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Statements were presented by: Honorable Tom Harkin, Chairman, U.S. Senator from Iowa, Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Honorable Robert B. Casey, Jr., U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania; Honorable Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Senator from Georgia; Honorable Richard G. Lugar; Honorable Ken Salazar, U.S. Senator from Colorado; Kelly Brownell, Founder and Director, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Mary Lou Hennrich, Executive Director, Community Health Partnership, Portland, Oregon; Teresa Nece, Director, Food and Nutrition, Des Moines Public Schools, Des Moines, Iowa; Susan K. Neely, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Beverage Association, Washington, DC; and Janey Thornton, Child Nutrition Director, Hardin County School District, Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The following are appended: (1) Prepared Statements; and (2) Documents Submitted for the Record.

The purpose of this hearing was to review the implementation of Titles I through III of Public Law 106-393, "The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000." Statements were presented by: Honorable Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator from New Mexico; Honorable Maria Cantwell, U.S. Senator from Washington; Honorable Larry E. Craig, U.S. Senator from Idaho; Dr. Timothy Creal, Superintendent, Custer School District, Custer, South Dakota; James B. French, Trinity County Superintendent of Schools, Weaverville, California; Reta Griffith, Commissioner, Pocahontas County, West Virginia; Honorable Tim Johnson, U.S. Senator from South Dakota; Sherry Krulitz, Commissioner, Shoshone County, Idaho on Behalf of the National Association of Counties and the Idaho Association of Counties; Tim Lillebo, Conservation Policy Advocate, Oregon Natural Resources Council, Bend, Oregon; Mark Rey, Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Agriculture; Honorable Ken Salazar, U.S. Senator from Colorado; Ed Shepard, Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; Ed Wehrheim, Chairman, Catron County Commission, Catron County, New Mexico; Honorable Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator from Oregon.

The purpose of this hearing was to look for answers to the following questions about the workforce of tomorrow: How will tomorrow's workforce differ from today's? What kind of jobs will tomorrow's employers be looking to fill? What skills will tomorrow's workers need to fill those jobs? And, most importantly, what can be done now to be sure that we are ready when tomorrow arrives at our national doorstep? During the meeting, committee members looked to their witnesses to help navigate them through the lessons of the past, current trends, and projected changes in a wide range of employment factors. Statements during this hearing were provided by: Honorable Michael B. Enzi, Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Gary Garczynski, Past President, Home Builders Institute, National Associating of Home Builders; Tamara J. Erickson, Executive Officer, and Member, Board of Directors, the Concours Group, Watertown, MA; Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Director, Center for Employment Policy, the Hudson Institute, Washington, DC; and Jared Bernstein, Director, Living Standards Program, Economic Policy Institute, Washington, DC; and Edward M. Kennedy, a U.S. Senator from the State of Massachusetts. Additional material was presented by Johnny Isakson, a U.S. Senator from the State of Georgia.

This hearing was convened to examine issues relating to higher education and corporate leaders, focusing on defining the roles industry and institutions of higher education will have to ensure that the United States has the skilled and diverse workforce it will need to succeed today and in the future. The Committee heard statements by: Michael B. Enzi, chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA); Patty Murray (D-WA); Johnny Isakson (R-GA); Louis Caldera, president, University of New Mexico; Edward Hoff, vice president, Learning for IBM; Patricia McGuire, president, Trinity University; James Mullen, president and CEO, Biogen; Edison O. Jackson, president, Medgar Evers College; Patrick Sweeney, president and CEO, Odin Technologies; Robert Craves, founder, Costco Corporation, currently CEO and president, Washington Education Foundation; Walter Nolte, president, Casper College; Charles Reed, chancellor, California State University; and Laura Palmer-Noone, president, University of Phoenix.

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.

The purpose of this hearing was to examine the federal role in improving the effectiveness and coordination of sixty-nine Federal programs that are designed to help parents help their young children with child care and early education. Opening statements were delivered by Subcommittee Chairman Senator Lamar Alexander, Tennessee; Ranking Member Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts; Committee Chairman Senator Michael B. Enzi, Wyoming ;and Senator Christopher Dodd, Connecticut. Witness testimonies were heard from: Wade F. Horn, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.; Raymond Simon, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.; and Kate Coler, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Margaret Spellings to be Secretary of Education. Statements were presented by: Michael B. Enzi, Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Edward M. Kennedy, a U.S. Senator from the State of Massachusetts; Kay Bailey Hutchison, a U.S. Senator from the State of Texas; John Cornyn, a U.S. Senator from the State of Texas; Margaret Spellings, of Texas, nominated to be Secretary, U.S. Department of Education; Judd Gregg, a U.S. Senator from the State of New Hampshire, Lamar Alexander, a U.S. Senator from the State of Tennessee; Orrin Hatch, a U.S. Senator from the State of Utah; and Barbara Mikulski, a U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland. Margaret Spellings presented responses to questions of Senators Enzi, Hatch, Roberts, Kennedy, Dodd, Harkin, Mikulski, Murray, Reed, and Clinton.

