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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 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.

Noting the significant increase since 1990 in food-borne illnesses affecting school children, these hearings transcripts provide testimony on the safety of federal school lunches. Statements by Senator Richard Durbin and Representatives Stephen Horn, Janice Schakowsky, and Carolyn Maloney emphasized the array of federal agencies with various food safety responsibilities, food safety agencies' inability to mandate food recalls, and the need for better cooperation and communication between the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Representative Rosa DeLauro discussed findings of unsanitary conditions and unsafe food handling practices in Chicago area schools, recordkeeping flaws preventing officials from tracing food contamination to its source, the need to consolidate and streamline the number of federal agencies/committees responsible for protecting food, and the need to give the USDA and FDA authority to conduct mandatory recalls. General Accounting Office testimony recommended making schools aware of federal inspection and compliance records of potential food suppliers and described USDA and FDA measures to protect the food supply from deliberate contamination. Officials from the FDA and USDA described their respective roles in ensuring food safety and procedures for responding to illness outbreaks. An official of the Center for Science in the Public Interest discussed gaps in the food safety system and urged passage of the Durbin-DeLauro Safe Food Act. Two parents from a food safety advocacy group testified about their childrens food-borne illnesses, urged trace-back capability and accountability, advocated a single food safety agency, and maintained that overemphasizing consumer education misdirects responsibility for food safety from producers to consumers. Counsel for the National Food Processors Association asserted that mandatory recall is unnecessary because of industry cooperation with federal recall requests and maintained that a single food safety agency is not likely to provide the kinds of benefits proposed. Questions for witnesses related to interagency cooperation and communication, bioterrorism possibilities, specific incidents of foodborne illnesses and the followup investigations, USDA guidance to districts regarding procurement procedures, and concerns about due process. Appended to the transcripts are prepared statements, letters, and charts illustrating the school lunch supply chain and food safety oversight responsibilities. (KB)

A hearing was held to explore the problem of binge drinking on campus and to consider possible responses to this problem. Following an opening statement by Senator Joseph Lieberman, a panel of witness who have done research and work in the field gave testimony. These witnesses commented on the problem of binge drinking: (1) Raynard S. Kingston, Acting Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health; (2) Ralph W. Hingson, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Boston University School of Public Health; and (3) Mark S. Goldman, Director, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Research Institute, University of South Florida. A second panel of witnesses spoke of real-life impacts of binge drinking. They included: (1) Daniel P. Reardon, parent of a student who died of alcohol poisoning; (2) John D. Welty, President, California State University, Fresno; (3) Robert F. Nolan, Chief of Police, Hamden, Connecticut; and (4) Drew Hunter, Executive Director, the BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network. An appendix contains some prepared statements from C.D. Mote, Jr., president of the University of Maryland and Catherine Bach, program director of Security on Campus. Prepared statements of the witnesses are also included. (SLD)

This document presents witness testimonies addressing the growing problem of Ecstasy use among American youth. All accounts point to the fact that youth are increasingly experimenting with the drug and experiencing seizures and other adverse affects at an alarming rate. Opening statements from Senators Lieberman, Bunning, and Akaka related the problem of drugs in their states. Testimony was presented from two teenage residents of Phoenix House Drug Rehabilitation Center, who are recovering from Ecstasy addiction. Other witnesses include Dr. Donald R. Vereen, Jr., Deputy Director of National Drug Control Policy; Alan I. Leshner, Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse; John C. Varrone, Assistant Commissioner of Customs; Joseph D. Keefe, Chief of Operations for Drug Enforcement Administration; John M. Bailey, Connecticut Chief State's Attorney; and Roy Rutland, Narcotics Detective for Miami-Dade Police Department. The hearing attempted to determine if the government was doing enough to stop the continued spread of this drug. It was hoped that the hearing gave a better understanding of the problem and provided some insight into what must be done. The appendix contains the prepared statements of the witnesses. (JDM)

