Mid-Term Elections
Put GOP In Driver’s
Seat
108th Congress: Outlook
by Jonathan Yarowsky
NATO Washington Counsel
The 2002 mid-term elections were historic: They marked
the first time in history the party of a sitting Republican
president gained seats in both the House and Senate, giving
the Republicans a majority in both chambers. In the 108th
Congress, the House Republicans now hold a 229-205-1 majority,
and a slim majority in the Senate, 51-48-1.
The 108th Congress – leading into a Presidential
election year – is already shaping up to be an interesting
and active Congress. We wanted to take this opportunity
to offer a brief overview of the congressional lineup that
will be handling a variety of issues of import to the NATO
membership.
Senate Leadership – Amid
swirling controversy regarding statements made at a 100th
birthday party for the retiring
senator Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), incoming Senate majority
leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) was forced to resign his position
before he even officially took office. Sen. Bill Frist
(R-Tenn.), a practicing heart physician, assumed the majority
leader position. Currently in his second and self-imposed
final term in the Senate, Frist is a well-respected leader
who draws from both sides of the aisle praise for dedicated
work. While he has not taken strong stands on NATO issues
in the past, he has supported a limited role for government
in overseeing the workings of private industry, and has
applauded the self-regulation by businesses in setting
high standards of corporate conduct and responsibility.
Senate Committees – The
key jurisdictional committees for most NATO issues have
been the judiciary and commerce
committees. In these critical committees of the House and
Senate, there is continuity of leadership, with simply
a switch of majority and minority status.
In the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
returns to the chairmanship, while 107th Congress chairman
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is now ranking member. In practice,
this may mean little change in direction of the committee
on NATO issues, as both members have been longtime friends
to the exhibition industry.
In the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
returns to his chairmanship, while outgoing chairman Ernest
Hollings (D-S.C.) becomes ranking member. Both McCain and
Hollings remain very concerned about the issue of violence
in entertainment offerings to children. NATO members should
expect to receive continued attention about their implementation
of self-regulating actions in this area. Obviously, the
findings of the mid-2003 Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
report with respect to the exhibition industry (and other
entertainment sectors) will be an important marker for
policy debates in the 108th Congress.
House Leadership – Rep.
Dennis Hastert (R-Ind.) will continue as speaker of the
House. The incoming minority
leader is Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who replaces Rep. Richard
Gephardt (D-Mo.) as he prepares a run for the 2004 Democratic
presidential nomination.
House Committees – With
continued Republican control of the House, chairmanships
in key jurisdictional committees
remain the same. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) remain, respectively, chairman
and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. Likewise,
Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.)
continue, respectively, as chairman and ranking member
of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
We expect the FTC to issue another
media violence report in mid-2003, and certainly that
report will include “mystery
shopper surveys.” As Congress responds to the FTC’s
findings, exhibition will find itself scrutinized by all
of the committees highlighted in this article. We cannot
emphasize enough that the diligent efforts by NATO members
in adhering to their 12-step enforcement and educational
program has now become recognized by many in Washington
as the kind of responsible “corporate citizen” response
that makes our communities a better place to live.
We feel honored to be representing you here in Washington
as interesting times begin once again. 
