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Friday, January 06, 2006

Ind. Gov't. - David Brooks' recommendations for congressional reform

Conservative op-ed NY Times columnist David Brooks had an important column Thursday in the Times that is reprinted in today's Indianapolis Star. However, only "TimesSelect" members can read the Times' columnists online, and the Star, perhaps for a related reason, prints the column but does not post it.

The column IS available here, via the Detroit Free-Press. The Star headlined the column "Seven steps to reform that Republicans must take." The Times headed it "Saving the House." The Free-Press title: "Running from corrpution."

A quotes:

If Republicans want to emerge from this affair with their self-respect or electoral prospects intact, they need to get in front of it with a comprehensive reform offensive.
A number of suggestions follow. Many of them are changes that should have been made regardless of whether or not there was an Abramoff, and regardless of which party ran, or will run, the House.

My thought while reading the column was that several of Brooks' suggestions might well be considered by the Indiana legsislature. To quote Brooks again:
Former members should not be allowed to lobby on the House floor.

All lobbyist contacts with government officials should be posted on the Internet. * * *

There's bound to be corruption when members are forced to vote on sprawling bills nobody has a chance to inspect. Instead, all legislation should be posted online for 72 hours before the vote, so the staff and bloggers can nitpick and expose.

Former members used to be able to lobby on the Indiana House floor -- I don't know if that is still the case.

Posting lobbyist contacts with legislators on the internet within 24-hours of the contact could result in a vivid inside picture of how government works.

Posting final bills (and that includes conference committee reports) on line 72-hours in advance of voting could allow meaningful and direct public involvement in the lawmaking process.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 6, 2006 07:51 AM
Posted to Indiana Government