Read the Bill Act Stalled in Congress

Recently introduced House and Senate resolutions seek to illuminate the legislative process, giving Congress, as well as the American people, the opportunity to read legislation and formulate an informed opinion prior to any debate or votes.

In the House, Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) introduced H.Res. 554 [1] on June 17, along with 180 cosponsors from both parties. The resolutions would amend House rules to require that non-emergency bills and conference reports be posted online for at least 72 hours prior to consideration by the full chamber.

In the Senate, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) introduced S.Res. 307 [2] on Oct. 7, which has gained the support of 28 Republican cosponsors. The proposal would amend the Senate rules but would establish an even more exacting standard, requiring that legislation, accompanied by an evaluation from the Congressional Budget Office, be posted online 72 hours before subcommittee and committee consideration, as well a similar time standard for floor debate and votes.

ReadtheBill.org [3], a project of the Sunlight Foundation, has been supporting the legislation. According to its website, there are several important benefits to such a legislative approach: “When Congress rushes to pass complex legislation, the bills are not properly vetted. With more time to examine the legislation, the public can help ferret out wasteful spending, sneaky provisions that were inserted by well-connected special interests and other problematic provisions.”

The House Rules Committee has had that chamber's resolution since late June with no action. On Sept. 23, Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) filed a motion to discharge the resolution from the committee. A discharge motion recalls a bill from committee for consideration by the full House and is a procedural move used to circumvent a committee that has no intention on acting upon legislation. Such a petition may be circulated if a bill has sat in committee for 30 days without being reported out and requires a simple majority (218 representatives) to be successful. The discharge petition for H.Res. 554 currently has 182 signatures. The resolution appears stuck in the Rules Committee until additional support is found for the discharge petition.

The Senate resolution has garnered attention mostly from Republicans, as noted by the cosponsor list. Moreover, the effort appears sidelined by health care and energy legislation, two wars, spending bills, and countless other matters perceived as higher legislative priorities.

Those promoting congressional transparency consider passage of the “Read the Bill” legislation a key element in bringing sunshine to Congress. It remains to be seen if legislators have the same interest.