The Bugle recently received an email from Jerrol
LeBaron, Executive Director of Honor In Office
about an initiative he wrote that is being reviewed
by the Attorney General's office for inclusion
on an upcoming election as an Amendment to the
California Constitution. This initiative caught
my eye because it gives the people of California
the right to demand their legislators read and
understand every bill they vote in favor of and
more...
Simply stated, this Constitutional Amendment
states that if a legislator is going to vote in
favor of a bill, that legislator will swear under
oath that he or she did indeed read the bill in
its entirety and understood it. It also requires
that the legislator swear under oath that his
or her vote wasn~t in any way compromised through
trading votes or undue influence.
This is just common sense, right? So why do we
need to force our legislators to do their job
with due diligence and understanding? Because
legislators who are not necessarily educated sufficiently
to read and understand the laws that they pass
or write do get elected. In fact. many legislators
must rely on their legislative analysts, their
aides and special interest consultants for how
to vote on a bill or on what to introduce as a
future law.
Can this initiative actually help? "I think it
can" says LeBaron. "The Honor In Office Act isn't
telling a person how to vote. It is merely telling
them to do what the constituents thought they
were already doing. It's asking them to take their
responsibility to the people seriously. It is
saying we want you to read the bill and use your
common sense."
This bill, if passed by the voters, may even
improve the qualifications of candidates in future
elections. Party volunteers with little formal
education and special interest group cronies may
become a thing of the past for lawmaker qualifications
if, under oath, they must understand the laws
they support. And if needed, a future provision
can be introduced where legislators must submit
a written declaration of their rationale for support
of a bill. That would really put teeth into the
voter's bite!
Read the Honor In Office Act online at
www.honorinoffice.org/measure.php
--------- Nancy Knight is the Editor and Publisher
of
The Bugle.
