Friday, March 18, 2011

NPR Defunding Vote: House Violates 72 Hour Rule - Rep. Weiner Employs 720-Point Font in 72-Hour Rule Fight3-17-11


As the House set to vote for a bill that would forbid funding for National Public Radio. The bill, while posted to the Internet on Tuesday morning, was not available for 72 hours or more, which violates the pledge by Speaker John Boehner to afford the public this amount of time to read bills prior to consideration. Rep. Anthony Weiner brings up this point during discussion of the vote.




Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) got the U.S. House of Representatives worked up this morning when he challenged House Republicans on whether a bill to defund NPR had been posted online for 72 hours before consideration, a point he drove home by waving around the giant poster featuring Speaker Boehner's quote on the topic that he carries around with him. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), presiding, pushed back by saying that the rules adopted by the House actually require three working days of public posting; indeed, dem seem to be the rules. More from the Hill on what went down, but let's just say, it's worth a watch.


Note: Our Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry are senior advisors to the Sunlight Foundation.