Forbes: Just Read the Bill

By Guest Post | Friday, July 31st, 2009 | Policy

Guest Post by Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-VA04)

Could you read 2,501 pages in 24 hours? In the unlikely case that you are considering whether you could, let’s put it into perspective – 2,501 pages is almost double the size of a paperback copy of War and Peace. It’s over three times the size of the last book in the popular Harry Potter series. It’s nearly twice the size of an average Bible, which many individuals set aside an entire year to read through. It is also the collective size of two of the most significant pieces of legislation that have come before the 111th Congress – the economic stimulus bill and the cap-and-trade energy bill. And 24 hours is the collective amount of time legislators were given before being required to take a vote on these two bills.

There has been a growing public outcry as individuals are realizing that Members of Congress are not reading bills due to the lack of time given to read the measures before a vote is called on them. When individuals start doing the math, they are quick to realize it is hardly humanly possible to read through thousands of pages of suspenseful fiction in 24-hours, much less 2,501 pages of complicated legalize.

The Rules of the House of Representatives govern how quickly a bill can be brought to the House floor for a vote. And in fact, there is already a House rule that requires a bill to be available for three legislative days before a vote is called on the measure. It is referred to as the “3-day rule.” However, it is becoming increasingly commonplace for leadership to waive that rule altogether in an effort to rush a bill through.

While it is true that Members have access to top-notch summaries and briefs on legislation, the devil is often in the details. Without an adequate amount of time to access bill text, those details are easily missed. Consider the $789 billion economic stimulus bill that Congress voted on less than 12 hours after the 1,073 page text was posted for Members to review. Not only has the package been ineffective, failed to stimulate the economy, and driven our country further into debt, it is riddled with waste and abuse.

The bill resulted in Social Security checks being mailed to thousands of dead people. The Los Angeles Times reported that millions of dollars are going toward bicycle lockers, bike paths, walking trails and a skate park. One town in North Carolina is using stimulus funds to hire an administrator whose job will be to procure more stimulus funds. Numerous reports blasted other examples of waste such as $3 million for a turtle crossing in northern Florida, $840,000 for a bridge in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that carries 260 vehicles a day, $9.4 million to renovate a train station that has sat vacant for more than 30 years, or $2.2 million to install skylights in Montana’s state-run liquor warehouse. “Road signs costing $300 each, [are] being placed at construction sites to alert motorists that the project is being paid for by the stimulus money,” reported the Associated Press.

Perhaps if Congress would have taken time to read, digest, and analyze the legislation, they would have averted the harmful, embarrassing and wasteful legislation – or at the very least rid it of perhaps the most abusive spending.

The issue of reading bills is more than an issue of time or indolence; it is a matter of responsibility and trust. Americans as a whole have an increasing lack of trust not only in elected officials but in government institutions. Whether or not a bill is read reflects on the character of a Member, whether or not a bill can be read reflects on the character of a legislative body. Congress is responsible for enacting the laws of our land. To read and understand legislation we vote on goes beyond just a “good idea” – it is our job. “I didn’t realize it was in there” should not be an excuse for any Member of Congress – every legislator should be given time to read a bill before voting on it.

That is why I have introduced a bill that would strengthen the rules of the House of Representatives to make it easier for Members of Congress to request that the bill be read aloud on the House floor before it is voted on. At the bare minimum, Members should be able to ask for a reading of a bill if time has not been given for them to review the legislation. H.Res.694 would prohibit any rule that exempts the first reading of a bill or that considers a measure as read, legislative tools both used to skip the reading of a bill. In effect, my bill would allow Members of Congress to demand a reading of the bill especially when an insufficient amount of time has been given to read the bill.

While an unprecedented 61 bills were called for a vote less than 24 hours after being introduced in the 110th Congress, this issue spans both sides of the aisle. Neither party has a monopoly on granting appropriate time for their legislation to be read. Our focus should not be on partisan politics but on responsible lawmaking, which is why I have also cosponsored a bill introduced by Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), which would prevent any House rule from waiving the “3-day rule.” H.Res.544 also requires that legislation be made available to the general public on the Internet, so that those who are impacted by the legislation have an opportunity to review it and offer input to their elected officials before it is voted on. This is another critical component of good lawmaking – we must have time to get input from those we represent, and give citizens a chance to see the bill rather than limiting them to empty concepts that fit well into a sound-bite.

If we require bills be read, it is likely we will begin to hear more responsible debate about measures before they are passed. It will create an opportunity for legislators, media, and citizens to be informed. And in turn, it will provide for more responsible and effective legislation. I hope the House will take up my bill as well as Mr. Baird’s in a bipartisan fashion if for no other reason than to help strengthen the confidence of the American people in their Congress. There are rarely ever simple solutions in Washington, but for this issue there is a simple solution: just read the bill.

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