Congressional Record: February 14, 2001 (Senate)
Page S1429-S1433SENATE RESOLUTION 21--DIRECTING THE SERGEANT-AT-ARMS TO PROVIDE INTERNET ACCESS TO CERTAIN CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING CERTAIN CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE PUBLICATIONS, SENATE LOBBYING AND GIFT REPORT FILINGS, AND SENATE AND JOINT COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lott, and Mr. Lieberman) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. S. Res. 21 Whereas it is the sense of the Senate that-- [[Page S1430]] (1) it is often burdensome, difficult, and time-consuming for citizens to obtain access to public records of the United States Congress; (2) congressional documents that are placed in the Congressional Record are made available to the public electronically by the Superintendent of Documents under the direction of the Public Printer; (3) other congressional documents are also made available electronically on websites maintained by Members of Congress and Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives; (4) a wide range of public records of the Congress remain inaccessible to the public; (5) the public should have easy and timely access, including electronic access, to public records of the Congress; (6) the Congress should use new technologies to enhance public access to public records of the Congress; and (7) an informed electorate is the most precious asset of any democracy; and Whereas it is the sense of the Senate that it will foster democracy-- (1) to ensure public access to public records of the Congress; (2) to improve public access to public records of the Congress; and (3) to enhance the electronic public access, including access via the Internet, to public records of the Congress: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate shall make information available to the public in accordance with the provisions of this resolution. SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN CRS INFORMATION. (a) Availability of Information.-- (1) In general.--The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, in consultation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, shall make available through a centralized electronic database, for purposes of access and retrieval by the public under section 4 of this resolution, all information described in paragraph (2) that is available through the Congressional Research Service website. (2) Information to be made available.--The information to be made available under paragraph (1) is: (A) Congressional Research Service Issue Briefs. (B) Congressional Research Service Reports that are available to Members of Congress through the Congressional Research Service website. (C) Congressional Research Service Authorization of Appropriations Products and Appropriations Products. (b) Limitations.-- (1) Confidential information.--Subsection (a) does not apply to-- (A) any information that is confidential, as determined by-- (i) the Director; or (ii) the head of a Federal department or agency that provided the information to the Congressional Research Service; or (B) any documents that are the product of an individual, office, or committee research request (other than a document described in subsection (a)(2)). (2) Redaction and revision.--In carrying out this section, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, in consultation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, may-- (A) remove from the information required to be made available under subsection (a) the name and phone number of, and any other information regarding, an employee of the Congressional Research Service; (B) remove from the information required to be made available under subsection (a) any material for which the Director determines that making it available under subsection (a) may infringe the copyright of a work protected under title 17, United States Code; and (C) make any changes in the information required to be made available under subsection (a) that the Director determines necessary to ensure that the information is accurate and current. (c) Manner.--The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, in consultation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, shall make information required to be made available under this section in a manner that-- (1) is practical and reasonable; and (2) does not permit the submission of comments from the public. SEC. 3. PUBLIC RECORDS OF THE CONGRESS. (a) Senate.--The Secretary of the Senate, through the Office of Public Records and in accordance with such standards as the Secretary may prescribe, shall make available on the Internet for purposes of access and retrieval by the public: (1) Lobbyist disclosure reports.--Lobbyist disclosure reports required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) within 90 days (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted) after they are received. (2) Gift rule disclosure reports.--Senate gift rule disclosure reports required under paragraph 2 and paragraph 4(b) of rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate within 5 days (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted) after they are received. (b) Directory.--The Superintendent of Documents, under the Direction of the Public Printer in the Government Printing Office, shall include information about the documents made available on the Internet under this section in the electronic directory of Federal electronic information required by section 4101(a)(1) of title 44, United States Code. SEC. 4. METHOD OF ACCESS. (a) In General.--The information required to be made available to the public on the Internet under this resolution shall be made available as follows: (1) CRS information.--Public access to information made available under section 2 shall be provided through the websites maintained by Members and Committees of the Senate. (2) Public records.