U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., says she wants Arkansans and all Americans to get a good look at health care overhaul legislation before it moves forward in the Senate.

Lincoln, who is up for re-election next year, says transparency in the process would help restore faith in government amid public uncertainty on the monumental issue. An initial vote could come by Friday, she says.

“What’s wrong with taking our time to ensure that not only do we get it right but there’s a comfort level in the people we represent? That’s important,” Lincoln told reporters during a conference call today.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Lincoln outlined a plan to post bill text and Congressional Budget Office cost projections on a public Web site at least 72 hours prior to the first vote to proceed to health reform legislation, before a final vote on the Senate bill and before a Senate vote on a House-Senate compromise.

The letter was signed by fellow Democratic Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Evan Bayh of Indiana, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Jim Webb of Virginia, along with Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Lincoln said she would be disappointed if Senate leaders did not follow her plan but did not say specifically that she would not vote to advance a Senate Finance Committee bill if they did not do so.

“I reserve my right to vote to be able to move a bill forward based on whether or not we’ve come to an accepted agreement about what’s an appropriate amount of time to review these bills,” she said.

Tags: Blanche Lincoln

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