S.Res. 198 — Introduced in Senate

III 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 198 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 21, 2017 Mr. Tester submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate that any sweeping health care legislation must be drafted in public under the watchful eye of the people of the United States. Whereas the people of the United States deserve and demand that legislation be created through a transparent, bipartisan process to ensure that they can hold their elected representatives accountable; Whereas the proper functioning of representative democracy requires full transparency in the legislative process; Whereas it has been widely reported that a group of Senators is working privately in a partisan fashion to craft national health care legislation in the Senate; Whereas this group is secretly gathering in closed-door meetings that exclude the public and press; Whereas Senate leadership has refused to commit to holding a single public hearing on this legislation before going directly to the Senate floor for a vote; Whereas the draft health care legislation under consideration by a secretive group is one of the largest public policy reforms taken up by Congress in generations; Whereas this legislation will affect the lives of all people in the United States; Whereas health care constitutes 1/6 of the gross domestic product of the United States; and Whereas Congress is elected by the people to serve the people: Now, therefore, be it That it is the sense of the Senate that the creation of any sweeping health care legislation must be done in a transparent, bipartisan manner in full view of the people of the United States and not behind closed doors.