Posting Bills Online? Where Did America Come Up With That Idea?
October 21, 2009 · carl · Print This Article
I seem to remember, during the last Presidential campaign, that one candidate repeatdly promised to post any bill online for at least 10 days so that the American public could look it over before he signed it.
I think it was John McCain.
No wait, on second thought, it might have been the other guy.
WASHINGTON — As Congress prepares to consider historic changes to the nation’s health care system, Democratic leaders are balking at supporting a change in the rules that would let the public see the bills’ texts 72 hours before a vote.
An unusual coalition of conservatives, watchdog groups and a handful of Democrats has joined the push by Rep. Brian Baird , D- Wash. , to put the 72-hour measure into a binding rule for the House of Representatives . Similar efforts in the Senate haven’t gained much momentum.
House Democratic leaders have pledged transparency before. In their 2006 campaign book, in the “integrity” section, they vowed that legislation would be available to the public 24 hours before “consideration” of final versions.
On some recent big bills, that hasn’t happened, however. On Feb. 12 , the 1,100-page, $787 billion economic-stimulus plan was made public at 10:45 p.m. EST and brought up in the House 13 hours later.
Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D- Calif. , said that since Democrats took control of the House in 2007, several measures had been adopted to make the legislative process more transparent, such as posting amendments’ texts online before consideration.
Pelosi also said last month that she was “absolutely” willing to put the health care bill online 72 hours in advance but that she wouldn’t back legislation forcing her to do so.
“The vast majority of bills that have been considered…Read the rest of this entry
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