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| Congressional leaders fight against posting bills https://gladerebooted.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=433 |
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| Author: | Hannibal [ Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Congressional leaders fight against posting bills |
Congressional leaders fight against posting bills online By: Susan Ferrechio Chief Congressional Correspondent October 6, 2009 As Congress lurches closer to a decision on an enormous overhaul of the American health care system, pressure is mounting on legislative leaders to make the final bill available online for citizens to read before a vote. Lawmakers were given just hours to examine the $789 billion stimulus plan, sweeping climate-change legislation and a $700 billion bailout package before final votes. While most Americans normally ignore parliamentary detail, with health care looming, voters are suddenly paying attention. The Senate is expected to vote on a health bill in the weeks to come, representing months of work and stretching to hundreds of pages. And as of now, there is no assurance that members of the public, or even the senators themselves, will be given the chance to read the legislation before a vote. "The American people are now suspicious of not only the lawmakers, but the process they hide behind to do their work," said Michael Franc, president of government relations for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. At town hall meetings across the country this past summer, the main topic was health care, but there was a strong undercurrent of anger over the way Congress rushed through passage of the stimulus, global warming and bank bailout bills without seeming to understand the consequences. The stimulus bill, for example, was 1,100 pages long and made available to Congress and the public just 13 hours before lawmakers voted on it. The bill has failed to provide the promised help to the job market, and there was outrage when it was discovered that the legislation included an amendment allowing American International Group, a bailout recipient, to give out millions in employee bonuses. "If someone had a chance to look at the bill, they would have found that out," said Lisa Rosenberg, who lobbies Congress on behalf of the Sunlight Foundation to bring more transparency to government. The foundation has begun an effort to get Congress to post bills online, for all to see, 72 hours before lawmakers vote on them. "It would give the public a chance to really digest and understand what is in the bill," Rosenberg said, "and communicate whether that is a good or a bad thing while there is still time to fix it." What you don't know can hurt you: » House energy and global warming bill, passed June 26, 2009. 1,200 pages. Available online 15 hours before vote. » $789 billion stimulus bill, passed Feb. 14, 2009. 1,100 pages. Available online 13 hours before debate. » $700 billion financial sector rescue package, passed Oct. 3, 2008. 169 pages. Available online 29 hours before vote. » USA Patriot domestic surveillance bill, passed Oct. 23, 2001. Unavailable to the public before debate. A similar effort is under way in Congress. Reps. Brian Baird, D-Wash., and Greg Walden, R-Ore., are circulating a petition among House lawmakers that would force a vote on the 72-hour rule. Nearly every Republican has signed on, but the Democratic leadership is unwilling to cede control over when bills are brought to the floor for votes and are discouraging their rank and file from signing the petition. Senate Democrats voted down a similar measure last week for the health care bill. The reluctance to implement a three-day rule is not unique to the Democrats. The Republican majority rushed through the controversial Patriot Act in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as well as a massive Medicare prescription drug bill in 2003 that added hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit. For the majority party, legislative timing plays a big role in whether a bill will pass because support can be fleeting. "The leaders use it as a tool to get votes or to keep amendments off a bill," said one top Senate Democratic aide. But Baird warned of public backlash. "Democrats know politically it's difficult to defend not doing this," he said. "The public gets this. They say we entrust you with the profound responsibility of making decisions that affect our lives, and we expect you to exercise due diligence in carrying out that responsibility." |
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| Author: | Arathain Kelvar [ Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:56 pm ] |
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Ridiculous. |
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| Author: | Rorinthas [ Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Congressional leaders fight against posting bills |
but the important question is when/if they get control back will the republicans still want a 72 hour rule. I want to trust my party again but I just don't know sometimes. If something's good it should be good all the time just not when you are in the minority. |
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| Author: | Corolinth [ Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:06 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
More politicians should get the death penalty. |
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| Author: | darksiege [ Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: |
Corolinth wrote: More politicians should get the death penalty. I prefer the substitution of More to All |
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| Author: | Kaffis Mark V [ Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I heard Jamie Dupris (while giving his Washington update to Boortz) a week or two ago talking about how he met one of the people who worked in the office which types up all the Bills that go through Congress. She told Jamie that she regularly receives requests from Congresspeople & their staffs to intentionally misspell certain words to make them unsearchable in electronic versions of the document. While she said that she categorically refuses to do so whenever asked, how truly disgusting and terrifying is that? And yet, we continue to elect these people. |
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| Author: | Diamondeye [ Wed Oct 07, 2009 6:27 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
The easiest solution is a public campaign to limit all bills to 25 pages. |
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| Author: | Rorinthas [ Wed Oct 07, 2009 6:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Congressional leaders fight against posting bills |
I like your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter. |
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| Author: | Imperi [ Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I really like that idea, Diamondeye. |
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| Author: | Rafael [ Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:22 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
What real, tangible excuse do they have for fighting the posting of bills on-line? There is none. The bills are undoubtedly drafted on a computer; posting them to the internet and creating the resources to do so requires basically nothing. The only reason they have to oppose this is the most draconian one: they want to push things through that no one else wants. |
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| Author: | Timmit [ Wed Oct 07, 2009 5:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: |
Diamondeye wrote: The easiest solution is a public campaign to limit all bills to 25 pages. 25 words. |
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| Author: | Aegnor [ Wed Oct 07, 2009 5:58 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Here's what Obama had to say on the issue during the campain... "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days." It didn't take him long to break that promise. |
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| Author: | Kaffis Mark V [ Wed Oct 07, 2009 6:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: |
Aegnor wrote: Here's what Obama had to say on the issue during the campain... "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days." It didn't take him long to break that promise. Nah, he hasn't broken it yet. Haven't you heard about all the emergencies we've been having? |
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