Boehner, Bunning: Post bills, committee work online

House committees should publish online any formal actions they take within 24 hours, the chamber's top Republican said Wednesday.

His effort to codify that idea into law complements a similar effort underway in the Senate to require Congress to post all bills on the Internet 72 hours prior to a vote.

"I'm going to introduce a resolution here in the House that would require all committees to post within 24 hours the actions taken by their committee," House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told Fox News last night.

"I think the American people have a right to see what goes on in their Congress," he added, calling his resolution "common sense." "They have a right to be able to read these bills, just like members of Congress should have the ability to read these bills."

Boehner is just one of many Republican leaders frustrated with the current pace of healthcare reform -- a position he again echoed on Wednesday. He charges Democratic leaders want to rush their reform effort through Congress so that neither members nor constituents have the opportunity to fully "digest" the bill's nuances.

"And that's exactly the point. Let's let people read these bills. Let's let them digest it. Let's let members digest it so that we can make an informed decision before we vote," Boehner explained.

While Boehner pursues his resolution in the House, his GOP colleagues in the Senate are still trying to muster sufficient Democratic support for their effort to post bills online prior to a vote.

In a separate interview, also aired on Fox, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) announced he had officially filed his resolution on Wednesday -- merely days after the Senate Finance Committee rejected the 72-hour rule as an amendment to its healthcare bill.

"We've done a head count on the Republicans, and I have all 40 Republicans who are supporting it," said Bunning, who sits on the committee. "Today, eight Democrats wrote a letter to [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and requested the exact same thing."

Bunning explained that he hoped to bring his proposal up Thursday as an amendment to an appropriations bill, adding "the Democrat leadership would probably demand a 60-vote majority for it."