REP. BARNEY FRANK, D-Mass., 58, elected 1980, ranking member House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property
One of two openly gay members of Congress, Frank is a sharp-tongued debater and partisan spokesman for committee Democrats. Frank plays a general's role in Democratic resistance to GOP-sponsored bills both in committee and on the House floor. He delights in finding what he considers hypocrisy or inconsistency in GOP positions and has a solidly liberal voting record.
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REP. CHARLES SCHUMER, D-N.Y., 48, elected 1980, ranking member House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime
Schumer, who will leave the House to take over Republican Alfonse D'Amato's Senate seat in January, is an ardent liberal and a strong supporter of gun control legislation. He was a key supporter of the Brady Bill, the assault rifle ban and other crime legislation.
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REP. HOWARD BERMAN, D-Calif., 57, elected 1982
A former union lawyer, Berman is a quiet, behind-the-scenes deal-maker who served on the House Ethics Committee that levied a $300,000 fine against Gingrich in early 1997. He has been involved in several issues before the panel, including immigration and high-tech matters, but he also is deeply involved in foreign relations as ranking member of the International Relations Subcommittee for Asia and the Pacific. Berman has sponsored just one bill in the 105th Congress, a resolution [H.Con.Res. 283] "expressing grave concern" about a December 1997 report on human rights issues in Tibet.
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REP. RICK BOUCHER, D-Va., 52, elected 1982
Boucher, a conservative Democrat representing the western counties of Virginia, has been most active on intellectual property issues. Boucher's district encompasses Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and he repeatedly has fought legislation he believes will discourage high-tech hardware manufacturers from inventing and selling their gadgets. During debate over a crucial copyright bill [H.R. 2281] the congressman won some concessions, easing manufacturers' fears of lawsuits if their products are used to infringe a copyright.
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REP. JERROLD NADLER, D-N.Y., 51, elected 1992, ranking member House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
Nadler has amassed a solidly liberal voting record, and did not see much legislative success in the GOP-controlled 105th Congress. Nadler has sharply criticized GOP bankruptcy reform legislation. He strongly opposes means-testing of those who file for bankruptcy, but Rep. George Gekas (R-Pa.), chairman of the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee, shepherded such a bill [H.R. 3150] through the House. Nadler said he blames the dramatic increase of bankruptcy filings on the reckless extension of credit by profit-hungry lenders, and he attempted several times to amend the Gekas bill.
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REP. ROBERT (BOBBY) SCOTT, D-Va. , 51, elected 1992, ranking member House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution
Scott, ranking member of the Constitution Subcommittee, was tasked in the 105th Congress with the responsibility of heading off GOP-backed legislation on certain constitutional issues including abortion, affirmative action and religion. Outspoken and articulate, Scott also was the first African American to win election to Congress from Virginia since Reconstruction, according to the 1996 Almanac of American Politics.
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REP. MELVIN WATT, D-N.C., 53, elected 1992, ranking member House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims
Immigration issues are hardly Watt's passion, but he willingly shouldered his responsibilities as ranking member of that subcommittee. Watt, a slow-speaking North Carolinian, would rather be ranking member of the Constitution Subcommittee, a slot held by his good friend, Rep. Scott (D-Va.). Watt is a frequent sharp foe of Republicans in the full committee on most issues.
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REP. ZOE LOFGREN, D-Calif., 50, elected 1994
Lofgren, whose district includes Silicon Valley, has taken lead roles on some high-tech issues confronting Congress, such as encryption exports and access to biomaterials. Improving education, especially in math and science, is another key issue for her.
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REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE, D-Texas, 48, elected 1994
On the Judiciary Committee and in the full House, Jackson Lee who has a powerful speaking voice is a frequent participant in debate. She was the only Texan not to vote for the Defense of Marriage Act, which sought to outlaw same sex marriages; she voted "present" instead.
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REP. MAXINE WATERS, D-Calif., 50, elected 1990
Waters, who heads the Congressional Black Caucus, is a tried-and-true liberal. She was instrumental in helping to defeat in committee a bill [H.R. 1909] sponsored by Rep. Canady that was designed to end federal affirmative action programs. While a Republican, Rep. Gekas, was ultimately responsible for killing the bill by offering a motion to table it, Waters spearheaded a successful effort to round up civil rights leaders and average citizens from across the country to attend that hearing and illustrate the depth of opposition to the bill.
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REP. MARTY MEEHAN, D-Mass., 41, elected 1992
Meehan gained prominence as the cosponsor of the bipartisan Shays-Meehan campaign finance overhaul bill that passed the House despite objections from the Republican leadership. He also has taken the lead in anti-tobacco legislation.
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REP. WILLIAM DELAHUNT, D-Mass., 57, elected 1996
Delahunt, a former district attorney for Norfolk County in Massachusetts, has leapt into the issues fray at the Judiciary Committee. He appears well-equipped to debate the fine points of law confronting the panel.
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REP. ROBERT WEXLER, D-Fla., 37, elected 1996
The freshman congressman sometimes sides with Republicans on crime issues. Wexler was a vociferous opponent of efforts to continue the impeachment process during hearings to consider whether to recommend an inquiry.
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REP. STEVEN ROTHMAN, D-N.J., 46, elected 1996
Rothman, a former local judge, sometimes sides with Republicans on the panel.
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REP. THOMAS BARRETT, D-Wis., 45, elected 1992 LEGI-SLATE News Service reporters Bill Ghent, Sara Hebel, Molly Peterson, Katherine Harris, Justin Pritchard and David Safford contributed to this report. © Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
Barrett is the newest member of the committee, having the distinction of being named by Democratic leaders on Sept. 11 the same day the independent counsel's explosive report on the president's alleged wrongdoing became public. "I am honored to serve ... during such a critical period," said Barrett, who practiced law before he won election to the House. A liberal on social issues, he supported several gun control measures, including a ban on "cop killer" bullets. Barrett has been more moderate on economic issues and last year received the second-best rating in Congress from the bipartisan Concord Coalition for his votes to reduce the budget deficit. As an active member of the Banking Committee, he sponsored legislation to limit consumers' liability from credit card fraud and to overhaul the bankruptcy code.
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