With a seemingly endless stream of angry words, partisan rhetoric and bickering over the fate of President Clinton resounding through the halls of the Capitol of late, House Democrats and Republicans early next year are planning a reprise of their 1997 civility retreat in Hershey, Pa.
Organizers are hoping 250 of the House's 435 members will attend the March 19-21 session; about 200 House members attended the conference in 1997. The retreat is being spearheaded by Reps. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., and Thomas Sawyer, D-Ohio.
With this month's election leaving House Republicans with a paper-thin majority, encouraging bipartisan civility might help the chamber improve its productivity, LaHood told the Associated Press late last week. "If anything is going to happen here, it's going to happen because people forge coalitions and get along," he declared.
Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation program for incoming freshmen members will be held Dec. 3-5 at the Hilton Baltimore Towers near Baltimore's Inner Harbor. A similar program by Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government is scheduled for Dec. 7-11 in Boston. Both events are open to all members-elect-although Republican freshmen usually attend the Heritage program and Democratic frosh generally go to the Kennedy School seminar.
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