The Thicket at State Legislatures

Voters Want Compromise, as Long as it's not their Guys who are Giving In

On NPR's Morning Edition today, Steve Inskeep and Shankar Vedantam tried to unravel the psychology of compromise. Here's a snippet:

VEDANTAM: ...[I]n the United States we tend to see human behavior as driven by individuals. So psychologists have this term, they call it the fundamental attribution error. And the fundamental attribution error says when I do something, when I look at my own behavior, I tend to see it in context. So I think of myself as being a safe driver, but if I'm driving fast today, it's because I'm running late for an appointment.

But when I look at another person driving quickly, I say this person is a reckless driver, so I see it as being dispositional. And what Conway is suggesting is that Americans may have a tendency to see human behavior as more disposition or driven by the individual as opposed to driven by the context.

INSKEEP: Oh, meaning I understand that I have to make compromises in my own life, but if I see some politician flip-flop or change his views or sign onto something he doesn't totally agree with, that means the politician is craven, he's terrible.

It's well worth 4:30 minutes of your time to listen to the whole story.

Texas Senate Committee Takes Social Media South by Southwest

Texas state Sen. John Carona

by Pam Greenberg

Today, the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce will participate in South by Southwest (SXSW)—the uber music, film, and technology conference and festival held in Austin each year. The session, “Senate Committees Push Boundaries on Social Media,” will highlight the committee’s use of social media and web 2.0 tools to engage with the public. According to the session description, Committee Chairman John Carona wants to “push the envelope so hard it’s no longer stationery,” going paperless, live blogging, using social media, and developing a committee app. A Statesman.com article from January describes some of the committee's work:

At present, the Senate panel is working to "crowdsource" an upcoming hearing on payday lending to give a voice to more Texans affected by the high-interest, short-term loans.

Crowdsourcing is an open call issued online for help in performing tasks—preparing legislation or compiling research, in this case—in the hope of getting a group of people or "crowd" to carry out the task.

Several times in recent months, the Senate panel and the Joint Committee on Oversight of Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency have used Twitter, live blogs and other online tools to try to broaden citizen involvement.

The Committee also has an Android app and is planning an iPhone version (a list of other legislative apps is available from NCSL here.) The New York State Senate has also used crowdsourcing in the past to gather ideas about property taxes, ethics reform and campaign finance.

To follow the Committee and conference events on Twitter, check out the Committee hashtag #TxLegeBC and the conference hashtag #SXSW.

2012 Legislative Session Update: Convening, Adjourning and Special Sessions

by Angela Andrews

A lot has happened in the world of legislative sessions since our post in January kicking off the start of the new year and the 2012 legislative sessions.

Legislatures in 46 states and six territories that meet in the even-numbered year have convened, and some of them have already adjourned. The Louisiana legislature is the last legislature to convene for 2012, as they start their session today. Check out our 2012 session calendar by convening date to see a list of when legislatures convened this year.

Oregon House members wave to their colleagues across the hall in the Senate through open doors in an end of session ritual. (Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian photo)

On the adjournment side, 10 legislatures have adjourned their regular sessions for 2012. This includes the Oregon Legislature, which held their first-ever annual session after voters approved a legislative referendum in 2010 requiring the Legislature to meet annually, instead of biennially (every other year).

South Dakota and Kansas are also on tap to adjourn this month. Take a look at our 2012 session calendar by adjourning date to see which legislatures will adjourn in April and May.

Of the 10 legislatures that have already adjourned, four still have unfinished business to consider. The Florida Legislature will meet in a special session to revisit their redistricting maps, and Virginia and Washington have been called into special sessions to finish their budgets. The West Virginia legislature adjourned on Saturday, but will reconvene this week to finish the state budget.

And, here's a fun fact for legislative junkies: Did you know that in some states, including Florida, Virginia and Washington, either the legislature or the governor can call the legislature into a special session? Learn more about special sessions here.

Arkansas Designates New Leaders for 2013

by Karl Kurtz

Rep. Darrin Williams speaks to reporters after his selection as speaker designate, as current Speaker Robert S. Moore looks on. (John Lyons, Arkansas News photo)

After adjourning its 2012 fiscal session on Friday last week, the Arkansas House of Representatives met and designated Rep. Darrin Williams (D) as the next speaker of the House for the 2013-14 biennium. If the Democrats maintain the majority after the 2012 elections, Williams will become the first African American speaker in Arkansas, as reported in The Thicket last week.

But the "if" clause in the preceding session is an important one. As the Arkansas News reports,

If Republicans win a majority in the House in November, they could block Williams from being installed and instead seat a Republican speaker. Williams told reporters he believes lawmakers would be making a mistake to “change horses in midstream,” saying he will start planning for the next session right away.

“It costs us about $30,000 a day to be here. If we wait to start planning after November, then that’s just more money we’re going to cost the state and that’s more days we’re going to be here,” he said.

[Rep. Terry] Rice [the Republican who ran against Williams for speaker designate] has said there will be “two people maybe getting ready” to lead the House.

