Dems hire speed reader for climate change bill

(Compiler's note: In 1970 the average length of a bill was 35 pages. In 2009, that number has grown to 700 pages and no one is reading them now. What ever happened to careful deliberation on matter concerning spending the people's money. Are we witnessing a new method of theft?)

From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As Congress prepares for a weeklong recess next week, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have armed themselves with a special weapon to deal with a possible Republican effort to delay getting a major piece of legislation out of committee by Memorial Day.

Democrats on the committee have hired a speed reader to read the more than 900-page climate change bill if necessary.

A request to have the entire bill read aloud is a prerogative Republicans have a right to invoke which could be used to frustrate Committee Chairman Henry Waxman's deadline of Memorial Day to get the committee's work on the bill done.

Even with the use of the speed reader, reading the entire bill could take the equivalent of more than a full work day of time.

–CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.