A Commonsense Reform We Should All Agree To…
As a businesswoman, I would never sign a contract without knowing what I was signing, yet in Washington, lawmakers routinely vote on bills without knowing what they’re passing.
I believe lawmakers ought to have the time to read bills before they vote, a mandatory three-day period during which all non-emergency bills would be posted on the internet for all to see.
In addition to providing Members of Congress the opportunity to think about the ramifications of legislation, this commonsense reform would provide the public, the press and public interest watchdog groups with adequate time to understand and scrutinize bills before they become law.
Earlier this year, Congress passed an 1100-page, $800 billion stimulus bill that nobody had time to read because it wasn’t made public until shortly before midnight the day before the vote. Only a few weeks later, Congress passed another massive spending bill that nobody had time to read — this time, it was a 1500-page climate change bill. It wasn’t made public in its entirety until 3:00 a.m. on the day of the vote!
And now, Congress is considering a $900 billion healthcare bill with no requirement that lawmakers be given enough time to fully review the final product before being asked to vote on it.
Our children are being saddled with an unthinkable mountain of debt, and Washington’s solution is to continue passing billion-dollar bills that nobody has even read. It’s time for something different, and ensuring lawmakers have time to read bills before they vote is a great place to start.