国会记录：2003年2月11日（参议院）第S22222-S22226关于提交决议案第54号决议的陈述 - 提供对某些国会文件的互联网接入，包括某些国会研究服务出版物，某些参议院礼品报告和参议院和联合委员会文件金博宝更改账户ReportsReports麦凯恩先生（为自己，Leahy先生，利伯曼先生和Harkin先生）提交了以下决议;委员会提交了规则和管理委员会：S. Res。54虽然这是参议院的意义 - （1）公民往往遭受繁重，困难，耗时，以获得美国国会的公共记录;（2）在国会记录中置于国会记录的国会文件，通过公共打印机指示的文件主管以电子方式提供给公众;（3）其他国会文件也可通过电子方式提供由参议院和代表委员会的大会和委员会维护的网站提供。（4）国会的广泛公共记录对公众仍无法进入;（5）公众应该简单且及时地访问，包括电子访问，与国会的公共记录;（6）国会应使用新技术来加强对国会公共记录的公共获取;（7）明智的选民是任何民主最宝贵的资产; 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 system, 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 the information required under this section available in a manner that is practical and reasonable. SEC. 3. PUBLIC RECORDS OF THE SENATE. (a) In general.--The Secretary of the Senate, through the Office of Public Records and in accordance with such standards as the Secretary may prescribe, shall make reports required under paragraph 2(a)(1)(B) and paragraph 4(b) of Rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate available on the Internet for purposes of access and retrieval by the public within 10 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 official 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; and (4) the Joint Committee of the Congress on the Library of Congress. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined today by Senators Leahy, Lieberman, and Harkin in submitting a resolution to make Congressional Research Service, CRS, reports, and other Senate documents, accessible over the Internet to the American people. 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 rely on the work of CRS to make decisions on a wide variety of diverse legislative proposals, such as formulating policies on homeland security, determining the implications of war with Iraq, contemplating the future of the Internet, developing health care reform, and analyzing tax policy. Also, we routinely send CRS reports to our constituents in order to help them understand the important issues of our time. The sponsors of this resolution believe that it is important for the public [[Page S2225]] to have access to these CRS reports. The American public paid over $81 million to fund CRS's operations in fiscal year 2002 alone. The informational reports covered by this resolution are not confidential or classified, and the public deserves to have access to them. By making these reports publicly available, the Senate will better serve an important function in helping to inform their constituents. Members of the public will be able to read these CRS products and receive a concise summary of issues that concern them. These reports also will help voters make decisions and petition their legislators on how to best represent them. Currently, corporations, universities, and other well-heeled entities often hire former Members of Congress as lobbyists to get access to these reports. However, the general public does not have access to these reports. Instead, the public has to obtain these reports through independent companies, such as Penny Hill Press, which charges almost $30 for each report. Otherwise, they must search through a variety of government and non-government web sites for outdated reports or get them from their Members of Congress through the mail. It is not fair for the American people to have to pay a third party or search all over the web for products for which they have already footed the bill. This resolution is drafted to set up a system for distributing CRS Reports that is similar to a pilot program ongoing in the House of Representatives. Under our resolution, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms would establish and maintain a system for distribution of CRS documents. The public would only be able to access these documents through Senators' or Senate Committees' web pages. This system would allow Senators and Committee Chairmen to be able to choose which documents are made available to the public through their web page. This resolution also includes other safeguards to ensure that CRS is able to carry out its mission. Confidential information and reports done for confidential research requests would not be made available to the public. The resolution provides authorization for the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to remove the names of CRS employees from these products to prevent the public from distracting CRS employees. In addition, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms would be authorized to remove copyrighted information from the publicly-available reports. This resolution would ensure that the CRS' mission is not altered in any way, and that it cannot be open to liability suits. Finally, we recognize that cost concerns had been raised about prior versions of this legislation introduced in past Congresses. Yet, our understanding is that the House system of distribution has been achieved at a relatively low cost. We have designed this resolution to eliminate the cost burden to CRS by shifting the operation and maintenance of the system over to the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. In addition, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms is directed to ask the General Accounting Office, GAO, to evaluate the program after one year to explore how to make the operations more cost-effective. The resolution also would require the Senate Office of Public Records to put other selected documents related to Members' receipt of honoraria and travel reimbursement 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 by personally visiting an office in the Hart building. This resolution would allow our constituents throughout the country to access this information more readily. This resolution has been endorsed by many groups, including the Project on Government Oversight, the Congressional Accountability Project, Intel, Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the American Library Association, SeeBeyond Technology Corporation, and others. I ask unanimous consent that these letters of support be printed in the Record. