| House Committees |
1/4. The House Republican Conference selected new
committee chairmen. Rep.
Billy Tauzin (R-LA) will be Chairman of the powerful House Commerce Committee.
This Committee, and its Telecom Subcommittee, have
jurisdiction over much of the technology related legislation.
The former Chairman, Rep. Tom Bliley (R-VA), retired. This
opened a contest between Rep. Tauzin and Rep.
Mike Oxley (R-OH) for the Chairmanship. However, the
Republican Conference reshuffled committee jurisdictions, and
gave both chairmanships. Rep. Oxley will become Chairman of
a newly reorganized Banking
Committee, now renamed Financial Services Committee.
The Committee will also pick up jurisdiction over insurance
and securities that had been held by the House Commerce
Committee. Rep. Oxley had been Chairman of the Finance
Subcommittee of the House Commerce Committee.
1/4. Rep. James
Sensenbrenner (R-WI) will become Chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee. This committee has jurisdiction over many tech
related issues, including intellectual property, crime,
and some tax issues. The former Chairman, Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL),
was required to step down by House Republican rules which
limit Chairmen to three terms. However, the rules did not
prevent Rep. Hyde from being selected Chairman of the House
International Relations Committee. The Courts and Intellectual
Property Subcommittee will obtain new members. Rep.
James Rogan (R-CA) lost his bid for re-election. Rep. Ed
Pease (R-IN) retired.
1/4. Rep. Bill
Thomas (R-CA) will become Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
He replaces Rep. Bill Archer (R-TX), who retired. Rep. Phil Crane (R-IL),
who is Chairman of the Trade Subcommittee, had also sought the
spot. This tax writing committee has jurisdiction over many
tech related issues, including FSC tax treatment, PNTR status
for China, R&D tax credits, and depreciation of computer
equipment.
1/4. Rep. John Boehner
(R-OH) will become Chairman of the Education and Workforce
Committee. He replaces Rep. Bill Goodling (R-PA), who
retired.
1/4. The complete list of committee chairmen for the 107th
Congress is as follows:
Agriculture -- Larry
Combest (R-TX)
Appropriations
-- Bill Young (R-FL)
Armed Services -- Bob
Stump (R-AZ)
Banking -- Mike
Oxley (R-OH)
Budget -- Jim Nussle
(R-IA)
Commerce -- Billy
Tauzin (R-LA)
Educ. & Workforce
-- John Boehner
(R-OH)
Gov. Reform -- Dan Burton (R-IN)
Intern. Relations -- Henry
Hyde (R-IL)
Judiciary -- James
Sennsenbrenner (R-WI)
Resources -- James
Hansen (R-UT)
Science -- Sherwood Boehlert
(R-NY)
Intelligence -- Porter
Goss (R-FL)
Small Business -- Don
Manzullo (R-IL)
Standards on Official Conduct -- Joel Hefley (R-CO)
Transportation -- Don
Young (R-AK)
Veterans Affairs -- Chris
Smith (R-NJ)
Ways & Means
-- Bill Thomas
(R-CA)
See, gop.gov
release. |
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| News Briefs |
1/4. The Senate
Commerce Committee held a hearing on the nomination of
Donald Evans to be Secretary of Commerce. The nomination is
sailing for quick and easy confirmation. Committee members
praised Evans, and took the opportunity to press Evans about
issues handled by the Dept. of
Commerce. Senators spoke about 3G wireless, a digital
divide, promoting broadband deployment, TOP
grants, online privacy, and other tech issues. The non tech
issues addressed by Senators included protecting the U.S.
steel industry, the census, NOAA, and global warming. Sen. Ernest Hollings
(D-SC) presided. Evans is a former energy company CEO and
former President of the Board of Regents of the University of
Texas. "My mission for the Department of Commerce will be
to foster a marketplace where ideas and energy can thrive,
where the entrepreneurial spirit will flourish." Evans
continued that "whether in seeking agreement on rules for
e-commerce or the elimination of trade distorting subsidies,
we want to foster a world of private, not government
competition."
1/4. Lisa Dean, Director of the Free Congress Foundation's
Center for Technology Policy, endorsed the nomination of
former Senator John Ashcroft as Attorney General. She
cited his sponsorship of legislation to protect encryption
rights and electronic privacy. Said Dean,
"Privacy was always a top concern and as a result, he did
a lot of good for the country and the protection of our
liberties as senator." See also, S
2067 (105th Congress).
1/4. The FCC issued a release
which asserts that the FCC has "adopted" an NPRM
regarding spectrum for 3G wireless services. Also, the NTIA
issued a release
which states that the FCC has released this NPRM. However, the
NPRM has not been published in the FCC web site. And, an FCC Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau employee told TLJ late Thursday that the NPRM has
not yet been released, but that it may be released on Friday.
NTIA chief Greg Rohde stated that "the United States has
to move aggressively to develop 3rd generation wireless if we
want to be a first- class nation with respect to
telecommunications and electronic commerce. I deeply hope that
we will be able to meet our goal of issuing a final order by
July 2001. The stakes are nothing less than our international
competitiveness in electronic commerce and being a world
leader in communications services."
1/4. Sec. of Commerce Norman Mineta held a press conference on
the EU safe harbor privacy framework. He announced a
series of nationwide seminars. See, ITA release.
See also, SIIA
release. |
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| Editor's Note: This column includes all News Briefs
added to Tech Law Journal since the last Daily E-Mail Alert.
The date indicates when the event occurred, not the date of
posting to Tech Law Journal. |
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| People |
1/4/. TechNet named former
Rep. Rick White to be its new CEO. He replaces Jeff
Modisett and Lezlee Westine. White represented a Seattle area
district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1994
through 1998, when he was defeated by current Rep. Jay Inslee
(D-WA). White practiced law at the law firm of Perkins Coie prior to,
and after, his election to Congress. While in Congress he sat
on the House Commerce
Committee and its Telecom Subcommittee. He also founded
the Internet Caucus. See, Perkins Coie
bio and TLJ bio.
See also, White's
ranking in the TLJ Congressional Scorecard 1998.
1/4. Cisco announced that
President Elect George Bush put three Cisco employees on
transition committees. CEO John Chambers will be on the
education committee; Director of Government Affairs Laura
Ipsen will be on the e-commerce committee; and Government
Relations Manager Bruce Mehlman will be on the telecom
committee. See, Cisco
release. |
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| New Documents |
FCC: release
re NPRM on 3G wireless, 1/4 (HTML, TLJ).
NTIA:
release
re FCC NPRM on 3G wireless, 1/4 (HTML, TLJ). |
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| Quote of the Day |
"Fostering America's technological leadership will be a
central concern of the Commerce Department under my
leadership. American inventiveness is a national treasure. ...
It is our Patent System, Lincoln noted, that has 'added the
fuel of interest to the fire of genius.' The nation's
security and prosperity rely on the promise of effective
intellectual property protection. Maximizing competitive
opportunity also results from the establishment of appropriate
industrial standards, from the exploitation of new
technologies and new means of doing business, and from the
predictable, common sense administration of controls on
exports of strategically important goods."
Don Evans, nominee to be Secretary of Commerce, from
his testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee, Jan. 4. |
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| About Tech Law Journal |
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