Dodd Supports Block of Secret Holds
SECRET
The New Britain Herald
Tia Albright
Boston University Washington News Service
September 14, 2006
WASHINGTON – Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd joined three other senators, including Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Trent Lott, R-Miss., Thursday in urging final approval of an amendment the Senate passed in March that would put an end to the practice of secret “holds” on legislation.
Dodd, the senior Democrat on the committee, said he fully supports the end to secret holds, which allow senators to anonymously stop the progression of legislation or consideration of a presidential nominee before the measure reaches the floor.
“I’ve never quite understood what value people saw in a secret hold,” Dodd said. “I guess there are some narrow circumstances where people in their own minds may have some justification, but they need to go, that is the issue here.”
The Wyden-Grassley amendment to prohibit secret holds was voted on as part of the lobbying reform bill. Named after the authors, Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the amendment requires senators who place holds on legislation and nominees to reveal their action to the public within three days.
The bill is currently in the House. Jennifer Hoelzer, Wyden’s press secretary, said the senators hoped the press conference would inspire the House to move the legislation along more quickly.
“There’s no place for something that denies the American people the ability to have a transparent process,” Dodd said. “Secret holds just are a threat to transparency at a time when we’re trying to make sure that people have a full knowledge of what we’re trying to do or what we’re doing in the United States Senate.”
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