Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2009

Floor Speech

PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - January 07, 2009)

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Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Towns for bringing this bill to the floor. The outgoing Bush administration has an obsession with secrecy that has led it to weaken many of this country's open government laws. Our consideration of H.R. 35, the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2009, is one important step toward undoing that damage. The bill revokes a Bush executive order, issued in November 2001, which gave broad new authority to Presidents and former Presidents to prevent the release of Presidential records. The order gave former Presidents the ability to pick and choose the records viewed by historians and to shape their legacy through the selective withholding of information.

Under the Presidential Records Act of 1978, these records belong to the American people, not to the president who created them. Today's legislation restores the original intent of the Act and will lead to greater openness and improved understanding of presidential decision-making.

This is not a partisan issue. Similar legislation was first introduced in 2001 by Rep. Burton. And two years ago, I introduced H.R. 1255 with Reps. Burton, Towns, and Platts. I thank them for working with me. The House passed that bill with a strong bipartisan majority. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill today.

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