10/22/09

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Idaho's representatives in Washington, D.C.
are massing behind a push to require bills be posted on the
Internet at least 72 hours before Congress votes on them.

U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, along with Reps. Mike
Simpson and Walt Minnick, say such a provision would give voters
more chances to weigh in on hotly debated measures, including the
2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery stimulus act.

That bill, they said, was only public a few hours earlier this
year before it was approved by Congress.

All four members of Idaho's delegation voted against it _ and
they say ``the public did not get as much opportunity to weigh in
on the final bill'' as it should have.

According to an e-mail signed by all four lawmakers, ``It simply
isn't right to write legislation without giving the public _ let
alone members of Congress _ the ability to read it first.''

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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