ReadtheBill.org today wrote to Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) to thank him for speaking out on the problem of Congress not having time to read bills, and to urge him to cosponsor the best solution -- H.Res. 504. Ellen Miller, Executive Director of the Sunlight Foundation, also blogged about the letter. Following is an excerpt:

On June 19, 2008 Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) engaged in a twitter dialogue with Sunlight Foundation Executive Director Ellen Miller. Kudos to Ellen for asking Rep. Culberson to cosponsor H.Res. 504. Sponsored by Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), it would require bills and conference reports to be posted online for 72 hours before House floor debate began.

Here is an excerpt (latest tweets at the top):

EllnMllr @johnculberson Support Rep Baird’s H. Res 504. http://tinyurl.com/583dkr There are 13 bipartisan co-sponsors. about 3 hours ago from web in reply to johnculberson

johnculberson @EllnMllr I am also going to ask my Repub colleagues to support 72 hr rule about 2 hours ago from web in reply to EllnMllr

Johnculberson @EllnMllr Right now is a perfect example of how desperately America needs you and others through the Internet to shine sunlight on Congress about 2 hours ago from web in reply to EllnMllr

johnculberson @EllnMllr Please eblast your members your followers and let them know their Congressmen are being asked to approve $185 Bill in War spending about 2 hours ago from web in reply to EllnMllr

johnculberson @EllnMllr in a floor vote before 6pm on a 184 pg $185 b bill that was written at 2:37pm and filed publicly about the same time - outrage! about 2 hours ago from web in reply to EllnMllr

ReadtheBill.org has followed up with Rep. Culberson's staff about H.Res. 504. No word yet if his office is interested. If you are a constituent, please contact him. H.Res. 504 is the best solution proposed to the problem he highlights.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) re-introduced his Sunlight Act on January 4, 2007. The bill contains some tough provisions on a variety of subjects. Unfortunately, it would only require bills to be posted online for 48 hours, which would weaken existing House rules, which require availability for three calendar days.

As of December 19, 2007, H.R. 170 has no cosponsors.

The non-partisan National Taxpayers Union (NTU) endorsed the 72 Online concept.

NTU endorsed following standard statement:
"We support the 72 Online rule to require generally that legislation and conference reports be posted on the Internet for 72 hours before floor consideration in Congress."

Note: Endorsers of the 72 Online concept do not necessarily support or oppose any legislation, nor agree with the views of ReadtheBill.org or other endorsers on specific legislation or other matters.

"Legislators should at least have the courtesy to read their own bills before foisting them onto taxpayers as laws. Congress has relied on its own version of "stealth" tactics to evade basic budget principles and pass some of the most egregious earmarks. The 72 Online rule would provide citizen groups like NTU more time to thoroughly check the fiscal radar and detect these threats. This will greatly benefit the American taxpayer."

--Kristina Rasmussen, Sr. Government Affairs Manager, National Taxpayers Union

NTU was established in 1969 to educate taxpayers, the media, and elected officials on a non-partisan basis on the merits of limited government and low taxes.

Rep. Steve King introduced H.R. 4967 in March 2006. The bill contains some tough provisions on a variety of subjects. Unfortunately, it would only require bills to be posted online for 48 hours.

Below is a press release from Rep. King's office:

Representative Steve King
5th Congressional District of Iowa

CONTACT: Summer Johnson
202.225.4426
C 202.577.5138
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 16, 2006

King: show us the money in politics
King Introduces Sunlight Act to Shine Light onto Law-making

Among needed steps is "a firm policy of ...making spending bills public 72 hours before final votes."

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(Photo: Reagan Presidential Library)

"And then, along came these behemoths....You had three hours - yes, three hours - to consider each, and it took 300 people at my Office of Management and Budget just to read the bill so the government wouldn't shut down.

ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS ON THE STATE OF THE UNION
January 25, 1988 full text
[snip]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, I will say to you tonight what I have said before - and will continue to say: The budget process has broken down; it needs a drastic overhaul. With each ensuing year, the spectacle before the American people is the same as it was this Christmas - budget deadlines delayed or missed completely, monstrous continuing resolutions that pack hundreds of billions of dollars worth of spending into one bill - and a federal government on the brink of default.

I know I'm echoing what you here in the Congress have said because you suffered so directly - but let's recall that in seven years, of 91 appropriations bills scheduled to arrive on my desk by a certain date, only 10 made it on time. Last year, of the 13 appropriations bills due by October 1st, none of them made it. Instead, we had four continuing resolutions lasting 41 days, then 36 days, and two days, and three days, respectively. And then, along came these behemoths. This is the conference report - 1,053 page report weighing 14 pounds. Then this - a reconciliation bill six months late, that was 1,186 pages long, weighing 15 pounds; and the long-term continuing resolution - this one was two months late and it's 1,057 pages long, weighing 14 pounds. That was a total of 43 pounds of paper and ink. You had three hours - yes, three hours - to consider each, and it took 300 people at my Office of Management and Budget just to read the bill so the government wouldn't shut down. Congress shouldn't send another one of these. No and if you do, I will not sign it.

Let's change all this; instead of a presidential budget that gets discarded and a congressional budget resolution that is not enforced, why not a simple partnership, a joint agreement that sets out the spending priorities within the available revenues? And let's remember our deadline is October 1st, not Christmas; let's get the people's work done in time to avoid a footrace with Santa Claus. And yes, this year - to coin a phrase - a new beginning. Thirteen individual bills, on time and fully reviewed by Congress.

[Emphasis added. Reason magazine notes that Reagan did not object when this type of process in his first term helped him enact his tax cuts.]

In mid-January 2006, Hugh Hewitt put the 72 hours online question to the three candidates for House Majority Leader. The question was prompted by blogger Mark Tapscott of the Heritage Foundation. Also, the question was discussed by the candidates on conference calls with bloggers as compiled at the Truth Laid Bear.