Jack Brooks: “I rise in support of H.R. 811, the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act. I am pleased we are able to take up this…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 811, the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act. I am pleased we are able to take up this important bill today. Last Congress, the Independent Counsel Act died a less than honorable death--the result of bludgeoning and being held hostage by some Republicans who viewed a good government mechanism somehow as the enemy rather than as a trusted watchman. In the face of unrelenting hostility by the previous Republican administration--including the threat of a Senate filibuster--the law lapsed on December 15, 1992. Certainly, that was unfitting treatment for one of the few truly novel enhancements to our constitutional democracy in the 20th century. For some strange reason, the ardent opponents of the statute have now experienced a miraculous conversion--they walk; they see--in the past few months. I am proud to say that there are those who have shown an abiding faith in the value of this law. Both President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno, a former prosecutor herself, have consistently indicated their strong support for our efforts to revive it. Under H.R. 811, the Independent Counsel Law is reauthorized for another 5 years, with new accountability and cost control safeguards based on recommendations from the General Accounting Office.”