CFA in Washington Times: Read the Bill!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 2:17 PM

CFA executive director Sandra Fabry had a piece in today's Washington Times discussing both the momentum and the need for waiting periods for legislation not just at the federal level, but also at the state level.

From the piece:

Taxpayers were forced to watch helplessly as bills were being whipped through the legislative process at breakneck speed. The trillion-dollar "stimulus" was rammed through Congress just hours after it became publicly available. Similarly, the "cap-and-trade" bill wasn't even available in its final form when a vote took place in the House of Representatives.

The Tea Party movement formed in part over the anger that ensued over the way these bills were passed and, as such, it is not surprising that Tea Party Patriots have made the requirement that "[e]very bill, in its final form, will be made public seven days before any vote can be taken" part of its draft Contract From America.

The contract's suggested provision stipulates a significantly longer waiting period than the 72 hours demanded by the "Read the Bill" effort in support of Reps. Brian Baird and John Culberson's H.R. 554, pending in the House.

(...)

While there is room for debate over how long an ideal waiting period for legislation would be - intuition would suggest the longer the better, with changes to the legislation setting back the clock - the good news for taxpayers is that the issue is starting to percolate not only in Washington, but also in state capitals where it has the potential to transform policy and politics as it allows taxpayers to partake in political discourse as it happens.

Click here for the full piece.

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