[Source: House Appropriations Followup] Q. LEACH LETTER: BENTSEN KNOWLEDGE? Did you discuss with Mr. Altman the Department's (Jean Hanson's) response to Congressman Leach's letter of February 3, 1994 suggesting that Mr. Altman recuse himself from Madison matters? A. ???? MARCH 20 DRAFT 52 (Source: House Appropriations Followup] BENTSEN KNOW: ALTMAN AGAINST S.O.L. EXTENSION? Q. Were you aware that Mr. Altman wrote a letter last year recommending against extending the statute of limitation on civil claims against S&L wrongdoers, and did you approve of it? A. I probably became aware of Mr. Altman's letter after it was sent. In any case, the letter reflected a position with which I agreed. That position was not to oppose an extension. As you may recall, before the Administration submitted its bill, the GAO came out with a report that concluded that no claims had been lost because of the statute of limitations. For that reason, we didn't see a need to include an extension in our bill. However, we did not actively oppose those who held the opposite view. MARCH 20 DRAFT 53 333 Q. A. SENATOR BENTSEN VOTE ON S.O.L. Isn't it true that you voted for an extension of the statute of limitations when you were in the Senate, and, if so, why didn't you support it as Treasury Secretary? Yes, I did vote for an extension as a Senator. Like many other Senators, I had strong reservations about extending the statute of limitations for claims of simple negligence. However, the GAO later reported that no claims had been lost because of the statute of limitations. With that report, we didn't see a need to include an extension in the Administration's bill, although we didn't fight those who wanted one. MARCH 20 DRAFT 54 [Source: House Appropriations Followup] Q. A. S.O.L. EXTENSION: EFFECT ON MADISON Do you realize that without the extension of the statute of limitations against civil claims against S&L wrongdoers, there could be no claims with respect to Madison? Let me assure you that Madison was not an issue in my discussions regarding a possible statute of limitations extension. I'm certainly aware now that if the statute of limitations had not been extended, RTC would have had to make decisions on claims with respect to Madison before the statute of limitations expired. MARCH 20 DRAFT 55 |