It adopted quotas in 1977, but dropped them five years later under pressure from fishermen.

Later, facing assertions that such language would force businesses to adopt quotas, the supporters made changes, watering down the bill.

President Bush vetoed a version of the measure last year on the ground that it would lead businesses to adopt quotas in hiring and promotion.

He complained that the bill would force employers to adopt quotas for hiring and promoting members of minority groups.

The Administration argued that the bill would inevitably drive employers to adopt quotas rather than defend their practices in court.

The best evidence of that danger would be that from 1971 to 1989, many employers in fact adopted quotas.

To protect themselves from suits they could not possibly win, employers would adopt quotas, opponents of the measure say.

Before that decision, they say, there was no evidence that business adopted quotas in hiring and promotion.

"I am convinced it will have the effect of forcing businesses to adopt quotas in hiring and promotion," he wrote.

While the committee never adopted formal quotas or goals, it used the city's 36 percent goal as a benchmark.