Voting records not popping up online

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT-MESA -- Two local congressmen aren’t quick to embrace a plan

by a group of congressional interns to post the representatives’ voting

records on their respective Web sites.

However, Rep. Chris Cox (R-Newport Beach) said he supported a

potential revamp of the way the Library of Congress organizes the

information.

The comments came in response to an organized effort, called the

Congressional Voting Record Project, in which 10 interns this summer from

both houses and sides of the aisle urged legislators to post their votes.

Votes are now available to the public via the THOMAS Web site at the

Library of Congress, which can be found at o7 https://thomas.loc.govf7 .

However, the votes are filed by vote not member.

“It should be made better,” Cox said. “That is a useful focus group,

and we ought to take it 100% seriously.”

Votes are cataloged and hand-delivered to each congressional office

each week. The packets, which can be up to 200 pages, would need to be

typed in by hand to be put on the Internet, said Ricardo Bernal, the

press deputy for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach).

Both Cox and Bernal said the information is readily available to those

able to find it.

“It would be duplicating efforts that are already out there,” Bernal

said. “We don’t get a disk [with the votes]. It would be easier if we

did.”

Only two members of the House of Representatives or Senate now include

their own votes on bills on their Web sites -- Rep. Christopher Shays

(R-Conn.) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.).

Wolf’s press deputy, Dan Scandling, agreed that the job is time

consuming.

“Regardless of the amount of time, [Wolf] thinks it’s important that

every voter in his district -- Republican or Democrat, for or against --

know where he stands on each and every issue,” Scandling said.

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .