Congress: Read the Bill First!
Note: When we launched this petition in late September, 2008, Congress was considering the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. In early 2009, Sunlight will launch ReadtheBill.org, a project to urge Congress to wait 72 hours before bringing any legislation to consideration. Please bookmark ReadtheBill.org and check back in a few months for an update.
Background: Sunlight has long advocated that all legislation be posted online for at least 72 hours before consideration in the House and Senate. It's impossible for lawmakers and their staff to read, much less fully comprehend, complex legislation that is hundreds of pages long in the few short hours they often have between the time they first see a bill to the time they begin consideration before a vote. Worse, citizens may not have access to legislation until after it has been voted on, too late for them to make an informed decision about the merits of bills that might directly impact their lives.
Posting bills online for 72 hours before consideration would give lawmakers and citizens alike an opportunity to consider and debate bills with full knowledge and consideration of the implications of the legislation with considered feedback from the public.
The recently enacted Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 is a case in point. The Senate began consideration of the 451-page bill only 11 hours after it was first posted online. The Senate added 331 one new pages to the package that originally failed in the House, including multi-billion dollar tax measures and energy provisions. The House took up the bill 40 hours later.
Legislation that may cost the taxpayers nearly a trillion dollars, provides unprecedented power to the Treasury and could reshape the financial landscape for decades deserves more than a cursory look by lawmakers and taxpayers.
It's time to send Congress a message that they must Read the Bill first. In the future, all legislation should be posted online 72 hours before consideration.
Dear Congress,
Seven hundred billion dollars is a lot of money. We, the undersigned, urge Congress to wait at least 72 hours after the publication of the next version of this bill, before moving to a vote. We believe all legislation should be posted online for at least 72 hours before a vote to give lawmakers and citizens sufficient time to review and debate it, and this bill is no exception.
Thank You,
(If you're on Twitter, you can tweet this to your friends: "Congress, before you vote on the bailout, read the bill #readthebill http://tinyurl.com/4tdhjn")
