[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23729]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    PROPOSED SEC RULE COMMENT PERIOD

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                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 2000

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address a rule proposed 
by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, that would affect the 
consulting affiliates of auditing firms.
  In response to concerns voiced by some of my constituents, I joined 
many of my Small Business Committee colleagues in writing to SEC 
Chairman Arthur Levitt. We asked that the comment period on the 
proposed rule be extended past its September 25 deadline and that the 
rule be modified to address the concerns raised by members of the 
accounting industry.
  It was not my intention to delay the final decision to next year. I 
strongly oppose any attempts to delay the final rulemaking process 
through legislative means.
  As the SEC moves forward with this rule, it is my hope that all 
interested parties will have adequate time to voice their concerns. 
That being said, I have no doubt that SEC Chairman Levitt will conduct 
a thoughtful, inclusive comment period.

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