Oh, how the Library of Congress gets under my skin! The Library of Congress is supposed to be the library of libraries. It’s bigger in scope and size than the famed ancient library of Alexandria. Goodness me, but it’s also a rat’s nest.
The people working at the Library of Congress are the most powerful librarians the world has ever known, but they’re supposed to be working in the service of the American people. To that end, dealing with the amount of important material they do, with its importance to the democracy functioning of the nation, you’d think that the Library of Congress would have the most up-to-date system for providing people with information about the mountain of documentation of government activity going on in Washington, D.C.
They don’t. I don’t want to fault individuals working at the Library of Congress for this, as I can’t really say who would legitimately bear that fault. However, as an institution, the Library of Congress has a lot of catching up to do.
A couple of weeks ago, I urged people to give a call to their members of Congress in support of H.R. 21, a piece of legislation commonly referred to as Oceans 21, but with the full name of the Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act. The proposed law would:
- Establish a national oceans policy
- Strengthen the ability of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assess and address the marine ecological crisis
- Establish a national oceans advisor and committee on ocean policy to work on solutions
- Facilitate regional coordination for a cooperative approach for ocean policy
- Establish an Oceans and Great Lakes Conservation Trust Fund
This kind of action is exceptionally important right now, because the seas around the United States, and around the entire world for that matter, are undergoing an extreme ecological crisis that threatens to create a significant biological collapse within the oceans. It’s one of the most under-reported stories of our times, because we don’t often think of what’s underneath the surface of the oceans, but the ecological troubles in our oceans have already created astonishing economic losses, and it’s getting worse year by year.
Just think of what it has meant for the salmon runs on the Pacific Coast to be reduced to near-nothing this year. That’s just one aspect of the rapid marine biological deterioration that is taking place, and the way it is affecting us land-loving humans.
There’s good news on the progress of Oceans 21. Last Wednesday, the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee On Fisheries, Wildlife And Oceans voted to move Oceans 21 forward in the next step toward a full vote by the House of Representatives. The Library of Congress provides this information about the vote in the SubCommittee: “Forwarded to Full Committee, as amended, by a roll call vote of 11 yeas and 3 nays.”
That’s good information to have, but it’s really not complete. Who are the 3 members of Congress who care so little for the oceans that the would actually vote against allowing Oceans 21 to be considered for passage by the House of Representatives?
The Library of Congress didn’t have this information – not even when I called them to ask for the records of the vote directly. The web site of the Subcommittee didn’t have the information either, only saying that three member had, in a roll call vote, tried to block the Oceans 21 legislation. I had to make a telephone call to the Subcommittee itself, and ask some very nice aides there for the information.
I’m glad that the House Subcommittee On Fisheries, Wildlife And Oceans has such friendly, helpful people working there. However, in this day and age, a person should not be required to call to request such information as the identity of members of Congress who vote for or against particular legislation in committee. That information should automatically be made part of the public record, and should be made available to the public through online databases quickly and easily.
It’s not just because I care about this one issue of marine ecology that I would like the Library of Congress to make public information public. It’s because I care about the health of American democracy as well. A democracy will continue to be strong only when citizens are able to obtain the information they need to be informed and active on issues that they care about.
This is a congressional issue, because the Library of Congress is administered and funded by Congress. The Democratic leadership of Congress ought to be considering an upgrade to the Library of Congress and its relationship to Congress itself, making all information about congressional activities, not just on the floors of the House and Senate, but in committees as well, available to the public in a timely manner.
Back to the particular matter at hand: Who are the three members of Congress who voted to block the Oceans 21 law from being considered by the House Committee On Natural Resources, and by the full House of Representatives?
They were all Republicans:
Henry Brown of South Carolina
Bill Sali of Idaho
Rob Wittman of Virginia
Bill Sali’s district is landlocked. The congressional districts Henry Brown and Rob Wittman represent, however, are on the water – Rob Wittman’s on the Chesapeake Bay, and Henry Brown’s stretching from Myrtle Beach to Charleston. They ought to know better. They have voted against their constituents’ interests. Those people who live near the ocean know how essential it is to their well-being.
These three members of Congress have acted to neglect our oceans in a time of great need. Call them, and tell them what you think of their opposition to Oceans 21.
Henry Brown: (202) 225-3176
Rob Wittman: (202) 225-4261
Bill Sali: (202) 225-6611
