year term of copyright protection for these pre-1978 works and will make registration renewal voluntary. After an opening statement by Dennis DeConcini, Chairman of the Subcommittee, and the text of S. 756, transcripts of the testimony and/or statements by two witnesses are provided: (1) Ralph Oman, Register of Copyrights at the Library of Congress, accompanied by Dorothy Schrader and Eric Schwartz; and (2) Burton Lane, composer, on behalf of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, accompanied by Bernard Korman. Also included are additional statements and letters submitted for the record by Broadcast Music, Inc.; Jacqueline Byrd (widow of songwriter Robert Byrd); Irwin Karp (Committee for Literary Property Studies); John M. Kernochan (Columbia University School of Law); Gregory Luce (Sinister Cinema Video); National Music Publishers' Association, Inc.; L. Ray Patterson, Professor of Law, University of Georgia); and Barbara Ringer (former Register of Copyrights). (DB)

Congressional hearings on American children and youth living in crisis were conducted in an effort to determine how the needs of these young people can assume their proper place in national priorities. A three-pronged strategy was suggested by chairman Edward Kennedy: (1) more investment in cost-effective programs that work (for example, Head Start); (2) investments in families that will build on their strengths; and (3) support for young children who need to break the poverty cycle. The report of the hearings includes testimony and prepared statements from numerous witnesses, including those representing the states of Utah, Connecticut, Florida, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia; the Committee for Economic Development, Minnesota; Project UpLift; YouthBuild; the National Education Association; the YMCA; the Council of Chief State School Officers; South Carolina ETV; All Our Children; Public Affairs Television; the Commission on Work, Family and Citizenship; the National Council of La Raza; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Public Welfare Association; the American Medical Association; the Child Welfare League of America; the National League of Cities; and the Association of Junior Leagues International. (LB)

This document contains the 1989 annual report of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. It describes actions during 1989 by the Congress, the federal administration, and the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, which are significant to America's older citizens. It also summarizes and analyzes the federal policies and programs that are of the most continuing importance for older persons, their families, and for those who will become older Americans in the future. Individuals chapters examine the issues of: (1) Social Security--old age, survivors, and disability insurance; (2) employee pensions; (3) taxes and savings; (4) employment; (5) Supplemental Security Income; (6) food stamps; (7) health care; (8) long-term care; (9) housing programs; (10) energy assistance and weatherization; (11) the Older Americans Act; (12) social, community, and legal services; and (13) the federal budget. Supplemental materials contained in the report include brief summaries of the 1989 hearings of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, a list of prints and information papers printed by the Senate Special Committee of Aging in 1989, a list of the staff of the committee, and a Committee publications list from 1961 to 1989. (NB)

A Congressional hearing was held to consider: (1) the S.2034 To Authorize the Creation of a National Education Report Card To be consider: (1) the creation of a National Education Report Card to Schools and To Establish a National Council on Educatonal Goals, students and schools, and (2) the establishment of a National Council on Educational Goals. This document provides statements presented at this hearing concerning the National Education Report Card Act of 1990 (S. 2034). Prepared statements of D. P. Doyle and R. Mitchell are included. The introductory remarks of Senator J. Bingaman discuss educational assessment. S. Fuhrman of the Center for Policy Research in Education voices support for a National Council. Support for the national report card is provided by P. D. Forgione Jr., Connecticut State Department of Education. Statements by G. Ambach, Council of Chief State School Officers, and B. Honig, California Department of Education, are included. On September 10, 1990, the Subcommittee met again to discuss the formation of a National Council and the question of its independence from the political process. The following presenters' oral and prepared statements are provided: C. T. Cross, Office of Educational Research and Improvement; E. W. Clausen, American Association of School Administrators; M. C. Fricke, National School Boards Association; M. Waterman, National Parent Teacher Association; P. Kronkosky, Southwest Education Development Laboratory; and D. G. Stoner, Council for Educational Development and Research. A prepared statement from the National Education Association is also included. (SLD)

This document is the text of a Senate bill to establish procedures and standards for the framing of relief in suits to desegregate the Nation's elementary and secondary public schools, to provide for assistance to voluntary desegregation efforts, to establish a National Community and Education Committee to provide assistance to encourage and facilitate constructive and comprehensive community involvement and planning in the desegregation of schools, and for other purposes. If it is enacted, this Act may be cited as the School Desegregation Standards and Assistance Act of 1976. It is organized in two titles. The purpose of Title I, Standards and Procedures in School Desegregation Suits, is to prescribe standards and procedures to govern the award of injunctive and other equitable relief in school desegregation cases brought under Federal law. The purpose of Title II, National Community and Education Committee, is to create a nonpartisan national committee composed of citizens from various occupations and backgrounds, particularly individuals who have had experience in school desegregation activities from within a community, in order to provide assistance to communities that are engaged or preparing to engage in the desegregation of their schools. (Author/JM)

