Making Virginia government more open and efficient
By Frank P. Hall (D-69th) VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Hall

We have an obligation to make Virginia government more open and more efficient with our tax dollars. Democrats have put forward measures to accomplish these important principles this year to ensure that we are making government work for Virginia families.

As elected officials, we have been entrusted with the responsibility to speak for the people of Virginia, and we need to make sure that their voice is heard, and they have the opportunity to see the public's business being conducted.

That is why a rule change before the Virginia House of Delegates is so vitally important.

Under the current rules, a bill can be denied further debate by an unrecorded vote in a subcommittee. Subcommittees consist of five members with a quorum of three. So a bill can be killed and denied further debate by as few as two of the 100 members of the House of Delegates since action in a subcommittee is considered final for a bill that is not supported.

In addition, most subcommittees often meet outside of regular business hours leaving members of the public unable to participate in the process.

The House leaders created the new rule in 2006 that would allow subcommittees to kill bills without a recorded vote. Since then, 615 bills, more than 30 percent, were killed without a recorded vote. By contrast, in 2004, before the adoption of the new rule, only nine bills failed without a recorded vote.

By doing so, the House Republicans have reduced their accountability to our voters with this rule. It's time for a change in the rules that restores accountability to the citizens of Virginia who have sent us here to conduct their business.

The public lost in this arrogant abuse of power, democracy was reduced in the commonwealth, and the sunshine that is supposed to shine on the governmental process went dark.

We should not dishonor our commitment to representative democracy, as we honor our founding as America's oldest settlement. We owe the people of Virginia a change.

In addition, Democrats have worked hard to make government operate more efficiently with our tax dollars.

There are bills before the General Assembly that will require an audit and review of legislative spending to ensure that the General Assembly itself is operating efficiently.

We should be investing tax dollars towards our roads, our schools and keeping our streets safe, not towards unnecessary spending by members of the General Assembly.

With the transportation crisis looming, it is essential that we find savings anywhere and everywhere we can. And, that effort should start with the members of the General Assembly themselves.

Democrats at the General Assembly are fighting to make sure that our government is open and more efficient with Virginia tax dollars. We are fighting to make government work for all Virginians.