--Public access to information made available under section 3 by the Secretary of the Senate's Office of Public Records shall be provided through the United States Senate website. (b) Editorial Responsibility for CRS Reports Online.--The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate is responsible for maintaining and updating the information made available on the Internet under section 2. SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE MATERIALS. It is the sense of the Senate that each standing and special Committee of the Senate and each Joint Committee of the Congress, in accordance with such rules as the committee may adopt, should provide access via the Internet to publicly-available committee information, documents, and proceedings, including bills, reports, and transcripts of committee meetings that are open to the public. SEC. 6. IMPLEMENTATION. The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate shall establish the database described in section 2(a) within 6 months after the date of adoption of this resolution. SEC. 7. GAO STUDY. (a) In General.--Beginning 1 year after the date on which the database described in section 2(a) is established, the Sergeant-at-Arms shall request the Comptroller General to examine the cost of implementing this resolution, other than this section, with particular attention to the cost of establishing and maintaining the database and submit a report within 6 months thereafter. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall ask the Comptroller General to include in the report recommendations on how to make operations under this resolution more cost-effective, and such other recommendations for administrative changes or changes in law, as the Comptroller General may determine to be appropriate. (b) Delivery.--The Sergeant-at-Arms shall transmit a copy of the Comptroller General's report under subsection (a) to: (1) The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. (2) The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (3) The Senate Committee on the Judiciary. (4) The Joint Committee of the Congress on the Library of Congress. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I would like to introduce a resolution to make selected Congressional Research Service products, lobbyist disclosure reports, and Senate gift disclosure forms available over the Internet for the American people. This bipartisan legislation is sponsored by Senators Leahy, Lott and Lieberman. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is well known for producing high-quality reports and issue briefs that are concise, factual, and unbiased--a rarity in Washington. Many of us have used these products to make decisions on a wide variety of legislative proposals considering issues as diverse as Amtrak reform, the future of the Internet, health care reform, and tax policy. Also, we routinely send these products to our constituents in order to help them understand the important issues of our time. My colleagues and I believe that it is important that the public should have access to this CRS information. The American public will pay $73.4 million to fund CRS' operations for the fiscal year 2001. The material covered in this resolution is not confidential or classified, and the public should be able to see that their money is well spent. The Senate will serve two crucial functions by allowing the public to access this information over the Internet. First, it will help to fight a growing public cynicism about our government. According to a January 10-14, 2001, Gallup poll, the American public listed dissatisfaction with the Congress, government leadership, and the government in general as one of the ``most important problems facing the country today.'' By making these unbiased documents available online, the Senate will allow the public to see the factors that influence our decisions and votes. These documents will provide the public a more accurate view of the Congressional decision-making, and dispel some of the notions about Congress that create this cynicism. In addition, the Senate will serve the important function of informing their constituents by making these CRS products available online. Members of the public will be able to read these [[Page S1431]] CRS products and receive a concise, accurate summary of issues that concern them. As their elected representatives, we should strive to promote a better informed and educated public. Educated voters are best able to make decisions and petition their legislators on how to accurately represent them. I would like to point out that these products are already available on the Internet. ``Black market'' private vendors are charging up to $49 for a single report. Other web sites have outdated CRS products on them. It is not fair for the American people to have to pay a third party for out-of-date products for which they have already footed the bill. This resolution is different from legislation that I authored last Congress. The House of Representatives has started a pilot program to make CRS products electronically available to the public. This resolution is drafted to set up a system identical to the House program. The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms will establish and maintain the database of CRS documents through the Senate Computer Center. The public will only be able to access these documents through Senators or Senate Committee's web pages. This system will allow Senators and Committee Chairmen to be able to choose which documents are made available to the public through their web page. This change will ensure that only the Senate is directly involved in making CRS products available to the public. This change to the bill will ensure that the CRS' mission is not altered in any way, and that it cannot be open to liability suits. I ask unanimous consent to include a letter from Mr. Stanley M. Brand, a former General Counsel to the House of Representatives, who states that ``nothing in the