March 6, 2005

Cooperation is Easy - When You're in Charge

Recall that the House and the Senate each unanimously passed our own version of a budget bill. There were differences in the two versions so a Free Conference Committee, made up of legislative leadership and a few committee chairmen from each chamber met to iron out those differences. They started this past Saturday morning at 9:30 and didn't quit until 16 or so hours later. It should have been done earlier in the week, but there was a snag that stopped talks. In trying to understand the nature of the problem, I believe that I might have hit on something that could serve as another lesson for us.

Let's just say that when talks broke down, the Senate President and the House Speaker were not seeing eye to eye and nothing more was going to happen. What broke the logjam was when the Senate President and the House Floor Leader got together. They knew that we had to move forward or we'd be right where we were in 2004 - no budget. So a small part of the committee reassembled about 7:30 on Friday night and recommenced the dialogue. That got things moving again. I think that the problem that caused the holdup was trouble adjusting to the big change in Frankfort 's political landscape.

Isn't it easy to negotiate when you hold all the cards? One can afford to be magnanimous, give a little here and there. When we in the House negotiated the budget among ourselves, it was with the House Speaker in charge. He and his staff worked well with us in the minority. There was a genuine effort to work together, as I reported earlier in this column space.

But when you aren't in charge, and you're unaccustomed to that, well it's a different feeling. You feel a bit naked. You tend to be defensive, maybe overly aggressive. I think that's what has happened in the General Assembly in the last several years. The folks who've always been in absolute control are no longer in absolute control. It's an uncomfortable feeling for them.

In the Free Conference Committee negotiations the Speaker was in a subordinate position since the governor and Senate are both of the other party. It's apparently been tough for him to get the hang of looking across the table from a position other than of absolute power. It would be tough for anyone in his position. He needs to get used to it in order to serve more effectively.

However, the problem goes both ways. Someone new to power must avoid looking across the table and seeing anything but an equal, at least in human terms. The temptation for someone new to authority is to abuse it; especially if bad treatment from the other side preceded your rise to power. I don't know, but it's possible that such may be the case here.

I've met the Speaker several times and believe him to be a fine, Christian man. Like everyone, he's subject to the temptation to abuse power. Despite what may have happened in the past, it is important to give others the same respect that you would want if you were in their position. All that went before is water under the bridge; time to start fresh!

HB 293 - Status

Last week I wrote to you about HB 293, which would have mandated unemployment benefits to military spouses upon their reassignment to a military post in another state. You'll remember that I was the solitary "No" vote because I knew that it would hurt military families, precisely the opposite of the bill's intent. After its passage in the House the bill was assigned to the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs & Public Protection. I contacted the chair of the committee with my concerns, and spoke to the bill's original House sponsor. And I'm happy to report that the bill will go no further; it will not become law.

Friends, I'm here to help. I know you have issues that concern you, or maybe you just want to let me know how you feel about something. So I encourage you to leave me a message by calling 1-800-372-7181, or call me at home. Please remember, You Have a Voice in State Government.