Overstaffed?
I received the missive below from a veteran of the Legislative Building. I should note that the author is not a yellow-dog Democrat, but rather someone who is sympathetic to the new Republican majority and its (supposed) agenda.
“Long-time legislative observers are scratching their heads trying to remember if they’ve ever seen a staff person for a legislative leader actually present a bill to a committee. That sorry spectacle played out last week at the General Assembly when the chief of staff for the House speaker explained a gun bill to a Senate committee and then got into a hallway snit with a member of the Senate who took umbrage with the entire fiasco.
“The inappropriate committee appearance by Charles Thomas, a former House member, raises questions and eyebrows about the role of the leadership staff at the General Assembly and about the focus of the GOP caucus:
1. “Why is Thomas speaking in committee? Is he the only person in the building who understands the issue? Is it a personal agenda nobody else believed in it? Was there no elected member who would (or could) stand up there and explain it? Or is Thomas too egotistical to trust a mere House member to handle such important matters?
2. “Why are Thomas and his colleagues so obsessed with guns? The proposed legislation in question was the latest NRA agenda item at the General Assembly, and would allow the legislative sergeants at arms to carry guns. But why? These guys are supposed to keep order in committee rooms and remove poorly behaved or drunk legislators from the floor, not have gun battles with terrorists.
3. “Do we want the General Assembly to operate like Washington where the size and influence of the professional legislative staff has grown with kudzu-like intensity? Staff members play a critical role, but Thomas took it too far. The elected members are accountable to voters, not some know-it-all stuffed shirt.
“Frankly, Thomas’s indiscretion was a blip in the legislative world, and will be forgotten as soon as the next outrage occurs.
Overstaffed?
I received the missive below from a veteran of the Legislative Building. I should note that the author is not a yellow-dog Democrat, but rather someone who is sympathetic to the new Republican majority and its (supposed) agenda.
“Long-time legislative observers are scratching their heads trying to remember if they’ve ever seen a staff person for a legislative leader actually present a bill to a committee. That sorry spectacle played out last week at the General Assembly when the chief of staff for the House speaker explained a gun bill to a Senate committee and then got into a hallway snit with a member of the Senate who took umbrage with the entire fiasco.
“The inappropriate committee appearance by Charles Thomas, a former House member, raises questions and eyebrows about the role of the leadership staff at the General Assembly and about the focus of the GOP caucus:
1. “Why is Thomas speaking in committee? Is he the only person in the building who understands the issue? Is it a personal agenda nobody else believed in it? Was there no elected member who would (or could) stand up there and explain it? Or is Thomas too egotistical to trust a mere House member to handle such important matters?
2. “Why are Thomas and his colleagues so obsessed with guns? The proposed legislation in question was the latest NRA agenda item at the General Assembly, and would allow the legislative sergeants at arms to carry guns. But why? These guys are supposed to keep order in committee rooms and remove poorly behaved or drunk legislators from the floor, not have gun battles with terrorists.
3. “Do we want the General Assembly to operate like Washington where the size and influence of the professional legislative staff has grown with kudzu-like intensity? Staff members play a critical role, but Thomas took it too far. The elected members are accountable to voters, not some know-it-all stuffed shirt.
“Frankly, Thomas’s indiscretion was a blip in the legislative world, and will be forgotten as soon as the next outrage occurs.