Text of H.RES 383 - Lee Wexler Conyers Bill
Establishing a Committee to Investigate Bush Admin Conduct

From Robert Wexler:

Dear Friends,

Today, I introduced legislation, H. Res 383, that will help ensure that the torture and abuses that occurred during the Bush Administration will never happen again.

Co-Sponsored with Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Chairman John Conyers, this legislation establishes a bi-partisan Select Committee tasked with making comprehensive recommendations on our national security policy - including those covering laws on torture, FISA law violations, wiretapping, civil liberties protections, among others. This committee would have all of the power of a standing committee, including subpoena power.

This legislation is critical and I ask for your support to help pass it.

I am proud that President Obama released the so-called "Torture Memos" because it demonstrates his commitment to openness while shining a spotlight on this awful chapter of our nation’s history. Our proposed Select Committee would not only establish how and when torture was authorized, but also tackle the critical issue of preventing future abuses.

This committee would have the authority to ask the hard questions – to look close – and deliver the truth about the proper role of our government that protects both our civil liberties and the safety of our citizens. We must do both.

The committee will investigate many of the outrageous policies of the Bush Administration to unearth and expose what happened during the past eight years. Witnesses will be subpoenaed and testify under oath. Based on what we learn, the committee will craft legislative recommendations that will be utilized as the Patriot Act and other critical national security legislation are renewed in the coming months and years.

We can't look forward without fully understanding what occurred. We must take a hard look at what went wrong in the last 8 years. We must continue to peel back the veil of secrecy that the previous Administration used as cover to undermine our system of checks and balances, and establish a clear line between what is necessary for our security and what is unlawful government intrusion and a violation of our civil liberties.

This legislation need only pass the House and therefore we have a terrific chance to enact it.

This is an important moment. The national debate on these issues makes us a healthier nation and is critically important if we are not to repeat the same mistakes.

I hope you will support this effort as well as the call for a Special Prosecutor to be assigned.

More soon...

Congressman Robert Wexler

To read the bill in its entirety, click here. http://www.wexlerforcongress.com/news.asp?ItemID=285