HUTCHINSON STRESSES WEIGHT OF NEXT ELECTION AT STUDENT CONFERENCE

FAYETTEVILLE -- The next election will be a watershed for all three
branches of the federal government, U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Fort Smith
told high school students Wednesday.

The election to choose the successor to President Clinton "will decide who
will appoint the swing votes on the U.S. Supreme Court, while control of
the legislative branch is up in the air," Hutchinson said.

The next president will probably fill at least two vacancies over the next
four years as sitting members of the court retire, he said.

Hutchinson, a Republican, pointed to recent 5-4 Supreme Court decisions,
including the court's rejection of a Nebraska law banning an abortion
procedure and the court's rejection of prayer led by students before school
athletic events in Texas.

The congressman was speaking to a group of at least 30 high school students
attending the Fulbright School of Public Affairs, a three-week program at
the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Republicans will lose their majority in the House if six GOP seats go to
Democrats without offsetting gains for the GOP candidates. The majority
party picks House committee chairmen, so that party can control the flow of
legislation.

"Control of the Congress is at stake, and it's at risk," Hutchinson said.

Foreign policy will become a major issue in the presidential election,
Hutchinson said, because of the importance of issues facing the United
States that involve other countries. These issues include redefining "our
relationship to Mexico," he said, since the political party that held power
for 71 years there was defeated in Sunday's election. Real change in border
issues such as illegal immigration from Mexico and drug trafficking is
possible, he said.

"Nationalistic zeal in Mexico has prevented any cooperation with the United
States to the point that federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents in Mexico
are not allowed to wear guns," Hutchinson said. "Believe me, if you're a
DEA agent in Mexico, you don't want to do much work without firearms."

Congress' approval of a $1.3-billion aid package to Colombia will cause
controversy, Hutchinson predicted. The package includes military aid to
fight illegal drug activities that finance some rebel groups.

"I supported aid to Colombia," Hutchinson said, because "I don't want to
see the oldest democracy in South America go under."

Students asked Hutchinson about student-led prayer. "I think it's a bad
decision," said Hutchinson of the court's ruling.

The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment prohibits Congress from enacting
laws that establish a religion, but recent court decisions have crossed the
line from being neutral on religion into being hostile toward it,
Hutchinson said. "On religion, the same amendment goes on to say 'nor
prohibit the free exercise thereof,' " Hutchinson said.

Asked why he did not draw an opponent in this year's election, Hutchinson
said his ability to build a war chest of election funds must have been a
factor. Members of Congress "get criticized for building a war chest, but
its not the grassroots opponent we're worried about," he said. "It's the
Corzines of the world." Retired Wall Street financier Jon Corzine spent $33
million, much of it from his own money, in a successful Democratic primary
race for senator from New Jersey, his first political race.