WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats on Thursday introduced a 4,000-page bill aimed at determining why members of Congress consistently fail to read legislation before voting on it.
The bill, formally titled the Comprehensive Legislative Literacy and Transparency Act, was delivered to the House floor on four hand trucks shortly before 11:58 p.m., with a vote scheduled for midnight.
"This is exactly the kind of bold, serious inquiry the American people deserve," said a senior Democratic aide, who acknowledged he had not read the bill. "We need to get to the bottom of this, and we need to do it before anyone has a chance to look at what's in it."
According to a summary distributed to reporters, the legislation would create a 300-member commission to study the issue over 10 years, at a projected cost of $80 billion. Page 2,817 reportedly contains funding for a bridge in a district that does not exist.
"You have to pass it to find out why nobody read it."
The bill passed 218-217. Several members who voted in favor later told reporters they were "excited to learn more about it."
