GOP urges 72 hour window so Congress and public can read bills before a vote

A reader recently quibbled with a column I wrote about HR 5297, the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010. I called the bill a legislative boondoggle because it is. I read most of it, but I doubt most supporters in Congress have. The reader seemed blasé about my position that members of Congress should read bills they pass, taking the position that members rarely do read them (“a basic fact of political life”).  I also believe the public should have the same opportunity.

A bipartisan effort has regained momentum to force a vote on Resolution 554 to make sure congressmen and the public have a chance to read bills before a vote is taken. Republicans and Democrats have been vocal about the issue, but a Democrat was key in getting the ball rolling.

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Americans should demand redress for climate legislation passed without being read

“Don’t you think the American people expect us to understand what’s in this bill before we vote on it?”

House Republican leader John Boehner (R-Oh.) addressed that question to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) after Waxman tried to squelch Boehner’s reading select passages from the “Cap and Tax” bill as the GOP accurately calls HR 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act/2009 [also Waxman-Markey or Climate Change]. Waxman obviously doesn’t favor transparency for legislation sponsored by his party. [Story continues below video.]


First Waxman asked, “Is there any outside limit to the amount of time a leader might take?” Then, more to the point, Waxman asked, “Is this an attempt to get some people to leave before a close vote?”

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DeMint calls recovery bill a ‘three trillion dollar mistake’

Sen. Jim DeMint [Photo from US Senate website.](Washington, D. C.)—Despite the carnival atmosphere in Washington at the moment, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) managed to keep his wits intact and he called the Democratic “recovery” aka “stimulus” bill exactly what it is—a “three trillion dollar mistake.” Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) pointed out a troubling fact during a floor speech opposing the bill—“1100 pages not one member of this body has read.” Boehner also reminded House members the bill was not posted online as promised for the public to read it. What does this bill really mean to the American people?

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