On Dec. 6, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, "(W)e promised the American people that we would have the most honest and most open government and we will." Unfortunately, she went back on her word. The Washington Post recently wrote, "When Republicans took over in 1995, they at least went through the motions of putting their 'Contract With America' proposals through the normal committee process. Democrats under Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have decided not to bother with that, nor to let Republicans offer amendments on the floor, nor even to put a GOP alternative up for a vote."

Decisions about the "100 Hours Agenda" were made behind closed doors, out of public view and without the transparency promised to the American people by Democratic leaders. On Jan. 27, a commentary ( "Bilbray's voting record shames the 50th," ) appeared in this paper criticizing my voting record on the "100 Hours Agenda" and called for an explanation.

I voted against H.R. 1, the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act, because ensuring the security of the American people rests exclusively with the United States government. The legislation we voted on would have taken some of that responsibility out of our hands and into the control of outside parties. We cannot afford to leave our homeland security up to someone else.

H.R. 2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, called for an increase of the federal minimum wage, something I support, but failed to offer any protections for small businesses. This would have resulted in job losses of 20 percent (1.6 million) of the nation's minimum wage work force. The National Federation of Independent Business reported that nearly 98 percent of new businesses are small businesses and account for two-thirds of the nation's new jobs. Without tax relief for small businesses, H.R. 2 will stifle competition and force small business owners to choose between laying workers off and reducing employee benefits to cut costs.

H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, would be a terrific measure if only it achieved what it promised. Reviews of H.R. 4 conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services concluded that government negotiations mandated in the bill would not produce any savings. Rather than expand the drugs seniors need access to, this legislation would actually restrict access to many drugs that treat our most debilitating diseases.

H.R. 6, the Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act, is another bill that sounds good but doesn't follow through with the promises made by its supporters. H.R. 6 is really a tax increase masquerading as energy policy. Ultimately, the costs will be passed off to the consumers, so this bill ends up being a tax on everybody.

The "100 Hours Agenda" included some compelling ideas. Unfortunately, the Democratic majority put politics ahead of process and circumvented the legislative process. Looking ahead, I am hopeful that Congressional leaders will keep true to the promises they made and allow the business of the American people to be decided in an open, honest and transparent way.

- Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Escondido, represents the 50th Congressional District of California and is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.