| Terry Keel and Ron Wilson made waves at the 3rd Annual Professional Advocacy Association of Texas (PAAT) Ethics Compliance Institute this past Wednesday.
PAAT is more or less a trade association for lobbyist, and not surprisingly, lobbyist were interested to hear how the rules will be changed for the 81st legislative session.
Keel and Wilson were the only panelists for the presentation entitled "The Official Rules of the Process." Ostensibly, they were there to explain what would happen on Opening Day 2009, but referred to the events of the last week of the 2007 session.
After the new parliamentarian finished his powerpoint, he made some other comments, he stressed a bizarre policy.
When asked what sort of access the lobby would have to the parliamentarians, Keel responded with a gleeful, "our office is your office" and added, "We'll help you as best we can".
Keel also made it a point to say that the Speaker's absolute power may eliminate elected official ability to offer points of order that keep the legislative process open and accessible. Keel suggested that it might be time to eliminate the ability for democratically elected officials to go to the back mic to ask parliamentary questions or bring up points of order. Instead, the unelected Keel may require elected officials to submit all inquiries in writing.
Ironically, this would give the lobby more access to the parliamentarian while the 150 elected House members would be restricted in doing their job.
Quorum Report quotes Wilson as saying:
Wilson also said that House Rules were an extension of the Speaker and that when the House adopted rules, they were buying into the vision of the leader they had selected.
If this is the case, then Wilson validates the need for a new, Democratic speaker. |
