OpenGov - Open Government Brainstorm

Why limit bills to PDF? Why not just plain vanilla ASCII? I'm voting yes on this because having text of the bills online prior to votes is good and I don't want to suggest the perfect (ASCII) should rule out the good.

I believe that the public should have at least five days to view bills/amendments online. I believe that's what the President promised. AND the bills need to be searchable. The CONgress played a lot of games with the stimulus bill and American's must put a stop to this happening again regardless of party.

Plus, yes, we should save a few forests.

It has to be backed by something that cannot be edited later. Microfilm, or something.

Otherwise, we lose control of history.

great comments...I don't care what form it's placed on the internet with as long as it's on here. As for back up that cannot be edited...burn it onto a disc and distribute thoughout congress. Carrying around 1000 page text is ridiculus in this day and age unless your trying to hide something.

actually, I thought they were. I've gone to the congress website and seen the bills there.

lately they have been printing them only on paper until they are passed then they are putting them online. It makes no sense to print out that many paper copies of a bill over a 1000 pages long. It really got my goat the other day that they hired a speed reader to read it in front of congress so that we could not question that they never read the bill.