[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 478 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 478

 To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide public 
    access to committee documents over the Internet, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 1996

 Mr. White  (for himself, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Bass, Mr. Brownback, and Mr. 
 Frisa) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
     Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on House 
 Oversight, 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


 
 To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide public 
    access to committee documents over the Internet, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC 
              DOCUMENT REFORM.

    (a) The Committee on House Oversight is authorized and directed to 
establish standards to provide guidance to the Clerk and committees 
respecting electronic data bases which may be accessed by committees to 
effectuate the electronic document reform necessary to enable 
committees to carry out the amendments to the Rules of the House of 
Representatives made by section 3.
    (b) In the establishment of standards under subsection (a), the 
Committee on House Oversight is encouraged to develop those standards 
in consultation with the Senate so that identical standards can be 
implemented in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTRONIC DATA BASE BY THE CLERK.

    The Clerk shall--
            (1) establish a central electronic data base of official 
        documents to which committees may have access to carry out the 
        amendments made by section 3;
            (2) establish universal data elements respecting such 
        official documents; and
            (3) implement standards established by the Committee on 
        House Oversight with respect to the content of electronic data 
        bases which may be accessed to carry out paragraph (1).

SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: COMMITTEE REPORTS.

    Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by 
adding at the end the following new clause:
    ``7. (a) Upon the filing of a report by any committee under clause 
2(l)(1)(B) or by the Committee on Rules, that committee shall make that 
report available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(b) Whenever any committee approves any measure, that committee 
shall make that measure available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(c) Each committee shall make its rules available electronically 
on the Internet not later than the date such rules are published in the 
Congressional Record pursuant to clause 2(a) and whenever they are 
subsequently amended.
    ``(d) Each committee shall simultaneously make available 
electronically on the Internet all information respecting any rollcall 
vote otherwise made available for public inspection under clause 
2(e)(1).
    ``(e) Whenever any committee authorizes the payment or 
reimbursement of expenses to be incurred by a member or staff of that 
committee for travel, it shall make a copy of that authorization 
available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(f) Whenever any member of a committee offers an amendment to any 
measure being considered by that committee, the committee shall make 
that amendment available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(g) Whenever a committee print of any measure or a chairman's 
mark is generally made available to members of the committee, the 
committee shall make it available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(h) Whenever a committee submits its oversight plans to the 
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and to the Committee on 
House Oversight pursuant to clause 2(d) of rule X, it shall make a copy 
available electronically on the Internet.
    ``(i) Each committee shall make electronically available on the 
Internet the following:
            ``(1) An up-to-date directory of its membership and staff.
            ``(2) Any schedule or notice of committee activity.
            ``(3) Any advance written statement submitted to the 
        committee of proposed testimony unless it is to be presented in 
        executive session.
            ``(4) The transcript of a meeting or hearing within 5 
        calendar days of that meeting or hearing, except transcripts of 
        executive sessions.
    ``(j) This clause shall not apply to the Committee on Standards of 
Official Conduct or the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This resolution shall take effect upon the date of its adoption, 
except that the amendments made by section 3 shall take effect 
immediately prior to noon January 3, 1997.
                                 <all>