The focus of this hearing was on lessons learned in the District of Columbia public schools in the year preceding the hearing. In his opening remarks, Senator Brownback (Kansas) remarked that one of the first lessons is that the academic quality of the schools is not good enough and is in dire need of improvement. A second set of lessons focuses on discipline and school safety. The first hearing witness was Gloria L. Jarmon, of the U.S. General Accounting Office, who spoke about the funding of school repairs in the District of Columbia. Delays in school repairs hindered the operation of the District schools in the preceding year. The second speaker, David L. Cotton, accompanied by Ed Fritts and Marvin Allmond who were members of a firm that audited the District of Columbia schools procurement process. Irregularities in the procurement process and the need for further investigation were pointed out. The statement of Joyce Ladner of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority discussed the steps taken to improve the poor condition of the District's schools and instructional effectiveness. Accomplishments that began to put into place the foundations of better learning, including administrative changes, were outlined. The testimony of Julius W. Becton, Jr., the Superintendent of Schools, reviewed the progress made in the relatively short time in which the newly appointed administration has operated. Improvements to facilities and personnel and financial management were outlined. The final panelist was Taalib-Din Uqdah, businessman and custodial parent of D.C. public school students, who spoke about the expectations and experiences of parents for their children's schools. An appendix contains supporting material from the Government Accounting Office and the school system, as well as prepared statements of some of the speakers. (SLD)

A hearing before the oversight committee for the District of Columbia (D.C.) public schools provided the opportunity for several senators and educators to comment on the progress of educational reform in the District's public schools. The hearing was held at a time when the opening of the city's public schools was delayed because of their many safety and code violations. Representative Richard K. Armey spoke about the conditions in the D.C. schools and discussed the school choice legislation he has sponsored. Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, discussed charter schools and emphasized that the priorities of the public school system are not consistent with fundamental education reform. Nina Shokraii of the Heritage Foundation advocated vouchers to allow parents to send their children to schools of their choice. Kent B. Amos discussed a proposal to change the funding of charter schools in the District of Columbia. Bruce K. MacLaury, Chairman of the Emergency Transition Education Board of Trustees of the District of Columbia Public Schools, presented the views of the transitional board about the progress toward school reform in the city's schools and offered support for charter schools. General Julius W. Becton, Jr., the appointed Superintendent of Schools, discussed the condition of the schools in general and outlined some improvements made under his administration, focusing on the ongoing physical plant repairs. An appendix contains the District of Columbia Student Opportunity Scholarship Act of 1997 and some supporting statements, including prepared remarks of those who testified at the hearing. (SLD)

The purpose of this hearing was to probe a pattern of fraud and abuse in the Pell Grant Program for postsecondary students, focusing specifically on the IADE American Schools, a for-profit vocational school with campuses in the Los Angeles (California) area and serving primarily Hispanic students. In his opening remarks Senator Roth detailed a history of prior abuses of the program and lax oversight by the Department of Education. Senator Nunn, after summarizing a five-year series of hearings, reports, and recommendations, testified that a year-long investigation of the IADE schools had uncovered serious misconduct, abuses, and possibly fraudulent practices. He charged that the Department was not only incapable of preventing a fraudulent institution from participating in student aid programs but was also unable to detect or pursue such fraudulent activities. Following the senators' opening statements, the Subcommittee team investigating IADE schools reported its findings. David Longanecker, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, then reviewed the Department's procedures and policies, stating that oversight was being improved. The final testimony was a report from the U.S. General Accounting Office assessing the Department's effectiveness in using student aid data to ensure compliance and prevent abuses. An appendix contains the texts of the witnesses' prepared statements. 56 exhibit statements are listed separately. (CH)

This document records the oral and written testimony of witnesses who testified at a hearing on a proposed amendment to the Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1993. The amendment would spell out how the federal work force is to be reduced in size and would provide cash incentives for early retirement as well as make retraining of existing workers more feasible. Witnesses included Senators Glenn, Roth, Stevens, Sasser, Pryor, and Akaka, as well as several officials of the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Defense. The witnesses generally supported the idea of the amendment but pointed out the need to ensure that new workers were not hired to replace each one who left and that top-level officials as well as lower supervisors and workers were chosen for early retirement or voluntary layoff. The text of the amendment is included in the document. (KC)

