Legislative Update for Week # 2

by Representative David W. Floyd

Nothing much in the way of red meat was on the table during the second week of the 2006 legislative session. On the eighth legislative day, Thursday, the House finally took up two bills, and then two more on Friday. Both passed, and move now to the Senate for their review. During the first seven legislative days the busiest voice on the floor was that of the House Clerk; he reads aloud all the bills and resolutions that have been introduced. Why such a slow start?

Most of the work of the House (and Senate) takes place outside the chamber. Bills and resolutions must be referred and posted in committee, then discussed and voted on in committee. From there, they make their way back to House leadership, where it is determined whether or not the bill will go any further.

There are thirteen standing committees in the House, and each meets about once per week. We only started meeting this past week, and so Thursday was about the fastest you could expect a bill to make it to the floor for a vote.

The first several weeks are fairly relaxed for legislators, except for constituent assistance and legislative preparation. Rep Kevin Bratcher (R-Louisville) advised in a caucus meeting that this is the best time to get bills through committees. The reason is that committee chairs feel pretty good about things right now. It’s fairly peaceful, no contentious issues have been aired, and there haven’t been any fights to speak of. The budget isn’t center stage, and nobody’s pet projects are threatened. Yet.

I voted against two resolutions on Friday, and I was the only person who voted against them. When everyone but you votes a certain way it’s possible (maybe even likely) that you’re wrong. A House member asked me later “why the no votes?” After my explanation, they agreed and reminded me “Dave, you need to stand up and say that.” This is an early lesson that I’m still trying to remember.

House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 9 directs the legislative research commission (LRC) to study the high cost of textbooks for our schools and colleges. Rep Rick Nelson (D- Middlesboro) is a good guy and a friend, and he wants to understand why prices are so high and why textbooks need to be revised (and repurchased) so often. I’ve puzzled over these same things since my wife and our children and I have purchased a whole bunch of expensive textbooks over the years.

One problem is that the resolution calls for the disclosure of the pricing policies, the cost of production, and the profit margin of every company involved. These are private companies. I think that it’s unreasonable for the government to demand such information and then make it public.

The no vote was also on principle - there is no need for a resolution to do this. All that needs to be done is for the Education Committee Chair to turn to the LRC staff administrator and say “Will you please do a study on the cost of textbooks?” and it will be done.

Finally, what will we do with the information? Ten months down the road, the results of the study will lead us to conclude that yes, textbooks cost a whole lot of money. Maybe a few people will make some comments in a committee meeting. The LRC will publish 200 copies of the study, each of which will be put in the trash or on the shelf to collect dust. I could be wrong but I fear that, just as with most “studies” this effort will be a waste of energy and resources.

I also voted against HCR 12, brought by Rep Reginald Meeks (D – Louisville). This directs the formation of a Task Force to study Urban Violence, which is a serious problem for three communities in our state. The purpose of the study is to “suggest a strategy or strategies for dealing with urban violence.”

In my opinion this one is “reinventing the wheel.” Urban Violence is not a new thing. Plenty of time, effort, and money have gone into studying its causes. Many possible solutions have been presented. I did a Google search on “Urban Violence” and got over 22 million hits on it. At amazon.com, 38 books popped up.

The point is that instead of spending $10,000 to fund our own Task Force we could find books and studies already completed and then implement the strategies that we choose. A book would cost the taxpayers about forty dollars. Better yet, we could borrow it from the library.

Hearing from you is the best part of my job. Please call me at home, or call toll-free 1-800-372-7181 and ask to leave a message for me. Another way is to email me through my website, www.davidWfloyd.com.