The following was initially posted at www.fiscalaccountability.org

Today, CFA and ATR sent a letter, where we were joined by numerous other groups who voiced support of a mandatory 72-hour waiting period before legislation can be voted on in Congress. This would include amendments and all versions of the bill, and require the bill to be posted online so the public may view legislation before it gets to the floor. From our letter:

On behalf of the millions of taxpayers represented by our respective organizations, we urge you to take swift action to amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that legislation and conference reports be posted online for 72 hours before floor consideration...

Full transparency is achieved when the American people are informed on every measure that comes to the floor – including amendments and final versions of legislation. With most bills, the devil is in the details, and every change to a law should be able to be properly vetted by being made available online for the full 72 hour waiting period before debate on it begins.

Without a mandatory waiting period, Congress is gambling with the future of Americans by not allotting appropriate time to investigate the full impact of legislation. Taxpayers deserve better. James Madison once said, “A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both.” Efforts to enact this critical change would be the first step in allowing the American taxpayer to truly partake in political discourse.
 

Click here for the full letter.

Posted by Mattie Duppler on Thursday, October 1, 2009 4:50 PM EDT

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