Posted on 05/03/2006 10:01:15 AM PDT by Crackingham
State Senate Democrats, angry that chamber President Tom Lee pulled a parliamentary move to resurrect a school-voucher proposal that had died a day earlier, responded with a maneuver of their own this morning: Insisting that each bill be read in its mind-numbing entirety, bringing the chamber to a near standstill. Assuming it lasts all day, the bill-reading decision could mean high-profile legislation might die without a vote when the 60-day lawmaking session ends Friday. Among the bills: insurance fixes, hurricane response and preparation, and a plan to give inmates access to DNA tests to prove their innocence.
A monstrous time-killer looms: the 433-page budget, the only bill the Legislature is required to pass, could take hours to read. Sen. Walter ''Skip'' Campbell, a Tamarac Democrat, said the Democrats would call off the bill reading if they get a guarantee that the voucher bill will remain dead.
Democrats warned Lee Tuesday night that he was weakening trust in the once-clubby Senate when he decided to have the chamber reconsider a proposed constitutional amendment concerning vouchers, which allow public money to be spent on private schools. Democrats say the vouchers will ruin public education. Republicans insist it will improve it and give parents more choices. The amendment, a priority of Gov. Jeb Bush, failed by just one vote on Monday. It can now be voted on anew.
Normally, bills are read by their title only -- such as ''an act relating to trust funds'' -- but the state Constitution allows for the reading of the entire text if at least one-third of the chamber votes do to so. Democrats hold 14 seats in the 40-member Senate, just over one-third.
(Excerpt) Read more at miami.com ...
Maybe all bills should have to be read in entirety...that way there'd be fewer of them.
They need that speed-talker guy.
What an excellent idea! And a new law could be passed requiring that no bill can be submitted if it takes more than 10 minutes to read aloud.
I'd be satisfied with requiring each representative to execute a written statement under oath that he/she has read a bill in its entirety before voting on it.
Why, that would be like releasing illegal immigrants on their own recognizance.
"Insisting that each bill be read in its mind-numbing entirety"
You mean they might actually know what they are voting on? That is horrible! How dare they!
I'm looking for the down side, here. If they read all of the bills in chambers, maybe they will have a glimmer of what it is they are voting on.
Could vastly improve the caliber of legislation that oozes out of the legislature.
All bills should have to be read and reread. I can't believe they can legally sign them without reading them first.
Ah, the Party of obstruction hard at work again showing the world that they have no solutions to offer for fixing today's problems.
Perhaps everyone voting in favor should personally type the text into a computer terminal. If the majority agree -- down to the last comma -- then the bill passes.
Democrats know all the dirty tricks and they arent afraid to use them, I wish the republicans had the balls to use some of them.
Considering that there is so much detail that is hidden in the bills, I think this is a great idea.
Maybe all bills should have to be read in entirety...that way there'd be fewer of them.
I will vote for that, after reading it.
I Second that emotion. (:^D)
Is there any other kind???
The rat can do little else in the Sunshine State, but watch as the grown ups do the business of government.
Each GOP member should read a separate part at the same time.
"Democrats say the vouchers will ruin public education."
That's the whole point!!
Besides. How can you 'ruin' something that was a disaster from the beginning?
These Dem lapdogs of the NEA would rather see the entire state go down rather than endanger that union's campaign contributions for this fall's elections. That tells you everything you need to know about Democrats.
Left out of the article,
Skip Campbell (D) is a lawyer from Broward County which was ground Zero for the 2000 election. He is not just a "D" but a heavy "D" party man. He is also heavy into JUDICIAL politics with his law firm.
It is also important to point out the "D" party is VERY dependant on the teacher's union in FL. Down in Broward County there is one of the largest school districts in the country. For Democrats this voucher debate is more do or die than it is for the teachers.
follow the money.
These guys learned these tactics from the Democrats in the Senate lead by Harry Reid!
Fewer and shorter, less prone to be loaded up with amendments to pay for paving a representative's driveway.
and could vastly reduce the number of bills submitted. The wealth of benefits to this is breathtaking.
The Republican majority should grab this bull by the horns and pass a law requiring that all bills be read in their entirety.
Gee Crack, you post a lot of articles but you never seem to offer a comment on them.
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