I have been travelling to Augusta now for two month’s and I must say it has been an enlightening experience. We convene session most Tuesdays and Thursday and after the beginning ceremonies ( where ministers from various regions of the state are invited to open in pray, and school bands or local vocalists lead us in the national anthem), we introduce the doctor of the day, honorary pages who are visiting with their elected representatives and special guests in the gallery. Then we get down to “Business” referring bills to committee and offering up special sentiments. I know this sounds odd but it is part and parcel of the operations of the state legislature. A bit of background from those of you scratching your heads and wondering what the heck are they doing??? The process of the Legislature is similar to a long train leaving the station, the engine is pick up steam before the caboose starts to move. We typically have had a date (cloture day) by which members need to file the intent of bills (at least the title) they are working on, these are reviewed by the Legislative Council comprised of the leadership of both parties in the House and Senate (Speaker, President, Minority and Majority Leaders and their Assistant Leaders, a total of ten individuals). This council reviews proposed bills and determines if they can be paired with similar measures, then they try to coordinate the flow of proposed legislation and set a schedule for moving these items through the committee structure. In an effort to try and reduce the number of bills usually submitted, the cloture day was extended from December 23rd 2008 to January 23rd 2009. The goal was somewhat successful as it appears we have about 20% less bills this session. These measures then go to the Office of the Revisor where they are reviewed, refined and compared to current statue to make sure there is not a law currently on the books similar to or conflicted with the proposed legislation. Now the proposals have to be “loaded on the right train” meaning they must come before the House and Senate and be referred to committees for public hearings and work sessions. This is where the public can have their say and members of the committees of jurisdiction will work with proponents and opponents to craft a suitable proposal to present to the full Legislature for a vote.
As the date for cloture was moved back so too has the flow of bills ready for consideration, the result has slowed down the committee process and meant we spend more time driving to and from Augusta then we do in session. It has been somewhat frustrating for those of us who are busy but we have learned to be patient, the Legislature runs on its own special time.
With over 2,000 bills you can see the benefit of this process, as you have a full plate just researching issues before your committee and bills you are sponsoring, it is near impossible to read every bill that will come up for a vote let alone all proposals submitted for consideration. You come to rely on the process to do its work and bring forward a reasonable and well researched product. If a committee unanimously supports a proposal it gives you some assurance that the process has run its course and likewise a unanimous report of ought not to pass tells you this issue may not yet be ready for consideration.
In fairness the clerks and staff have use some of this time to provide more training for new members, we have had various groups hosting events to bring us more information on issue that will come before the Legislature so there has been productive opportunities.
During these challenging economic times we are dealing with the need to reduce spending to accommodate reduced revenues. The Appropriations Committee has been going full tilt and we can be thankful for some of the veteran members like Senators Bill Diamond and Richard Rosen and Representatives Sawin Millett, John Martin, Bob Nutting and Peggy Rotundo, they understand the process and how to ask the right questions. I will continue to outline aspects of the supplemental budget in a future posting.