The Herald applauds the United States Senate for taking steps during the past week toward opening up more congressional actions to the public.
For a long time we have felt too many important matters are acted upon behind closed doors contrary to the spirit of an open democracy with freedom of the press guaranteed in the first amendment to the Constitution.
Senate actions of the past week included:
-Passage by a vote of 86-0 a proposition to open all committee meetings to press and public except sessions affecting national security or personal privacy.
-Approval 81-6 of so-called “sunshine” legislation to open conference committee meetings although allowing a majority of the conferees of either House or Senate to close a session.
-Unanimous approval (with a vote of 94 to 0) requiring most of the federal bureaucracy to opening meetings to the public, exempting only actions involving security and certain sensitive financial affairs and some quasi-judiciary proceedings.
Sen. Lawton Chiles, D-Fla., chief sponsor of the “government-in-the-sunshine” bill, said the legislation would “let all of us watch the agency decision-making process in action.”
The bill goes to the house where the government operations subcommittee on information and individual rights opened hearings on a similar proposal white the Senate was voting.
Such agencies as the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Power Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Civil Aeronautics Board will be affected if the Senate action becomes law.
The Herald believes it is high time for such legislation. Gradually, government by bureaucracy has been diminishing the public’s right to know over the years – and the closed-door trend bas extended to many committee actions of House and Senate.
The items of legislation passed by the Senate still retain considerable control for the lawmakers, with discretion of bar press and public from meetings bearing on national security and other sensitive topics.
The “sunshine” measure was watered down by an amendment allowing any senator to move to close a session for the purpose of discussing “sensitive” subject matter at issue. The change was recommended by Sen. Robert Byrde, D.W.Va. but it also provided that to close a meeting would require a vote in open sessions.
It is hoped, if the legislation becomes law, that discretionary privilege to hold secret meetings will not be overdone by invoking “national security” or other reason without justifiable cause.
“For too long the decisions of this country have been made behind closed doors,” Sen. Mark Hatfield D-Ore. commented.
We agree with that statement and commend our national lawmakers for moving in the direction of reversing the condition.