Inhofe: End is Near for Secret Senate Holds

INHOFE: END IS NEAR FOR SECRET SENATE HOLDS

"Ending Secret Holds Will Serve as Historic Change in the Senate"

U.S. Senator James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) today claimed partial victory in his twelve year battle to end the practice of obstructive ‘secret holds' in the U.S. Senate. Currently any member of the United States Senate can anonymously and indefinitely obstruct the Senate's consideration of nominations and legislation by placing a ‘secret hold' on any bill or nominee. Inhofe's amendment making Senators' holds public (S.A. 2944) passed the Senate with a (84-13) vote tonight and is now attached to the Lobbying Reform Bill (S.2349) currently under Senate consideration.

"This secrecy in the Senate is nearly identical to the secrecy I ended in the House of Representatives in 1993," Inhofe said. "The American public has a right to know if a Senator is ‘secretly holding' legislation or nominations thereby stalling progress on the Senate floor. Today we are closer to bringing some much needed sunshine into the Senate."

Inhofe's amendment establishes a new Senate rule requiring that a Senator publicly disclose his or her intent to place a hold on any measure or matter. Inhofe accomplished nearly the same feat while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993 when he changed House rules to make public the signatures on a discharge petition, dramatically increasing transparency in that chamber. At the time the Wall Street Journal stated, "(When) the Inhofe petition succeeds, we're talking about a revolution in the House of Representatives."

Having introduced several identical measures in the past, Senator Inhofe joined with Sens. Grassley (R-IA) and Wyden (D-OR) to co-sponsor this amendment to the Lobbying Reform Bill today.

http://inhofe.senate.gov/preleases.htm