cr> Bill in U.S. House to put bills on Internet

[Cyber Rights <cyber-rights@Sunnyside.COM>]

Congressional Reform Briefings                    July 18, 1996

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SUMMARY:
     Representative Rick White (R-WA) has introduced an excellent
resolution (H. Res. 478) in the U. S. House of Representatives
that would provide citizens with access to many important House
documents via the Internet.  The House resolution would provide
citizens with the same access to many House documents that is
currently enjoyed by Washington lobbyists.  Currently, there is a
long list of key Congressional documents not available on THOMAS
or GPO ACCESS.

     House Resolution 478 needs your support.

     Please encourage your House member to co-sponsor this
resolution.  We need as many co-sponsors as possible.  The
resolution has only 5 co-sponsors so far.

WHAT HOUSE RESOLUTION 478 DOES:
     House Resolution 478 would provide citizens with online
access to these House documents:
*    committee hearing transcripts within five days of that
     hearing;
*    committee prints of bills or chairman's marks generally
     available to members of a Committee;
*    committee amendments;
*    committee votes;
*    committee mark-up transcripts within five days of that
     mark-up;
*    committee rules;
*    travel expense reports;
*    oversight plans; and
*    committee membership and staff lists.

     Some of these House documents are very important to the
legislative process, yet extremely difficult to obtain quickly --
if you're not a Washington lobbyist.  For example, committee
hearing records are often available to lobbyists within 24-48
hours, but citizens sometimes have to wait for a year or more for
transcripts.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
     E-mail, call, write, or fax your House member -- urge them
to co-sponsor House Resolution 478.  Tell them that you want a
response regarding whether they will co-sponsor H. Res. 478.  The
Congressional switchboard phone number is (202) 224-3121.  Please
e-mail information regarding contacts with House members or staff
to Gary Ruskin <gary@essential.org>.  You may also want to send a
note of thanks to Rep. White for his good efforts.  His e-mail
address is <repwhite@hr.house.gov>.

     The bottom line is that this resolution will pass the House
if we can generate enough political pressure.  If many House
members decide to co-sponsor H. Res. 478, that will help
immensely.  So far, the bill only has five cosponsors: Reps.
White (R-WA), Dreier (R-CA), Bass (R-NH), Brownback (R-KS), and
Frisa (R-NY).

     For more information about citizen efforts to win online
access to Congressional documents, or to find out more about how
you can help, send e-mail to <gary@essential.org>.  

     Brock Meeks of HotWired has written two excellent articles
about online access to Congressional documents.  You can read
them at <http://www.netizen.com/netizen/96/29/index3a.html> and 
<http://www.hotwired.com/muckraker/96/10/index3a.html>.

     Following is a copy of Rep. White's resolution:
_________________________________________________________________
104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 478

 To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide
public access to committee documents over the Internet, and for
other purposes.
_________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 1996

 Mr. White (for himself, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Bass, Mr. Brownback, and
Mr. Frisa) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on
House Oversight, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as
fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
_________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION
 
 To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide
public access to committee documents over the Internet, and for
other purposes.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF
ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT REFORM.

    (a) The Committee on House Oversight is authorized and
directed to  establish standards to provide guidance to the Clerk
and committees  respecting electronic data bases which may be
accessed by committees to effectuate the electronic document
reform necessary to enable committees to carry out the amendments
to the Rules of the House of  Representatives made by section 3.
    (b) In the establishment of standards under subsection (a),
the Committee on House Oversight is encouraged to develop those
standards  in consultation with the Senate so that identical
standards can be  implemented in the House of Representatives and
in the Senate.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTRONIC DATA BASE BY THE CLERK.

    The Clerk shall--
            (1) establish a central electronic data base of
official documents to which committees may have access to carry
out the amendments made by section 3;
            (2) establish universal data elements respecting such 
official documents; and
            (3) implement standards established by the Committee
on House Oversight with respect to the content of electronic data 
bases which may be accessed to carry out paragraph (1).

SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: COMMITTEE REPORTS.

    Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is
amended by  adding at the end the following new clause:
    ``7. (a) Upon the filing of a report by any committee under
clause 2(l)(1)(B) or by the Committee on Rules, that committee
shall make that report available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(b) Whenever any committee approves any measure, that
committee shall make that measure available electronically on the
Internet.
    ``(c) Each committee shall make its rules available
electronically on the Internet not later than the date such rules
are published in the Congressional Record pursuant to clause 2(a)
and whenever they are subsequently amended.
    ``(d) Each committee shall simultaneously make available 
electronically on the Internet all information respecting any
rollcall vote otherwise made available for public inspection
under clause 2(e)(1).
    ``(e) Whenever any committee authorizes the payment or 
reimbursement of expenses to be incurred by a member or staff of
that committee for travel, it shall make a copy of that
authorization available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(f) Whenever any member of a committee offers an amendment
to any measure being considered by that committee, the committee
shall make that amendment available electronically on the
Internet.
    ``(g) Whenever a committee print of any measure or a
chairman's mark is generally made available to members of the
committee, the committee shall make it available electronically
on the Internet.
    ``(h) Whenever a committee submits its oversight plans to the 
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and to the Committee
on House Oversight pursuant to clause 2(d) of rule X, it shall
make a copy available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(i) Each committee shall make electronically available on
the Internet the following:
            ``(1) An up-to-date directory of its membership and
staff.
            ``(2) Any schedule or notice of committee activity.
            ``(3) Any advance written statement submitted to the
committee of proposed testimony unless it is to be presented in 
executive session.
            ``(4) The transcript of a meeting or hearing within 5 
calendar days of that meeting or hearing, except transcripts of 
executive sessions.
    ``(j) This clause shall not apply to the Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct or the Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence.''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This resolution shall take effect upon the date of its
adoption, except that the amendments made by section 3 shall take
effect immediately prior to noon January 3, 1997.
                                
_________________________________________________________________

     The Congressional Accountability Project is a Ralph Nader
Congressional reform group.  For more information about
Congressional reform issues, send e-mail to gary@essential.org or
call (202) 296-2787.

to subscribe to Congressional reform briefings send the message:
subscribe cong-reform your name
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Gary Ruskin
Congressional Accountability Project    |   Internet:
gary@essential.org
P.O. Box 19446
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 296-2787  Fax: (202) 833-2406

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