This document presents witness testimonies and prepared statements from the Senate hearing on youth violence, strategies for its prevention, and the appropriate role of the federal government. The hearing stresses the need for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach for youth violence prevention strategies and more coordination by the federal government. Opening statements are included by Senators Glenn and Akaka. Witnesses providing testimony include: (1) Louis Stokes, Representative from Ohio; (2) Gregory McDonald, U.S. General Accounting Office; (3) Carol Beck, high school principal; (4) Marc Wilkins, Police Chief's Youth Task Force, Washington, D.C.; (5) Curtis Artis, Police Chief's Youth Task Force, Washington, D.C.; (6) Leonard Eron, University of Illinois at Chicago and American Psychological Association on Violence and Youth; (7) Adele Harrell, The Urban Institute, Washikngton, D.C.; (8) Donald Schwarz, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; (9) Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Harvard University; (10) Gail Breakey, Hawaii Family Stress Center; (11) Ray Miller, Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Commission on Minority Health; (12) Ronald Slaby, Education Development Center, Newton, Massachusetts and Harvard University; and (13) Renee Wilson-Brewer, Education Development Center, Newton, Massachusetts. Prepared statements of the witnesses; a prepared statement of Chukwudi Onwuachi-Saunders, Centers for Disease Control; relevant articles from the "New York Times"; and charts submitted from the Centers for Disease Control are appended. (NB)

This document presents a field hearing of the Governmental Affairs Committee to examine the current reform efforts in science and mathematics education at the federal and state levels, focusing specifically on the experiences of Ohio. Nine witnesses representing various educational levels presented testimony concerning mathematics and science education initiatives in Ohio. Initiatives and issues discussed included: (1) the Ohio Proficiency Test; (2) Project Discovery, a project focusing on preparing middle school students to think critically and solve problems; (3) the National Center for Science Teaching and Learning; (4) curriculum reform; (5) societal factors influencing reform; (6) collaboration among the higher education, public education, and business sectors; (7) the B-WISER Institute, a summer camp and follow-up program that empowers young women to achieve in science; and (8) the under-representation of minorities and women in mathematics and science. Appendices contain copies of prepared statements by the witnesses and other participants. (MDH)

This document presents testimony and prepared statements concerning the lack of information about educational and career opportunities for young people beyond high school, and the need for improving access to student financial aid information so that economically disadvantaged students have the opportunity to go on to higher education. Witnesses were: Col. John C. Meyers, Director, Advertising and Public Affairs, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; Hon. Ernest C. Canellos, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Student Financial Assistance, U.S. Department of Education; Gwendolynne S. Moore, Representative, Seventh Assembly District, State of Wisconsin; Selena Dong, Legislative Director, United States Student Association; Regina E. Manley, president National Association of College Admission Counselors, Chicago [IL] Public Schools; Gary D. Bass, Executive Director, OMB Watch; and A. Dallas Martin, Jr., President, National Association of College Admission Counselors. Also included in the document is a U.S. Department of Education publication called "The Key to the Future," that provides information to assist those interested in seeking student aid, including how to get it, what's available, and general information on the department's Student Aid process. Appendices contain: (1) prepared statements of witnesses in order of appearance; (2) statements from Senators Lieberman and Rudman; (3) responses from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators to Senator Rudman's questions; and (4) responses to questions from Senator Kohl by the U.S. Department of Education. (GLR)

