From: James P Love Subject: ONLINE ACCESS TO CONGRESSIONAL INFORMATION To: Multiple recipients of list CPSR ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Information Access Memorandum To: Citizens interested in public access to government information Re: Public Access to U.S. House and Senate Legislative Information Systems (LEGIS) Date: July 21, 1992 Dear friend: The following letter to Senator Ford (D-KY) and Representative Rose (D-NC) asks for public access to the House and Senate LEGIS systems. LEGIS provides online access to the full text of bills before congress, as well as other items. Access is now restricted to members of congress and their staff. (except for limited walk-in service). If you want to join us in asking for remote online access to this important taxpayer funded information system, please provide us with the following information, along with permission to add your name to the letter. Name Affiliation (for purposes of identification only) Address City, State and Zip Code Telephone (for verification) email address Please send (mail, fax, or email) this information to: Taxpayer Assets Project P.O. Box 19367 Washington, DC 20036 voice:202/387-8030 fax:202/234-5176 internettap@essential.org Thank you. James Love Director Taxpayer Assets Project ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Senator Ford Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 Representative Rose Chairman, Committee on House Administration U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 August XX, 1992 RE: Public Access to Senate and House LEGIS Dear Sirs: This letter is to request that the public be granted access to the Legislative Information Systems operated by the United States Senate and House of Representatives. These taxpayer financed information systems provide online access to information of immense interest to millions of citizens. (For purposes of this letter the two systems will be referred to simply as LEGIS). Examples of the information contained in LEGIS are: - Summary information about the content and status of all Senate and House bills, resolutions, floor amendments, public and private laws - Full text of the latest versions of Senate and House bills - Summary information on all Presidential nominations requiring Senate confirmation - Summary information on treaties submitted to the Senate for ratification - Summary information on communications from the executive branch and state and local governments on matters before the Congress Our specific recommendations are as follows: 1. CITIZENS SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEARCH LEGIS ONLINE FROM REMOTE LOCATIONS. While the public pays for the operation of LEGIS we have never been allowed access, except for limited walk-in access in Congressional reading rooms. This policy should change. In a period when Congress is seeking to reform itself, it is appropriate to extend access to these valuable information systems beyond the members and staff of congress, to the citizens whom they serve. 2. PUBLIC ACCESS TO LEGIS SHOULD BE MODELED ON THE PROPOSED GPO GATEWAY TO GOVERNMENT/WINDO LEGISLATION. As sponsors of S. 2813, the GPO Gateway to Government, and H.R. 2772, the GPO Wide Information Network for Data Online (WINDO), you have worked hard to expand public access to federal databases. Should the Gateway/WINDO become law, LEGIS should be among its initial core databases. In any event, the approach taken in these two bills is appropriate for LEGIS. - The public should have the right to subscribe to online access to LEGIS from remote locations. For most subscribers, the cost of the subscription should be based on the incremental cost of providing such access. - LEGIS information should also be made available without charge through the federal Depository Library Program. As you know, this important program, which began in the middle of the 19th century, is designed to promote universal access to federal government information. 3. CONGRESS SHOULD REGULARLY SOLICIT FEEDBACK FROM LEGIS USERS TO DETERMINE IF THE SYSTEM CAN BE IMPROVED. There are several areas where LEGIS could be improved. For example, some citizens may ask that Congress provide more detailed information on voting, committee actions, or other congressional business. Citizens should have opportunities to identify the types of information that would be useful in monitoring the actions of the Congress. Your support for the Gateway/WINDO bills is deeply appreciated, as are your other efforts to broaden public access to databases and information systems that are financed by the taxpayer. Please inform us of the specific steps that you will take to broaden public access to LEGIS. Thank you. Sincerely, ----------------------------------------------------------------- The following persons will be among those signing the letter asking for public access to LEGIS: Joan Claybrook Howard C. Weaver President Editor Public Citizen Anchorage Daily News 2000 P Street, NW Box 149001 Washington, DC 20036 Anchorage, Alaska 99514-9001 Brian Kahin Jack D. Lail Director, Information Metro Editor Infrastructure Project, Knoxville News-Sentinel Science, Technology and P.O. Box 59038 Public Policy Program Knoxville, TN 37950-9038 John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Marc Rotenberg 79 John F. Kennedy St. Director, Washington Office Cambridge, MA 02138 Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Professor James Galbraith 666 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. LBJ School of Public Affairs Suite 303 and Department of Government Washington, DC 20003 University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX James Love Director Howard Rheingold Taxpayer Assets Project Editor P.O. Box 19367 Whole Earth Review Washington, DC 20036 27 Gate Five Road Sausalito, CA 94965 Dr. James R. Veatch hlr@well.sf.ca.us Nashville Tech Library 120 White Bridge Road Nashville, TN 37209-4515 ----------------------------------------------------------------- James Love, Director VOICE: 609-683-0534 Taxpayer Assets Project FAX: 202-234-5176 P.O. Box 19367 INTERNET: love@essential.org Washington, DC 20036