When rules don't apply: Committee holds public hearing on title-only tax bill, no public notice
Posted by Amber Gunn - March 09, 2010
How in the heck does a legislative committee hold a hearing on a title-only bill? SB 6853 was introduced today and also scheduled for a public hearing today at 1:30 in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. H/t to Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center for bringing this to my attention.
The bill is titled "Relating to creating the legislative review of tax preferences act of 2010." It has only one section and it looks like this:
The answer: because they are more concerned with ramming their priorities through than they are with keeping the public informed and involved in the process. You see, public input is painful, slow and often generates conflict. Legislators don't like to be bothered with it when it isn't convenient.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. This act shall be known and cited as the legislative review of tax preferences act of 2010.
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Awesome.
How is the public supposed to comment on a title-only bill? How is anyone supposed to know what the bill does? Why would a committee even bother to hold a public hearing on a title-only bill?
The answer: because they are more concerned with ramming their priorities through than they are with keeping the public informed and involved in the process. You see, public input is painful, slow and often generates conflict. Legislators don't like to be bothered with it when it isn't convenient.So they are breaking their own rules. Senate Committee Rule 45 requires at least five days notice before a public hearing is held. But this one, of course, gets suspended more often than not. The current bill is no exception.
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