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Records bill clears Senate panel

On June 13, 2007, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, by voice vote, approved (H.R. 1255) and a companion bill (S. 886), the “Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007.” The bills are now ready for consideration on the Senate floor. However, we have learned that a temporary hold has been put on the bill to allow concerns expressed by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and some other Republicans to be addressed before proceeding with floor action.

On March 14, 2007, by a vote of 333-93, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 1255.

In November 2001, President George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13233, which gave current and former presidents and vice presidents broad authority to withhold presidential records or delay their release indefinitely. The Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007 would nullify the Bush executive order and establish procedures to ensure the timely release of presidential records.

The National Coalition for History is asking everyone in the historical and archival community to contact their U.S. Senators to ask them to urge Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring the “Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007″ (H.R. 1255/S. 886) to the Senate floor. All Senate offices can be reached through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202)-224-3121....

Read entire article at Lee White at the website of the National Coalition for History