Tim Nesbitt: Election-year legislatures can correct the excesses of initiative politics
Five years ago, Oregon voters approved the legislature's request to begin meeting for short sessions in election years. The rationale for moving to annual sessions came right from a civics textbook: Lawmakers could keep closer watch over the budget and respond more quickly to emergencies. But the political consequence of this change was just as important for good government: Election-year legislatures can respond to the agenda-setting power of the initiative process and help correct its tendency to drive public policy to extremes.
Read the full article here. Discuss below.
Posted on Nov. 05, 2015
|
|
connect with blueoregon