Clay engineers presidential papers, library reforms
Lacy Clay
WASHINGTON — Rep. William Lacy Clay is finding out that being part of the majority in Congress is the path toward becoming a reformer.
The first two pieces of legislation passed in the new 111th Congress were bills that Clay, D-St. Louis, co-sponsored.
One overturns a 2001 executive order by President George W. Bush that enabled presidents and vice presidents, past and present, to withhold White House documents or otherwise delay their release.
“Citizens have a right to know how and why important decisions are made at the highest level of government, ” Clay said on the House floor before the legislation passed in an overwhelming 359-58 vote.
Another bill that that Clay helped shepherd to the floor requires disclosure of donors contributing over $200 to presidential libraries. Such contributions were viewed as a way to curry favor in the White House out of the public eye.
Clay said that the system he wants to change ”creates the potential for large donors to exert, or appear to exert, improper influence over a sitting president.” That legislation was passed by a 388-31 vote.
Both bills must be considered by the Senate.
Clay engineers? I doubt it.