Read The Bill: Cap and Trade Rushing Through Congress

None of Our Leaders are Reading the 1200 Page Bill

Here's something terrifying: Congress passed the $787 billion stimulus bill and we're pretty sure the people who voted on that legislation didn't actually read it. And for sure you didn't have a chance to look at it, either.

That's not the first time important legislation has rushed through Congress in a matter of hours. By hurrying to vote on these bills, members of Congress might miss an earmark or tax break that could have a lasting impact on you and your community.

Let's make sure this doesn't happen again. Sign the petition and demand that Congress Read The Bill:

Sunlight Foundation's Read the Bill Petition

A good contemporary example is the cap and trade energy bill. There is currently some wacky legislative maneuvering going on with H.R. 2454. This is another example of the failure of Congress to make bills properly available. According to the New York Times:

House Democratic leaders late last night released a revamped, 1,201-page energy and global warming bill (pdf), clearing the way for floor debate Friday even though it remains uncertain if they will have the votes to pass it.

The House bill posted on the Rules Committee Web site has grown from the 946-page version adopted last month in the Energy and Commerce Committee. Sources on and off Capitol Hill said the bulk of the changes largely reflect requests from the eight other committees that also had jurisdiction over the bill, including the Ways and Means Committee and Science and Technology Committee.

View H.Res.554

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that legislation and conference reports be available on the Internet for 72 hours before consideration by the House, and for other purposes.

Introduced: June 16, 2009
Status: Introduced
Next step: Voted on by House
Latest action:
Sponsor: Rep. Brian Baird [D, WA-3]