[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 72 (Friday, June 10, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

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                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 321, 
Everett M. Erhlich, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic 
Affairs.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I will not object. But when that is 
finished, would I have a chance to propound a unanimous-consent that I 
might speak as if in morning business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be recognized.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I have no objection.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I thank the Senator.
  I further ask unanimous consent that the nominee be confirmed, that 
any statement appear in the Record as if read, that upon confirmation, 
the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be 
immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate return to 
legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The nomination considered and confirmed is as follows:

                         Department of Commerce

       Everett M. Ehrlich, of Pennsylvania, to be Under Secretary 
     of Commerce for Economic Affairs.

         statement on the nomination of everett michael ehrlich

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of 
Everett Ehrlich to be Under Secretary for Economic Affairs at the 
Department of Commerce. If confirmed, Dr. Ehrlich will advise Secretary 
of Commerce Brown on the economic status of the country and will 
supervise the statistical and economic analysis activities within the 
Department. In his capacity as Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, he 
will oversee both the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis.
  Hopes for economic recovery will be short lived unless the U.S. 
Government develops an economic strategy that will preserve our 
manufacturing base, protect it from predatory trade practices, assist 
it in developing new technologies, and foster a spirit of cooperation 
between business and government. In these endeavors, it is important 
that U.S. policy be founded on accurate, useful, and timely economic 
data.
  As the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Dr. Ehrlich would bring 
qualifications and experience to this task. For 5 years, he served as 
vice president for economic and financial planning at Unisys Corp. in 
Blue Bell, PA, a Fortune 50 company and the third largest computer 
systems manufacturer in the country. At Unisys, Dr. Ehrlich was the 
executive responsible for corporate transactions involving assets 
valued in excess of $1 billion. He also was a key player in developing 
corporate strategy, with particular responsibility for expanding the 
civilian business of its defense subsidiary. During his tenure with the 
Unisys management team, the company generated $1 billion in cash flow 
as part of the company's financial recovery.
  Prior to his employment with Unisys, Dr. Ehrlich worked for the 
Congressional Budget Office [CBO] from 1977 to 1988, where he was 
promoted to the position of Assistant Director for the Natural 
Resources and Commerce Division. Dr. Ehrlich will be able to draw on 
his experience in government and in the private sector to ensure that 
the Department's economic analyses are responsive to the needs of both 
policymakers and American business.
  Dr. Ehrlich said at his confirmation hearing and in his written 
responses to the committee's questions that, if confirmed, his top 
priority would be to plan for the 2000 decennial census. We all know 
that there were major problems with the 1990 decennial census. In 
addition, Dr. Ehrlich has indicated that he would work to make the 
Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Economic Analysis models of 
innovative efficient, and effective information collection and 
dissemination while preserving their integrity and adherence to the 
missions specified for them by the Congress. This is the kind of good 
government we need at the Census Bureau.
  Dr. Ehrlich was nominated on May 24, 1993, and a hearing was held on 
his nomination by the Commerce Committee on June 23, 1993. His 
nomination was favorably reported by the committee on August 3, 1993. 
Dr. Ehrlich has responded to both pre-hearing and post-hearing 
questions by the committee. Dr. Ehrlich has been waiting since August 
3--over 10 months--for his nomination to be considered and voted on by 
the full Senate. It is high time that we consider this nomination.

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