IV

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 363

Providing that all House of Representatives meetings and hearings on health

care legislation shall be open to the public, and expressing the sense

of the House that the Senate and the Executive Branch should allow

public access to the process of health care reform.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 11, 1994

Mr. TORKILDSEN (for himself, Mr. BLUTE, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, Mr. KIM, Mr.

QUINN, Mr. MICA, Mr. BAKER of California, Mr. GRAMS, Mr. GOSS, Mr.

BUYER, Mr. LINDER, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. BUNNING, and Mr. BEREUTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred jointly to

the Committees on Rules and Government Operations

RESOLUTION

Providing that all House of Representatives meetings and

hearings on health care legislation shall be open to the

public, and expressing the sense of the House that the

Senate and the Executive Branch should allow public

access to the process of health care reform.

Whereas the President has brought the vital issue of national

health care reform to the forefront of national policy debate;

Whereas every American has a vital interest in the outcome

of the health care debate;

Whereas 37,000,000 Americans are currently uninsured and

must be covered under any national policy;
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Whereas the 223,000,000 Americans who are insured also

have a vital interest in the outcome of this debate;

Whereas, despite cost problems, especially for small businesses, Americans who are insured receive care that is

the envy of the world;

Whereas many health care reform plans provide for universal

coverage administered by the Federal Government, which

would further entrench the Federal Government in the

lives of every American, regardless of age, income, or location;

Whereas many Americans have legitimate concerns that

health care reform will create a costly, inefficient government bureaucracy;

Whereas Americans have legitimate concerns that the resulting health care program will fall short of the worthy goal

of providing every American with affordable, quality

health care;

Whereas Republicans and Democrats in both the House of

Representatives and the Senate have offered a variety of

proposed solutions to the health care problem;

Whereas President and Mrs. Clinton, and Cabinet members,

have been holding public forums across the country to

raise public awareness of, and foster debate over the solution to, this pressing problem;

Whereas the Federal Government should serve as a partner

to the American people in solving the health care problem;

Whereas the public already views the Congress and the Federal Government as institutions that are out of touch

with the public’s needs and concerns;
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Whereas the Republic was founded as a democracy ‘‘of the

people, by the people and for the people’’;

Whereas, with the exception of national security, there are

few reasons for the Federal Government to act behind

closed doors while formulating policy that will affect each

1 of the approximately 260,000,000 Americans;

Whereas the Rules of the House provide that committee and

subcommittee hearings, and meetings for the transaction

of business, shall be open to the public unless the committee or subcommittee determines otherwise by specified

procedures;

Whereas the Rules of the Senate and statutes applying to the

Executive Branch provide that some Senate and Executive Branch meetings and hearings shall be open to the

public;

Whereas there are concerns regarding the lack of public and

media access to previous proceedings of the President’s

Task Force on National Health Care Reform; and

Whereas too much of the health care debate has already

taken place behind closed doors and out of the public’s

view: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That—

2 (1) all House of Representatives hearings and

3 meetings at the subcommittee, full committee, and

4 conference committee level regarding health care leg5 islation shall be open to the public and the media,

6 except as provided in clause 2(g)(2) of House Rule

7 XI (regarding disclosures that would endanger the

8 national security, violate a law or rule of the House,
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1 or tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate any per2 son); and

3 (2) it is the sense of the House that the Senate

4 and the Executive Branch should guarantee public

5 and media access to meetings and hearings concern6 ing the reform of health care legislation.

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