Congressional Record: February 6, 2001 (Senate)
Page S1058-S1059

                ONLINE ACCESS TO CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join today with Senator
McCain to introduce a Senate resolution to provide Internet Access to
important Congressional documents.
  Our bipartisan resolution makes certain Congressional Research
Service products, lobbyist disclosure reports and Senate gift
disclosure reports available over the Internet to the American people.
  The Congressional Research Service, CRS, has a well-known reputation
for producing high-quality reports and information briefs that are
unbiased, concise, and accurate. The taxpayers of this country, who pay
$67 million a year to fund the CRS, deserve speedy access to these
public resources and have a right to see that their money is being
spent well.
  The goal of our legislation is to allow every citizen the same access
to the wealth of CRS information as a Member of Congress enjoys today.
CRS performs invaluable research and produces first-rate reports on
hundreds of topics. American taxpayers have every right to direct
access to these wonderful resources.
  Online CRS reports will serve an important role in informing the
public. Members of the public will be able to read these CRS products
and receive a concise, accurate summary of the issues before the
Congress. As elected representatives, we should do what we can to
promote an informed, educated public. The educated voter is best able
to make decisions and petition us to do the right things here in
Congress.
  Our legislation follows the model online CRS program in the House of
Representatives and ensures that private CRS products will remain
protected by giving the CRS Director the authority to hold back any
products that are deemed confidential. Moreover, the Director may
protect the identity of CRS researchers and any copyrighted material.
We can do both--protect confidential material and empower our citizens
through electronic access to invaluable CRS products.
  In addition, the bipartisan resolution would provide public online
access to lobbyist reports and gift disclosure forms. At present, these
public records are available in the Senate Office of Public Records in
Room 232 of the Hart Building. As a practical matter, these public
records are accessible only to those inside the Beltway.
  I applaud the Office of Public Records for recently making
technological history in the Senate by providing for lobbying
registrations through the Internet. The next step is to provide the
completed lobbyist disclosure reports on the Internet for all Americans
to see.
  The Internet offers us a unique opportunity to allow the American
people to have everyday access to this public information. Our
bipartisan legislation would harness the power of the Information Age
to allow average citizens to see these public records of the Senate in
their official form, in context and without editorial comment. All
Americans should have timely access to the information that we already
have voted to give them.
  And all of these reports are indeed ``public'' for those who can
afford to hire a lawyer or lobbyist or who can afford to travel to
Washington to come to the Office of Public Records in the Hart Building
and read them. That is not very public. That does not do very much for
the average voter in Vermont or the rest of this country outside of
easy reach of Washington. That does not meet the spirit in which we
voted to make these materials public, when we voted ``disclosure''
laws.
  We can do better, and this resolution does better. Any citizen in any
corner of this country with access to a computer at home or the office
or at the public library will be able to get on the Internet and get
these important Congressional documents under our resolution. It allows
individual citizens to check the facts, to make comparisons, and to
make up their own minds.
  I commend the Senior Senator from Arizona for his leadership on
opening public access to Congressional documents. I share his desire
for the American people to have electronic access to many more
Congressional resources. I look forward to working with him in the days
to let the information age open up the halls of Congress to all our
citizens.

[[Page S1059]]

  As Thomas Jefferson wrote, ``Information is the currency of
democracy.'' Our democracy is stronger if all citizens have equal
access to at least that type of currency, and that is something which
Members on both sides of the aisle can celebrate and join in.
  This bipartisan resolution is an important step in informing and
empowering American citizens. I urge my colleagues to join us in
supporting this legislation to make available useful Congressional
information to the American people.

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