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| 11/3/2009 9:40:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Post bills on line
Editorial
Rather than a Democrat issue or a Republican issue, posting legislation online should be viewed as a public access issue that everyone in Congress should embrace for the sake of trust in government.
The idea is simple: All proposed legislation should be posted on a Web site where everyone has a chance to read what members of Congress hope to pass into law.
What, for the public, is the downside of being able to read legislation? There is no downside, except, possibly, being bored to death.
But for lawmakers, there are risks.
Risk one: Waiting until the last-minute to file 500-page bills hampers the work of Congress, making some lawmakers angry, but add the rest of America to that list of offended people and the result would be that those who wait until the last minute to file legislation would become the focus of scathing public repudiation.
Risk two: Bills filed on line would be scrutinized more fully. If Rep. Smith from Iowa offers a bill to benefit a buddy, then Rep. Jones from Maine is not likely to make a connection. But Joe Sixpack from Iowa, reading the bill, might see the buddy benefit and e-mail Rep. Jones, who then could hammer Rep. Smith.
Risk three: Letting everyone read bills invites more public comment and lawmakers would have to spend more time answering questions.
Missouri deals with legislation at the state level by putting bills online from start to finish. Washington should adopt the same system for the good of the nation.
But just as Missouri adopted the line-item veto and Washington has not, Missouri's practice of putting bills online is not an idea Washington is likely to embrace.
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