Frustrated by a federal government making decisions to spend taxpayer dollars without allowing people to review those decisions first, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) today signed a measure requiring major bills to be available for public review three days before the House of Representatives votes on them.

 

 “Taxpayers have a right to review how government plans to spend their hard-earned dollars, and for the government to refuse to do that is simply wrong. It is also my firm belief that hasty votes in Congress can result in unintended consequences that could be devastating to hard-working folks trying to make ends meet,” Luetkemeyer said. “It’s just common sense that the American people should be given time to read major bills before they come to a vote in Congress.”

 

Luetkemeyer has signed onto a petition similar to a bipartisan resolution introduced in June by Reps. John Culberson and Brian Baird that would change House rules to require all major bills to be posted online publicly for at least 72 hours before they are brought to a vote on the House floor. The “discharge petition” signed by Luetkemeyer needs 218 signatures in the House in order to require Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule an up-or-down vote on the House floor.

 

 “People are frustrated that the pork-laden stimulus package, debt-laden budget, and job-killing national energy tax were rammed through the House by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, so now it’s time to stop this abuse of the public trust, and that is why I signed this petition,” Luetkemeyer said.