PolitiFact | No. 234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills

PolitiFact | No. 234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills: "Obama signs first law without Web comment

Updated: Thursday, January 29th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

One of President Obama's major campaign planks was making government more open and accountable. It's a reaction to a habit in Congress of rushing bills through the House and Senate without giving people much opportunity to know what the bills would do. Indeed, sometimes members of Congress don't even know what's in the bills.

So Obama pledged during the campaign to institute 'sunlight before signing.'

'Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them,' Obama's campaign Web site states. 'As president, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.'

But the first bill Obama signed into law as president -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- got no such vetting.

In fact, the Congressional Record shows that the law was passed in the Senate on Jan. 22, 2009, passed in the House on Jan. 27, and signed by the president on Jan. 29. So only two days passed between the bill's final passage and the signing.

The legislation was not posted to the White House Web site for comment in any way that we could find."

To reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them, Obama "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days."

Sources: Obama ethics plan

He has NO ETHICS.