Legislative Accountability Act of 2013

Since the Obama administration took office they have been hell-bent to rush one massive spending bill after another through Congress before the American public could see what was in them; with few, if any, members of the House or Senate even taking time to read them.  These bills were all rushed through Congress without giving average Americans time to review them or comment to their elected representatives, all with the goal of implementing President Obama’s radical leftist agenda as quickly as possible; damn the details or consequences.

Finally, some good news for a change:

The Legislative Accountability Act of 2013 has been introduced in an effort to slow the process down and allow all Americans time to review pending legislation before it can be rushed to passage.  This bill will also require all members of Congress to certify that they have completely read and fully understand every piece of legislation before voting for or against it.

Highlights from the draft version of the bill are as follows:

Once a draft version of a given bill is complete, the general public will be given a minimum of 5 business days plus 1 additional day for every 100 8 ½”x 11” pages contained in the bill to review and comment on the provisions contained therein.  Congress will begin assembling the final draft 2 business days after the end of the review and comment period and post the final draft for review within 5 business days.

Congress will publish the final version of the bill with an attachment highlighting any changes that were made subsequent to publishing the initial draft.  The general public will once again be given a minimum of 5 business days  plus 1 additional day for every 100 8 ½”x 11” pages contained in the bill to review and comment on its contents.  At the end of the review period, members of Congress will have 2 business days to provide written certification that they have completely read and fully understand the bill they are about to vote on.  With the written certification, each member of Congress will state whether it is his or her intent to vote for or against the bill.  Final House or Senate votes will take place no more than 2 business days after providing their certifications.

After the final public review and legislator certifications have been completed no further amendments will be permitted to a bill.

Should the House and Senate be considering separate bills concurrently, review and comment periods will run consecutively.

Any bill introduced as “Emergency Legislation” will have an automatic 48 hour hold placed on it so the member introducing the bill has ample time to explain to the media and American public the circumstances that warrant the bill’s emergency status.

I endorse this bill and feel it will revolutionize the concept of government transparency and hold our elected representatives accountable for each and every vote they cast.

Problem is, I made it all up.  No such bill exists or has been proposed.

I will, however, be contacting both my Senators and my Congressman and asking them to sponsor legislation similar to what I have proposed.  I won’t be holding my breath waiting for their replies.