[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 363 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 363

 Providing that all House of Representatives meetings and hearings on 
health care legislation shall be open to the public, and expressing the 
  sense of the House that the Senate and the Executive Branch should 
       allow public access to the process of health care reform.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 1994

Mr. Torkildsen (for himself, Mr. Blute, Ms. Pryce of Ohio, Mr. Kim, Mr. 
  Quinn, Mr. Mica, Mr. Baker of California, Mr. Grams, Mr. Goss, Mr. 
  Buyer, Mr. Linder, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Bunning, and Mr. Bereuter) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was referred jointly to the 
             Committees on Rules and Government Operations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Providing that all House of Representatives meetings and hearings on 
health care legislation shall be open to the public, and expressing the 
  sense of the House that the Senate and the Executive Branch should 
       allow public access to the process of health care reform.

Whereas the President has brought the vital issue of national health care reform 
        to the forefront of national policy debate;
Whereas every American has a vital interest in the outcome of the health care 
        debate;
Whereas 37,000,000 Americans are currently uninsured and must be covered under 
        any national policy;
Whereas the 223,000,000 Americans who are insured also have a vital interest in 
        the outcome of this debate;
Whereas, despite cost problems, especially for small businesses, Americans who 
        are insured receive care that is the envy of the world;
Whereas many health care reform plans provide for universal coverage 
        administered by the Federal Government, which would further entrench the 
        Federal Government in the lives of every American, regardless of age, 
        income, or location;
Whereas many Americans have legitimate concerns that health care reform will 
        create a costly, inefficient government bureaucracy;
Whereas Americans have legitimate concerns that the resulting health care 
        program will fall short of the worthy goal of providing every American 
        with affordable, quality health care;
Whereas Republicans and Democrats in both the House of Representatives and the 
        Senate have offered a variety of proposed solutions to the health care 
        problem;
Whereas President and Mrs. Clinton, and Cabinet members, have been holding 
        public forums across the country to raise public awareness of, and 
        foster debate over the solution to, this pressing problem;
Whereas the Federal Government should serve as a partner to the American people 
        in solving the health care problem;
Whereas the public already views the Congress and the Federal Government as 
        institutions that are out of touch with the public's needs and concerns;
Whereas the Republic was founded as a democracy ``of the people, by the people 
        and for the people'';
Whereas, with the exception of national security, there are few reasons for the 
        Federal Government to act behind closed doors while formulating policy 
        that will affect each 1 of the approximately 260,000,000 Americans;
Whereas the Rules of the House provide that committee and subcommittee hearings, 
        and meetings for the transaction of business, shall be open to the 
        public unless the committee or subcommittee determines otherwise by 
        specified procedures;
Whereas the Rules of the Senate and statutes applying to the Executive Branch 
        provide that some Senate and Executive Branch meetings and hearings 
        shall be open to the public;
Whereas there are concerns regarding the lack of public and media access to 
        previous proceedings of the President's Task Force on National Health 
        Care Reform; and
Whereas too much of the health care debate has already taken place behind closed 
        doors and out of the public's view: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) all House of Representatives hearings and meetings at 
        the subcommittee, full committee, and conference committee 
        level regarding health care legislation shall be open to the 
        public and the media, except as provided in clause 2(g)(2) of 
        House Rule XI (regarding disclosures that would endanger the 
        national security, violate a law or rule of the House, or tend 
        to defame, degrade, or incriminate any person); and
            (2) it is the sense of the House that the Senate and the 
        Executive Branch should guarantee public and media access to 
        meetings and hearings concerning the reform of health care 
        legislation.

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