Ron Paul & the Sunlight Rule

[bobbyw24]

Sunlight Rule May Shine Some Light on Lawmaking
by Brittany Smith
02/25/2009


The night before the stimulus bill was set to be voted on, the finalized copy was posted online. That left Congress less than 24 hours to read through and understand over 1,000 pages of legislation -- legislation that would have a huge impact on the American people. This “rush to the roll call” is common, and critics – including Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) – believe the process doesn’t give legislators enough time to fully understand everything that they were supposed to vote on.

To curb this type of rush voting, Paul has reintroduced legislation known as the Sunlight Rule.

The proposed rule “prohibits any piece of legislation from being brought before the House of Representatives unless it has been available to Members and staff in both print and electronic versions for at least ten days.”

It also sets up guidelines for conference reports and manger’s amendments that make changes to a bill be made available 72 hours before being set to a vote in both print and electronic versions.

Finally, this rule would also give the people direct involvement in its enforcement. In a statement issued by Ron Paul he writes that it would allow “a citizen to move for censure of any House Member who votes for a bill brought to the floor in violation of this act.”

The stimulus bill isn’t the only bill that has been rushed to a vote with little time for Congress to review it. It happened with various omnibus bills, the bill for The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and with The Patriot Act under former President Bush.

In a statement Rep. Paul said, “Voting on bills before Members have had time to learn what is in the bill cheats the voters who sent us here to make informed decisions on public policy.”

Brittany Smith received her bachelor�s degree in English from Grove City College. She interned with The Family Research Council last fall and is currently interning with HUMAN EVENTS through The National Journalism Center.

[slothman]

That is a good idea but if people of Congress haven't read it then they should abstain.
Imagine a bill that is only voted on by 5 Congresspersons because it is rushed threw.

[Bergie Bergeron]

We Need Sunlight to Disinfect the Legislative Process!
By Congressman Ron Paul - August 24 2009

During August recess, many legislators have heard an unexpected amount of discontent from their constituents about what is happening on Capitol Hill, particularly regarding healthcare. Some people are justifiably terrified at what the government could do to healthcare, should it get its claws even further into it. Others demand a public option for health insurance and are adamant that healthcare be treated as yet other absolute entitlement. One thing everyone agrees on is that the final bill needs to be read and understood by all legislators before a vote is taken. To any American, this is common sense. In Washington, that is unlikely to happen.

There is much confusion and debate over what is and is not in the reform plan being considered. Are there or are there not so-called death panels? What are the end-of-life consultations really for? How will private insurance be affected? Can you keep your current plan or will you eventually be forced into a government plan? Will it pay for elective abortions or not? What are the implications for medical privacy? The truth is no one knows what will be in the final bill until it is on the House floor, and provisions could be added in and taken out in the wee hours of the morning before.

In February, the House was forced to vote on an over 1,000 page “stimulus” bill that had first been posted on the internet just after midnight the morning of the vote. It passed. Then in June, House leaders rushed a vote on the cap-and-trade bill, even though an over 300 page “manager’s amendment” making substantive changes to the bill, was introduced shortly after 3:00 a.m. the morning of the vote.

Washington thrives on crisis. If enough people can be convinced that we are in an emergency, they will more likely tolerate rushing legislation to the floor like this. Last minute changes will be slipped in, benefitting who knows what special interests and at what expense to the taxpayer. But the mantra is repeated over and over: We are in a crisis. We must act immediately.

It should be unconscionable for legislators to vote in favor of legislation they have not had the opportunity to read. This is why I have re-introduced the Sunlight Rule, H.Res 216. The Sunlight Rule prohibits any piece of legislation from being brought before the House of Representatives unless it has been available to read for at least 10 days.

The Sunlight Rule allows citizens to move for censure of any House Member who votes for a bill in violation of this act. Because the Sunlight Rule could never be waived, any Member could raise a point of order requiring any bill in violation to be immediately pulled from the House calendar until it can be brought to the floor in a manner consistent with this rule. This rule does not require that Members read the bills. It merely guarantees the opportunity to do so. It has 4 cosponsors.

Justice Louis Brandeis famously said, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” The Sunlight Rule would do much towards negating the cycle of pseudo-crises and cleaning up the legislative process here in Washington. I sincerely hope this is the year Congress remembers its deliberative duties and passes it.
:)