72-Hour Online Posting Requirement Desirabe for PA Budget Fight

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 10:01 AM

ATR State Affairs Manager Patrick Gleason has an opinion piece in today's Philadelphia Enquirer discussing the merits of a 72-hour online posting requirement for bills in in the context of Pennsylvania's budget fight, where some lawmakers just want to "get it done now."  But Gleason wonders:

What was the rush? I'm not saying the budget stalemate should have been dragged out any longer; indeed, the budget was long overdue and needed to be completed as soon as reasonably possible. However, there should have been more of an opportunity for review of the final product once an agreement was reached. Transparency and open debate on the state's spending priorities should not be sacrificed for the sake of "having something."

While Pennsylvania technically has a 24-hour cooling-off period before budget votes on the books, that requirement is proving to be just as ineffective as the House Rules in the U.S. House of Congress, and can be easily surmounted. Further, both are not associated with an online posting requirement, which is key.  Not only should taxpayers be assured that their lawmakers have time to read legislation, but ultimately they - who end up footing the bill for every law enacted by the legislature - should be privy to the bills before they're voted on so they can partake in political discourse.

Click here for Gleason's full piece.

Tags: Transparency BudgetTimeouts PA | Comments (0)