[wvns] Ron Paul: The Sunlight Rule
The Sunlight Rule
Ron Paul
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst091607.htm
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously said "Sunlight is the
best disinfectant." Indeed some of the most malignant growth of our
government has been nurtured under a cover of darkness.
Literally, in the dark hours of the morning at the end of the year, it
has become tradition for the Appropriations committee to rush the
famous omnibus bill to the floor for a vote, mere hours after it is
introduced. The vote took place at 4 am the last time an omnibus
spending bill was before us. We had all of 4 hours to deliberate on
almost 1400 pages of important legislation. My colleagues somehow
found this acceptable, however, and the bill passed 212-206.
The bill for the Expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) was also rushed to the floor with little time to
examine the lengthy text of the legislation. If approved by the
Senate this measure would increase taxes by an additional $53.8
billion over 5 years and further extend the federal government's reach
into the healthcare of American citizens. Similar processes were
followed for raising the minimum wage, providing funding for stem cell
research and implementing the 9-11 conference.
Of course, the most well-known example of this phenomenon might be the
Patriot Act. Legislators passed the 300+ page bill less than a day
after it was introduced, many out of an urgency to do something. But
we are sent to Washington to make informed decisions on public policy.
The very least constituents expect is that their elected
representatives read the legislation citizens will be subject to, and
taxed for. And once they have read it, to weigh the constitutionality
and the merits of the legislation. How can lawmakers possibly do that
without reasonable time allotted?
This has long been a concern of mine, and for this reason I have
reintroduced The Sunlight Rule. (H.RES 63) This proposed rule
stipulates that no piece of legislation can be brought before the
House of Representatives for a vote unless it has been available to
members and staff to read for at least ten days. Any amendments must
be available for at least 72 hours before a vote. The Sunlight Rule
provides the American people the opportunity to be involved in
enforcing congressional rules by allowing citizens to move for censure
of any Representative who votes for a bill brought to the floor in
violation of this act.
So far I have two co-sponsors. It is my belief that this simple new
rule could greatly disinfect the House of the creeping, insidious
growth, merely by shining the light on legislation before it is voted
on. We need time to think before we enact. The American people
deserve at least this much from their Congress.
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