Congressman Cole Appointed to House Democracy Assistance Commission

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Cole was recently appointed to the House Democracy Assistance Commission by Speaker Dennis Hastert. The announcement was made at a press conference on May 18, 2005.

"I am very pleased to be appointed to this commission that has been charged with such an important job--to help foster democracy across the world," Congressman Cole said. "I have visited Iraq four times and Afghanistan once. These trips allowed me to witness the challenges a newly forming democracy encounters. I am proud to be a part of this group that will help make transitions like this a little easier."

The House passed a resolution on March 14, 2005 to set up a House Democracy Assistance Commission. The commission members were chosen by the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House. There are a total of 16 members on the Commission. Central to the Commission's work will be the provision of technical expertise enhancing accountability, transparency, legislative independence and government oversight.

In a news release Speaker Hastert said, "I want to first thank Chairman Dreier for his willingness to head this effort and all of the Members of the House who've agreed to serve. Our most cherished values here in the United States lie in our democratic ideals of freedom, liberty and justice. They're rights we often take for granted. We forget that in many parts of the world citizens can't vote and dissension carries a huge penalty. For many of our global neighbors, democracy is still a new concept," said Speaker Hastert. "It is my hope that this initiative will help the United States generate constructive dialogue where communication is needed most."

The House Democracy Assistance Commission Resolution establishes in the House of Representatives a House Democracy Assistance Commission to: (1) work with the parliaments of selected countries that have established or are developing democratic parliaments which would benefit from assistance under this resolution; (2) enable Members, officers, and staff of the House of Representatives and congressional support agencies to provide expert advice to members and staff of the parliaments of such countries, including visits to the House and support agencies to observe their operations first-hand; and (3) make recommendations to the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) regarding the provision of needed material assistance to such parliaments to improve the efficiency and transparency of their work.

The Commission will report to Congress annually.

###