Jim Baird: “Of the many concerns my constituents had as they looked at the Congress over the last few years, one of the most…”

“Of the many concerns my constituents had as they looked at the Congress over the last few years, one of the most important and troubling had to do with the minimal amount of time we were repeatedly given to address important pieces of legislation. Indeed, it seemed often that the more important the legislation before us, the less time we had to read it. My colleague from Georgia talked momentarily ago about the Medicare prescription drug benefit. During debate on that bill, there were important elements of it that no one seemed to understand. I asked repeatedly if people could explain it. I was told by one speaker on the then-majority side, You will have to ask somebody on the Ways and Means Committee; I am only on the Rules Committee. But we all voted on it. We voted on things repeatedly that we had not been given a chance to read, that were not allowed for amendment, and that was wrong. And I commend our leadership for trying to set a new tone, and I welcome the support of our colleagues on the minority side as they commit to trying to work with us.”