by Jan Goehring
The Arizona Legislature is considering a measure that would require the governor to come to the floor of the Legislature every two weeks to answer questions. Such a "question time" is tradition in the British Parliament. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SCR1012 on February 22, according to the Arizona Capitol Times. During the question time, the public would have the opportunity to see the interaction between the governor and lawmakers. The provision amends the state constitution and is subject to voter approval.
In a previous Thicket post, Karl Kurtz wondered why no state had ever adopted a parliamentary system of government. He reports that Minnesota used to have the option to call the governor to the Legislature for a question time, but that provision ended in the late 1990s. Perhaps Arizona will establish a new tradition.
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