House Votes to Overturn 2001 Executive Order on Access to Presidential Records
(Excerpt from The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Today's News," Thursday, March 15, 2007, by Jennifer Howard)
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved on Wednesday a measure that would overturn a 2001 executive order issued by President Bush that gives current and former presidents or their heirs broad authority to restrict access to presidential and vice-presidential records.
The 333-to-93 vote on the measure, called the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007 (HR 1255), crossed party lines, with 104 Republicans joining their Democratic colleagues in support. That puts it well past the 290 votes needed to make it veto-proof. President Bush had threatened to veto the measure if it passed.
Mr. Bush's 2001 executive order applied to documents covered by the Presidential Records Act of 1978. Under that law, the official papers of all future presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan, were to become public property no later than 12 years after a president had left office.
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http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/03/2007031504n.htm
If you or your institution subscribe to the New York Times, you can read about the House vote at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-congress-bush-secrecy.html?_r=1&oref=slogin