Tuesday, September 12, 2017

JFK Act Oversight Hearings Updated

William Kelly
CAPA Secretary
(609) 425-6297

                                                             September 20, 2017
Rep. Trey Gowdy
House Oversight and Government Reform
2157 Rayburn Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515

Sen. Ron Johnson
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs 
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Re: Oversight of Compliance with the JFK Act

Dear Committee Chairmen:

As chairmen of the committees responsible for oversight of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (JFK Act – 44 U.S.C. 2107), you have a legal duty and obligation to oversee the enforcement of this law. This duty and obligation requires that open public hearings on the issues associated with this law be scheduled and held.  

Inasmuch as the JFK Act was passed unanimously by Congress and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush on October 26, 1992, it is a bi-partisan law duly endorsed by both parties, Republicans and Democrats alike. 

While many millions of pages of important records already have been released under this law, other significant documents are being improperly withheld, have been intentionally destroyed, or have otherwise been reported missing. 

Some records escaped the attention and reach of the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB).  Still other documents are being inappropriately retained in private possession even as these records belong among the public records in the JFK Collection under the custody and control of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

It is imperative that Congress exercises its oversight responsibilities both before and after the October 26, 2017, deadline for the sunset provision becomes operative.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.  Please inform me as soon as your respective committee takes up the issues relating to its oversight duties.  I look forward to seeing that oversight hearings on full implementation of the JFK Act have been scheduled. 

Very truly yours,

William Kelly
CAPA Secretary

CC: 
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D. MD) 2163 Rayburn HOB Fax: (202) 225-3178
Rep. William Hurd (R. TX) 317 Cannon HOB Fax: (202) 225-2237
Sen. Kamala Harris (D. CA) 112 Hart SOB Fax: (202) 224-2200
Sen. Cory A. Booker (D. NJ) 359 Dirksen SOB Fax: (202) 224-8378

FULL HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: 


TREY GOWDY – R. SC  Committee Chairman

ELIJAH CUMMINGS -  Ranking Member  D. MD-7

REPUBLICAN MEMBERS

JOHN DUNCAN  TN-2
DARRELL ISSA   CA-49
JIM JORDAN   OH-4
MARK SANFORD    SC-01
JUSTIN AMASH   MI-3
PAUL GOSAR   AZ-4
SCOTT DESJARLAIS     TN-4
BLAKE FARENTHOLD     TX-2
VIRGINIA FOX  NC-05
THOMAS MASSIE     KY-4
MARK MEADOWS    NC-11
RON DESANTIS  FL-6
DENNIS ROSS  FL-15
MARK WALKER    NC-6
ROD BLUM   IA-1
JODY HICE    GA-10
STEVE RUSSELL    OK-5
GLENN GROTHMAN   WI-6
WILLIAM HURD   TX-23
GARY J. PALMER   AL-6
JAMES COMER   KY-01
PAUL MITCHELL   MI-10
GREG GIANFORTE    MT

DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS

CAROLYN MALONEY   NY-12
ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON   DC
WILLIAM LACY CLAY   MO-1
STEPHEN LYNCH   MA-8
JIM COOPER   TN-5
GERALD E. CONNOLLY   VA-11
ROBIN KELLY    IL-2
BRENDA LAWRENCE     MI-14
BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN   NJ-12
STACEY E. PLASKETT    VI: Virgin Islands
VAL BUTLER DEMINGS   FL-10
RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI    IL-08
JAMIE RASKIN   MD-08
PETER WELCH   VT
MATT CARTWRIGHT   PA-17
MARK DESAULNIER   CA-1
JIMMY GOMEZ     CA-34


SENATE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE 

U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC, 20510
(202) 224-4751


RON JOHNSON Chairman (R. WI)
CLAIRE MCCASKILL Ranking Member (D. MO)

REPUBLICANS 

McCain, John  AZ 
Portman, Rob OH 
Paul, Rand  KY 
Lankford, James  OK 
Enzi, Michael B.  WY 
Hoeven, John  ND 
Daines, Steve  MT 

DEMOCRATS

Carper, Thomas R.  DE 
Tester, Jon   MT 
Heitkamp, Heidi   ND 
Peters, Gary C.   MI
Hassan, Margaret   NH 

Harris, Kamala   CA 



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