On the recordFebruary 4, 1998
if the opponents of this resolution are successful, it will indeed have a chilling effect. It will have a chilling effect on efforts to open up and provide sunshine into every area of government, because the issue before us is basically a sunshine issue. Every supporter of open government and public accountability should be prepared to support this resolution. This is about the illegal efforts by some in the current administration to draft a sweeping and radical health care bill in secret. Operative word: In secret. Whether one likes the legislation or not, it is problematic that the task force that is referenced in this resolution had meetings closed to the public. They proceeded cloaked in a shroud of secrecy. If one is doing good work and in the public interest, one should have nothing to hide. This issue is also about telling the truth. When that does not happen, the guilty should be punished, not the innocent.
Source
govinfo.gov