resolution will alter or modify applicability of the Speech or Debate Clause protections to CRS products.'' In addition, Senators will be able to inform their constituents about how we are helping them here in Washington. This resolution also includes other safeguards to ensure that CRS is protected from public interference. Confidential information and reports done for confidential research requests will not be made available to the public. The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms may remove the names of CRS employees from these products to prevent the public from distracting CRS employees. In addition, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms may remove copyrighted information from the publicly-available reports. In the past, we have been informed that CRS may not have permission to release copyrighted information over the Internet. Currently, reports with copyrighted information may be posted over the House system. However, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms may remove this information if it is necessary in the future. Finally, we are aware that cost concerns have been raised about versions of this legislation introduced in earlier Congresses. Our understanding is that the House system of distribution has been achieved at a relatively low cost. This resolution will eliminate the cost burden to CRS by shifting the operation and maintenance of the database over to the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. In addition, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms is directed to ask the General Accounting Office to evaluate the program after one year to examine how to make the operations more cost-effective. The resolution also requires the Senate Office of Public Records to place lobbyist disclosure forms and Senate gift disclosure forms on the Internet. We have already voted to make this information available to the public. Unfortunately, the public can only get access to this information through an office in the Hart building. These provisions will allow our constituents throughout the country to access this information. It is important to recognize the Senate Office of Public Records for setting up a system of online lobbying registration. The Senate can aid this office in its groundbreaking work by enacting this resolution. This legislation has been endorsed by many groups including AOL Time Warner, the Congressional Accountability Project, Intel, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the American Library Association, Real Networks, Inc. and the National Federation of Press Women. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that these letters of support be printed in the Record. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objective it is so ordered. (See Exhibit 1.) Mr. McCAIN. In conclusion, we would like to urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this legislation. The Internet offers us a unique opportunity to allow the American people to have everyday access to important information about their government. We are sure you agree that a well-informed electorate can best govern our great country. Exhibit 1 Brand & Frulla, Washington, DC, February 6, 2001. Hon. John McCain, Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Washington, DC. Dear Senator McCain: I am writing to address the provisions of a draft Senate Resolution which I understand you intend to introduce directing the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to provide Internet access to certain public congressional and Congressional Research Service documents. This resolution is substantially the same as a bill you introduced in 1998 to make certain of the same documents available on the Internet. By letter dated January 27, 1998, I commented extensively on the impact of this substantially identical legislation upon applicability of the Speech or Debate Clause, U.S. Const., art. I Sec. 6, cl. 1, to CRS products. I concluded then, and reaffirm that nothing in the resolution will alter or modify applicability of the Speech or Debate Clause protections to CRS products. There is one sense in which your revised resolution may actually strengthen the protections of the Clause for CRS products. By lodging responsibility in the Sergeant-at-Arms for providing access, you have retained in a legislative officer, as opposed to the CRS, the power to make determinations concerning accessibility. The Sergeant-at- Arms, is a ``[r]anking nonmember'' of the Senate and one of the statutory ``officers of the Congress,'' Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1, 128 (1975) and 2 U.S.C. Sec. 60-1(b) and there can be, therefore, no doubt about the Senate's intent to repose in one of its officers the power to control its privileges. In doing so, you have, as a practical matter as well, given the Senate more direct control over access to CRS matters. See United States v. Hoffa, 205 F. Supp. 710, 723 (S.D. Fla. 1962) (cert. denied sub nom Hoffa v. Lieb, 371 U.S. 892 (invocation of legislative privilege by the United States Senate conclusive upon judicial branch). Given that any putative litigant seeking to obtain privileged CRS documents would have to actually serve process upon the Seregeant-at- Arms to obtain documents under the revised resolution, it is even less likely under the revised resolution that a party could obtain disclosure of such documents. Sincerely, Stanley M. Brand. ____ AOL Time Warner, Washington, DC, February 5, 2001. Hon. John McCain, Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Patrick J. Leahy, Ranking Minority Member, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McCain and Senator Leahy: On behalf of AOL Time Warner, we write to express our support for your Senate Resolution directing the Sergeant-at-Arms to provide Internet access to certain Congressional documents, including certain Congressional Research Service publications, Senate lobbying and gift