This Congressional report contains testimony given during the last of six days of hearings pertaining to reauthorization of the Older Americans Act of 1965. The focus of the day's hearings was on the insights of various administrators, advocates, and academics concerning the past, present, and future of the delivery of services to older adults under the auspices of programs authorized and funded by the Older Americans Act. Included among those persons providing testimony at the hearing were representatives of the following agencies and organizations: the American Health Care Association, the Aging Services Division of the North Dakota Department of Human Services, the Leadership Council on Aging Organizations, the Elvirita Lewis Foundation, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, the National Association of Regional Councils, the Office of Human Development of the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the National Association of Counties. (MN)

This congressional report contains testimony given in relation to the passage of the Vocational and Adult Education Consolidation Act (S. 2325). (The Vocational and Adult Education Consolidation Act is legislation designed to consolidate existing federal vocational and adult education programs, to simplify requirements for states and other recipients participating in federal vocational and adult education programs, and to authorize certain state and national programs for the development of vocational and basic skills for persons whose employment would sustain or improve workforce productivity and economic growth.) Included among those agencies and organizations represented at the hearing were the following: the U.S. Department of Education, the American Vocational Association, the Council for Exceptional Children, the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education, the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education, the National Education Association, the Nevada Advisory Council for Vocational Education, the United Tribes Educational Technical Center, and the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education. Also included in the report are an article on sex equity issues in the reauthorization of the Vocational Education Act and a report of the State Advisory Councils for Vocational Education Effectiveness. (MN)

This is a Congressional hearing on an examination of problems faced by women in transition from work without pay to economic self-sufficiency. Testimony includes statements from individuals representing the Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor; the Career Training Program, Women's Center, Enterprise State Junior College, Alabama; the National Displaced Homemakers Network; Project Move, Manatee County Schools, Bradenton, Florida; Wider Opportunities for Women; statements from graduates of displaced homemakers programs; and U.S. Senators. Additional information includes an executive summary of a Florida needs assessment study and questions and answers. (YLB)

Hearings are presented on the Collegiate Student-Athlete Protection Act of 1983, a bill designed to encourage college student-athletes to complete their undergraduate education before becoming professional athletes. This legislation addresses the relationship between professional sports league eligibility rules and the antitrust laws. The eligibility requirements are based on elapsed time from high school graduation. The legislation makes clear that professional sports leagues and associations have the legal authority to promulgate rules regarding recruiting and eligibility without being faced with antitrust charges. The proposed legislation was prompted by the signing of the University of Georgia's football star, Herschel Walker, by a member team of the United States Football League. The scope of the hearings is confined to the public policy issue of whether antitrust laws should bar professional teams from policing themselves. The effect, however, is a broader public policy issue--whether college athletes will, at the least, be free from pressure to abandon their education. While Congress cannot force athletes to follow this course, it can provide the most favorable environment for doing so. Witnesses include representatives of professional leagues and associations, athletes, and a sports attorney. (SW)

Experts testifying at the National Nutrition Policy study hearings on June 19-21, 1974 in Washington, at the invitation of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, recommended several steps which the committee staff feel merit a prompt Congressional response. This report prepared by staff incorporates those recommendations, focusing on the need for: (1) creation of a Federal Food and Nutrition Office; (2) formalizing nutrition policy making into a written National Nutrition Plan; and (3) implementation of a better system of National Nutrition Surveillance. Members of the Nutrition Committee submitted legislation for improved nutrition education during the ninety-third Congress, and those recommendations are therefore only treated briefly in this report. A comprehensive National Nutrition Policy is necessary to coordinate and monitor the varied nutrition-related programs and activities now dispersed throughout the government. The present global food situation threatens millions overseas with starvation and requires immediate concerted action. The present lack of policy coordination derives from the multidimensional character of nutrition. Agricultural policy, tax policy, and even foreign policy all have nutritional implications. The flow of information to decision makers in a form they can use must be coordinated. (Author/JM)

The Special Committee on Aging, established in 1961 by Senate Resolution 33, Eighty-seventh Congress, was charged with making a full and complete study and investigation of problems and opportunities of older people, including problems and opportunities of maintaining health, of assuring adequate income, of finding employment, of engaging in productive and rewarding activity, of securing proper housing, and, when necessary, of obtaining care or assistance. The committee has examined "the administration strategy for cutbacks in aging"; "immediate and long-range directions in social security"; medicare and proposed national health insurance plans; nursing homes; employment problems related to recession; housing ligislation; the Older Americans Act; training, research, and education; transportation; and, volunteer and community service by the elderly. Recommendations are made for legislative action and change in administrative policies. Also included are "Minority Views" and five "Appendices": "Analysis of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974," Highlights of the study "The Myth and Reality of Aging in America" conducted by Louis Harris and Associates for the National Council on the Aging, Inc., "New Federalism and Aging,""Reports from Federal Departments and Agencies," and "Committee Hearings and Reports." (JM)