Group Urges Temporary Rules
From Common Cause Pennsylvania:
Amid fanfare, flowers, family, and photos Pennsylvania’s newly elected General Assembly will begin its 193rd legislative session today. While the today’s activities are generally ceremonial, one set of very high impact votes will be taken – approving chamber rules. The chamber rules will determine how the legislature will do its business for the next two years. However, while a vote on rules likely will be scheduled for today, late yesterday rank-and-file lawmaker still had not seen this set of rules, generally scores of pages in length with arcane procedures, that will determine how they must conduct nearly all of their official acts.
“The way the legislature does its business can have dramatic effect on the quality of the laws and public policies it produces”, said Common Cause/PA Executive Director, Barry Kauffman. He stated that the chamber rules determine whether power will be concentrated in a handful of caucus leaders or whether it will be distributed among all legislators. “The rules determine whether rank-and-file lawmakers can get fair hearings on issues important to their constituents, whether the can play meaningful roles, or whether they will be buried in the rewards system for the loyal foot soldiers.”
In a letter delivered to every member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly yesterday, Common Cause urged lawmakers to pass only temporary chamber rules today, so that they can have time to examine the proposed operating procedures for the 2009-10 session, consider reforms that will modernize and democratize the process (such as those considered and recommended last session by the Speakers Commission on Legislative Reform), and then act with informed judgments to upgrade the quality of the legislature’s deliberative process. The citizens lobby also urged Speaker-designate Keith McCall to re-establish the Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform.
Amid fanfare, flowers, family, and photos Pennsylvania’s newly elected General Assembly will begin its 193rd legislative session today. While the today’s activities are generally ceremonial, one set of very high impact votes will be taken – approving chamber rules. The chamber rules will determine how the legislature will do its business for the next two years. However, while a vote on rules likely will be scheduled for today, late yesterday rank-and-file lawmaker still had not seen this set of rules, generally scores of pages in length with arcane procedures, that will determine how they must conduct nearly all of their official acts.
“The way the legislature does its business can have dramatic effect on the quality of the laws and public policies it produces”, said Common Cause/PA Executive Director, Barry Kauffman. He stated that the chamber rules determine whether power will be concentrated in a handful of caucus leaders or whether it will be distributed among all legislators. “The rules determine whether rank-and-file lawmakers can get fair hearings on issues important to their constituents, whether the can play meaningful roles, or whether they will be buried in the rewards system for the loyal foot soldiers.”
In a letter delivered to every member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly yesterday, Common Cause urged lawmakers to pass only temporary chamber rules today, so that they can have time to examine the proposed operating procedures for the 2009-10 session, consider reforms that will modernize and democratize the process (such as those considered and recommended last session by the Speakers Commission on Legislative Reform), and then act with informed judgments to upgrade the quality of the legislature’s deliberative process. The citizens lobby also urged Speaker-designate Keith McCall to re-establish the Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform.
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