An evolving Legislature

— Someday historians may say that, in the realm of Arkansas political life, this time marks the beginning of a distinct new era.

The Legislature will soon be meeting every year and all lawmakers are term-limited.

Considering a couple of the most recent and potentially troubling developments, it might turn out to be the perfect storm. House Speaker Robbie Wills has retained a public relations firm to handle responsibilities previously entrusted to a state employee. He also has proposed an underground passage between the Capitol and the Big MAC office complex. This is exceptionally bold.

While many have bemoaned these portentous clouds on the horizon, it might be better to simply close the windows and get ready for some lightning and thunder. Things are bound to change, and the outcome might be better than you imagine.

In the first instance, handing media relations and related activities over to a private concern is such a giant step, and so totally unexpected and untried, that it is hard to imagine a successful transition. It is an utter bewilderment how a commercial entity will serve each lawmaker with the equity demanded of a body that presumes to represent all of the people. The possibility for abuse, even unintentional slights and misunderstandings, is so great that this new arrangement may turn out to be a self-correcting error.

The matter of a proposed tunnel for the Capitol complex is another and much more useful example of how the Arkansas General Assembly is evolving into a full-time, professional lawmaking institution.

This has been happening in the background for some time. Lots of legislative committees already meet while the body is not in session. Some have considered this expansion of legislative prerogative to be a wrongful appropriation of executive authority,but over the decades one legal principle has been overtaken by a more widely accepted practice.

The Legislature is going to meet this coming February for the first regularly scheduled budget session. The agenda is supposed to be restricted to fiscal matters, but don't count on it. For the same reasons that extend any regular session's lifetime into May, the scope and length of the financial meetings are bound to spread beyond the mundane imaginings of mere taxpayers.

Without going soft on politicians, let's just own up to the fact that these new annual sessions represent a big commitment in time and energy for folks who are, at least in theory, citizen lawmakers. Professional PR firms and underground passageways are merely the most conspicuous symptoms of a changing legislative system.

A fairly reasonable case can be made for building a tunnel between the Capitol and Big MAC, especially as new legislative support offices will go in. The subterranean structure will not only protect lawmakers' hairdos, but also valuable computer equipment and files that must be transported to meetings in the main building.

Gov. Mike Beebe is against the tunnel, and he holds the purse strings. The balance of power in state government, however, tilts to the General Assembly, so his opposition to a much desired and arguably necessary piece of infrastructure could become a costly political mistake. Speaker Wills will get his tunnel.

It's good politics for Beebe to stand up to those by-gosh spendthrifts. The governor also says he will not be buying a lottery ticket. That's equally harmless, and it makes good television. Isn't that the most important thing anyway?

You voted for all this, so let's not have any sissy whining and complaining. The Legislature is almost full time now. The associated increase in staff ought to mean fresh, well-considered research on proposed bills and some noticeable reduction in the influence of lobbyists as supposed experts on public policy.

Another positive aspect of these changing times is that, since lawmakers will be hanging around Little Rock, they will become more visible. Interested constituents will have more opportunities to button-hole the local rep in the corridors of power, and the august members will get more chances to mess up. That's always a good thing. A lot of these forgettable, do nothing pieces of furniture are about to get noticed.This means additional pressure to actually count for something and take a meaningful role in the process.

Without getting all carried away with giddy out-of control optimism, some of the dead wood might take on a whole new life.

It will not happen all at once, and this superficial analysis may be entirely too favorable. Powerful special interests will move heaven and earth to protect themselves, and regular folks are always on their own. It may very well turn out, however, that conscientious lawmakers will get the additional tools and professional assistance to do a first-class job for the folks back home.

Free-lance columnist Pat Lynch has been a radio broadcaster in Central Arkansas for more than 20 years.

Editorial, Pages 11 on 09/28/2009

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