report filings, and Senate and Joint Committee documents. The Internet is one of our society's most powerful tools for education and communication, and its tremendous growth continues. We, like you, believe that this medium offers an unprecedented opportunity to connect individuals to the political process--by helping people become more informed citizens, by helping our government be more responsive to them, and by engaging more people in public policy discussions and debate. Your resolution recognizes that the ability of citizens to access public records and to obtain research materials on public policy issues is crucial to a robust and successful democratic system, and that the Internet can serve as a powerful resource for information about our government and our political process. We believe that your legislation will help to further democracy by ensuring online access to Congressional documents and records. We appreciate your leadership on this important issue and your continued leadership on technology-related matters. We look forward to working with you closely in the 107th Congress. Sincerely, Jill Lesser, Senior Vice President, Domestic Public Policy. Elizabeth Frazee, Vice President, Domestic Policy & Congressional Relations. [[Page S1432]] ____ The National Federation of Press Women, Inc., Arlington, VA, February 2, 2001. Hon. John McCain, Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Washington, DC. Dear Senator McCain: The National Federation of Press Women would like to express its support for legislation to establish a centralized, public database for Congressional Research Service reports. NFPW, which represents more than 2,000 journalists, educators and professional communicators in the United States, last year supported S. 393, introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy and yourself. Our members have sent notes of interest and concern to many senators to explain why this effort is important. CRS reports are an invaluable resource to journalists. They provide the nation's best backgrounders on legislation. They help journalists to illuminate that wonderful sense of ``history on the run,'' as former Washington Post publisher Philip Graham once described the products of our craft. But a CRS report's value to the public through the news media today is only as good as the luck of the reporter. Since the reports are not easily found, nor reliably catalogued in any public forum, a journalist often stumbles upon them in the course of other research, or learns of them only when a source reveals their existence. While the Members of Congress are forthcoming with assistance with these reports when asked, often the rush of deadlines outstrips the mail--and even the fax machine. A report undiscovered, or discovered too late for the story, offers nothing to the reader or viewer. As publisher emeritus of a small daily newspaper in Kansas, I can assure you that this legislation would serve the interests of the public by providing our local reporters with the same access that well-funded Washington news bureaus have. And that will go a long way toward enhancing the credibility of the legislative process. Polls do tend to show that local press are better trusted by the citizenry than the national media. We bring the national news home. Your legislation can help us to do that. New technologies now offer an ideal avenue for improved access. Not only journalists, but authors, historians, researchers, teachers and students will find a mother lode of useful information when CRS reports become electronically accessible. If the reports can be accessed through the websites of the Members, they likely will drive traffic to those sites, and that will further enhance the value of the Members' websites to the public. NFPW urges you to continue to push forward with legislation to bring CRS reports to the Internet and to allow the public and press to share in the full value of this publicly- supported information service. Sincerely, Vivien Sadowski. ____ Intel Government Affairs, Washington, DC, February 6, 2001. Hon. John McCain, Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McCain: I write to affirm the support of Intel Corporation for your proposed Senate resolution regarding the maintenance of an electronic database through which the public would be able to access CRS reports to Congress, issue brief, and other products over the Internet. I note that your current initiative follows up on legislation that you introduced last Congress (S. 393) that would have mandated such action. We have supported your efforts to achieve such public access in the past, and we are pleased that you have once again taken the initiative on this matter. We believe that convenient electronic access to public documents upon which the Congress relies in performing its legislative and oversight functions serves to strengthen accountability of government to the people as well as the public's faith in the legislative process. We hope to see early action on your resolution in this session of the 107th Congress. Sincerely, Douglas B. Comer, Director, Legal Affairs. ____ Congressional Accountability Project, Washington, DC, February 6, 2001. Senator John McCain, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Senators McCain and Leahy: We heartily endorse your Congressional Openness Resolution, which would require the U.S. Senate to put key congressional documents on the Internet, including Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, CRS Authorization and Appropriations products, lobbyist disclosure reports and Senate gift disclosure reports. Your resolution is a cheap and simple way to improve our democracy. Citizens need access to these congressional documents to discharge their civic duties. CRS reports are some of the best research conducted by the federal government. Your resolution would put about 2700-2800 of these useful reports on the Internet. Placing lobbyist