Title: Requiring that all impeachment inquiry related hearings, witness interviews and communications, document productions and examinations, proceedings, and other related work shall be done in an open setting and in public view.
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
This resolution (1) disapproves of the actions led by the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to conduct work related to matters of impeachment in a closed and classified setting; (2) requires all impeachment related matters to be done in an open setting and in public view; and (3) demands the Speaker and the chair of each committee engaged in an impeachment inquiry of any kind to give each Member of the House a minimum of 48-hours notice before conducting such matters.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 633 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 633

   Requiring that all impeachment inquiry related hearings, witness 
 interviews and communications, document productions and examinations, 
 proceedings, and other related work shall be done in an open setting 
                          and in public view.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 16, 2019

Mr. Brooks of Alabama (for himself, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Perry, Mr. Meadows, 
Mr. Babin, Mr. Schweikert, Mr. Biggs, Mr. Mooney of West Virginia, Mr. 
  Davidson of Ohio, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Griffith, Mr. Yoho, Mr. Roy, Mr. 
   Posey, Mr. Harris, Mr. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Cloud, Mr. 
Byrne, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Norman, Mr. Wright, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Duncan, 
 Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Tipton, Mr. Crawford, and Mrs. Lesko) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
 on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on Ethics, for a period to 
      be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Requiring that all impeachment inquiry related hearings, witness 
 interviews and communications, document productions and examinations, 
 proceedings, and other related work shall be done in an open setting 
                          and in public view.

Whereas under article 1, section 2 of the Constitution, ``the House of 
        Representatives shall . . . have the sole Power of Impeachment'';
Whereas at a press conference on September 24, 2019, the Speaker of the House, 
        Nancy Pelosi, stated, ``I'm announcing the House of Representatives is 
        moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry'';
Whereas Speaker Pelosi declared that she was ``directing our six committees to 
        proceed with their investigation under that umbrella of impeachment 
        inquiry'';
Whereas there has been no formal vote on the House Floor, or in any of the six 
        committees directed by Speaker Pelosi, to authorize any impeachment 
        inquiry;
Whereas, on October 3, 2019, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of 
        the House, the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House, and the 
        Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House held a classified joint 
        interview in which they received testimony from Ambassador Kurt Volker, 
        the former Department of State Special Representative for Ukraine 
        Negotiations, under the guise of the ``impeachment inquiry'';
Whereas it is wholly inappropriate to conduct any impeachment inquiry in a 
        classified setting, and the American public deserves complete 
        transparency from the House of Representatives when conducting 
        impeachment inquiries, including full and complete public access any 
        hearings, witness interviews and statements, documents productions and 
        examinations, and any and all proceedings related to an impeachment 
        inquiry;
Whereas sunlight is the best disinfectant, and transparency is the best remedy 
        against partisan politics and injustice; and
Whereas an impeachment inquiry behind the veil of secrecy and through closed 
        classified committee hearings undermines the open and transparent 
        process afforded to each Member and the constituents they represent and 
        impedes their review of all evidence related to impeachment as that they 
        can make their own judgment on the impeachment merits: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives disapproves of the actions 
        led by the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, to conduct work 
        related to matters of impeachment in a closed and classified 
        setting;
            (2) any and all impeachment inquiry related hearings, 
        witness interviews and communications, document productions and 
        examinations, proceedings, and other work related shall be done 
        in an open setting and in public view; and
            (3) the Speaker and the chair of each committee engaged in 
        an impeachment inquiry of any kind shall give each Member of 
        the House a minimum of 48-hours notice before conducting any 
        impeachment related matter.
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