Sentence:  Daniel personally led the fight for the measure , which he had watered down considerably since its rejection by two previous Legislatures , in a public <WSD>hearing</WSD> before the House Committee on Revenue and Taxation . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence