[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9640]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 198--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT ANY 
 SWEEPING HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION MUST BE DRAFTED IN PUBLIC UNDER THE 
            WATCHFUL EYE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. TESTER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Rules and Administration:

                              S. Res. 198

       Whereas the people of the United States deserve and demand 
     that legislation be created through a transparent, bipartisan 
     process to ensure that they can hold their elected 
     representatives accountable;
       Whereas the proper functioning of representative democracy 
     requires full transparency in the legislative process;
       Whereas it has been widely reported that a group of 
     Senators is working privately in a partisan fashion to craft 
     national health care legislation in the Senate;
       Whereas this group is secretly gathering in closed-door 
     meetings that exclude the public and press;
       Whereas Senate leadership has refused to commit to holding 
     a single public hearing on this legislation before going 
     directly to the Senate floor for a vote;
       Whereas the draft health care legislation under 
     consideration by a secretive group is one of the largest 
     public policy reforms taken up by Congress in generations;
       Whereas this legislation will affect the lives of all 
     people in the United States;
       Whereas health care constitutes \1/6\ of the gross domestic 
     product of the United States; and
       Whereas Congress is elected by the people to serve the 
     people: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 
     creation of any sweeping health care legislation must be done 
     in a transparent, bipartisan manner in full view of the 
     people of the United States and not behind closed doors.

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