The right to read the bill
Washington,
Oct 26 -
October 2009
U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson
Over the past year, the stakes in Congress have never been higher. We’ve debated economic, healthcare and energy legislation that will impact our nation for years to come. As each piece of legislation is debated, I’ve heard from a number of constituents pleading that I read the bill before I vote on it.
Members of Congress and the American people should have the right to carefully review legislation before it is voted on. A thriving democracy hinges on an informed citizenry and robust debate.
Previous Congresses, including Republican ones, have failed to meet this common-sense standard. But never in history has the failure been more acute than in 2009. A pork-laden “stimulus” spending bill that was supposed to create jobs, a debt-laden budget, a job-killing national energy tax and other bills have been rammed through the House by Speaker Pelosi without even allowing the American people to know what’s in the bills.
It’s maddening.
Earlier this year, the public, press, and members of Congress were given 12 hours to review the 1,073-page long stimulus bill that cost $787 billion. As we all witnessed, hasty votes can result in unintended consequences, such as the provision tucked into the stimulus bill that had the effect of authorizing executives of bailed-out insurance giant AIG to receive retroactive bonuses. Don’t forget about the $2.3 million in federal “stimulus” funds to pay for Tampa Bay area beauty school tuition.
Then there was the debate on the national energy tax bill – also known as ‘cap-and-trade.’ This landmark vote represents another perfect example of what has become business as usual in Washington. The fact is no member of Congress read the 1,200-page bill before voting because it wasn’t made available until 10 p.m. the night before it was rammed through the House. And to make matters worse, at 3 a.m. the day of the vote, the Democrats tacked on an additional 300 pages to this massive controversial bill.
Under Republican leadership in 2003, for example, the 852-page Medicare Part D bill was available for 29 hours before a vote was called on the $395 billion legislation.
Congress can, and must, do better. That’s why I support the resolution introduced by Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington State, that would change House rules to require all major bills to be posted online publicly for at least 72 hours before they are brought to a vote on the House floor.
Speaker Pelosi has refused to schedule it for a vote on the House floor. To date, 187 lawmakers have signed on to a petition to discharge this bill from committee – including 43 Democrats – putting us within 31 signatures of the 218 needed to secure an up-or-down vote on the floor.
Americans are fed up with Speaker Pelosi’s strong-arm tactics to ram-rod costly legislation before the American people truly understand what they are getting. The ‘Read the Bill’ proposal will bring greater accountability and transparency to how Congress spends the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. With a monumental, incredibly complex healthcare debate looming in Congress, the clock is ticking. Now is the time for real reform.
Passing the 72 hour rule is common sense. If every American contacts their Representative and encourages him or her to sign this discharge petition, I'm confident that the 72 hour rule will become law. If you support the common-sense 72 hour rule, then please tell your family and friends across America to make that call today – 202-225-3121.
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