Rules Committee Hold-Up
It's amazing what you can find when you go clicking through BASIS.
For instance, consider this: there are apparently no bills flowing through the Senate Rules Committee. Senate Bill 45, the Sonya Ivanoff Law, which I have been following closely from a professional angle floated through its first two committees but has now been stuck in Rules since February 12th. The much-touted ethics legislation has been stuck there as long. It just strikes me as odd that while the House is passing laws left and right, the Senate has hardly voted on anything.
I don't know what John Cowdery is up to but that has never stopped me from a little blatant speculation (or b.s. as you might call it) with varying degrees of seriousness:
- Cowdery is sick and can't have a meeting of the committee. Nope, he was at a Senate HESS Committee meeting yesterday and he surely has a vice-chair.
- Cowdery's office was searched by the FBI last August so maybe he's corrupt and doesn't want those ethics bills to pass. If so, this might confirm Gene Therriault's objections at the beginning of the term.
- The bipartisan Senate majority wants to avoid any issue that is mildly controversial for fear of splitting apart on the Senate floor. If that's the case, and they think Sonya Ivanoff is too controversial, they're never going to get anything done this term.
3 comments:
My limited experience has been that a “feel good, do good” piece of legislation that all agree on will sometimes be held back as a bargaining chip to pass other legislation. While none of the legislators will (publicly) oppose this bill, they can stall it for concessions toward their pet bills. Superficially, while it might seem to be posturing, this is where politics come in to play: Be nice to mine and I’ll be nice to yours-then you will see toward the end of session a flurry of bills with this important piece put in the same school to lend credence toward works.
Thanks! I didn't know that.
I still think the House is making the Senate look like a bunch of slackers.
-Jesse
Ha, you have that right, the Senate is waiting for the other shoe to drop on this FBI musical parade we have. In the meanwhile, if anyone is dirty, they won’t be pushing for any bills that will make them or their party look like hypocrites. So: nothing will happen as they minimize exposure, keeping their heads barely above water, waiting for Froto to throw the ring and they all dive fast and deep to see who comes up Lord of the Rings. All supposition on my part but what the hell, I have to admit it is fun to think so.
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