Buchanan: Put sunshine on health care talks

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan is getting some national publicity for his call that negotiations over the final version of the health care reform bill being considered by Congress be open to the public.

Lesley Clark, the Bradenton Herald's reporter in Washington, D.C., reports:

Bradenton Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan, who has filed legislation to open up health care talks to the public, is calling on House and Senate leaders to accept C-SPAN's offer to publicly broadcast final health care negotiations.

In a letter to House leaders, C-SPAN today offered to cover the sessions live -- following President Barack Obama's pledge to publicize all health care talks on C-Span.

"As your respective chambers work to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate health care bills, C-SPAN requests that you open all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings, to electronic media coverage," C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb wrote in a letter to Obama and congressional leaders. News reports suggest a final version will be hammered out in talks between a handful of people, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and White House officials.

"I applaud C-SPAN for offering to provide this important public service and urge House leaders to grant its request," Buchanan said. His legislation got a plug in today'sWashington Times.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said at today's press briefing that he hadn't seen the letter from C-SPAN.