June 3, 1977
Dear Roy,
Sorry to be so long in responding to your letter of 20 May. The fact is I've been on a merry-go-round regarding definitions and was awaiting resolution of such before writing.
As you probably know I am in favor of the substance of the Advisory Committee's new draft. I have been involved with various attempts to get such a definition in the bills now being considered. H.R. 7418, the most recent House version, attempts to do what the Advisory Committee suggests, but the wording is terribly garbled. There is already a revision that will be proposed at the mark-up (now postponed for the second time, until next Tuesday) and that is clear, while still containing some problems. I hope to be in touch with Zimmerman tomorrow. Clearly, if the narrower definition is in a bill that is passed, the desired end will be achieved.
The current version of the Senate bill (S. 1217) also has an exclusion but it is not narrowed by the important eukaryote - prokaryote distinction (a COPY is enclosed). Perhaps you could write to the Senate Sub-Committee suggesting such a distinction. I am not sending the House version as the latest version of the definition is not in my copy. The senate and House bills are markedly different throughout. The Senate bill would set up a large bureaucracy, and would more readily permit independent local laws. The House version is much more reasonable to my thinking.
Best regards,
Sincerely,
Maxine Singer