The focus of this hearing was on funding for abstinence education. Following an opening statement by Subcommittee Chairman Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, witness testimonies were heard from: Dr. Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.; Rev. Kenneth Page, Pastor, Great Island Presbyterian Church, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania; Dominique Urrutia, Program Coordinator, Abstinence is BEST Program, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Joe Fay, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy; Kelly Lesh, Abstinence Education Special Initiative Coordinator, Heartbeat Community Service, Millerstown, Pennsylvania; Ronald Evans, Director, Bridge Youth Services, Pennsylvania; Tyler Barth, Performer, Abstinence Group Choice Initiative, Central Mountain High School, Mill Hall, Pennsylvania; Miranda Shipley, Volunteer, Peer Education, Reel Commitment Program, Fairfield, Pennsylvania; Nelly Torres, Peer Educator, Impact Group, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania; Sierra Leiphart, Volunteer, Human Life Services, York County, Pennsylvania; Jennifer Bruno, Board Member, Youth as Resources Program, Lehigh Valley High School, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and Jesse Walton, Staff Member, Boys to Men Program, Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The purpose of these hearings was to explore the problems that unaccredited, substandard colleges and universities, often referred to as diploma mills, pose to the Federal Government and to private-sector employers. The schools examined during these hearings practice a sophisticated form of deception and they charge students accordingly. All of the schools we investigated gave credit for prior work or life experience, even for advanced degrees, which is very rare among accredited institutions. One institution's list of life experiences that could qualify for academic credit included horseback riding, playing golf, pressing flowers, serving on a jury, and planning a trip. The schools examined also required their students to do some modicum of work, either tests or papers or both, and they at least give the impression that the school includes professors with suitable academic credentials who actually play a role in the school's academic programs. The danger of these more sophisticated diploma mills is that they can attract a far broader range of students. The schools investigated take pains to try to convince prospective students that they are legitimate and that students have to earn their degrees. That is why a healthy dose of credit for work and life experience becomes such a critical component of their business model. That is what permits these more sophisticated diploma mills to assume an air of legitimacy while minimizing the actual amount of work required. During the two days of these hearings, the focus was on the challenges posed by diploma mills to the Federal Government. Opening statements at the hearings were provided by: Senators Collins; Akaka; Lautenberg; Carper; Durbin; Lieberman; and Pryor. Witnesses provided testimonies and prepared statements on both days of the hearings. An appendix presents: (1) memorandum dated April 15, 2004; and (2) questions and responses for the record from various participants. (Contains 31 exhibits.)

The focus of this hearing was on the issues of education of Palestinian young people, funding by the U.S. Government for the Palestinian Authority, and the implications on the Mid-East peace process. Opening statements were presented by Subcommittee Chairman Senator Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania; and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York. Witness testimonies and prepared statements were presented from: Itamar Marcus, Director, Palestinian Media Watch; the Honorable Mr. David Satterfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; James Kunder, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia and Near Eastern Affairs and Director of Afghan Relief and Reconstruction, USAID; Richard Solomon, President, U.S. Institute of Peace (accompanied by Steven Riskin, Program Officer, Grant Program, U.S. Institute of Peace); Dr. Hassan Abdel Rahman, Chief Representative, PLO Mission; Ziad Asali, President, American Task Force on Palestine; and Dr. Morton Klein, President, Zionist Organization of America. An additional submitted statement from The American Jewish Committee is also included as part of the hearing record. (Contains 8 footnotes.)

The Subcommittee conducted an oversight hearing on Section 529 College Savings Plans, State-sponsored investments that are designed to encourage families to save money for their children's college education. Section 529 refers to the Internal Revenue Code section that authorizes and confers special tax treatment on these entities. Section 529 College Savings Plans are instrumentalities of the various State Governments. The States usually organize the plans as trusts which, in turn, typically invest the plan assets in mutual funds managed by third party asset managers. This oversight hearing built on two previous hearings in which this Subcommittee examined mutual fund management and governance, mutual fund fees, and the adequacy of fee disclosures. Testimony was presented by: Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-IL); Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ); Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR); Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii); Steven T. Miller, Commissioner, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, Internal Revenue Service; Mary L. Schapiro, Vice Chairman and President, Regulatory Policy and Oversight, NASD; Ernesto A. Lanza, Senior Associate General Counsel, Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board; Michael A. Ablowich, Treasurer, State of New Hampshire, on behalf of the National Association of State Treasurers; Jacqueline T. Williams, Executive Director, College Advantage Savings Plan, Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, on behalf of the College Savings Plan Network; Martin M. Noven, Deputy Chief of Staff, on behalf of Judy Baar Topinka, State Treasurer, State of Illinois; Richard O. Davis, Deputy Executive Director for Finance and Administration, Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority; Daniel McNeela, CFA, Senior Analyst, Morningstar, Inc.; and Mercer E. Bullard, President and Founder, Fund Democracy, Inc. Appendices includes a chart entitled "Value of a $10,000 investment after 10 years"; a chart entitled "Value of a $10,000 investment after 18 years"; a chart entitled "Growth in Section 529 Plans 1996-2004"; The "529 Plan Information" chart from the Morningstar website; Barbara Hafer, Treasurer, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, prepared statement with an attachment; Tim Berry, Indiana State Treasurer and NAST President, National Association of State Treasurers; and Questions and Responses to Senator Lautenberg from Mr. Miller, Mr. Lanza, Ms. Schapiro, Mr. McNeela, and Mr. Bullard.

