Give thanks to part-time Legislature
And, if someone had been able to get it on the ballot, a bill allowing public funding for construction of a professional soccer stadium also would have been drop-kicked into the trash, at least according to opinion polls.
Senate President John Valentine told the Deseret Morning News editorial board last week that he had gotten the message. In Utah, mechanisms are in place to let the public act as a check on what lawmakers and the governor do, beyond simply deciding whether to re-elect someone every few years.
Americans like the feeling they can't be bullied by people in power. It's a part of our heritage that echoes back to the tea in Boston harbor and the ruts those wagon trains carved through the wilderness as people tried to create a better life. The first three words of the Constitution are "We the people." That set the tone for how we view the relationship between the government and the governed (on the state level, at least).
But while the majority flexes its muscles menacingly after November's referendum, there is another side to "we the people" that doesn't get enough attention. Utah is one of the few states left with a true citizen Legislature.
That Legislature convenes Monday for another 45-day session. I know people who literally wish they could stay at home and hide beneath blankets until early March, cringing at the thought of what might find its way into law. They suffer from a case of inflated expectations of representative democracy. This form of government is, as Winston Churchill once said, the "worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried." And a citizen Legislature is the best of all types of this "worst form."
By "citizen Legislature," I mean a Legislature made up of people who have real jobs elsewhere and who make laws part-time. By last count, only 17 states have one. In the rest, law-making is a full-time job, with a full-time salary.
But even among those 17 states, Utah is one of only six that employs a bare-minimum number of full-time staff members to help the lawmakers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The most valid criticism of a part-time Legislature is that it can empower an unelected bureaucracy. Given the time constraints on lawmakers, the full-time staff can gain enormous influence as they guide elected officials who are always in a hurry. The fewer staff members, the less influence.
In theory, part-time lawmakers don't lose touch with the people because they live and work among them in various pursuits during most of the year. In Utah, lawmakers are criticized for passing bills that help their own private businesses. They are rightly accused of cozying up to lobbyists who woo them with gifts and trips, earning access denied to average citizens. But these are relatively small problems compared to how out of touch they would become if their only paycheck came from the state Capitol.
Recent comments
As a former intern in the state legislature, I saw first hand how...
Former Intern | Jan. 21, 2008 at 10:04 a.m.
Please, Mr. Evenson, I thought you had more integrity. This is a...
Anonymous | Jan. 20, 2008 at 9:56 p.m.
There is one major defect of "citizen legislatures" and that is that...
Part-time leg is reason crazy ge | Jan. 20, 2008 at 7:07 p.m.
- Attempted murder case refiled 1:58 a.m.
- Sports on the air 1:38 a.m.
- This weekend on TV 1:38 a.m.
- Birthdays for Saturday, July 11 1:38 a.m.
- 2 men cited on LDS plaza 1:37 a.m.
- S.L. man spots stolen car — his 1:23 a.m.
- Girl critical after run-in with train 1:23 a.m.
- Probe of death treated as slaying 1:22 a.m.
- Taylorsville man arrested in robbery 1:21 a.m.
- HBO defends U. logo use in 'Love' 1:20 a.m.
- Jazz brass debate Millsap match
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- 2 men cited on LDS plaza
- Teacher faces new sex charges
- Jazz talking Boozer trade?
- Jazz finances not quite so bleak
- HBO defends U. logo use in 'Love'
- Jazz down Oklahoma City
- Twitter lets fans communicate, interact
- LDS seminary principal arrested
160 - Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
136 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
123 - Jazz brass debate Millsap match
99 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
94 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
74 - Letters: Single-payer system best
72 - Services bids farewell to Jackson
70
By now you've probably read about the investigation that showed just how...
Sen. Scott Jenkins was name-checked by Jay Leno Monday night during his...
I love Millsap, and the Jazz will find a way to move Boozer and match for...
i think its childish to assume that somebody would actually want to get...
Millsap and Boozer need to stay in Utah. Millsap is Boozers backup while he...
Childish and immature? Its always easier being ignorant and presuming things...
can you use words like testimony and church leadership to critisize a...
Bro P really helped me through a tough time in my life when I had him in...
These are only allegations at present, but I hope when he goes to trial, the...
My thoughts are with the Pratt family right now. Michael I hope you are...
It is interesting that everyone who seems to be a member comments on how nice...
You presume, simply because they were gay, that they were trying to "stir...


