Issue Position: Government Reform

Issue Position

"Lawmakers have to read the bills before they vote on them."

As a businesswoman, I would never sign a contract without knowing exactly what it says, yet in Washington, lawmakers routinely vote on bills without knowing what they're passing. Last year, Congress passed an 1100-page, $862 billion stimulus bill that nobody read because it wasn't made public until shortly before midnight on the day of the vote. A few weeks later, the House passed a 1500-page climate change bill that nobody read because it wasn't made public in its entirety until 3:00 a.m. on the day of the vote! I believe lawmakers ought to have the time to read bills before they vote, so I would support a common sense measure that would require all non-emergency bills be subject to a mandatory three-day period during which bills would be posted on the Internet prior to a vote so that Members of Congress, the press and the public can review them. Lawmakers have to read the bills before they vote on them.

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