GOP gets its meter moving

On the first day of the 112th Congress, House Republicans adopted rules aimed at fulfilling several of the promises they made on the campaign trail in 2010.

In most cases, the rules will determine how and when House members can bring legislation to the floor for consideration. The rules proposed by the Republicans include several new measures they had promised. One says that the legislation should be posted online for three days before lawmakers vote. Another says committee hearings should be broadcast over the Internet.

For now, we’re moving three promises from the status of Not Yet Rated to In the Works.

Webcast committee hearings. The resolution’s passage represents a significant step toward keeping this promise. This promise also includes posting committee transcripts on the Internet.

Publish the text of bills online at least three days before a House vote. The rules say this should happen as a point of order; we’ll be watching to see if there are exceptions.

Develop standards for the type of legislation that will be brought to the floor. The rules set out several standards, but the Republicans promised even more. Yesterday’s action marks partial progress.

We’re still looking through through the new rules to see what other promises are affected, and we’ll post additional findings soon.