Congressional Playbook for the JFK Act

 CONGRESS - JFK Act Options 

With President Biden's June 30th 2023 declaration attempting to put an end to the JFK Act before it is finished, and the court's ruling on the MFF v. Biden and NARA, we have an active court case, but must go back to Congress, where it all began. 

118^th Congress (2023-2024) Congressional Campaign Playbook

As one lawyer recently noted, Congress has recessed for the summer, as it always does in August, but we don’t have to wait until September to begin the campaign for public hearings on the JFK Act, something that hasn’t happened in over 25 years.. 

We will also be putting out an Executive Summary - pamphlet that details what is happening to the JFK Act, and what needs to be done, and will print 600 copies, one for each Congressmen and Senator and for their staffs, so everyone is on the same page. 

And when Congress reconvenes in September, after Labor Day, we will have a major push by getting people to visit their Congressmen in DC and get this done. 

1) The easiest thing will be getting House Oversight Committee Hearings, covered live on C-SPAN, and getting testimony from NARA archivists and former ARRB members. That is now the Number One Goal of everyone concerned with these issues. With Congress returning to their home districts and states for the rest of the summer, it gives us the opportunity to meet and talk with them about the JFK Act without having to go to Washington to do it. They usually hold open house at their local district offices and town meetings, so go and ask the question – WHEN WILL THERE BE CONGRESSIONAL OVERISGHT HEARINGS ON THE JFK ACT? Because you, one of their constituents want to be notified.

If you write, email, call or fax your representative or Senator – because the law stipulates that they must hold oversight hearings, just say you want to be notified when JFK Act Oversight Hearings will be scheduled because you want to attend or watch them on C-SPAN.

Only the Chairman James Comer (Ky-01) can schedule a hearing, so he is the one that must be convinced. Those members of the committee must request he hold hearings – not one but how many it takes. 

Our best friend on the committee is Eleanore Holmes Norton of DC, but she doesn’t have a vote being from DC – though she can influence other members. Everyone interested should look over the list of Oversight Committee members to see if your representative is on this committee, and if so, write, email, phone and fax them to ask to be notified when they will hold hearings on the jFK Act, and request a personal meeting with them while they are home.

List of full HouseOversight Committee:

https://oversight.house.gov/subcommittee/full-committee/

2) The Senate should also hold Oversight Hearings. The Senate Oversight is conducted by the Homeland Security and Governmet Affairs Committee, Sen. Gary Peters (D. Michigan) Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building 477 Michigan Avenue Suite 1837 Detroit, MI 48226 Phone: (313) 226-6020  Toll Free: (844) 506-7420

U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC, 20510 (202) 224-2627

3) Support and get Bipartisan sponsorship of the JFK Act of 2023 – H.R. 637, as introduced into Congress by Rep. David Schweikert (R. Arz), though it must be amended to make it stronger and get more broad support. This bill has been sent to a number of committees for review including The Committee on Oversight and Accountability that is also considering Oversight of JFK Act of 1992, Judiciary - Dick Durbin (D. Ill) chair, Ways and Means - Jason T. Smith (Miss.) chair, Foreign Affairs, Armed Services - Angus King (I.Me) Chair and (Permanent Select Committee on) Intelligence - Jim Himes (Con. 04) Chair (Full act posted in full below) 

4) Congress can also create a new, permanent committee or board - one that will not go away, as one of the most frequent excuses given by government agencies to the HSCA and ARRB staff making inquiries was that they will be gone in a year or so but the FBI and CIA will go on. So there should be a permanent Classified Records Subcomittee of a Congressional Committee or Permanent Classified Records Review Board with the power to review any withheld records, subpoena docs and testimony, and be a permanent institution, since the temporary status of the HSCA and ARRB worked against them and is the root of our problem now. We are looking into this option and will get back on its feasability. They did establish a Permanent Intelligence Committee, so they know how this works.

5) We could also hold a Mock Public Hearing on the JFK Act as we can then call our own witnesses and control it, as a preliminary to the real Hearings, as Rep. Cynthis McKinney did on holding an open public hearing in Congress on 9/11.We will try to put this together for the fall of 2023, after Congress reconvenes in late September.

As far as I can tell there are five things that can and should be pursued in Congress, as listed below, and a focus group should be established to work on each item. 

