Senate leaders ponder new organizational plan

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., soon to switch roles, must negotiate a new organizational resolution for the Senate, although key decisions are likely to be put off until next week.

Democrats are set to take control next Tuesday, when the current organizing resolution will expire. The task should be easier than it was at the beginning of the year, when the two leaders hammered out a historic powersharing agreement to reflect the Senate's 50-50 split at a time when several Republican chairmen were pushing hard for a one-seat advantage on committees. Now, Republican and Democratic leadership aides said, there is a basic understanding that Democrats will hold a one-seat advantage on committees. A Lott spokesman said a task force has been appointed consisting of GOP Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Phil Gramm of Texas and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to handle reorganizing issues.

According to the aide, this was done "so that the Conference has a full investment in the reorganization." The aide said the task force is likely to look at staff allowances, membership of committees, a one-vote majority on committees and moving judicial nominations. It is not clear exactly how negotiations might occur, since Daschle has not indicated that he intends to appoint a similar panel. It could end up that the task force will report to Lott and the GOP Conference, leaving Lott and Daschle to hold one-on-one negotiations.

Some issues could be left up to panel chairmen and ranking members. According to a Democratic aide, there is sentiment on the Armed Services and Commerce committees to shrink those panels, which currently have 24 and 22 members, respectively.

Commerce ranking member Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, D-S.C., the incoming chairman, "would like to probably shrink it," the aide said. The question is whether the move would "precipitate a big fight," the aide said. Republicans have also said they want the negotiations to include discussion of a new mechanism to ensure that Democrats move forward on President Bush's judicial nominees.

Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman Larry Craig of Idaho said last Friday that, "If the committees work their will openly and we sense a purely partisan decision here, then it ought to come to the floor for a vote."

According to the Democratic aide, Daschle is "willing to talk" about such a device--which Democrats could have used when they held the White House but were a minority in the Senate. But Daschle may not be agreeable. "I don't know why we would consider it in this case," said the aide.

One reason the organizational resolution could move more easily now than it did earlier this year--despite GOP hints that they would be willing to filibuster it to ensure fair treatment-- is that there is precedent in the Senate for how to operate. That occurred in 1953-1955, when Republicans controlled the Senate while Sen. Wayne Morse of Oregon served as an independent who caucused with the GOP. Morse later decided to caucus with the Democrats. In each case, the party with more seats held a one- seat advantage on committees.