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The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11 a.m., in room 2247, Raybum House Office Building, Hon. Collin C. Peterson (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.Present: Representatives Collin C. Peterson, Floyd H. Flake, and Karen L. Thurman.Also present: Representative Tim Johnson.Staff present: Edith A. Holleman, staff director; Lisa Phillips, professional staff member; Andrea Nelson, counsel; June Saxton, clerk; and Michael D. Nannini, minority professional staff, Committee on Government Operations.Opening Statement Of Chairman PetersonMr. Peterson. The subcommittee will be in order. Again, we apologize. We got fouled up because the President was supposed to be in at 8:15, and as is his style he was tied up a little bit later. So, anyway, we need two members of the subcommittee before we can proceed.Before I make my opening statement, Id first like to welcome to this subcommittee hearing Representative Tim Johnson, South Dakota's only Member of the House of Representatives. George Mickelson, South Dakota's Governor, his two pilots, and several aides and advisers died in a recent plane crash in Iowa which was very similar to the incident in Utica, NY, that we are focusing on today, and I am pleased to have my subcommittee chairman of the Agriculture General Commodities Subcommittee, Representative Tim Johnson, be with me today and participate.We appreciate your help and your staff's cooperation in the work that we have been doing.I also would like to say that any members that have opening statements, they will be made part of the record. I understand that Mr. dinger has a statement and some questions that he would like submitted. We will do that on his behalf. When Mr. Machtley gets here, he can present his statements. Otherwise, we will just make them a part of the record.
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