[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ALL LEGISLATION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ON INTERNET 24 HOURS BEFORE A VOTE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2004

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, last month Congress passed the FY2005 
Omnibus Appropriations Bill. The version that passed the House included 
a provision that would allow Appropriations Chairmen access to IRS tax 
returns. Once this provision was noticed, the Senate passed a 
resolution to strip it and the House was forced to go back into a pro 
forma session to adopt the Senate language. Two years ago, outrage 
followed the passage of an omnibus bill that included indemnification 
language for vaccine makers against autism lawsuits.
  Earlier this year, I introduced H.R. 4971, the Restoring Democracy to 
the United States Congress Act. This legislation sought to enact a 
series of reforms that I believe would have prevented this from 
happening. If the bill was law, among other things, it would have 
required the legislation to be online in a searchable form for a 
minimum of 24 hours before we voted on it.
  As an opportunity for Members to clearly state that the current 
manner in which we often consider legislation is not good for the 
institution, I am introducing legislation that would require all 
legislation be available to the public on the Internet and in a 
searchable form for a minimum of 24 hours before a vote could be 
considered.

                          ____________________