This report on abuses in federal student aid programs, particularly the Guaranteed Student Loan Program (GSLP), is based on information gathered by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in the course of its overall investigation and the testimony and exhibits received during the course of hearings held between February and October, 1990. The hearings, taking place over 8 days, involving nearly 50 witnesses, and dealing with the overall GSLP status, were organized around case studies, specifically: The American Career Training Corporation of Pompano Beach, Florida; The Culinary School of Washington, D.C.; and the collapse of the First Independent Trust Company of Sacramento, California. This investigation was prompted by a large volume increase in the program, a dramatic increase in loan defaults, and reports of waste, fraud and abuse within the GSLP. In four sections the following topics are addressed: the nature and extent of the program (GSLP growth, business over education, industry profits, problem schools, students as victims); the existence of serious problems at all levels (school practices, state licensure, accreditation, financial players); the dismal record of the U.S. Department of Education (failures to monitor eligibility and certification, accrediting agency recognition, financial player regulation/oversight, administration/management, enforcement). A final section offers findings, conclusions, and recommendations. (JB)

The transcript of the hearing that examined S. 1951, a bill to establish a Federal Interagency Council on Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, is presented. The purpose of the bill is to promote cooperation and coordination among the dozen or so federal agencies that administer programs in science and math education. Witnesses include the following officials: (1) John Andelin, Office of Technology Assessment; (2) Christopher T. Cross, Office of Educational Research and Improvement; (3) Mark O. Hatfield, Senator from Oregon; (4) Sue Kemnitzer, former executive director, Task Force on Women, Minorities, and the Handicapped in Science and Technology; (5) J. Thomas Ratchford, National Science Foundation; (6) Richard E. Stephens, Department of Energy; and (7) Luther Williams, National Science Foundation. The text of S. 1951, the prepared statements of witnesses in order of appearance, a report on "Coordination of Programs on Mathematics and Science Education for the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and Other Agencies," and a letter to Senator Glenn from Christopher T. Cross dated June 14, 1990 are appended. (KR)

The focus of this hearing was two Government Accounting Office (GAO) evaluative reports on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) programs to educate school-aged youth about the dangers of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and ways to avoid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The GAO's first report is based on its national survey of school districts and their policies on reaching young people who stay in school and on training teachers in AIDS instruction. The GAO found that more Federal leadership is needed to improve the HIV curriculum and to train teachers about students' knowledge, behavior, and beliefs. The second report concerns the slow progress made by Federal, State, and local governments in reaching the small but critical percentage of youth who are not in school. This group includes the runaways, the homeless, the incarcerated, the migrants, and street youth who may be involved in a variety of high-risk behaviors. Witnesses before the committee included educators and government officials. (JD)

This document presents oral testimony and prepared statements on the subject of federal student loan programs identified as particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse. Opening statements by the four Senators (Nunn, Kohl, Roth, and Levin) stress the seriousness of increasing student loan defaults and abuses by proprietary, for profit, trade schools. Oral testimony and exchanges with the Senators are then given for the following individuals: Franklin Frazier, Director, Education and Employment Issues of the General Accounting Office; David B. Buckley, Chief Investigator of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; James B. Thomas, Inspector General, Department of Education; two students, an employee, and the president of the American Career Training School. Much of the document consists of exhibits pertaining to the American Career Training Travel School (Florida) investigation and related documents concerning proprietary trade schools including a statement by the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools. (DB)

This document reports oral testimony and prepared statements of persons who testified at hearings on abuses in federal student aid programs. Witnesses included proprietary school owners, officials from accrediting bodies and other educational organizations. Their testimonies focused on the various problems and discrepancies occurring within the federally guaranteed student loan program, and specifically, the Triad system of state accreditation/certification involving self regulation by industry, eligibility conferred by the U.S. Department of Education on trade and proprietary schools, and the victimization of proprietary students by school owners. (LPT)

