Behind the Scenes
The attached article about bills on the special session (one so far), says, "Huntsman has until 48 hours before the session starts to decide if other bills will be considered." That 48-hours provision is the result of a constitutional amendment I ran (and the voters ratified) in 2002. Here's the story.
In 2001, we had a two-day special session. Gov. Leavitt kept adding items to the call, even after we convened the session on the first day. This meant we would have to research the issues that night, to be ready to act on the items the next day; I also had a specific piece of legislation I was bird-dogging and for which I would have to polish my presentation that night. Late in the first day of the session, I got the worst stomach virus ever known to man and spent the night . . . well . . . let's just say I spent the night unpleasantly. I called Rep. David Clark around 10 p.m. at his hotel: "Dave, [gasp, retch, grunt], get over here, man. I think I'm dying. Bring Pepto Bismal. [retch] And a gun."
Dave's not a bad nurse at all; but his bedside manners are lacking. It's a tough thing to be going through the throes of death only to have your medical help convulsing in fits of laughter.
Anyway. More detail than you needed. I decided around 3 or 4 a.m. that night that it would be a good thing to have some advance warning as to what would be on a special session call (not only for legislators but also, and especially, for the public who should have the right to provide input on the issues). Now, 48-hours advance notice is required for items to be placed on a special session call.
I'd like to see a civics teacher share that little insight into democratic process with the class. "Boys and girls, how do stomach viruses affect legislation?"
I dislike special sessions, because they effectively shut the public out of the process (because there typically aren't committee hearings and the items blow through so fast that the public really can't inform itself and take action to shape the outcome). No setting favors special interests or tied-in interests more than a special session. For these reasons, I'm working to keep items off the call that were not fully vetted during the recent general session. For example, because of the level of recent input on the issues, I think it would be entirely appropriate to consider No Child Left Behind (which, by the way, had another public hearing today at the direction of the bill's sponsor/Education Interim Committee co-chair Rep. Margaret Dayton), the Drug Offender Reform Act, and the Veteran's Nursing Home.
In 2001, we had a two-day special session. Gov. Leavitt kept adding items to the call, even after we convened the session on the first day. This meant we would have to research the issues that night, to be ready to act on the items the next day; I also had a specific piece of legislation I was bird-dogging and for which I would have to polish my presentation that night. Late in the first day of the session, I got the worst stomach virus ever known to man and spent the night . . . well . . . let's just say I spent the night unpleasantly. I called Rep. David Clark around 10 p.m. at his hotel: "Dave, [gasp, retch, grunt], get over here, man. I think I'm dying. Bring Pepto Bismal. [retch] And a gun."
Dave's not a bad nurse at all; but his bedside manners are lacking. It's a tough thing to be going through the throes of death only to have your medical help convulsing in fits of laughter.
Anyway. More detail than you needed. I decided around 3 or 4 a.m. that night that it would be a good thing to have some advance warning as to what would be on a special session call (not only for legislators but also, and especially, for the public who should have the right to provide input on the issues). Now, 48-hours advance notice is required for items to be placed on a special session call.
I'd like to see a civics teacher share that little insight into democratic process with the class. "Boys and girls, how do stomach viruses affect legislation?"
I dislike special sessions, because they effectively shut the public out of the process (because there typically aren't committee hearings and the items blow through so fast that the public really can't inform itself and take action to shape the outcome). No setting favors special interests or tied-in interests more than a special session. For these reasons, I'm working to keep items off the call that were not fully vetted during the recent general session. For example, because of the level of recent input on the issues, I think it would be entirely appropriate to consider No Child Left Behind (which, by the way, had another public hearing today at the direction of the bill's sponsor/Education Interim Committee co-chair Rep. Margaret Dayton), the Drug Offender Reform Act, and the Veteran's Nursing Home.
posted by steve u. at 4/05/2005
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1 Comments:
That sounds like a grand idea. Now if you could only keep those riders from attaching themselves to the end of those massive budget bills! LOL.
Seriously, I would like to make it a law that every piece of legislation voted on has to be read by the legislators! That way, they cannot complain afterward. I want accountability. Gee wiz.
It is good to see you are continuing your blog. I believe I am going to add a section to my blogroll: Politicians' Blogs! Hehehe. I live in CA, but we look all over anyway. I will be happy to add your site to my blogroll. Have a great day. (I hope your-er-stomach is feeling better. :)
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