Open government advocates call for 72-hour hold on bailout bill vote

The Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit group that advocates for transparency in government, is urging Congress to wait at least 72 hours before voting on the $700 billion bailout bill. The group has started a petition seeking the extra time for the public to weigh in on the 110-page bill. “This isn’t a bill to rename a few courthouses; this bill is Congress’s biggest intervention in the economy in decades,” said Ellen Miller, the Sunlight Foundation’s executive director, in a statement released this morning. “This important legislation deserves more time for public scrutiny.”