Fundamental to a realistic assessment of educational quality is an assessment of United States education statistics and information-gathering efforts. This hearing focused on the identification of information needed and steps the Congress needs to take to make education information available on a timely basis so that policy decisions can be made. Opening remarks of Senators J. Bingaman, Simon, H. Kohl, and J. Heinz are included. Ten witnesses provided testimony: (1) Christopher T. Cross, Assistant Secretary for Education Research and Improvement reviewed the National Assessment of Educational Progress, accompanied by Jeanne Griffith, acting director, Cross-Cutting Education Statistics and Analysis Division, and David Sweet, director, Elementary and Secondary Outcomes Division; (2) Patricia A. Graham, dean, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University; (3) Chester E. Finn, professor, Vanderbilt University; (4) Denis P. Doyle, senior research fellow, Hudson Institute; (5) H. Dickson Corbett, director, Research for Better Schools; (6) Ernest Boyer, president, Princeton Office, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; (7) Emerson J. Elliott, acting commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics; (8) Lois-ellin Datta, Director for Program Evaluation in Human Services Areas, United States General Accounting Office; (9) Gordon M. Ambach, executive director, Council of Chief State School Officers; and (10) George E. Hall, president, Slater Hall Information Products. Prepared statements by each of these witnesses are provided in an appendix, which includes other articles and remarks on the quality of education information. (SLD)

The subject of this hearing was the partnership between the District of Columbia's public schools and several private companies. This partnership resulted in the establishment of a school curriculum giving high school students exposure to specific career training and also orientation to the workplace. The training was in the fields of pre-engineering, the health professions, communications, business and finance, and hotel management and the culinary arts. Oral testimony describing the programs (which included schools within schools) and their impact was presented by a student and a faculty member from a participating school, by the superintendent of schools, and by a representative of the participating corporations. Prepared statements were also submitted for the record by the last three witnesses. The chairman of the subcommittee submitted a copy of a newspaper article by Jacob Javits duscussing the role of business in innovative education and training programs. (CMG)

These hearings, representing the testimony before the Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in August, 1978, sought to require government contractors to establish and operate alcohol abuse and alcoholism programs and services, or to arrange for referral to such services. Statements are included from witnesses representing such agencies as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Health Education Foundation and Association of Labor-Management Administrators and Consultants on Alcoholism, Inc. (Author/BMW)

Testimony concerning innovative state and local programs which expand family choice in education, and the Federal government's role in facilitating such programs, is presented. Testimony reviews research findings that bear on the issue, variables involved in planning educational choice, reforms proposed in the Minnesota plan for K-12 education, Minnesota's Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Act of 1985, private sector alternatives in education, and disadvantages of alternative education programs, such as tuition tax credits and tuition voucher systems. Copious additional material submitted for the record includes: (1) three issues of the periodical "Educational Freedom" which focus on educational vouchers and the advantages and constitutionality of tuition tax credits, (2) discussions of the effectiveness of public and private schools, and the organization of the schools in relation to politics and markets, (3) a description of the Prince George's County school system's "Workplace School," (4) a discussion of how the selection of strategy for designing federal programs influences program operation and effects, (5) arguments against the use of tuition vouchers, (6) a brief position statement of the Minnesota Federation of Citizens for Educational Freedom, Inc., (7) the Minnesota Congress of Parents, Teachers, and Students' statement on legislative proposals concerning open enrollment and parent choice, and the desirability of limiting publicly funded choice to public schools, (8) the brief position statement of associated liberal organizations, (9) recommendations for the fundamental restructuring of Minnesota's educational system, and (10) the Clearinghouse on Educational Choice's analysis of population sectors most likely to support educational vouchers. (RH)

A subcommittee report introduces the subject of these joint hearings--the problem of infant mortality in the United States; addresses the need for the legislation; summarizes the proposed legislation; and lists endorsing organizations. The hearings examine both the scope of the problem and S. 1209, legislation to create a national commission to prevent infant mortality. Testimony, which includes remarks by persons experiencing problems and participating in programs, reports: (1) efforts made to address the problem in Texas; (2) the work of the Southern Regional Task Force on Infant Mortality in South Carolina and Virginia; (3) Florida's program goals and interest in the legislation; (4) prenatal care of migrant workers; (5) activities of the Economic Opportunity Family Health Center of Liberty City in Miami (Florida); (6) human and economic costs of infant mortality and differences preventive measures make; (7) dimensions of the problem in Florida and efforts to address them; (8) programs of obstetric, pediatric, and neonatal intensive care units; (9) differences prenatal care can make to mothers' and babies' health; (10) the Children's Home Society's special prevention programs for high risk teens; (11) major trends in infant mortality and related statistics for the United States, reasons trends are occurring, and responsive activities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; (12) the Reduced-Fee Maternity Program of Providence Hospital's Center for Life, Washington, D.C.; (13) dimensions of and approaches to the problem of infant mortality in Minnesota; (14) infant mortality among blacks in Washington, D.C.; and (15) approaches to preventing low birthweight among infants. Material submitted for the record, in addition to statements and letters, includes a research report on racial and socioeconomic disparities in childhood mortality in Boston, MA, other articles on infant mortality, the text of S. 1209, and an extensive summary of ways to prevent low birthweight. (RH)

