Retirements from the House

(November 8, 2000) Several members of the House who have been active on technology related issues chose not to run for re-election. Several ran for other offices. Among these were Representatives Tom Bliley (R-VA), Tom Campbell (R-CA), Charles Canady (R-FL), Ted Pease (R-IN), and Bob Franks (R-NJ).

Rep. Tom Bliley (R-VA)

Rep. Tom Bliley (R-VA) retired. He has been chairman of House Commerce Committee for six years. Under his leadership the Committee has passed the Telecom Act of 1996, two securities litigation reform bills, the Internet Tax Freedom Act, and the E-SIGN bill. Under House Republican rules he could not continue to serve as Chairman of the Committee.

Rep. Charles Canady (R-FL) retired. He was the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution. Late in the 106th Congress he tried to pass electronic privacy legislation that would have restricted government activity. These efforts are likely to be carried on by others in the next Congress.

Rep. Ted Pease (R-IN) retired. He was a member of House Judiciary Committee's Courts and Intellectual Property Subcommittee, and a supporter of strong intellectual property protections.

Rep. Bob Franks (R-NJ) ran for the Senate and lost. He has been one of the leading proponents of legislation to require schools and libraries receiving e-rate subsidies to use porn filtering technology. The other key backers are Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) and Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS), both of whom were re-elected.

Rep. Tom Campbell (R-CA), from Silicon Valley, also ran for Senate, but lost to Sen. Dianne Feinstein.