H.R.554 - Remember HR 554? That's the measure that would require the text of non-emergency legislation be placed on the Internet at least 72 hours in advance of a vote. Want to know what's happening with HR 554? Nothing. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is working to ensure that nothing continues to happen by keeping the bill languishing in committee. There's a way around that, though, and Let Freedom Ring has found it. It's called a "discharge." With a sufficient number of signers, a discharge petition will remove a bill from a committee and force it directly to the House floor for a vote.

With a campaign entitled "We the People Can Read," Let Freedom Ring is campaigning for more Representatives to sign on to a discharge petition for HR 554. When you visit the Web page set aside for this purpose, you'll learn more about HR 554 and you'll see a list of House members and their current status where the discharge petition is concerned. You'll also find a list of talking points as well as contact information for your own Representative. Only 36 more signatures are needed as of this writing.

All too often we're not aware of even the salient points of bills until it's too late. HR 554 would give everybody—activists, interested parties, even politicians—both the time and the wherewithal to see just what a "yea" or "nay" vote would really mean. Only those politicians who don't want us to know what's happening could fail to support HR 554 and the mechanism needed to get it to the floor for a vote. And any politician who doesn't certainly deserves to have his constituents kow he prefers to keep them in the dark! Make your phone calls urging your representative to sign the discharge petition and then vote in favor of HR 554 today!

See the bills in the Senate and House.