House Votes on Presidential Papers
Bill would stop ex-presidents, heirs from blocking release
By Andrew Albanese -- Library Journal, 4/15/2007
After five years of bitter complaints from archivists, librarians, historians, and public advocates, the House of Representatives voted 333–93 to repeal President George W. Bush's controversial executive order 13233, which gave ex-presidents and their heirs authority effectively to block release of their papers indefinitely.
Bush's 2001 order overturned a post-Watergate law that requires the release of presidential documents within 12 years, barring those where legitimate “executive privilege” can be claimed. In testimony submitted to a House committee, Society of American Archivists' Steve Hensen argued that the order “seriously compromised the basic principles” of government accountability. “In the case of the records of the office of the President of the United States, it is a right that took a long time for the nation to claim fully but just a quick stroke of the pen to destroy,” he said, noting that the discussions about placement of the George W. Bush Presidential Library have brought the issue into focus.
In addition, the House overwhelmingly voted 390–34 to require Presidents to reveal donors, an issue also brought to greater scrutiny by the proposed Bush library in Texas, which is seeking $500 million in donations, far more that the $165 million Bill Clinton spent for his library in Little Rock, AR. Federal law currently does not cap donations or require disclosure.
If passed, the legislation would require quarterly disclosure of donations of $200 or more, for at least four years after a President leaves office. Both measures face uncertain fates in the Senate and, of course, the prospect of a presidential veto.
