It’s out there—but not where you might expect. 

You can find the current version at the Heritage Foundation’s website here.  It was subsequently posted here on the National Review’s website.  (If you prefer html, Truth Laid Bear has a version here).  But, as of Monday, May 21 at 5:00 p.m., the current text was not available on official government websites like GPOAccess.gov, or Thomas even while the measure was being debated on the floor of the Senate. 

The Heritage Foundation says that the Senate has been too slow to release the text.  Although the compromise on the bill was only reached on Thursday, May 17, Heritage protests that :

Working behind closed doors for months, a handful of Democratic and Republican staffers, along with a few senators and principals from the Administration, have been drafting a “comprehensive immigration reform package.” Until Saturday morning [May 19], the legislation was unavailable to any other senators or staff, let alone the media, policy analysts, or the general public. *** The document made available here, although marked “DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY,” is being relied upon by senators and staff as the final language to be debated beginning on Monday, May 21, with the expectation of a vote on final passage—without congressional hearings, committee mark-up, fiscal analysis, expert testimony, or public comment—before the end of the week.

As of today, the latest official version (via the Government Printing Office’s GPOAccess site) is this version entitled “S.1348 Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007” current as of May 10, 2007.

The White House has this page dedicated to immigration reform countering the “myths” associated with the proposal with facts.  But no bill text there, either.

What do you think - is it important for legislation to be posted to an official website speedily?  Should private organizations compete to gather and post this information?  Which organizations can citizens rely on?  Should we need to rely on them?