[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 25 (Tuesday, March 2, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE HOUSE COMMISSION FOR ASSISTING DEMOCRATIC 
                         PARLIAMENTS RESOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 2, 2004

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on February 26, my 
colleagues Doug Bereuter, David Dreier, Martin Frost and I introduced 
H. Res. 543, a resolution establishing a House Commission For Assisting 
Democratic Parliaments.
  This resolution would provide for the establishment of a commission 
in the House of Representatives to assist parliaments in emerging 
democracies. The legislative branches of governments of emerging 
democracies are largely comprised of new legislators who face the 
challenges of creating new democratic systems without the benefit of 
previous legislative experience. The legislatures of these fledgling 
democracies often lack the training, equipment, and resources they need 
to carry out their work effectively. For democracies to mature and to 
withstand cyclical turnover in government, strong government 
institutions--particularly national legislatures with appropriate 
infrastructure--are critical.
  From 1990 through 1996, the House of Representatives, through a task 
force ably led by our colleagues Martin Frost and the late Gerald 
Solomon, provided equipment, technical assistance, orientation, and 
training to new parliaments in Central and Eastern European countries, 
including Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, 
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia in an effort to 
develop and strengthen those institutions. The program was designed to 
improve the efficiency of parliaments and the professionalism of its 
members and staff, as well as to increase transparency and 
accountability. The ``Frost-Solomon Task Force'' not only served the 
United States foreign policy goal of helping to establish democratic 
institutions in other countries, but also developed significant 
goodwill in the countries in which it was implemented. As one who 
participated in the Task Force, I found our work immensely rewarding 
and was struck by the ways the parliamentary leaders we worked with 
looked to the U.S. Congress for inspiration.
  Since its founding, the United States has championed the development 
of democracy around the world. This goal continues to be in the 
national interests of the United States. The House Commission For 
Assisting Democratic Parliaments would help emerging parliaments 
function effectively and responsively, and would enable this body to 
champion democracy and representative government in a tangible way.
  I invite my colleagues to join us in carrying on the work begun by 
the Frost-Solomon Task Force by cosponsoring the House Commission For 
Assisting Democratic Parliaments Resolution, H. Res. 543.

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