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2007 Legislative Process & Open Government Proposals 

 

LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
1. Budget & Appropriations: The budget and technical corrections bills are not the place to write or rewrite laws.
  • Ban special provisions from the budget bill.
  • Ban substantive material from the technical corrections bill.
  • Require all appropriations of funds to be itemized. Require members to attach their name, the cost, the beneficiary and the justification for any pet project they request.
  • Provide a 3-day window between time the budget is referred to the floor and the floor vote.
2. Committees: Ensure that committee membership assignments and meetings are
consistent and open.
  • Eliminate changing the make-up of committees. All membership assignments should be final unless a member is unable to serve.
  • Ban committee floaters and prohibit stacking committees with lawmakers who are not full-time committee members.
  • Ban committee meetings from being held on chamber floor and instead hold meetings in a committee meeting room with public notice and public access provided.

3. Drafting of Bills: Bills without content should not be eligible for filing. Ban blank
bills.

4. Leadership Term Limits: The Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of
the Senate should be limited in the number of terms they serve in leadership posts.


OPEN GOVERNMENT

1. Provide complete public access to all meetings: Every meeting of the General Assembly should be open to the public, including all budget and conference committee meetings.

2. Make more information accessible: More frequent and timely information about the legislative process should be posted on-line including:

  • All committee substitutes with a required 24-hour public notification in advance of the committee meeting.
  • All legislative votes and up-to-date bill summaries and history.
  • Budget bill, even while printing.
  • Any information available to legislative staff and members in general on the internal computer system, should also be made available to the public on the Internet, including travel records.
  • Require votes in all Legislative committees, subcommittees and floor sessions to be roll call votes, which are recorded and posted on the Internet.
  • Audio recording of committee meetings.

 


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NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform
19 W. Hargett St., Suite 701 Raleigh, NC 27601 919.833.0092