Lee Terry in the News :: October 8, 2009

72-hour bill reviews sought

Joseph Morton/Omaha World-Herald

Published Thursday October 8, 2009

WASHINGTON — Read before you vote.

It's a message that lawmakers have been hearing frequently from constituents lately, and now it's become the focus of jockeying on Capitol Hill.

Citing constituent concerns, many GOP lawmakers are pushing for at least three days to examine all bills before they are asked to say “yay” or “nay.”

Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., joined 21 other senators Wednesday to introduce a measure requiring all legislation to be publicly available, along with a complete analysis of its cost, at least 72 hours before being considered by the full Senate or any committee or subcommittee.

Johanns said it's the responsibility of lawmakers to read what they're voting on and know the costs involved.

“The practice of unveiling a 1,000-plus page bill before dawn and voting on it the same day is a disservice to all Americans,” Johanns said.

Johanns spokeswoman Ann Marie Hauser said the senator was referring to the economic stimulus bill, which included last-minute provisions on AIG bonuses that most senators had no idea they were voting on, and pending health care legislation.

Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., and other House Republicans also are pushing for a 72-hour requirement on their side of the hill. Terry said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made a habit of releasing the final details of legislation shortly before a vote.

Terry cited the case of Democrats releasing a massive amendment to cap and trade legislation in the early morning hours before the House vote.

“It's that type of shenanigans that I think have raised this issue in the public's eye,” he said.

Terry conceded that Republicans were guilty of similar transgressions when they were running things.

“It's not like the Republicans didn't have some sin in this area,” Terry said.

Terry said that he voted against some spending bills that Republicans tried to hurry through.

“I was being asked to vote for something that I really didn't know what was in there,” Terry said.

But Terry said that a number of bills now moving through Congress, including health care legislation, are measures that come around once in a generation and deserve particularly close scrutiny.

Concern about rushed bills isn't limited to the Republican side of the aisle. Centrist Democrats in the Senate, including Ben Nelson of Nebraska, wrote to Majority Leader Harry Reid this week asking for at least 72 hours to consider health care legislation and a complete cost analysis before voting on it.

Nelson said that period of time is necessary on something as complex and important as health care. But he said requiring it on every piece of legislation is inappropriate and noted that some bills are a single page.

Nelson also said that he doesn't recall hearing the same concerns when No Child Left Behind, that hefty piece of education legislation, was pushed through Congress by Republican President George W. Bush.

“Where was the hue and cry at that time for 72 hours?” Nelson said.

Contact the writer:

202-662-7270, joe.morton@owh.com