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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Sunlight Foundation crits Energy Bill as Dems target another industry

The EPA, with assistance from the Supreme Court, has classified carbon dioxide as a pollutant. Science Daily featured an article about the impact of carbon dioxide on plants. "There's been a great deal of controversy about how plant respiration responds to elevated CO2," said U. of I. plant biology professor Andrew Leakey, who led the study. "Some summary studies suggest it will go down by 18 percent, some suggest it won't change, and some suggest it will increase as much as 11 percent."The Democratic-controlled government is at a pivotal point with the Climate Bill, H.R. 2454, and the Sunlight Foundation is pointing criticism at legislators for rushing a bill few have probably even read. The administration has already taken over lending and auto manufacturing. Soon healthcare will likely be in the hands of the government. And now energy will be manipulated, dictated and overseen by government.

Noting the bill expanded to 1,201 pages (from 946) over the weekend, a press advisory issued by Sunlight said, “This legislative maneuvering reminds us of the failure of Congress to make bills properly available before consideration.” The Foundation website has an analysis of what can only be described as an insane process for passing a bill that will impact every aspect of our lives. For instance, the bill available on THOMAS, the venue for public disclosure, apparently isn’t the full bill.

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