The purpose of this hearing was to gather information and hear testimony on three issues: (1) the expansion of the Cancer Research Center in Hawaii; (2) the recently granted legislative authority for Hawaii 3R's to utilize monies in the Native Hawaiian Education funds to repair those public schools to 25 percent or more Native Hawaiian children; and (3) the need to expand certified apprenticeship and journeymen training programs to ensure that we have qualified, homegrown tradesmen and women to meet the demand that will come as a result of the privatization of military housing. Statements were presented by: Senator Daniel K. Inouye; Senator Daniel K. Akaka; Dr. Evan S. Dobelle, president, University of Hawaii; Dr. Carl Vogel, director, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii; Ms. Dew-Anne Langcoan, vice president, Hawaii Pacific Health; Dr. Okamoto, president and CEO, the Queen's Health Systems; Dr. Jonathan K. Cho, a practicing community oncologist; Honorable Ed Case, U.S. Representative from Hawaii; Patricia Hamamoto, superintendent, State of Hawaii Department of Education; Bruce A. Coppa, Chair, Hawaii 3R's Program; Dennis Manalili, principal, Kaimuki High School; Neil Abercrombie, U.S. Representative from Hawaii; Linda Lingle, Governor, State of Hawaii; Donna Kim, vice president, Hawaii State Senate; and Sylvia J. Luke, vice speaker, Hawaii State House of Representatives; Dr. Clyde M. Sakamoto, chancellor, Maui Community College; Ramsey R. Pedersen, chancellor, Honolulu Community College; Lance Inouye, past president, General Contractors Association of Hawaii; Randy Lau, past president, Building Industry Association; Ron Taketa, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Local 745; Lynn Kinney, Painters, Decorators, Paperhangers and Allied Traders, Local 1791; Glaziers Architectural and Glass Metal Workers Local 1889, AFL-CIO; Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council; Laborers' Union, Local 368; and Hawaii Operating Engineers J.A.C. Further prepared statements were submitted by: International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators & Asbestos Workers Local 132, Hawaii; Bricklayers & Ceramic Tile Setters Local 1 and Plasterers' & Cement Masons' Local 630; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1186, Hawaii; Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders Union, Local 204; Roofers, Waterproofers & Allied Workers United Union of Roofers, Local 221; United Association of Plumbers and Fitters Local 675; Scott Y. Nishimoto, State of Hawaii Representative, District 21; Pacific Resource Partnership; Americas Promise Hawaii; Joint Venture Education Forum; Drywall Tapers and Finishers Local 1944, AFL-CIO; Carpet Linoleum and Soft Tile Local 1926, AFL-CIO; CRTC, Inc; Iron Workers Local 625 and Iron Workers Shopmen Local 803; John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii; University of Hawaii at Manoa; Joseph Kane, Jr.; and Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 293.

Senator Edward Kennedy, from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, submitted this report in accompaniment to United States Senate Bill 2969 (S. 2969), which was introduced by Senator Kennedy and Senator Gregg on September 19, 2002. S. 2969 provides for an office within the Department of Education to conduct high quality research using a variety of scientifically valid methods, to evaluate Federal Education Programs as well as research conducted outside the Department, develop products, and to disseminate information that will improve the quality of education for all students. S. 2969 provides a new structure to that office, to be known as the U.S. Institute for Education Sciences. The Committee believes that the goal of providing every individual with a high quality education requires the continued pursuit of knowledge about education through research, development, data collection, synthesis, technical assistance and information dissemination. The contents of this report are as follows: (1) Introduction; (2) Purpose and Summary; (3) Background and Need for Legislation; (4) Legislative History and Committee Action; (5) Explanation of Bill and Committee Views; (6) Cost Estimate; (7) Regulatory Impact Statement; (8) Application of Law to the Legislative Branch; (9) Section-by-Section Analysis; and (10) Changes in Existing Law. (Contains 2 tables.)

