Cord Byrd: “It seems to me that a good legislator would seek to know what is in a bill. I am just trying to play the part of what I…”

“It seems to me that a good legislator would seek to know what is in a bill. I am just trying to play the part of what I think a good legislator ought to do. A good legislator ought to try to understand what is in a bill. And we have been deprived, to a degree, of knowing earlier what was in this bill; having the benefit of a committee report as an explanation of what is in the bill. We were deprived of that, not through my fault, not through anybody's fault on this side of the aisle, but actually against the wishes of certain Senators on this side of the aisle who are on those committees. A good legislator, it seems to me, would want to know what is in a bill. He would want access to a committee report. I have been in legislative bodies now going on my 49th year and I have found it beneficial to have committee reports. I think the American people want their legislators to know what is in a bill. We owe that to the American people.”