11.   Audit committees are receiving special attention this year, in the wake of Enron Corp. and other accounting controversies.

12.   Auditors and audit committees are Topic A.

13.   --A strong independent leader for the audit committee.

14.   Alan Seelenfreund, former chairman and chief executive of McKesson and currently a board member, is heading the audit committee that is directing the investigation of HBOC.

15.   Cortez has been called to testify Monday before a legislative audit committee.

16.   Company board members may be unwilling to serve on audit committees in such an environment, he says.

17.   Currently, many public funds have called for corporate boards to be composed largely of independent directors, especially on such key functions as the audit committee.

18.   Current rules say that a listed company must have an audit committee that includes at least three independent directors.

19.   Democrats may also seek to make sure that any new legislation includes provisions that would strengthen corporate governance and the role of audit committees on company boards.

20.   For example, it had no independent directors or audit committee when it went public.