Current House Minority Leader John Burris of Harrison predicted today that if Republicans win a majority, they will seat Rice, not Williams, as speaker. In doing so they would be following the wishes of voters, he said.

The Arkansas Senate selected Sen. Larry Ferguson to be the president pro tem designate a year ago at the end of the 2011 session.

This turn of events caused us to review how and why Arkansas chooses its leaders so far in advance. Among the fifteen states that have term limits, Arkansas is one of three that have the most stringent limts: six years in the House and eight in the Senate. Before term limits took effect, Arkansas had a tradition of rotating speakers every two years based on  seniority. The most senior member who had not yet served as speaker would become the top leader in the next session. Committee chairmanships were also based on seniority.

No Shoes, No Statehouse

by Luke Martel

Visitors to the Ohio Statehouse will now be required to wear shoes. According to the Columbus Dispatch, at a recent meeting the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, the agency that controls the Statehouse and grounds, ruled that all Statehouse visitors must wear “shoes or comparable footwear.” The policy follows attempts to visit the Statehouse by a barefoot activist who says going shoeless is a healthy lifestyle. Bob Neinast of the Columbus suburb of Pickerington attended the meeting to protest the new rule, claiming that his feet hurt when he wears shoes, so he goes barefoot nearly everywhere, even in winter. Mr. Neinast has a couple of weeks left to visit the Statehouse barefooted, as the new rule will not take effect until March 23.

Barefoot in the Kentucky Capitol (wave3.com)

Had Ohio's policy been in effect in Kentucky earlier this year, students would not have been able to conduct their barefoot protest against higher education cuts. And Oklahoma legislators would not have been able to shed their shoes for charity, as they did a couple of years ago.

Luke Martel covers fiscal policy issues for NCSL.

A Mirror that Reminds Wisconsin Legislators of the Public Trust

by Karl Kurtz

Sen. Dale Schultz

Wisconsin state Sen. Dale Schultz recently concluded a speech explaining his position--contrary to the views of his caucus--on a controversial mining issue with some inspired writing:

I know there are some who will be beyond disappointed with me. Let me remind those folks that over a nearly 30-year span in the legislature, I’ve voted with my Republican colleagues about 99% of the time. But my first priority in coming to the legislature was not to be a good partisan. It was to be the best possible representative I could be to all of those I had and have the honor to serve.

Perhaps my decision today is best summed up by the following phrase:

“Presented to you by the people of the State of Wisconsin, your constituents. Receive this not as a gift, but as a reminder. Please display it close to you and look at it often. This is a picture of the person we have entrusted to deal with our most serious issues, from the most intimate to the most general. We have extended to you a privilege, our trust, and the responsibility you sought. We expect from you integrity, honesty, unselfishness, compassion, trustworthiness and accountability. We challenge you to take this opportunity to come together in mutual respect and cooperation for the good of Wisconsin.”

The phrase is etched on a mirror which sits in my office. It was a gift given to every member of the legislature by my good friend State Representative Al Ott.

I am far from the perfect legislator, but when all is said and done, I’m the one who has to look myself in that mirror, and today I do so with a clear conscience.

I wanted to see that mirror, so I contacted Jay Salvo, the photographer for the Wisconsin Senate, who provided the great photos in this posting.

The writing in white above the inscription is the oath of office that Sen Schultz took in 2003. I'm guessing that he added this inscription to the one provided by Rep. Ott.

Thanks to Sen. Schultz and Rep. Ott for some inspiring words and to Jay Salvo for the photos.

 

Historic Times for Arkansas Legislature

by Alex Fitzsimmons

Times are changing in Arkansas.

On Friday, when the 2012 fiscal session ends, House members will elect a speaker-designate for the next biennium. No matter how they vote, they’ll make history.

If they choose Rep. Darren Williams, and he assumes the top leadership post next January, he’ll be the state’s first African American speaker. If they select his opponent, Rep. Terry Rice, and he becomes the next speaker, Arkansas will have its first Republican House leader since Reconstruction. Arkansas is the only state legislature in the country that has had continuous control of the legislature by the same party since Reconstruction.

As if that’s not enough, for the first time in more than 150 years, Arkansas Republicans are confident they have a shot at taking control of the Legislature in November. Democrats currently hold a 54-46  majority in the House and a 20 to 15 lead in the Senate.

Arkansas stands as one of the last bastions of southern Democratic control. Up until 1991 Democrats controlled every legislative chamber in the South. Today, Arkansas and West Virginia are the only two southern states where Democrats still have the majority in both chambers. Democrats also control the Kentucky House.

Although the candidates for speaker are downplaying the historical significance, Friday’s election will be remembered as a defining moment in the state’s history. And by January 2013, the political landscape in Arkansas could look very different than it does today.

Photo source

Thicket contributor Alex Fitzsimmons is an intern in NCSL's public affairs division in Washington, D.C. office.

