Lincoln: Partisan Politics Block Opportunity for Arkansans To Review Health Reform Amendments

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Lincoln requirement called for health care amendments to be posted online

November 30, 2009 -- Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln today said she was disappointed that partisan politics have blocked her efforts to ensure that all Arkansans have the opportunity to review amendments to the health reform legislation currently before the U.S. Senate.

Earlier today, Senate Republicans blocked Lincoln’s request for amendments to be posted online before they can be offered in the Senate and voted on. Currently, the text of amendments filed in the Senate are not typically made available to the general public until the day after the amendment is filed. Therefore, if an amendment is debated and voted upon the same day it is filed, the public may never have an opportunity to review the text of that amendment until after it has been acted upon by the Senate.

“I was looking forward to reviewing all amendments as they become available, and I want to ensure that my constituents have the same opportunity. Over the past months, I have heard from many Arkansans who are frustrated and lack accurate information on the health care proposals in Congress. In response to their comments, I created my ‘Health Resources Page’ to streamline materials from my own website and other Congressional resources. I will continue to update this page with any materials relevant to the ongoing health reform proposals before Congress,” said Lincoln.

The agreement Lincoln hoped to clear through the Senate today would have allowed Arkansans and all Americans to view the text of each amendment being considered in the Senate, giving constituents the opportunity to follow the floor debate and share their views with Lincoln and other elected representatives. The Senate Finance Committee, of which Lincoln is a member, followed a similar practice while the committee drafted its bill, a process known as “mark-up.”

“I will continue my fight to do all in my power to ensure that as health care is debated in the Senate, Arkansans have ample opportunity to review the bills and share their thoughts and observations with me,” said Lincoln.

Last month, Lincoln led a group of Democratic Senators in pressuring Senate leaders for greater transparency in the health insurance reform debate.

A copy of the text of Lincoln’s October letter is below.

October 6, 2009
The Honorable Harry Reid
Senate Majority Leader
S-221 United States Capitol
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Leader Reid:

As you know, Americans across our country have been actively engaged in the debate on health care reform. Whether or not our constituents agree with the direction of the debate, many are frustrated and lacking accurate information on the emerging proposals in Congress. Without a doubt, reforming health care in America is one of the most monumental and far-reaching undertakings considered by this body in decades. We believe the American public's participation in this process is critical to our overall success of creating a bill that lowers health care costs and offers access to quality and affordable health care for all Americans.

Every step of the process needs to be transparent, and information regarding the bill needs to be readily available to our constituents before the Senate starts to vote on legislation that will affect the lives of every American. The legislative text and complete budget scores from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) of the health care legislation considered on the Senate floor should be made available on a website the public can access for at least 72 hours prior to the first vote to proceed to the legislation. Likewise, the legislative text and complete CBO scores of the health care legislation as amended should be made available to the public for 72 hours prior to the vote on final passage of the bill in the Senate. Further, the legislative text of all amendments filed and offered for debate on the Senate floor should be posted on a public website prior to beginning debate on the amendment on the Senate floor. Lastly, upon a final agreement between the House of Representatives and the Senate, a formal conference report detailing the agreement and complete CBO scores of the agreement should be made available to the public for 72 hours prior to the vote on final passage of the conference report in the Senate.

By publically posting the legislation and its CBO scores 72 hours before it is brought to a vote in the Senate and by publishing the text of amendments before they are debated, our constituents will have the opportunity to evaluate these policies and communicate their concerns or their message of support to their Members of Congress. As their democratically-elected representatives in Washington, D.C., it is our duty to listen to their concerns and to provide them with the chance to respond to proposals that will impact their lives. At a time when trust in Congress and the U.S. government is unprecedentedly low, we can begin to rebuild the American people's faith in their federal government through transparency and by actively inviting Americans to participate in the legislative process.

We respectfully request that you agree to these principles before moving forward with floor debate of this legislation. We appreciate your serious consideration and look forward to working with you on health care reform legislation in the weeks ahead.

Sincerely,
Senator Blanche L. Lincoln
Senator Evan Bayh
Senator Mary L. Landrieu
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman
Senator Claire McCaskill
Senator Ben Nelson
Senator Mark L. Pryor
Senator Jim Webb

Source: Senator Blanche Lincoln