I don’t follow the local stuff half as much as I should. But on Friday there was a brillian piece by the NJ blaming the Dems and saying the GOP is trying like hell to open our government. They were more than happy to tell you if someone was an R or a D in that article.
Is Peterson a D or an R? The article doesn’t tell you until the 2nd Paragraph.
Peterson’s Senate Bill 4 would end 23 years of closed-door traditions that have taken root in the General Assembly since 1985, when it exempted itself from the Freedom of Information Act that it passed in 1977. All other legislative bodies in the state, from Wilmington City Council to the tiny Viola Town Commission, must do the majority of their business in public. But not the General Assembly.
“Sen. Adams had promised me in June that Senate Bill 4 will be discussed in caucus, and it will get a committee hearing,” Peterson said. “Long story short, he reneged.”
ruh, roh…It’s a she said, he said, she said moment…who you gonna believe? The grumpy old man that has had a vice grip on things for god know’s how long or the little old lady pushing open government?
“I have discussed that bill with members of the committee,” Adams said. “Some of the members prefer the House bill. Some of the members like her bill. Some of the members would like to see a compromise between the two.”
He was referring to House Substitute 1 for H.B. 60, which guarantees open committee meetings and open records. The House bill is modeled after the Freedom of Information Act, guaranteeing access to legislative records and requiring advance public notice for committee meetings.
“If we do something this year, it will probably be some kind of a compromise bill,” Adams said. “But I said it would be discussed and it has been discussed.”
hmmmm, who to believe….
I forgot this priceless quote from Copeland:
And there are legislators who fervently support open government but don’t want to join in what would be seen as a slight to Adams, who is elected to his position by the full Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Charles L. Copeland, R-West Farms, said that is one hurdle facing Peterson.
“With a petition, you’re making a bold statement that the leadership that was elected by the entire Senate is not representing the members of the Senate,” Copeland said. “I don’t have a problem with petitioning a bill out if we make sure it’s the right bill and the right time to do it.”