Congress
Should Read the Bills Before they Vote!
Paul Introduces the Sunlight
Rule
March 14, 2006
Washington,
DC: Congressman
Ron Paul of Texas recently introduced the “Sunlight Rule,” which would
radically change the way Washington does business-- for the better.
As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously stated, “Sunlight is
the best disinfectant.”
Congressman Paul proposes to shine a bright light on the House of
Representatives and restore integrity to that institution by putting an end to
the outrageous practice of voting on huge spending bills that have not been
read.
The
Sunlight Rule changes the actual procedural practices of the U.S. House of
Representatives.
It requires all bills to be made available to members of Congress at
least ten days before a vote.
The Rule also allows ordinary citizens to publicly censure their
Representative if he or she votes for a bill brought to the floor without the
ten-day review period.
While
it might amaze many Americans to know that members of Congress virtually never
read the bills they pass, it’s a common practice.
Many bills are thousands of pages long and contain thousands of spending
earmarks. Since
most bills are never read except by their actual authors-- often staffers or
even lobbyists, not the elected Representatives themselves-- the opportunities
for taxpayer abuse are enormous.
“Average
Americans often wonder how so much pork-barrel spending happens in Washington,
and why it can’t be stopped,” Paul stated.
“One big reason is that most members of Congress have no idea what’s
really in the bills they pass.
The latest budget vote is a perfect example.
We voted at 4 in the morning on a huge bill that wasn’t even finished
until midnight.
Nobody could have read it.
It funded thousands of pet projects and earmarks.
Is this any way to vote on a budget that spends 2.7 trillion dollars?”
“That’s why I introduced the Sunlight Rule, to let Congress actually read the bills they pass,” Paul concluded. “It’s the least they can do with your money.”