The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PRIVATE ``HEARINGS''” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H10088 on Oct. 17, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PRIVATE ``HEARINGS''
(Miss COLLINS of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Miss COLLINS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to one of the many undemocratic practices being utilized by the majority party during this session of the Congress. As I am sure you are aware, certain Members of the U.S. House of Representatives--including some freshmen Members--have been claiming to have held something they carelessly refer to as hearings on legislation introduced--or to be introduced--in this Congress, when in fact some of these so-called hearings were conducted without notice to Members of the opposite political party. Others of these so-called hearings were nothing more than secret meetings with special interest groups, not hearings at all. Some of these same Members have then falsely claimed credit for holding an exaggerated number of hearings on certain important bills--including the bill designed to dismantle the Commerce Department, Medicare/
Medicaid, and the Clean Water Act--when in reality they were conducting private meetings that arbitrarily denied participation in the legislative process to members of the Democratic party and all other concerned citizens who might be adversely impacted by such legislation. I think it is time to call a halt to such abuses of the legislative process.
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