House Majority Caucus On The Move
Two things going on here. 1) I think this open government bill has a chance of passing in the Senate this year because the House looks ready to shame them into it and 2) Drew Volturo is the new Communications Director for the House Majority Caucus which means the Dems messaging effort is going to be awesome – but the Delaware State News is going to suck.
open, accountable government
bills filed in house
FOIA, lobbying bills among early legislation filed
DOVER – After campaigning last year on promoting good government, House members have wasted little time in filing legislation aimed at making the General Assembly more open and accountable to the public.
House Bill 1, sponsored by House Speaker-elect Rep. Robert F. Gilligan, D-Sherwood Park, would place the General Assembly under the state’s Freedom of Information Act as a public body, subjecting the legislature to the state’s open meeting laws. Under HB 1, the public would be granted access to General Assembly meetings, except for party caucuses. The public also would have access to the General Assembly’s records. Current exceptions in the state FOIA law for public bodies and records would apply to the legislature.
“Many of our members ran on a platform of open government, and it is something we in the House pushed for throughout the last session,” Speaker-elect Gilligan said. “The public has been loud and clear on this issue – they want legislators who support open government, and they want us to bring open government to the Delaware General Assembly. Now is the time to take those steps.”
Another bill filed this week, House Bill 27, would prohibit state legislators from lobbying for one year after they leave office. Violating the proposed law would be an unclassified misdemeanor. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, more than half of the states have some form of restriction. At least 16 states have a one-year restriction for legislators, while six states have a two-year waiting period. Surrounding states New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia all have one-year restrictions.
HB27’s sponsor, Rep. John A. Kowalko, D-Newark South, said the bill would help instill public confidence in legislators and eliminate any misconceptions about their actions while in office. Rep. Kowalko said a one-year restriction would not infringe on outgoing lawmakers’ ability to making a living. About 10 former Delaware lawmakers are registered lobbyists in the state.
“This is a natural extension of the Democratic caucus’ message, bringing fair and accountable government to the people of Delaware,” Rep. Kowalko said. “We want to ensure that legislators are not looking for a golden parachute and we want the public to maintain confidence in the decisions we make while in office.”
Yeah for Gilligan! Yeah for Kowalko! Take that Thurman!
What about an Inspector General to unearth the waste and fraud of state government?
What about an anto nepotism policy so each legislator doesn’t become a franchise for family employment?
What about term limits?
“What about an Inspector General to unearth the waste and fraud of state government?”
Isn’t that what a State Auditor is supposed to be doing?
Actually, it’s what the State Auditor IS doing, and doing very well.
If we only had a “Department of Justice” like them thar other states do….
Yeah, openness alright, like revoking the right to a private ballot.
Brady. Go figure.
Get with the program Mike that’s what Tom Wagner has been doing for years. And you wanted to lead this state and don’t even know what the Auditor does
I like HB 27 — there will be more former Republican legislators turned lobbyist walking around Leg Hall this month than there will be Republican legislators (Petrilli, Corrozi, Roy, DiPinto, Buckworth, Wayne Smith, Dave Ennis, Caulk, and I know I’m forgetting someone). The only D legislator turned lobbyist that I can recall is Dave Brady, who represented Claymont prior to reapportionment. Expect some members of the defeated class of 2008 — Spence, Stone, Wagner, Lofink, etc., to morph into lobbyists.
Wagner and Stone were lobbyists for their respective interests prior to losing their elections.
RSmitty wrote Yeah, openness alright, like revoking the right to a private ballot.
Talking point repeated ad nauseam. Sad, very sad.
Mike, I believe this is the fourth consecutive General Assembly where an open government bill has been introduced, and there is no guarantee this one will pass. Can’t do everything at once.
Lee Ann,
I think you are right that there are more former Republican legislators than former Democratic legislators as lobbyisists, but I think you may have underestimated the Dems. Bob Byrd and Bob Maxwell were Democratic legislators back in the 1970s. While it is only a part of his work time, Lonnie George, current President of Del Tech and former JFC Chair & Speaker as a Democrat, does lobby for funds for Del Tech and ,I assume, education related issues.
Whoops – I was thinking more recent converts, but you are right. There was something a little disconcerting about seeing Wayne Smith, the House Majority Leader, in Leg Hall one week and then Wayne Smith, the health-care lobbyist, in Leg Hall the next.
p.s. D or R, it doesn’t matter. It is still a good bill.
It’s interesting that the last two state government reporters for the State News are now working for Democrats – Joe Rogalsky for Markell and now Drew Volturo for the House Dems. Plus you have Patrick Jackson, former legislative reporter for TNJ, working for the Senate Dems. Going to get even harder to counter claims of media bias…
Lee Ann,
I agree that former legislators returning to Dover as paid lobbyists is not good for public policy transparency . I am hoping this does not hamper former elected officials from acting on their core beliefs in their free time because their motives could be questioned.
Two examples come to mind. Former County Council President Stephanie Hanson, a Democrat, lobbied for stem cell research during the last last legislative session. About ten years ago Rich Davis , a former Republican legislator , lobbied to restore voting rights for ex-felons and was awarded the Common Cause of Delaware Good Givernment award.
Neither was paid and whether observers agreed or disagreed with their positions, no one questioned their motives.
I don’t think this legislation will hamper such activity, but I wanted to raise the possibility that former elected could be a possible force for good without impure motives—a view I don’t often see in print.
Just to add fuel to anon’s fire: Nancy Charron, formerly of the News Journal, went to work for the House Ds a few years back. And I worked for the State News for 10 years and for the News Journal for a brief period before I went to work for Ruth Ann and became a crony.
But you also have Joe Fulgham and Stephanie Mantegna, both former radio reporters, working for House Rs. And don’t forget the big guy, Ken Somebody, former State News reporter, who went to work for the GOP.
John,
The key words are “neither was paid”.
I seem to remember that Wayne Smith was being paid $250,000 by the healthcare industry.
We’re talking about completely different breeds of cat!
John, your examples are good ones. There has to be a common-sense line drawn somehwere. (Good luck with that, huh?) Roger Roy was confirmed as chair of the Clean Water Advisory Council just after he retired and later became a lobbyist for Tidewater. Roger is one of my favorite Rs (actually he became a D last year – don’t know if he has switched back), but to me that’s murky at best.
Now paid or not paid is a pretty good common-sense distinction!
RSmitty wrote Yeah, openness alright, like revoking the right to a private ballot.
Then nemski wrote:
Talking point repeated ad nauseam. Sad, very sad.
I’m actually more cool with unions than not (I drive Burris nuts that way), but that (s0-called) free choice is no happy medium. The door will be swung wide open to intimidation (although it is no automatic thing) that it’s absurd. If you can’t see that, then it may be you who is murmering the talking points. The holes are too big, close ’em up, then it’s fine.
Lee Ann,
How many of them flipped – went straight from covering the legislature to working for the legislature?
That should raise some eyebrows, at least.
Recently —
Smith, Roy, Buckworth, Brady that I can think of. I am not sure who Dave Ennis is lobbying for, or whether he is paid, but he is there a lot.
Of course Wally Caulk was a lobbyist (for the Farm Bureau) WHILE he was a legislator. Unique even by Delaware standards.
Oh anon, you were talking reporters. I was talking legislators. All of them, I believe.
I thought Dave Ennis was lobbying for Blue Cross / Blue Shield, but I am far from 100% certain on that.