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. The Internet offers a unique opportunity to allow the American people to have everyday access to important information about their government. There being no objection, the letters were ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: SeeBeyond, Reston, VA, February 11, 2003. Senator John McCain, Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McCain: We are writing to express our support for the Congressional Openness Act that allows constituents easier and faster access to information through the Internet, and to urge quick Senate passage of the bill. SeeBeyond is a software technology company that enables Government agencies to communicate and share vital information in real time to other federal agencies, state and local Governments and most importantly constituents. The bill allows better ways for the Government to share information, documents and proceedings, including bills, reports and transcripts of committee meetings that educate the public, and we commend your efforts to further the Federal Government's work in this area. We are pleased to offer you our support of this legislation and to encourage its swift passage by the full Senate. Sincerely, Sam Maccherola, Vice President, Public Sector, SeeBeyond Technology Corp. ____ Congressional Accountability Project, Portland, OR, February 11, 2003. Senator John McCain, U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Senators McCain and Leahy: We heartily endorse your resolution to place useful congressional documents on the Internet, including Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, CRS Authorization and Appropriation products, and Senate gift disclosure reports. This resolution is a simple and inexpensive way to improve our democracy. Citizens need access to congressional documents to discharge their civic duties. Regrettable, the 20th Century has come and gone, and yet Congress still has not put many of its most important documents on the Internet. Your resolution will help fix this problem. The Congressional Research Service is a taxpayer-funded research arm of Congress. Their research materials are among the best produced by the federal government. They explain, with fairness and clarity, the controversies and complexities surrounding the most pressing issues of our day. This research belongs on the Internet. Taxpayers deserve easy access to the documents we pay for. We applaud the resolution's directive that Senate committees should ``provide access via the Internet to publicly-available committee information, documents and proceedings, including bills, reports, and official transcripts of committee meetings that are open to the public.'' In 1822, James Madison explained why citizens need such information: ``A popular government,'' he wrote, ``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.'' Sincerely, American Association of Law Libraries; American Library Association; American Society of Newspaper Editors; Association of Research Libraries; Center for Democracy and Technology; Center for Digital Democracy; Center for Responsive Politics, Common Cause; Computer & Communications Industry Association; Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility; Congressional Accountability Project; Consumer Federation of America; Consumer Project on Technology; Electronic Frontier Foundation; Electronic Privacy Information Center. Federation of American Scientists; Friends of the Earth; Green Party of the United States; Medical Library Association; National Federation of Press Women; National Security Archive; National Taxpayers Union; National Newspaper Association; OMB Watch; Project on Government Oversight; Public Citizen; Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; Society of Professional Journalists; Taxpayers for Common Sense; Union of Concerned Scientists; U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG). Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join today with Senator McCaine to submit our bipartisan resolution to make Congressional Research Service products available over the Internet to the American people. I also want to thank the Project on Government Oversight for its excellent report on the need for access to CRS information. The Congressional Research Service 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 millions of dollars a year to fund the CRS, deserve [[Page S2226]] speedy access to these public resources and have a right to see that their money is being spent well. The goal of our bipartisan 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 have direct access to these wonderful resources. Our legislation 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. 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 of these reports are ``public'' for only those who can afford to hire a lawyer or lobbyist, or who can afford to physically travel to Washington to visit the Office of Public Records in the Hart Building and read them. Indeed, the Project on Government Oversight reports that over 150 registered lobbyists are former Members of Congress who have automatic access to CRS documents. That is not very ``public,'' and does almost nothing for the average voter in Vermont or the rest of this country who does not have easy access to Washington. We can do better, and this resolution does better. Under our resolution, any citizen in any corner of this country with access to a computer at home, at 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 this and similar issues. 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 coming 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 the ``congressional-type'' of currency, and that is something in which Members on both sides of the aisle can celebrate and join. ______