Heller strikes out on transparency call for 'supercommittee'

WASHINGTON -- The "supercommittee" charged with reducing federal deficits by at least $1.2 trillion adopted rules Thursday that would allow some of its business to be conducted in private despite calls from Sen. Dean Heller and others for full openness.

"I am disappointed the chairs of the supercommittee did not respond to bipartisan calls to have a completely open and transparent process," the Nevada Republican said.

The panel formally known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction met for the first time Thursday. Members offered opening remarks and adopted rules for how they will conduct their business over the next three months.

Heller led a news conference before the meeting with a handful of other Republican lawmakers urging transparency.

"We are opposed to inside baseball and that is what we are seeing with this supercommittee," Heller said. "Private meetings have already been held, and I want that to stop. We want the public to have access to meetings ... all meetings especially during the decision-making process."

Heller was joined at the news conference by Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., David Vitter, R-La., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.

Heller and Buchanan introduced legislation to require all proceedings of the committee to be held in public. Heller and Vitter have also introduced legislation to require supercommittee members to report to the Federal Election Commission within 48 hours of receiving campaign contributions.

Committee co-leaders Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said during the organizing meeting that standard House and Senate rules would apply. The rules also do not include any requirement for timely disclosure by members of campaign contributions they receive while the committee is active.

"As we proceed, like any other committee in Congress, there will be public hearings. There will be ample opportunities for the public to have their opinions heard. And like any other committee of Congress, there will also be some discussions among members that will not be public. However, no final product will be adopted without ample public notice and a public vote," Hensarling said in his opening remarks.

Heller said he would keep an open mind when it comes to supporting whatever legislation emerges from the super committee but thinks a better product would result from a more open process.

J. Adam Skaggs, a senior counsel at New York University Law School's Brennan Center for Justice, said that because the supercommittee has extraordinary powers, it should do more to ensure public confidence.

The committee has until Thanksgiving to produce a bill that would reduce federal deficits over the next decade by at least $1.2 trillion. The bill would then go to the House and Senate, where it would be considered without amendment.

"With the importance of their task it is vitally important the process they use is viewed by the public as open, transparent and legitimate," Skaggs said.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau reporter Peter Urban at purban@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.

Trending topics:

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Comments

Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

1. Tracy.Smith Sep. 9, 2011 | 12:19 p.m. Report Abuse

   I'm glad Senator Heller is calling for transparency with this committee! We deserve to know what is happening and how our representatives are working on our behalf.

2. Milt Sep. 9, 2011 | 8:52 a.m. Report Abuse

   The supercommittee is called Congress. Anything else is a waste of print.

3. justjoe Sep. 9, 2011 | 2:35 a.m. Report Abuse

   O. K. yokel Bob. What kind of transparancy did we get from the Bush Admin. with Cheney and the oil companies? In the Senate, prior to Reid's becoming Leader, same thing. Don't try to B.S the troops. Yokel Bob, I guess your quotation of the "Impeachment clause" of the Constitution is supposed to show some kind of validity. The Bush Administration showed they could get any interpretation they wanted. Yokel Bob, when are you throwing your hat in the ring for Congress or Senate under these proposed strictures?

4. Bob_Realist Sep. 8, 2011 | 6:42 p.m. Report Abuse

   nancy, when they met in private reference the health care bill they violated Article 2 Section 4 of the Constitution (Bribery). Do we really want Congress to understand they are above the law? Are you saying violating the Constitution is acceptable as long as you are a member of Congress or are you saying the Constitution is just a guideline?

5. Bob_Realist Sep. 8, 2011 | 6:27 p.m. Report Abuse

   If you want transparency call and write your Congressional representatives and demand they pass the:
   
   Congressional Reform Act of 2011:
   
   1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay or dividends when they are out of office.
   2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
   3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
   4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
   5. Congress and their families lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people.
   6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
   7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
   8. Congress will be required to report their entire income to the public every year. There will be no more allowances to only report an "estimate" of their income and net worth.
   9. Yearly IRS audits for members leaving Congress to ensure they receive no funding from outside sources which may or may not have been tied to their term in office.
   10. Campaign reform totaling $10 million max for national office and $1 million maximum for state offices. (Any incidental contributions above those amounts go directly to Social Security and Medicare)
   
   THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

6. nancy. Sep. 8, 2011 | 6:11 p.m. Report Abuse

   let them met in private and maybe they will actually get something done.....I do agree with the donation reports that makes since.Did anyone else think the conference call durning the Repub debate was a little wierd.The debate comes on and he calls,like your going to wait on line?!

7. n7v.blogspot.com Sep. 8, 2011 | 5:33 p.m. Report Abuse

   Super committees. Great news for lobbyists.

8. Carsonview Sep. 8, 2011 | 4:02 p.m. Report Abuse

   Wow! So many of you have bad information. Dean Heller has always supported and voted for open government in Nevada. As Secretary of State he opened more government to the people than the Legislature. He brought bills to the Legislature to open campaign contributions and made far more information public than ever before. Harry Reid is the prince of darkness. As a legislator here, he opposed open government and has continued to do so in Congress. Dean can't force the Legislature to open what they want to have closed. We need a constitutional amendment to do that.

9. JRodriguez Sep. 8, 2011 | 3:49 p.m. Report Abuse

   Sen. Heller is right. Congress does not earn back the public's trust (assuming they had it in the first place) by meeting in secret and making deals in the dark while America sits back and waits to see how the "super committee" will cut 1.2 trillion in spending. We have a right to know!
   
   And why is Patty Murray, the head of the Democrat's re-election efforts, on the committee? She won't have the guts to make tough decisions if it may cost her seats in the Senate.

10. mrs ed Sep. 8, 2011 | 3:35 p.m. Report Abuse

    Look at the Chenny secret energy meetings, they were upheld. Also, Dean "the Ernest Green" pot car Man along with little Joe Heck have egg on their face because the 4th Circuit kicked their Healthcare Bill lawsuit out to the streets.

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