Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress disapproves of government officials who violate the public health restrictions they impose on others.
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
This resolution condemns hypocrisy and elitism and calls on all officials to impose no restriction on citizens that they themselves are not willing to abide by.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 78 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 78

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress 
   disapproves of government officials who violate the public health 
                  restrictions they impose on others.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2021

 Mr. Green of Tennessee submitted the following resolution; which was 
           referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress 
   disapproves of government officials who violate the public health 
                  restrictions they impose on others.

Whereas a number of States and localities have imposed decrees limiting the 
        activities of the people and businesses in their jurisdictions, 
        including stay-at-home orders and draconian restrictions on indoor 
        dining, holiday gatherings with family, business operations, in-person 
        education, and religious gatherings;
Whereas these lockdowns have taken a major toll on the American people, leading 
        to job losses, the decimation of small businesses, social isolation, and 
        harmful effects on mental health;
Whereas the American people were initially asked to stay at home for a short 
        period to ``flatten the curve'' and prevent our healthcare system from 
        being overwhelmed early on, yet have now endured such onerous and 
        frequently arbitrary and irrational restrictions for months on end;
Whereas a number of public officials have brazenly and shamefully violated the 
        public-health restrictions that they have imposed on citizens, 
        demonstrating their view that rules are for the people--not the 
        politicians:

    (1) On November 6, California governor Gavin Newsom and his wife 
attended a birthday party for a lobbyist at the high-end French Laundry 
restaurant in Napa Valley, in violation of his own public-health decrees.

    (2) Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser attended an election party in 
Delaware after banning nonessential interstate travel.

    (3) Denver Mayor Michael Hancock tweeted advice to ``avoid travel, if 
you can'' only minutes before he boarded a flight to visit family out of 
State for Thanksgiving.

    (4) On November 7, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined a tightly packed 
crowd to celebrate the election only a few days before announcing a stay-
at-home advisory.

    (5) Austin Mayor Steve Adler posted a Facebook video warning residents 
to stay home and threatening future lockdowns--while vacationing in Cabo 
San Lucas, Mexico.

    (6) The chair of the Metro Nashville Public Schools traveled 
internationally to vacation in the Caribbean during the fall while 
insisting that in-person learning was too risky for students, over the 
objections of many parents who wish to open the schools.;

Whereas such an attitude of entitlement is antithetical to our republican form 
        of government, in which public office is a public trust and officials 
        are bound to live under the same laws as their fellow citizens;
Whereas such actions undermine the trust between citizens and their government 
        and engender a lack of respect for the legitimate actions of government;
Whereas a pretension of superiority over the laws is a characteristic of 
        oligarchies and tyrannies the world over, and is thus contrary to the 
        spirit of a free nation; and
Whereas this resolution shall be known as the French Laundry resolution: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives condemns 
hypocrisy and elitism and calls on all officials to impose no 
restriction on citizens that they themselves are not willing to abide 
by.
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