Allow five days of public comment before signing bills

To reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them, Obama "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days."

"During the campaign, the president committed to introducing more sunlight into the lawmaking process by posting nonemergency legislation online for five days before signing it. The president remains committed to bringing more transparency to government, and in this spirit the White House has posted legislation expected to come to the president's desk online for comment. We will be implementing this policy in full soon; currently we are working through implementation procedures and some initial issues with the congressional calendar. In the meantime, we will continue to post legislation on our Web site for comment as it moves through congress over the next few weeks."

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act got no such posting. The Congressional Record shows that the law was passed in the Senate on Jan. 22, 2009, passed in the House on Jan. 27, and signed by the president on Jan. 29. The legislation was not posted to the White House Web site for comment

In his latest violation of this promise, President Obama signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 on May 22, only two days after the bill was finalized in Congress.

Also note that the White House doesn't make it easy for people to find where to leave comments on pending legislation. The Web site does not have a tab for comments or pending legislation and I dare anyone to find such a feature.

A search of the White House site did not provide a clear forum where such was located on the site or where people should go for future comments.



promises promises ?