[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7323-H7324]
PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASSIFICATION BOARD REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2012
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 3564) to extend the Public Interest Declassification Act of
2000 until 2014 and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 3564
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Public Interest
Declassification Board Reauthorization Act of 2012''.
SEC. 2. PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASSIFICATION BOARD.
(a) Subsequent Appointment.--Section 703(c)(2)(D) of the
Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-
567; 50 U.S.C. 435 note) is amended by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``from the date of the appointment.''.
(b) Vacancy.--Section 703(c)(3) of the Public Interest
Declassification Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-567; 50 U.S.C.
435 note) is amended by striking ``A member of the Board
appointed to fill a vacancy before the expiration of a term
shall serve for the remainder of the term.''.
(c) Extension of Sunset.--Section 710(b) of the Public
Interest Declassification Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-567; 50
U.S.C. 435 note) is amended by striking ``2012.'' inserting
``2014.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
{time} 1610
General Leave
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
S. 3564, the Public Interest Declassification Board Act, reauthorizes
the Public Interest Declassification Board, or PIDB, for an additional
2 years. Without congressional action, the PIDB will sunset on December
31, 2012.
The PIDB is an advisory committee tasked with improving and
modernizing the process used to classify and declassify government
information. The volume of classified information has skyrocketed in
recent years, due to the rapid increase in electronic communications,
as well as an institutional bias that prefers overclassification as a
risk-avoidance strategy. Over classification can unduly hinder much-
needed public transparency and the ability to rapidly share information
across the government.
[[Page H7324]]
The chief goals of the PIDB are to help develop effective modern
standards and processes for classification and declassification to
address the problems by overclassification and promote the fullest
possible public access to national security records through efficient
and timely declassification systems. S. 3564 will further the cause of
transparency by maintaining an expert advisory group to ensure the
executive branch is classifying and declassifying records in a timely
and responsible manner.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of this important legislation. This bill renews the
authorization of the Public Interest Declassification Board. The PIDB
is an advisory committee whose purpose is to promote the fullest
possible public access to significant national security decisions and
activities. The PIDB advises the President on policies related to
classification and declassification of national security information.
The Board also advises the President on the declassification and
release of classified records with historical value. The authorization
for the PIDB is set to expire at the end of this month. It is important
that we reauthorize the authority for this panel so that their
important work is not jeopardized.
Just last month, the PIDB issued a report to the President, titled
``Transforming the Security Classification System.'' The report made a
number of recommendations for improving the classification system. The
report criticized our current system. It stated:
We believe the current classification and declassification
systems are outdated and incapable of dealing adequately with
the large volumes of classified information generated in an
era of digital communication and information systems.
Overcoming the entrenched practices that no longer serve the
purpose of protecting our national security will prove
difficult.
Transparency and access to information are essential tools for
effective oversight of the executive branch. Outdated systems for
managing classified information must be modernized to provide greater
public access to information about the Federal Government's policies
and activities. Reauthorizing the PIDB is critical to that effort, and
I support this bill. I urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. As we've heard, this bill promotes bipartisan-
supported transparency in the government. I urge my colleagues to
support the passage of the Public Interest Declassification Board
Reauthorization Act of 2012, S. 3564, and I yield back the balance of
my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 3564.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
____________________
[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7328-H7329]
PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASSIFICATION BOARD REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2012
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The unfinished business is the vote on the
motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3564) to extend the
Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000 until 2014 and for other
purposes, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 409,
nays 1, not voting 21, as follows:
[Roll No. 637]
YEAS--409
Ackerman
Adams
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Altmire
Amash
Amodei
Andrews
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Baldwin
Barber
Barletta
Barrow
Barton (TX)
Bass (CA)
Bass (NH)
Becerra
Benishek
Berg
Berkley
Berman
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Bonner
Boren
Boustany
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Braley (IA)
Brooks
Broun (GA)
Brown (FL)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Buerkle
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Butterfield
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Canseco
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Carter
Cassidy
Castor (FL)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Chandler
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke (MI)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cohen
Conaway
Connolly (VA)
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Cravaack
Crawford
Crenshaw
Critz
Crowley
Cuellar
Culberson
Cummings
Curson (MI)
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Denham
Dent
DesJarlais
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dold
Donnelly (IN)
Doyle
Dreier
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Edwards
Ellison
Ellmers
Emerson
Engel
Eshoo
Farenthold
Farr
Fattah
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Flake
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Frank (MA)
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gallegly
Garamendi
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Gingrey (GA)
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grijalva
Grimm
Guinta
Guthrie
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hall
Hanabusa
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Heck
Heinrich
Hensarling
Herger
Herrera Beutler
Higgins
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hochul
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Israel
Issa
Jackson Lee (TX)
Jenkins
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Jordan
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly
Kildee
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kissell
Kline
Kucinich
Labrador
Lamborn
Lance
Landry
Langevin
Lankford
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
Latta
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Long
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Lungren, Daniel E.
Lynch
Maloney
Manzullo
Marchant
Marino
Markey
Massie
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (CA)
McCarthy (NY)
McCaul
McClintock
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McHenry
McIntyre
McKeon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
Meehan
Meeks
Michaud
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller (NC)
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Olson
Olver
Owens
Palazzo
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Paul
Paulsen
Payne
Pearce
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Petri
Pingree (ME)
Pitts
Platts
Poe (TX)
Polis
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Price (NC)
Quayle
Quigley
Rahall
Rangel
Reed
Rehberg
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Richardson
[[Page H7329]]
Richmond
Rigell
Rivera
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross (AR)
Ross (FL)
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Runyan
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Scalise
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schilling
Schmidt
Schock
Schrader
Schwartz
Schweikert
Scott (SC)
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Scott, David
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Sewell
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Southerland
Speier
Stearns
Stivers
Stutzman
Sullivan
Sutton
Terry
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tierney
Tipton
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Turner (NY)
Turner (OH)
Upton
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walberg
Walden
Walsh (IL)
Walz (MN)
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watt
Webster
Welch
West
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (FL)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Woolsey
Yarmuth
Yoder
Young (FL)
Young (IN)
NAYS--1
Young (AK)
NOT VOTING--21
Baca
Bartlett
Bilbray
Bono Mack
Boswell
Cole
Gohmert
Gonzalez
Johnson (IL)
LaTourette
Lujan
Mack
McKinley
Mica
Murphy (CT)
Nunnelee
Pence
Reyes
Shuler
Stark
Waxman
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes
remaining.
{time} 1706
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and
the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________