This document contains oral and written testimony by United States Senators, government administrators, and employee representatives on a proposal to establish leave sharing for federal employees. The leave sharing concept could be implemented on a personal basis, with any employee donating sick or annual leave to another employee with a long-term illness who has exhausted his/her own leave, or via a "bank" in which employees could deposit and from which they could withdraw leave. Most of those testifying endorsed the leave sharing concept, and several cited cases in which such sharing would have saved an employee from financial ruin. Several witnesses had experience with leave sharing programs, either in other levels of government or in a federal leave-sharing pilot project, and heartily supported the concept. (The text of a bill authorizing federal leave sharing is included in this report.) (KC)

The text of a Senate hearing is presented in this document. In opening remarks, Senators William Roth and Sam Nunn discuss the serious nature of the problem of drug abuse and the crime it fosters. Margaret Heckler, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services gives testimony on the statistics of drug abuse, the activities of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and anti-drug media campaigns. Gerald McRaney, costar of the TV show "Simon and Simon" and board director of the Entertainment Industries Council, testifies about media portrayal of drug abuse and the anti-drug activities of the Entertainment Industries Council. Susan Kendall Newman of the Scott Newman Center and Larry Stewart of the Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors testify about awards given to television programs portraying drug abuse accurately and about media efforts to do the same. Thomas Leahy of CBS Broadcast Group, Irwin Segelstein of the National Broacasting Company, and Alfred Schneider of the American Broadcasting Company testify about methods their companies use in reviewing programming regarding drug abuse. (ABL)

This document contains an extensive overview of the topics of child pornography and pedophilia. Pedophilia is defined for this report as a condition in which an adult's primary sexual attraction is to prepubescent children roughly between the ages of 6 and 12. The introduction discusses the recent history of public awareness of the problem, characteristics of child molesters, and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation's interest in and action on the topic. Further sections discuss the following: (1) organized crime's involvement; (2) prosecutions by the Department of Justice; (3) pedophilia; (4) meeting and seducing children; (5) use of child pornography; (6) correspondence among pedophiles; (7) use of computers by pedophiles; (8) pedophile organizations and publications; (9) international distribution of child pornography with particular emphasis on Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands; (10) importation of child pornography into the United States; (11) quality and content of child pornography; and (12) price and cost of child pornography. Three recommendations are made by the subcommittee for combating child pornography and child molestation. These are: banning advertising of child pornography and child prostitution, increasing pressure on foreign pornographers, and creating regional child sexual exploitation task forces. The appendix includes letters relevant to the topic to and by the subcommittee. (ABL)

Nineteen papers and a keynote address which were prepared for presentation at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota are presented. Numerous intergovernmental issues associated with the current economic crisis in rural America are analyzed and a series of innovative policy responses are identified for consideration by Federal, State and local governments. These papers expand on the complement reports prepared by the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations given at other hearings, and are grouped under eight broad topics: infrastructure needs in rural America--Federal, State and local responses; rural America beyond the farm--the problems of undiversified economies; economic development strategies for rual America--local responses; deregulation and rural communities--what the future holds; alternative service delivery--how it can help rural communities; foreign trade, the balance of payments, and rural economics--where the dollars have gone; economic development strategies for rural America--State and Federal responses; and, health care--the problem of access in rural America. Graphs, charts, maps, and statistical data are included in some of the papers. (JMM)

