Baird's 72-hours quest gets GOP supporter

A decade ago, when U.S. Rep. Brian Baird was learning the ropes as a freshman in Congress, the concept seemed to him like a no-brainer: Give lawmakers time to read and understand complex spending bills before they have to vote on them.

But over the past decade, the Vancouver Democrat has run into brick walls — both from Republican leaders and, since 2006, from leaders in his own party — in trying to institute a 72-hour public review period on major spending legislation.

Now House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, has claimed the idea as his own.

In a post on a White House Web site dedicated to government transparency, Boehner said his 72-hour review proposal "would help to prevent taxpayer-funded outrages" such as an airport in the congressional district of Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and huge bonuses for American International Group Inc.

Baird responded to the news that he had a new ally with a hearty laugh.

"That's an innovative idea," he said. "I should sign on to that."

For the past five years, Baird has been pushing for a change in House rules to require the waiting period — to no avail.

"We actually had a sign up by our door listing various pieces of legislation, how much time was spent on each bill, and how much money each one spent," he said.

For example, he said, Congress spent less than 24 hours reviewing the Bush administration's massive Medicare prescription drug bill, which committed the nation to spending at least $500 billion in the first five years.

Baird recalled that he and his staff pulled an all-nighter in an effort to dissect the bill page by page. They found one section — describing how premiums would be raised under the new Medicare bill — that no one could explain.

"One of the most frustrating things that can happen is to vote for a bill with good intentions and find out later that it has unintended consequences," Baird said. "Several years ago, there was an appropriations bill that I was the only one to vote against. We discovered after its passage that it contained a provision allowing any member of the Ways and Means Committee staff to look at individual tax returns. The House had to come back into special session to take that out."

Republicans supported fast-tracking big spending bills when they were in power, but now the shoe is on the other foot, Baird said. "They're complaining now that they are in the minority, and accusing Democrats of doing what they did. I'm glad they are finally catching on."

But he doesn't give the current Democratic leaders a pass on the issue.

"I've talked to our leadership about the need," he said. "I think the Democrats have made some improvements, but there are still too many times when important bills are brought up without time to read them. The general response is, they are sympathetic, but practical realities don't allow them to wait."

Baird introduced resolutions in 2006 and 2007 that would have amended House rules to require a 72-hour waiting period, but neither made it out of committee. Boehner was not a co-sponsor of either resolution.

More often than not, the deadlines legislative leaders set are artificial, Baird said. For example, instead of pushing to pass a major spending bill before a congressional recess, he'd like to use that time back in the district to hear what his constituents have to say.

There appears to be broad public support for a 72-hour budget time-out, judging from partial responses to a White House Web site transparent-government poll. Boehner's proposal attracted 967 votes of support, more than any other idea on the site, which is hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration. About 170 votes were posted in opposition.

In Washington state, the conservative Evergreen Freedom Foundation and Washington Policy Center both support a 72-hour state budget review period modeled on Baird's proposal.

The Legislature's newest member, Republican Rep. David Taylor, introduced a bill in the waning days of the 2009 session that would have required a 72-hour review period prior to holding hearings or voting on appropriation and revenue bills for the state.

Taylor, who announced Monday that he will seek election to the 15th District seat he was appointed to this year, appears to have had a reaction similar to Baird's when he got a first-hand look at this year's closed budget process in Olympia.

"The Legislature had an opportunity this year to change the way our government works; unfortunately, that did not happen," Taylor said in a statement. "It's time we bring some common sense back to Olympia."

Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.