How many Congressmen read the bills? We know the answer, as it is practically none.
In fact, the system is set up so they will NOT read the bills, which allows the authors of bills to write in riders and other egregious pieces of legislation that go unnoticed, until its too late.
As the saying goes, “It’s all fun and games, until somebody loses an eye.” So in the spirit of proving his case, Tom Moore, Jr,a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973 from McLennan County decided to prove a point.
Moore played an April Fool’s Day prank whereby he proved that his fellow legislators often did not read the legislation they were approving, and thus were members of the “Dirty Thirty.”
Moore introduced legislation on April 1, 1971 commending Albert de Salvo—more commonly known as the Boston Strangler—and part of the legislation read as follows:
This compassionate gentleman’s dedication and devotion to his work has enabled the weak and the lonely throughout the nation to achieve and maintain a new degree of concern for their future. He has been officially recognized by the state of Massachusetts for his noted activities and unconventional techniques involving population control and applied psychology.
The bill was unanimously passed by the House. However, Moore later withdrew the legislation, explaining he had only offered it to prove an important point that his fellow legislators didn’t read much of the legislation they voted on. And though this happened years ago, it is still the practice of Congress today.