Submitted to Congress by Senator William V. Roth, Jr., of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, this document reports favorably on Senate Bill 786 (the Information Age Commission Act of 1986), legislation designed to establish a commission to study the impact of computer and communications systems on American society. The report provides: (1) a statement of the need for the legislation; (2) a summary of the legislation; (3) a discussion of the legislation; (4) legislative history of the bill; (5) a section-by-section analysis; (6) an evaluation of regulatory impact; (7) the estimated cost, provided in a letter from Rudolph G. Penner, Director of the Congressional Budget Office; (8) results of the vote in committee; and (9) a note on changes in existing law. (KM)

Testimony on the need for building an information base on the changing demographics of an aging society in order to make intelligent policy decisions is presented in this Senate committee hearing. Opening statements by Senators Charles Grassley and John Glenn are provided. Jacob A. Brody, dean of the School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago testified on population changes and the need to monitor health and disease in the older population segments. T. Franklin Williams (Director, National Institute on Aging), John G. Keane (Director, Bureau of the Census), Manning Feinleib (Director, National Center for Health Statistics), and Jane Ross (Director, Office of Research, Statistics, and International Policy, Social Security Administration) all testified on coordination among federal agencies on a statistical policy for the aging population and the relevant activities of their agencies. Sam Shapiro (Chairman, Panel on Statistical Requirements for Policy in an Aging Society and Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Management at the School of Hygiene and Public Health of Johns Hopkins University) and Jack Cornman (Executive Director, Gerontological Society of America) testified on the need for statistical collection by the federal government and submitted written statements and recommendations for a statistical policy. Included in material submitted for the record is a 420-page entry entitled "Inventory of Data Sets Related to the Health of the Elderly" by the National Research Council. (ABL)

It appears that many of the problems plaguing the Federal Student Aid Programs are also undermining the Pell Grant program, not so much from dishonesty on the part of students, but by dishonesty on the part of schools. This document presents testimony and prepared statements concerning the allegations of fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the Federal Pell Grant program and the effectiveness of the Department of Education in detecting and responding to these problems. Two-thirds of the document is an appendix of 96 exhibits of selected documents, letters, affidavits, and reports from witnesses in order of their appearance before the committee. Among the witnesses testifying before the committee were the following individuals: Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island; Richard C. Stiener, Director of the Office of Special Investigations, U.S. General Accounting office; James B. Thomas, Jr., Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education; David A. Longanecker, Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education; and Sister Janet Fitzgerald, President of Molloy College, Long Island, New York. (GLR)

The Congressional hearing examined abuse, mismanagement, and fraud in student loan programs focusing on the fraudulent activities of proprietary schools. Witnesses included officials of the Department of Education including:(1) Laura F. Cavazos, Secretary; (2) Ernest C. Canellos, Student Financial Assistance; (3) John S. Haines, Debt Collection Management and Assistant Service; (4) John B. Childers, Higher Education Programs; and (4) Edward C. Stringer, General Counsel. Their testimony focused on ways to eliminate recognized discrepancies and illegalities within the federally guaranteed student loan program. (LPT)

The congressional hearing report scrutinized the role of banks, guarantee agencies, student loan secondary markets, and loan servicers in the operation of federal student aid programs. Program weaknesses which have contributed towards to abuse and fraudulent practices of federally backed student loans were identified. Witnesses included officials from major banks, guarantee agencies, loan services and student aid commissions and their testimonies focused on matters such as: guarantee agency solvency, the economics of student lending, institutional default rates, loan defaults, mismanagement of programs, and program reform, among other issues. (LPT)

This publication is a comprehensive record of testimony and exhibits presented to the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the U.S. Senate during hearings on five proposed bills to establish a Department of Education. The hearings were conducted on October 12 and 13, 1977 to consider the following bills: S.991, S.255, S.300, S.894, and S.1685. Testimony and exhibits are presented chronologically and indexed alphabetically by witnesses' names. The complete text of each bill is also included. (JG)