Does Blumenthal Believe Congress And The Public Should Have A Chance To Read Bills Before They’re Passed?
West Hartford, Conn. – Washington regularly jams through legislation without allowing members of Congress or the American people to consider what’s in it. This is how taxpayers got stuck with the tab for a failed $862 billion, 1,100-page stimulus plan that did not even come close to holding unemployment at 8%, like we were told it would. Nobody had a chance to read that bill because it wasn’t made public until shortly before midnight the day before the vote. A few weeks later, the House passed a 1,500-page climate change bill that was made public in its entirety at 3:00 a.m. on the day of the vote. Nobody had time to read that legislation either.
On the two key pieces of legislation passed this year, the health care bill and financial reform bill, top Democrats have admitted they had no idea what’s in these complex, economy-altering bills.
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: “[W]e have to pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is in it…” (“Pelosi Remarks at the 2010 Legislative Conference for National Association of Counties,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi Press Release, 3/9/10)
SEN. CHRIS DODD: “No one will know until [financial reform] is actually in place how it works .” (David Cho, Jia Lynn Yang and Brady Dennis, “Lawmakers guide Dodd-Frank bill for Wall Street reform into homestretch,” Washington Post, 6/26/10)
To allow Congress, the public, and government watchdogs more time to analyze legislation, a leading suggestion is to require that all non-emergency bills be posted online for at least 72 hours before a final vote can be scheduled. Last week, however, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer ridiculed the idea:
“House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) ridiculed on Thursday an effort pushed by Republicans to allow lawmakers more time to read legislation. Hoyer dismissed a proposal by House GOP leader John Boehner (Ohio) and other Republicans to require 72 hours to read legislation before a final vote on it is scheduled.” (Michael O’Brien, “Hoyer Ridicules Bohener’s ‘read the bill’ initiative” The Hill, 7/22/10)
Does Richard Blumenthal believe Congress and the public should have a chance to read bills before they’re passed?
Linda McMahon’s position on the Read the Bill reform has been a matter of public record for months. The Hartford Courant reported on Linda’s position in October. As Linda explains: “Businesses don’t sign contracts without knowing what they’re signing, and lawmakers shouldn’t vote on bills without knowing what they’re passing. It’s time for something different.” On Linda’s campaign website, she says: “I would support a common sense measure that would require all non-emergency bills be subject to a mandatory three-day period during which bills would be posted on the Internet prior to a vote so that Members of Congress, the press and the public can review them.”
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For more information, contact the Linda McMahon for Senate Press Office, 860-244-2010.