As a first order of business the new chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee presented two pieces of legislation including transparency reforms that were passed by the full House, the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2009, HR-35, and the Presidential Library Donation Act of 2009, HR-36.
Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-NY, has taken the helm of the committee, replacing Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who now chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee after ousting longtime fixture John Dingell, D-Mich.
The bills include language that would overhaul the process of accessing presidential records and disclose donations to presidential libraries. The Presidential Records Act would overturn an executive order issued by President Bush limiting access to presidential records, while HR-36 would require public disclosure of library donations.
"President Bush’s executive order created an imbalanced and restrictive process," said Towns, adding, "The Presidential Records Act preserves the important intent of the original post-Watergate law, which was to assure timely accessibility and preservation of official White House records for historical and, if necessary, legal purposes."
