House Judiciary Panel Is Denied Referral

HOUSE JUDICIARY PANEL IS DENIED REFERRAL
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
The House Judiciary Committee has been denied a referral of a major telecommunications bill approved late last month by the House Commerce Committee. But apparently House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) is working on a plan to involve Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) in the telecom bill process. There were indications that Rep Sensenbrenner would be granted one week to move his own telecom-related legislation through the Judiciary panel, which would then be given a chance to move either as an amendment to the Commerce Committee bill or as a stand-alone measure. But a Judiciary Committee source professed to be unaware of any such arrangement. Wednesday’s developments cap weeks of speculation over whether the Judiciary panel would be able to leave its imprimatur on the telecommunications legislation. The Energy and Commerce and Judiciary committees have a long history of turf battles; they also sparred a decade ago on jurisdiction of the legislation that eventually became the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Details of the House Parliamentarian's decision to deny referral to the Judiciary panel were expected to be published in Thursday’s Congressional Record. The House had originally planned to bring the telecom bill to the floor two weeks ago, but action was delayed as the Parliamentarian and Hastert’s office considered Sensenbrenner’s request for a referral. A congressional source said the Commerce Committee legislation, sponsored by Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, and Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., would not come to the floor next week. That means consideration by the full House will be bumped until at least the week of June 5, when Congress returns from a weeklong Memorial Day recess.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-FDEN1147958391830.html