Representative seeks Internet access to bills

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Dick Zimmer (D-N.J.) in late April asked the House Administration Committee to make bills accessible over the Internet.

In a letter to committee chairman Charlie Rose (D-S.C.), Zimmer noted that citizens can now purchase tapes of government bills from companies who buy the information from the Government Printing Office and subsequently offer it for sale.

He said citizens should not have to pay premium prices to private vendors when the technology exists for Congress to provide “instant access.”

Zimmer said constituents should be able to dial into the House’s Internet mailbox and access the most recent version of any pending legislation, simply by entering the bill number.

Noting that thousands of new users link up to the Internet each week, Zimmer wrote that the hookup would allow constituents to keep abreast with what their representatives are doing in Congress.

In March, Rose, who has actively promoted more citizen access to electronic government records, named a task force to study ways of providing better access. The task force is expected to address the issue in early June.

The House Administration Committee has responsibility for technological systems for representatives.