TimesLeader.com

Stop, look, and listen to health bill

Reading of proposed legislation will be held Wednesday at Lackawanna County Courthouse Square.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer

SCRANTON – You’ve heard of books on tape. How about bills read aloud on the courthouse grounds?

A group of Northeast Pennsylvanians will take turns reading the more than 1,000-page piece of proposed legislation on Wednesday. Organizers believe it will take about 11 hours to read the bill, beginning at 10 a.m. The reading will conclude with a candlelight vigil from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

While the reading is going on, the organizers are encouraging attendees to discuss health care under a tent being set up. Information on health care, as well as free ice coffee and ice tea will be available under the tent.

The bill, officially known as HR 3200, has divided the nation in recent weeks. Town hall meetings scheduled for general topics have turned into discussions solely on health care reform. The debate has divided Democrats, with the liberal and conservative factions both threatening to vote against it unless it’s worded to their liking.

While there are 38 people signed up to help read the bill, others are invited to join.

“This bill is long enough that I’m not afraid of having too many people,” said Roxanne Pauline, of Taylor, one of the organizers of the event.

She said among those who have signed up to read are nurses, teachers, housewives and retirees. And they’re not all pro-health care reform. Some are undecided, others are in favor of a single-payer system, which is not what’s proposed in the bill, but many are in favor of the bill, Pauline said.

She said the bill is “long and tedious” so readers will find ways to spice it up.

Barb Zandler of Pittston will do her sections in Spanish, another will speak as if he’s William Shatner and others will add dramatic or comedic effect when necessary. It helps that many of the readers are members of area theater leagues, including Wilkes-Barre’s Little Theatre and The Actors Circle in the Providence Playhouse.

Pauline said she doesn’t expect any visitors to stick around all day to hear the entire bill, but she hopes those passing by will stop and listen and think about what the bill means to them.

“This is the most important piece of legislation of our lifetime. If it fails now, we won’t see it come back around for another 20, 40 years,” Pauline said.

Eric Graff, of Mountain Top, is one of the 38 set to read on Wednesday. He said people who form opinions based on talking points or rumors should read the bill and learn what’s in there. He supported Barack Obama’s campaign for presidency and said this is a continuation of seeing through President Obama’s promise for reform.

The tent and reading will take place on the Washington Avenue side of Lackawanna County Courthouse Square in Scranton.

Find out more

To participate or learn more about the event, e-mail kingofunny@aol.com or Roxiep9@aol.com.