[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1864 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1864

 To standardize the process for conducting public hearings for Federal 
            agencies within the Department of the Interior.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 1999

  Mr. Hansen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To standardize the process for conducting public hearings for Federal 
            agencies within the Department of the Interior.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Public Hearing Standardization Act 
of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Public hearings are a significant part of the process 
        used by Federal agencies to obtain public input.
            (2) Public hearings are important to the public and should 
        allow their comments to become part of the official record of 
        agency actions, provide a forum for the public to ask questions 
        of the Federal agencies, and allow the public to receive from 
        the Federal agencies meaningful responses to questions as part 
        of the official record of agency actions.
            (3) Federal agencies do not have a standard procedure in 
        accordance with which their public hearings are conducted. As a 
        result, Federal agencies have total discretion in setting rules 
        for public hearings. These rules frequently do not require the 
        Federal agencies to respond to legitimate questions asked by 
        the public.
            (4) Standardizing the procedure in accordance with which 
        Federal agencies conduct public hearings is necessary to help 
        ensure that the public understands the public hearing process 
        and can participate appropriately in that process.

SEC. 3. REGULATIONS ESTABLISHING REQUIREMENTS FOR CONDUCTING PUBLIC 
              HEARINGS.

    (a) Regulations Required.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
establish by regulation general requirements for conducting public 
hearings on certain agency actions.
    (b) Content of Regulations.--Regulations issued pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall be designed to help ensure that the public 
understands and can fully participate in public hearings held pursuant 
to such regulations and shall, at a minimum, establish the following:
            (1) Agency actions regarding which a public hearing is 
        required or appropriate.
            (2) A process whereby the public shall be given timely 
        notice of public hearings.
            (3) A process in accordance with which public hearings 
        shall be conducted. Such a process shall include an opportunity 
        during the hearings for members of the public to ask the 
        Federal agency conducting the hearings questions regarding the 
        subject matter of the hearings.
            (4) A process to ensure that the public shall have a 
        reasonable expectation of meaningful and timely answers to 
        questions posed at public hearings.
            (5) The proceedings of a public hearing shall become part 
        of the official record of the agency action in regard to which 
        the hearing is held.

SEC. 4. EFFECT OF OTHER LAWS.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit, replace, or 
interfere with other opportunities for public comment on, participation 
in, or influence on agency decisionmaking pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Administrative Procedure Act, or 
any other law or policy which provides for such opportunities.
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