Walden, Baird call for sunshine

Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, September 29, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Brian Baird (D-Wash.) last week launched a bipartisan effort to make sure legislators have time to read important legislation before it goes to a vote.

The effort would mandate that all legislation before the House of Representatives be made public online for at least 72 hours before receiving a vote on the House floor.

The haste built into the process sparked a furor earlier this year when House member and the public had just 12 hours to review the 1,073-page stimulus bill, a package with a $787 billion price tag. The cap and trade bill, which would cost $846 billion and included 1,428 pages, was available just 16.5 hours before going to a vote.

The fast track dates back before the current leadership; an 852-page, $395 billion Medicare Part D bill was available for only 29 hours before it was up for a vote in 2003.

“Make no mistake about it-this has been a bad practice under both Republican and Democratic control of the House,” Walden said. “It’s time to let the sun shine in. It’s time to change how the House operates.”

The issue has become a frequent topic in public meetings and town halls across America. It arose earlier this month at a town hall in John Day held by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)

Reps. John Culberson (R-Texas) and Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) are also helping lead the effort in the House.