Transparency Proposals Floated to Cut Federal Spending

Friday, September 17, 2010 11:11 AM

There's a great story in Politico this morning discussing how Republicans are planning to champion transparency measures should they take the House this fall. We have tried to hold Speaker Pelosi's feet to the fire on her promise to submit all legislation to a 72-hour waiting period, but saw this promise disintegrate during the health care debate and beyond. While the Speaker promised the "most open, honest and ethical Congress in history" what taxpayers have been left with is an opaque and secretive legislative process, where bills are cobbled together at the last minute and elected officials admit to not reading the legislation they pass.

We are excited, then, about the prospects of a permanent rule change that would instantiate transparency for generations of taxpayers to come. Beyond a waiting period, proposals are being floated that would require an open rules process for spending bills. An open rule allows for both parties to engage in a freer amendment process, and was the norm for appropriations bills before last year. Another initiative would diminish the amount of suspension votes from once a week to once a month and limit the amount of spending that can be packaged into bills on suspension. Suspension bills require a 2/3 majority to pass, but can be used to pass sometimes controversial legislation under the radar.

We look forward to supporting these proposals when they are introduced in legislation and hope current leadership takes note: taxpayers are getting involved, demanding accountability and are hungry for the transparency they were promised.

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