Read the Bill

Via Maxed Out Mama, I found this great bill proposed by Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA). The bill (H. Res. 688) would require any bill other than declaration of war or matters of national security to be posted on-line 72 hours prior to floor debate of proposed legislation. This changes the rules of the House to require public disclosure.

Currently, many bills are proposed or amended just hours prior to a House vote. This gives other Representatives no time to actually read and digest what is in the bill (often 300 plus pages long), and gives no time for the general public to know the contents of the bill prior to it already being passed.

Additionally, many bills proposed have tabs in them with wording that includes reports and recommendations that were never actually in the bill itself. Thus, giving no one an idea what is even in the referenced material.

H. Res. 688 will change the house rules for the benefit of all Americans, not just right or left. In order to have a functioning democracy that is trusted by the people, there must be transparency. Currently, there is little until after the damage has been done. I urge you to contact your congressman and support this bill. For further information, you can also read more about it at ReadTheBill.org

To contact you representative, go here and then proceed to their web page.