[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION PROMOTING DEMOCRACY THROUGH THE INTERNET

                                 ______


                            HON. RICK WHITE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 1996

  Mr. WHITE. Mr. Speaker, today, I join with my good friend and 
colleague from Virginia in introducing a resolution calling on Congress 
to use the Internet to provide constituents with more access to 
government information; communicate with constituents through 
electronic mail, and work with the net community to get input on issues 
affecting the Internet.
  Yesterday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the 
Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted a preliminary injunction 
against enforcement of the Communications Decency Act, on the grounds 
of constitutionality. The main reason this act was found 
unconstitutional is because Congress didn't understand what the 
Internet is all about. We tried to apply the indecency standard--a rule 
developed for television--to the Internet, which is a very different 
medium. If we want to avoid such problems in the future, Congress is 
going to have to learn what the Internet is all about.
  But the drive behind this resolution goes further than educating 
Congress about the Internet--it fulfills our promise to make Congress 
more accessible to the American people.
  The Internet is a powerful new medium that is growing by leaps and 
bounds. Each day more and more people are logging onto the Net to get 
information. As more people use the Internet as a way to communicate, 
do business, and educate our children, we in Congress need to make sure 
that we are using this new medium as a way to communicate with our 
constituents. By posting committee reports, voting records, and other 
documents on the Internet we will give the public access to the same 
information we in Congress have.
  Next year, Congress will go back to the drawing board to rewrite the 
CDA. When that time comes, I am optimistic that a more educated 
Congress will develop a solution that protects our children and 
protects our free speech.
  Until that time, it is important to get more Members of Congress 
involved in Internet issues. That is why this resolution is so 
important. This resolution will require that Members of Congress go on 
record to show their commitment to learning about, and using, the 
Internet.

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