GOP DEPARTURES FROM HILL TO RESHAPE TELECOM OVERSIGHT

摘要

Tight races and a half-dozen GOP retirements will produce new rosters on committees overseeing communications policy in the next Congress. The biggest shifts are coming on the Republican sides of the House Telecom Subcommittee and Senate Commerce Committee. The Telecom Subcommittee is losing 5 of 15 members. Four Republican Commerce senators are in tight races. The Senate committee will have another opening if Sen. John McCain of Arizona is elected president. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R- Texas, has been interim ranking member of the Commerce Committee in place of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who's on trial accused of ethics violations. Hutchison's role will become permanent if Stevens leaves the Senate, said Hill aides familiar with the process. Three other committee Republicans are in tough races: John Sununu of New Hampshire, Gordon Smith of Oregon, and Roger Wicker of Mississippi.