Duncan Supports Library Donation Disclosure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARCH 14, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - The House today overwhelmingly passed a bill requiring disclosure of contributions to Presidential Libraries.

The bill was originally introduced by Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. in 1999 and later passed by the House in 2002 by a vote of 392-3.  However, the Senate did not act on the bill.

This new version was sponsored by Rep. Duncan and Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The Presidential Library system began when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt donated his presidential papers to the federal government.  Since that time, Presidents have donated their papers to the National Archives at the end of their term to later be placed in their Presidential Library. 

To fund libraries, fundraising organizations are formed while a President is still in office to collect donations.  These organizations collect funding from individuals, corporations and foreign governments, with no limit on the amount they can contribute.  Since these organizations can collect unlimited funds for a sitting president, there is the possibility for abuse. 

Congressman Duncan originally introduced the bill in 1999 after learning that such organizations received sizable donations, some of which were from foreign countries, and that no records were kept on those donations.  The Congressman sought to bring sunlight to this secretive process. 

"I first introduced this bill under a Democratic President and reintroduced it under a Republican President.  This is not a partisan issue.  The potential for abuse by these organizations is huge."

During his term, President Clinton's library organization received a sizable donation from the ex-wife of Marc Rich, who fled the country after he was convicted of evading $40 million in taxes.  Rich was later granted a Presidential pardon on Clinton's last day in office.  Speculation surfaced about whether the donations had anything to do with the pardon. 

"H.R. 1254 is a good government bill that will bring openness and transparency to the Presidential Library fundraising process.  It does not limit the size of the donations; it simply requires that they be disclosed."

H.R. 1254 passed the House by a vote of 390-34.