Democrats Join Push to Post Bills Online ( for three days before being considered on the floor)

[The Straight Story]

Democrats Join Push to Post Bills Online
By Janie Lorber

Two House Democrats are trying to force a vote on a bill that would require all legislation to be posted online for three days before being considered on the floor, lending their voices to a key Republican lament.

Ever since President Obama took office and the 111th Congress began moving legislation through to final votes, Republicans have complained that the Democratic leadership has shoved through big, complex bills — like the administration’s $787 billion stimulus package — with rapid speed overnight and with nary a day to read the rewritten details.

Indeed, that 1,073-page bill literally took a beating when Representative John A. Boehner, the Republican leader of Ohio, angrily threw the text to the ground during floor debate in February, accusing the Democratic majority of failing to read the legislation.


http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/democrats-join-push-for-online-posting-of-bills/

[napi21]

1. If the bill reads anything like the section that was read

in the committee on thrusday, why bother? I prride myself for watching as much of the markup meetings as are available and paying very close attention to who says what to who in DC, but the actual bill is written in what they call legislative language. It makes absolutely NOTHING to me at all!

[Traveling_Home]

4. lol

[joeycola]

2. I am all for this--for all parties to do this...........

But in leading the charge, Representative Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington, could face repercussions for stepping out of line because party leaders have denounced the idea as a Republican delay tactic.

“This to me has nothing to do with which party is in power,” Mr. Baird said, citing the Republicans’ Medicare Part D push in 2003. “Both parties have abused this in the past and both parties ought to join together to correct the problem. It’s things like this that lower our esteem in the public, and rightfully so.”


The Sunlight Foundation and other government watchdog organizations have been longtime champions of the legislation, which Mr. Baird has introduced twice before, though it has never made it to the floor.

Increasing transparency was also one of President Obama’s major goals. When he took office he pledged to make bills passed by Congress publicly available for at least five days before signing them, though that has rarely happened in his eight-month tenure.

[midnight]

3. I hope he wasn't one of those who refused the infusion of

money for the needy in his state?

[zbdent]

5. and watch ... if the Repugs regain power, the bills will be posted online for three days ...

except that, if you try to access them, the page loads in 5 days ... and you would find the Capitol Police knocking at your door to arrest you for trying to read the damn thing ...