CA Leg: After we pass the bill, we’ll fix it

April 3, 2013

By Katy Grimes

A strange trend is taking place at the State Capitol, and one which feels all too familiar after the passage of Obamacare.

California Legislators have been passing seriously flawed and incomplete bills out of committees under the proviso the author “works on it” before the bill gets to the floor of the Assembly or Senate.

We can thank Nancy Pelosi for her “we have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it” line of thinking. Now they all do it.

And while this ‘amend later’ process has been going on for some time, Pelosi certainly pulled it into the light. Now that Democrats have undeniable majorities, together with a compliant media and uninformed public, there is no need to hide it any more.

Now the bad public policy is being made in the broad light of day without compunction.

 

And it happened again today in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Three bills were passed out of the committee almost entirely along the Democratic party line, despite very rational, serious, legal and technical objections. (My story about these bills will be published later)

The proper procedure is to require the bill to be held in that committee while the author makes the technical changes, or accepts and implements amendments into the bill. Then the committee votes to pass the bill along to the next committee.

At least that is the procedure for Republican bills.