NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Civil Rights Panel’s Demise Headed Off

The U.S. Civil Rights Commission’s imminent demise at the end of this month was headed off as the Senate approved a 22-month extension. The measure now goes back to the House, which had passed a six-month extension earlier and appeared ready to accept the longer-term bill. The extension was a middle ground between Democrats who wanted only a short-term measure while they waited to see who President Bush appoints to the panel in the coming weeks and the White House’s desire for a six-year bill. The commission won praise in the 1960s for bold civil rights legislation. During the Ronald Reagan Administration its effectiveness had eroded and the panel has been consumed by internal bickering.