Long hot summer; no fun in the minority party
I got busy with this story yesterday (Tuesday) on the tax package passed by the House Finance Committee. (The full House will take up the measure today - Wednesday.)
The important bit about that bill is it provides for a continuing resolution, which keeps the government running while the legislature haggles.
No one can predict the future, but lots of folks were skeptical of the line that the CR was just there in case things didn't get done. Lobbyists, legislative staffers and even some of the honorables took the introduction of a CR as a sign that it could be long hot summer here at the legislature.
But as a result of covering that story (and not having a lot of extra room in today's paper) an other story I was working on got displaced.
It seems the Republicans are unhappy their legislative agenda isn't getting heard. Particularly, last week's crossover deadline for bills that don't spend or generate money passed without some key GOP-backed items getting so much as a committee hearing.
The GOP honorables even brought newly re-confirmed state GOP chairman Ferrell Blount to the Legislative Building to reinforce that message.
But don't think nothing is getting done by the GOP representatives and senators.
Many have been able to get bills passed, particularly if they were things that affected their home districts or were nuts and bolts type legislation.
It's the broad planks of the Republican platform that aren't getting heard. For example, some of the specific items cited yesterday include:
Of course, the complaints that North Carolina Republicans are waging sound an awful lot like the complaints of Democrats serving in the federal legislature. It's just no fun being in the minority party.
And one might ask if the Republicans were in charge, wouldn't the Democrats have a similar litany of bills they couldn't get heard. Actually, I did ask.
Click here for audio of the answers I got. After I ask the question, the first person you'll hear is Blount, who doesn't really answer my question. Next is House Republican Whip Mitch Gillespie who blames GOP woes on "Liberal Democrats," but doesn't really answer my question. Then you'll hear another reporter ask Gillespie a couple questions. And then Sen. Phil Berger, a Republican from Guilford and Rockingham counties, chimes in on my question. Berger answers me pretty much straight up, saying that the GOP would allow opposition bills to be heard should the Republicans take control. (The whole section is a little more than four minutes.)
Comments (3)
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The premise behind HB 1488 is moderate politically. It borrows from "right-to-know" statutes in the field of environmental hazards, safety, labelling, etc. There is nothing wrong with requiring that young women lacking in knowledge be presented with certain facts, and be required to take some time to think it over. In fact, the process of informed consent is enshrined throughout modern surgical practice, but is curiously avoided here.
I think it is extreme for the majority party to refuse to allow it to be considered. If they don't like certain provisions, they can amend it.
Posted on June 8, 2005 2:31 PM
Joe: the premise may be moderate in concept, but this is one debate where moderation is hard to come by. Both those for and against abortion rights have pretty strong views.
As for this bill in particular, the specific provisions are pretty much meant to discourage abortion. You folks out there in reader land can argue over whether the state should or should not do that, but we should be honest about what the bill actually would do. The title is a bit of a misnomer.
Should all bills get hearings? I would say yes, but I'm just looking for more stuff to write about. Whether we like it or not, the option of keeping bills off the floor has long been a privilege of the majority party in NC - whether Republican or Democratic at the time.
Posted on June 8, 2005 3:00 PM
Yes, it would have the effect of discouraging some young women from having abortions. The alternative is to have them appreciate later the significance of what they have done, or to have them or their future kids experience certain complications down the road. Complications and a lifetime of regret are things to avoid. This is one area in which knowledge withheld is regarded as being justified and enlightened, merely to assure that more abortions take place.
Posted on June 8, 2005 8:49 PM