Publicmarkup.org makes the bailout legislation transparent for the public

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From: Ellen Miller of Sunlight Foundation via [openhouseproject] group

The Bailout Legislation

As news spreads that a consensus Wall Street bailout plan is being
finalized, and leaders negotiate between proposals submitted from the
Treasury Department, Senator Dodd, Representative Markey, and others,
two separate conversations are taking place. One is public, as the
nation struggles to evaluate the urgency of the economic situation,
and to understand the best course of action. The other, however, is
not public, as the compromises and deal making — the real stuff of
urgent policy-making — are held in the dark.

The Sunlight Foundation is calling on Congress to publish the proposed
bailout legislation as soon as possible, to give constituents and
lawmakers themselves as much time as possible to examine the specifics
of the proposal before it’s voted on. We will post the draft
legislation to PublicMarkup.org as soon as possible, to give citizens
a chance to weigh in on the proposal’s specifics.
http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2008/09/25/show-us-the-legislation/

Congress faces urgent pressure from the Administration and from
constituents to act. Regardless of the course of action Congress
ultimately chooses, this is a decision that must be made in full
public view. If citizens don’t have a chance to evaluate the
legislation, how can Congress possibly represent their constituents’
needs?

The need for sunlight is especially required for urgent or emergency
legislation. All too often, Congress praises transparency as a
democratic value, but violates it in practice. Any lack of
transparency in consideration of this legislation would be especially
ironic since lawmakers have blamed the current crisis on financial
malfeasance that was hidden from public view.

We have called the relevant congressional committees and have asked
for copies of the new consensus legislation. As soon we get it, we’ll
be posting the text of the legislation online at PublicMarkup.org.

Now more than ever, Congress must represent the needs of all
Americans, and to give everyone - citizens and lawmakers alike — a
chance to participate actively in the legislative process.

Before the bailout proposal is considered by lawmakers, it must
undergo an even more important test: evaluation and assessment by the
public.


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