House Ways And Means Committee U S

Pete Stark is sitting in a gilded meeting room in the House of Representatives. It is home to the powerful Ways and Means Committee that the Northern California Democrat might never chair, precisely because of the sort of verbal exchange he is attempting to explain at the moment: "He said to me, 'Don't pee on my leg.' And in a sense I said, 'I won't.' " Stark, nearly 78, is dissecting the latest in a hit parade of outbursts, this one pertaining to the likelihood of California's longest-serving congressman relieving himself on a constituent.

China, a movie market of exceptional potential, is also a haven for film piracy, the president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America testified Thursday. Speaking before the House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on trade with China, Dan Glickman said that country "is the most difficult market in the world for the U.S. motion picture industry." The country of 1.

The House voted Friday to strip Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) of a powerful committee assignment, while an effort by the beleaguered Democrat to fight a search of his Capitol Hill office ran into a skeptical federal judge. The voice vote -- without debate or dissent -- to expel Jefferson from the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee appears to be the first time the House has taken such a step against a member who has not been charged with a crime.

House Democrats, insistent that they will hold lawmakers to higher standards, decided Tuesday that Rep. William J. Jefferson would not return to an influential committee until a federal corruption investigation involving him was completed.

Rep. William M. Thomas (R-Bakersfield), in his bid to become the first Californian to chair one of the House's most important committees, faces a potentially tough problem: Bill Thomas. A 22-year veteran of Capitol Hill, Thomas is widely respected for his intellect, commitment and expertise on the complex issue of Medicare--attributes that serve him well as he seeks to head the Ways and Means Committee.

House Republicans on Thursday chose Rep. William M. Thomas (R-Bakersfield) to head the powerful Ways and Means Committee, making the Californian a key player in the fight to push major elements of President-elect George W. Bush's agenda through a narrowly divided Congress. Thomas, known for his mastery of complex matters such as Medicare but also for his occasional fits of temper, was one of about a dozen new committee chairmen installed by the House's GOP majority.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday denounced President Clinton's Social Security proposal as "budgetary manipulation" and said his committee is still waiting for the White House to offer a plan "that can be understood by the American people." Republicans agree with the president that 62% of the budget surplus should be reserved until Social Security's long-range solvency is assured, but they want to see a detailed proposal, said Rep. Bill Archer (R-Texas).