Retiring Legislators have Interesting Comments on Legislative Life

by Karl Kurtz

Today's news brought three stories about six legislators who have recently announced that they are not planning to run for reelection. This is filing deadline season in a number of states, so it's not unusual to read about retiring legislators, especially in a redistricting year when voluntary turnover in legislatures is higher than normal. This group of stories, from legislatures at opposite ends of the institutional spectrum--Congress on one end and Utah and Idaho on the other--was of particular interest because of the commentary from the incumbents about their lives and their institutions.

Rep. David Dreier

First is a wrapup story in the New York Times about the recently announced departures of three veteran members of Congress (total combined experience of 102 years), Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington (ranking Democrat on the House appropriations committee) and Rep. David Dreier of California (chair of the House rules committee). Some of Dreier's remarks were particularly insightful:

Despite objections by some to such longevity in office, Congress remains a place where experience matters, not just in the advancement seniority brings, but in knowing how to get things done and navigate a system built partially on personal relationships and tradition.

“All three of us were what I call institutional memory,” said Mr. Dreier.... “We need to get new blood in Congress and we’ve clearly got that. But we also need some institutional memory.”

The steady stream of retirements from Congress has given new weight to the idea that fierce partisanship and gridlock have made serving no longer the enjoyable experience it once was....

Mr. Dreier acknowledges that life on Capitol Hill has changed. But he disputes the notion that the atmosphere has never been worse....

“Rather than worse, I say it is different than it was,” said Mr. Dreier. “One of the reasons that it is different is that society is different than it was three decades ago. This institution is a reflection of society. We have a very divided society, more so than it has been. I don’t want to be the judge and say it is worse. There are a lot of things we have accomplished on a bipartisan basis.”

The departures from the legislature announced in Utah and Idaho were more about the problems of balancing personal and professional life with legislative service. Brian Cronin, a young, two-term Democrat from Boise, said this in his announcement that he would not seek a third term:

Millennials…Not Anymore!

by Meagan Dorsch

Nielsen, the company that tracks our television viewing habits, is now looking at ways we consume media on everything digital. According to the ratings company, Americans between the ages of 18-34 are redefining how media is consumed. So Nielsen is redefining what they are called.

Nielsen has now classified Millennials as "Generation C."

Nielsen says this age group (born between the launch of the VCR and the Internet), is taking online personal connections to a new level, with new devices and new experiences like no other generation. According to Nielsen's blog, the U.S. Census says Generation C is roughly 23 percent of the population, but represents:

• 27 percent of consumers who watch online video and visit social networking/blog sites
• 33 percent of Americans who own tablet devices
• 39 percent of the consumers using smart phones.

But don't discount the use of technology by older generations. The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has some great data on how older adults use the Internet and social media. According to Pew, the use of social networking sites among Internet users age 65 and older has grown 150 percent over the last two years. During this same period, Internet use by 50-64 year-olds doubled—from 25% to 51%. More than half of all 50 to 60 year olds use their cell phones to take pictures and 22 percent of 30 to 45 year olds use their phone for online banking.

NCSL has also identified over 500 state legislators on Twitter (look under our lists) who typically fall into older demographics.

But will this reclassification of Millennials catch on? A simple search on Twitter shows a mixed response. NCSL has developed a networking group for people in this newly classified generation. The mission of NCSL's Young Professionals group is to engage, educate, and support these state legislative leaders of tomorrow through professional development, networking opportunities and recognition.

Future state legislators and staff increasingly will come from this generation, and all will be considered digital natives. The way these generations will communicate with each other, and their constituents, will change the nature of the legislative process. Regardless of what they are called, younger generations will bring great technological and communication advances to the legislative institution.

Education Secretary Listens to State Concerns

by Lee Posey

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told executive directors and senior staff of intergovernmental organizations on Wednesday that "the department wants to be a good partner" with state and local organizations in the important task of educating the nation's children. 

Molly Ramsdell, co-director of NCSL's Washington, D.C., office represented NCSL along with Lee Posey, senior director of NCSL's Education Committee and Julie Bell, director of NCSL's Education Program. The meeting, in the secretary's conference room, was an important opportunity for state and local organizations to share their members' priorities, discuss their experiences working with the Department of Education, and hear from the secretary and his senior staff. 

Ramsdell briefed Secretary Duncan on how state legislatures are working to reallocate scarce education dollars throughout their K-12 and higher education systems while continuing their efforts to improve student achievement.  Given that almost half of state general funds go to education, this is a pressing issue for state legislators. 

Ramsdell also commended the department's intergovernmental and policy staff for their willingness to work with NCSL and with state legislators and staff, mentioning recent conference calls about the No Child Left Behind waiver process.  "This kind of communication is essential," she said. "We welcome the opportunity to continue to facilitate this type of exchange between the department and our members."

The organizations present, which included the Council of State Governments and the National Governors Association, also discussed their federal priorities.  Voicing a united message, representatives of the organizations emphasized the need for a long-overdue reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. While the groups welcome the flexibility presented by the department's offer of waivers from provisions in the law, they remain committed to its full reauthorization.   

For information on reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and NCSL policy on it, please click here.