Thomas, the Web site of Congress (named for Thomas Jefferson), was a little too egalitarian for Republican tastes when it first debuted. Shortly after launch of the Thomas Web site in mid-1996, the rules governing Internet use for House committees were rewritten. Under the original rules, each committee was allocated an equal amount of server space and nothing prevented any party from setting up their own sites.
Representative Bill Thomas (R-California), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, had a problem with Democrats potentially having the freedom to put up information that would bypass Republican-controlled sites. Representative Thomas was instrumental in getting the rules changed for placing information on the Thomas Web site. Under the new rules, all subcommittees can have separate pages, but those pages must be “linked to, and accessible only from the committee’s page.” In effect, the committee chair must approve all content on the Web sites. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
