They really don't read the bills before they pass them. LOL

[proud2BlibKansan]

MIDWIFERY PROPOSAL | St. Louis County lawmaker’s actions anger colleagues
Senator’s tactics questioned in passage of midwife bill
Legislator loses a committee leadership post after adding to a health insurance bill.
By TIM HOOVER
The Star’s Jefferson City correspondent

Loudon JEFFERSON CITY | Whether they realized it or not, Missouri lawmakers last week passed a bill allowing the practice of midwifery.

In an unusual move that angered his Senate colleagues, Sen. John Loudon, a St. Louis County Republican, quietly attached language to a 123-page health insurance bill that is intended to allow unlicensed midwives to deliver babies. The problem is that most senators were unaware of that fact when they unanimously approved the bill Thursday.

So was the House. It passed the bill Friday and sent it to Gov. Matt Blunt.

Loudon’s stealthy move so angered Senate Republican leaders that on Monday they stripped him of his chairmanship of the Small Business Committee.

more . . .
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/107098.html

[damntexdem]

1. Loudon is the real midwife.

LOL!

[AllegroRondo]

2. as usual, he takes no responsibility for his actions

Loudon on Monday stood by his tactics.

"It shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone that I would use any means possible to get this done," he said.

[Ghost in the Machine]

3. Republickkkan Values...

"It shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone that I would use any means possible to get this done," he said.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. What a dickhead

[youngdem]

5. No one could possibly read even 1% of the bills submitted

There are just too many enormous bills.

Shit, just getting through the omnibus spending bill each year would be an undertaking. Ditto for the Pentagon budget, and that's just the public version. Then, add to that their oversight reports, committee reports, minutes, letters, normal correspondence, their own writings, emails, phone calls, and THEN they can consider eating, sleeping, taking a shit, a bribe, a nap or a campaign contribution luncheon.

There are not enough hours in a day, or staffers on a budget. They hit the highlights. There is some NASTY shit buried deep in most bills.

So, I find it tough to fault these guys for missing this....it's unrealistic to expect them to read them all, and even their staff cannot possibly keep up when the bills are filed after midnight the morning of the bills' vote.

The system simply needs to have time requirements in place saying something to the effect that a bill most remain whole and unchanged for 4 whole days prior to a vote so that all interested parties may come to an informed decision as to their position. As it is right now, you get bills that are voted on and then 4 hours before the vote have garbage inserted to completely negate the bill and it is passed for public consumption as though the initial intent of the bill is intact. (This of course happened just this past week.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Um, isn't that why they hire a staff?

[youngdem]

7. If a 1000 page bill comes up for a vote 4 hours after it is released after revisions

who can possibly go through it and compare line by line to see what line was changed by one word or two words to mean something completely different?

That's what I am talking about. When the change and quick release of a bill are part of the strategy by the lobbyist/author and its pusher/sponsor/legislator to hide the change or true content of a bill, then I have a hard time faulting the rest of the body in the above described circumstance.

There should be a rule allowing for revisions to be highlighted if quick changes are made or requiring a quiet period before a vote for a few days where a bill cannot be changed preceding the vote.

But yes, in general, it is the job of the staff to review bills for content for summation for the legislator to consider.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Oh thanks for the info

:)