Members of the House Oversight committee must be identified and friendly constituents in each committeemen's district should ask for a meeting with their representatives, and information packets prepared to be distributed to their staffs. 

Explaining to them how the JFK Act of 1992 has been ignored, it's deadline passed and that it is still unfinished, should make them mad. 

The general populace must also get riled up as they did in 1992, but this time without a movie. The Non-partisan and Bipartisan nature of these issues must be stressed. It is also beyond liberal-conservative and right wing and left wing ideology, and its not about conspiracy, it's about the records.

The 60th anniversary this November should provide plenty of opportunities to get the public motivated and involved in the lobby effort. 

This is already a 2024 presidential election issue, with both Trump and RFK, Jr. talking about it, and we will can make it a local Congressional issue as well. Half of Congress will be up for reelection. 

This proposed focus group should consist of those familiar with how Congress operates, and those who live in the DC area who can spend time visiting the Congressional offices and getting to know the staffs, especially those in the Oversight office. 

Judge John Tunheim and G. Robert Blakey are two heavy hitters in this and must be brought in at the right time and place.

I propose we exchange ideas together in emails and those who volunteer or are recruited to work as part of this Congressional JFK Act Focus Group should have a conference call to hash out the details. 

It should be a limited – and if you want to become part of this campaign on any level please email me and let me know what you can do – billkelly3@gmail.com

Group A) six Key people who can work together and make smart decisions

Group B)  a larger "boots on the fround" team in D.C., who can visit Congresional Offices and get to meet and have a real dialog with the staff and Congressmen, especially those on the relevant Committees, and

Group C) asome remote computer savy aids with phones, fax and emails to communicate information quickly.

Group D) Those among the general public with a keen interest in the JFK Assassination and JFK Act who will write letters, emails, fax and meet with their Congressmen, especially over the summer recess when their Representatives are at home.

As a constituent just request to be notified when public oversight hearings are scheduled for the JFK Act, and if enough people do that, they will.

 

JFK ACT OF 2023

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/637/text?s=1&r=32 - :~:text=Introduced%20in%20House%20(01%2F30%2F2023)&text=To%20direct%20the%20heads%20of,Kennedy%2C%20and%20for%20other%20purposes

H. R. 637

To direct the heads of certain departments and agencies of the Federal Government to publicly disclose all assassination records and information relevant to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 30, 2023

Mr. Schweikert introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To direct the heads of certain departments and agencies of the Federal Government to publicly disclose all assassination records and information relevant to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Justice for Kennedy Act of 2023” or the “JFK Act of 2023”.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF ASSASSINATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION RELATED TO ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY.

(a) Public Disclosure Of Assassination Records.—

(1) DISCLOSURE.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, each covered Federal official shall publicly disclose in unclassified and unredacted form any assassination record and information relevant to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in the control or possession of such covered Federal official.

(2) RELATION TO OTHER LAW.—Each covered Federal official shall carry out paragraph (1) notwithstanding the following:

(A) The Presidential Memorandum of December 15, 2022, titled “Memorandum on Certifications Regarding Disclosure of Information in Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy”.

(B) Section 5(g)(2)(D) of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 U.S.C. 2107 note).

(C) Section 6 of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 U.S.C. 2107 note).

(D) Section 6103(l)(17) of title 26, United States Code.

(E) Any other provision of law that conflicts with the requirements under paragraph (1).

(b) Assassination Records Under Seal Of Court.—

(1) PETITIONS FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall petition any court in the United States or in a foreign country to publicly disclose in unclassified and unredacted form any assassination record and information relevant to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that is held under seal of the court or held under the injunction of secrecy of a grand jury.

(B) PARTICULARIZED NEED REQUIREMENT.—A request for disclosure of assassination records pursuant to a petition under subparagraph (A) shall be deemed to constitute a showing of particularized need under Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

(2) RELATION TO OTHER LAW.—The Attorney General shall carry out paragraph (1) notwithstanding—

(A) the provisions of law described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (2) of subsection (a); and

(B) any other provision of law that conflicts with the requirement under paragraph (1).

(c) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term “assassination record” has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 U.S.C. 2107 note).

(2) The term “covered Federal official” means the following:

(A) The Archivist of the United States.

(B) The Commissioner of Internal Revenue.

(C) The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

(D) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(E) The Secretary of Defense.

(F) The Secretary of State.