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)

This report presents verbatim, a hearing before the Subcommittee on Children, Family, Drugs and Alcoholism. The hearing featured a series of testimonies and stories on violence among young people in the United States. It opened with remarks by Subcommittee Chairman, Christopher Dodd. He was followed by numerous statements on the nature of violence in communities. These statements were made by those who work with children and youth. Included in these testimonies were accounts provided by children and young people, who spoke of the state of violence in their neighborhoods. The many reports also featured details on programs that appeared to be effective in thwarting violence among youth. A number of prepared testimonies by government officials also appear in this report. (RJM)

Hearings before the Committee on Human Resources of the U.S. Senate on the Better Jobs and Income Act (S. 2084) are presented. (The purpose of the Act, the text of which is included in the document, is to replace the existing federal welfare programs with a single, coordinated program to seek to assure jobs, training, and income supplementation for low-income citizens able to work and income support for low-income citizens in need who are not available for work.) Testimony is included from Ray Marshall, Secretary of the Department of Labor, and Joseph Califano, former Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In addition, a prepared statement which was submitted to the committee by Senator Edward Kennedy and two question and answer sections are presented. (LRA)

Proceedings are presented of hearings before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment, Poverty, and Migratory Labor of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources on the Youth Employment Act, 1980. The act is designed to provide an effective and efficient youth employment program designed to improve career opportunities for youth between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, particularly economically disadvantaged youth. Among those testifying at the hearing were five unemployed young persons, representatives of the United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO, and the National Commission for Employment Policy. (LRA)

This information paper on the major income and employment issues affecting older Americans survey the economic impacts of an aging population, presents an agenda for future research into principle income and employment policy issues, and provides an outline of those policy options to be reviewed as a basis for governmental policy formation. Benefit adequacy and fairness, retirement systems, pension plan funding, the impact of extending the individual's working life, and the coordination and design of current retirement policies are examined. The implications of migration and regional development patterns and the impact of an aging population on employment, income, wealth, government spending and revenues, pension plans, and financial markets are analyzed. Following a discussion of data availability, research priorities are identified in the following areas: finance, benefit adequacy and fairness, employment, and systems coordination and design. The position taken on social security and public retirement systems by business, labor, and the aged is set forth. Conflicts among objectives, major gaps in identified policy options, and the relationship of policy options to economic trends are described. A total of 120 recent related research projects are listed in an appendix. (MN)

Proceedings are presented of hearings before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources (1) to examine the transition from school to work and explore the nature of youth employment and unemployment and (2) to gauge the conditions, trends and problems likely to affect federal labor and human resources policy in the 1980s. Among those testifying were Willard Wirtz, National Manpower Institute; Joseph Anderson, Scientific Time Sharing Corporation; Alice Rivlin, Congressional Budget Office; Jennings Randolph, U.S. Senator; Joan Wiskowski, New Jersey Department of Labor and Industry; and Isabell Sawhill, National Commission for Employment Policy. (LRA)

This congressional hearing contains testimony pertinent to the impact of stress on the American family caused by the workplace. Focus of the hearing is on dual wage-earning parents and the effects on family relationships as well as on non-working recipients of public assistance. The following agencies and organizations were among those represented at the hearing: the National Council on Family Relations; the Department of Family and Human Development, Utah State University; the American Enterprise Institute; and Heritage Foundation. Also included are an article on suggested directions for the federal role of day care and a publication on the nation's families from 1960-1990. (MN)

Proceedings are presented of hearings before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on the abuse and mismanagement of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Programs and to determine if the Department of Health, Education and Welfare is making proper use of consultants. Among those testifying were Ray Marshall, Secretary of Labor, who discussed steps being taken to assure that the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act is administered honestly, efficiently, and effectively; Fredrick Bohen of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, who described controls imposed to insure improved accuracy and accountability for expenditures on consultants; and Philip Bernstein, of the General Accounting Office, who discussed the National Cancer Institute's carcinogenesis programs. (LRA)

These hearings on Senate bill 418 (Displaced Homemakers Act, 1977) explore the problems or barriers confronting women (primarily middle-aged) who are seeking to reenter the labor force or enter it for the first time and ways that existing or new Federal programs can more adequately serve the needs of these women. The first of several witnesses whose testimony is included were Marian Thompson, associate professor and specialist in women's education, University of Wisconsin Extension; Mary King, Deputy Director, Action; Richard Batterton, Secretary, Maryland Department of Human Resources; and Susan Catania, Representative, Illinois State House of Representatives. Numerous letters, prepared statements, and supplementary materials relating to the proposed legislation are included. (EM)