By Russell Boniface

Key Committee Members for REIT Issues

John McCain(R-AZ) Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee	Committee issues: Telecommunications, trade, consumer affairs, transportation, science, technology and sports. Chairman McCain has been supportive of the REIT industry's efforts on telecommunications forced access. Also, he stands to play a critical role during Congressional consideration of the e-fairness issue. Fritz Hollings (D-SC) Ranking Minority Member Sen. Hollings was elected in 1966. He is the fifth most senior member of the Senate and the fourth most senior Democrat. He is also serves on the Budget Committee, Appropriations Committee, Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary.
Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) Senate Finance Committee	Committee issues: Taxation and IRS oversight, debt reduction, international trade, national social security and health care. Newly appointed Senate Finance Committee Chairman Grassley was an original co-sponsor of S. 1057, the REIT Modernization Act. He has been a strong proponent of estate tax and bankruptcy reform. He will continue to serve on the Senate, Judiciary and Budget committees. Max Baucus (D-MT) Ranking Minority Member Sen. Baucus has worked hard on legislation to ease the tax burden on small businesses. He was a cosponsor of the REIT Modernization Act of 1999 and the Leasehold Improvement Act of 1999, as well as the lead Democratic cosponsor of REIT Simplification Act of 1997.
W. J. Tauzin (R-LA) House Committee on Energy and Commerce	Committee issues: Interstate and foreign commerce, including energy, telecommunications, health care, biomedical research, consumer protection, the environment and travel and tourism. Chairman W.J. "Billy" Tauzin has been a key proponent of the REIT industry's position on telecommunications forced access. Last year, a letter from Tauzin to the FCC during its consideration of a proposed building access rule helped cast doubt with the Commission about its statutory authority to regulate the real estate industry or the need for such regulations. John Dingell (D-MI) Ranking Minority Member Rep. Dingell authored a letter to the FCC in 2000 in favor of a private resolution to the "forced access" issue and expressed concern regarding the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM).
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI) House Committee on the Judiciary	Committee issues: Constitutional rights, antitrust law, intellectual property, federal criminal code, immigration and naturalization. Newly appointed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Sensenbrenner will be an important player in the e-fairness debate in the House. Sensenbrenner is a 22-year veteran of the Judiciary Committee. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) Ranking Minority Member Rep. Conyers is the first African-American Democratic Leader of the Judiciary Committee. Conyers was an influential member in the Watergate and Bill Clinton impeachment processes, the only Judiciary member to have served on both panels.
Bill Thomas (R-CA) House Committee on Ways and Means	Committee issues: Tax, trade, health, Social Security and human resources. Chairman Thomas was a recipient of NAREIT's Small Investor Empowerment Award for his lead role in the enactment of the REIT Modernization Act. He was cosponsor of the Leasehold Improvement Act of 1999 and the REIT Simplification Act of 1997. Charles Rangel (D-NY) Ranking Minority Member Rep. Rangel served as a cosponsor of the Leasehold Improvement Act of 1999. He is the Deputy Democratic Whip of the House and a member of the Trade Subcommittee. He is also the co-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.