disclosure reports on the Internet would help citizens to track patterns of influence in Congress, and to discover who is paying whom how much to lobby on what issues. Taxpayers will be cheered that you have included a Sense of the Senate resolution that Senate and Joint Committees should ``provide access via the Internet to publicly-available committee information, documents and proceedings, including bills, reports and transcripts of committee meetings that are open to the public.'' We taxpayers pay dearly to produce these documents; we ought to be able to read them, for free, on the Internet. In 1822, James Madison explained why citizens must have government information: ``A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.'' The Congressional Openess Resolution honors the spirit of Madison's words. Thank you for your efforts to place congressional documents available on the Internet. Sincerely, Alliance for Democracy, American Association of Law Libraries, American Conservative Union, American Federation of Government Employees, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Better Government Association, Center for Democracy and Technology, Center for Media Education, Center for Responsive Politics, Common Cause, Computer Professional for Social Responsibility, Congressional Accountability Project, Consumer Federation of America, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Federation of American Scientists, Friends of the Earth, Government Accountability Project, National Newspaper Association, National Security Archive, National Taxpayers Union, OMB Watch, Progressive Asset Management Inc., Project on Government Oversight, Public Citizen, RealNetworks, Inc., Reform Party of the USA, Regional Reporters Association, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Taxpayers for Common Sense, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG). ____ American Library Association, Washington, DC, February 6, 2001. Senator John McCain, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Senator McCain: We support your proposal to make reports from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) publicly available. We want to endorse your efforts to assure public access to a broad range of government information. The CRS reports are well researched and balanced products addressing a wide variety of current issues. We believe that these unique and valued resources should be available to scholars and researchers as well as the general public through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). The FDLP already provides a network of libraries throughout the country that serve the public by providing access to Federal government information. Utilizing the FDLP as well as Internet resources provides great public benefit through access to the CRS reports. ALA has long standing policies about these issues of broad access to government information. We have attached a resolution supporting your earlier efforts pressing for access to this publicly supported research. We will also encourage our members to support your proposal. As you know, the American Library Association is a nonprofit educational organization of over 60,000 librarians, library educators, information specialists, library trustees, and friends of libraries representing public, school, academic, state, and specialized libraries. ALA is dedicated to the improvement of library and information services, to the public's right to a free and open information society-- intellectual participation--and to the idea of intellectual freedom. ALA's previous resolution encouraged the appropriate Congressional committees to ``take immediate action to assure that the publicly released Congressional Research Service reports and information products are distributed in a timely manner to the general public through Federal Depository libraries and on the Internet.'' Attached is a copy of the complete resolution. We thank you for your efforts on this issue and look forward to working with you and your staff as this proposal moves forward. Sincerely, Lynne Bradley, Director, ALA Office of Government Relations. ____ American Library Association, Washington, DC, Jan. 14, 1998. resolution on congressional research service publications Whereas, equitable and timely access to information created by the government is an important tenet of a free and democratic society; and Whereas, Title 44 of the U.S. Code mandates provision of publications to Federal Depository Libraries; and Whereas, the 104th and 105th Congresses have a made a concerted effort to increase public access to Congressional information through the Internet; and Whereas, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) produces reports and information [[Page S1433]] products at the request of Members of Congress; and Whereas, CRS reports are well researched and balanced products addressing a wide variety of current issues; and Whereas, the CRS produces and Congress releases reports that are not made available to the Government Printing Office for distribution to Federal Depository Libraries nor made available to the public on the Internet; and Whereas, many of these reports are released to various individuals or groups by Members of Congress but not made available to the public; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the American Library Association urge that the Joint Committee on the Library, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and the House Oversight Committee take immediate action to assure that publicly released Congressional Research Service reports and information products are distributed in a timely manner to the general public through Federal Depository Libraries and on the Internet. Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association, New Orleans, LA, January 14, 1998. 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. 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. ____________________