Transparency? Hah!
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27 responses to “Transparency? Hah!”
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Great article. I am not sure if this administration understands the history that led to practices that probably should not change. They get the job done, it seems efficient, but often find out too late what they could have done differently.
In my mind, this administration runs the Commonwealth like a CEO business model versus a governmental model. In thinking their process is the right process, they overlook why the previous process might be better.
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I don’t blame the Youngkin for this, although they obviously knew what was going on. For example, the GA briefing papers included a breakdown by school district of the new money for K-12. That calculation was likely done by the Dept. of Education. Furthermore, the day after the legislature adjourned, the Governor announced a detailed plan of how the new money would be used.
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This
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This administration seems to try to reinvent the wheel. I always started with a review of a similar item from previous documents and used that as a template. Yes, he gets to the same place, but in the end less efficiently and with bugs. His summary of how new money was spent will be used by new administrations in the future. But, the process of finding the line item change in the document may keep being used as a template.
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Thank you. I truly had no idea that legislation, even once voted on by the GA, could be altered later by a smaller group of legislators with such changes largely known only to those who know the process including the lobby folks who know changes can still be made.
It explains why we see reports of proposed/pending legislation only to have to fall off the radar screens later… or “pop-up” changes not really tracked by the media earlier in the session.
I understand the need for the process even though it does feel like not all elected had an equal vote but at least transparency actually did inform whereas without it , some things we won’t even know until it appears in codified law and regulations.
Which doesn’t do great things for folks who don’t understand how laws get done and are incentivized to think evil thoughts about the process and actual connection to voters expectations.
You add an invaluable perspective to BR that has not been there prior and I thank you much for sharing your knowledge and helping me and others to understand how the GA “really” ‘works’ !
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Thanks, but I obviously don’t deserve it. See below where I realized that Steve had pointed out my obvious error.
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If Dick, who understands the budget process better than almost anyone, finds the new budget difficult to decipher, there’s little hope for the rest of us.
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That’s always been one of the opportunity roles for BR in my mind. What attracted me to BR in the first place.
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They are staunch supporters of transparency in government – unless it is an inconvenience to them.
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Find and read the Open Government episode/chapter in Yes, Minister. I think it was episode one in TV show, chapter one in the book, as Hacker becomes Minister of Administrative Affairs.
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Thank you for reminding me about his book, Mr. Haner. I meant to track it down the first time you mentioned it, but it slipped my mind.
Just to be clear, there a a couple books by the same gentleman titled “Yes, Prime Minister” (Volumes 1 &2). I should be looking for the single volume “Yes, Minister”. Is that correct?
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Thank you for reminding me about his book, Mr. Haner. I meant to track it down the first time you mentioned it, but it slipped my mind.
Just to be clear, there a a couple books by the same gentleman titled “Yes, Prime Minister” (Volumes 1 &2). I should be looking for the single volume “Yes, Minister”. Is that correct?
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Thank you for reminding me about his book, Mr. Haner. I meant to track it down the first time you mentioned it, but it slipped my mind.
Just to be clear, there a a couple books by the same gentleman titled “Yes, Prime Minister” (Volumes 1 &2). I should be looking for the single volume “Yes, Minister”. Is that correct?
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“It is exceedingly rare for an item in a budget conference report to be rejected.” No, it is impossible for individual items to be rejected, only the whole package can be rejected. Which is why a no vote is so hard. You cannot amend a conference report.
Yes, there was no conference report, rather an agreed upon parallel bill, which under the rules very much could have been amended. But the leadership in both houses muscled the members into acting as if it was a conference report, passing a change in the rules to prevent amendments. If you watched the Senate floor, the idea raised quite a few hackles. I didn’t watch the House when the rule was adopted.
And Kathleen, the Third Floor (Governor’s Office) is just a bystander when the legislature deals with the budget and is wise to stand back. Good or bad, this new approach is on the legislature and its leaders promised (!) it won’t happen again this way.
Larry, the basics of the process go back to a manual written by Thomas Jefferson. And navigating the process is largely what lobbyists are hired to do, guiding others through the maze.
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To give Haner credit, he does an equally good job on the machinations of the SCC but largely only for Dominion.
The SCC is quite involved in Virginia government in many different areas. I actually stop by their table at the State Fair where they often seem largely a lonely bunch because most fair goers have no clue who they are or what they do. I suspect most who stop by work for the SCC or allied agencies!
If they gave away some serious bling, they’d probably get more traffic!
I sometimes wonder if the SCC in Va is a fairly standard entity across all states or do other states accomplish it’s functions in other ways?
One can see and understand why voters so relish the top guy as being “hands on” rather than trying to understand the rabbit warren of actual governance!
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Most states seem to have an entity that only deals with public utilities:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Public_utilities_commissions_of_the_United_States
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right, but what about other things like insurance and other commerce regulation?
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Many states have a department which handles insurance matters, which may be it’s own department, independent of another:
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Va SCC:
” About the Agency
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has regulatory authority over utilities, insurance, state-chartered financial institutions, securities, retail franchising and railroads. It is the state’s central filing office for corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies and Uniform Commercial Code liens.”That’s not everything for sure.
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From what I’ve seen, most other states don’t have a single agency that handles all that Virginia’s SCC handles.. Where Virginia has one agency, other states have two or more.
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I think there are other regulatory agencies in Va besides the SCC but not sure they have “judges” and proceedings involving rulings or maybe they do.. lotta ignorance..
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The functions overseen by the SCC are normally handled by Executive branch agencies, usually 5 or more, in other states. The SCC is nearly unique in being a constitutionally established department of government as opposed to an Executive branch agency.
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Technically, a budget conference report is usually a series of separate amendments that, under the rules, can be voted on as a bloc or separately.
Thanks for the clarification on how they handled the introduced budget bill. In preparing my article, I thought about watching the video of the floor sessions, but the staff had told me why there were no standalone amendments and I figured I had enough. I just figured there was a “gentlemen’s agreement” that there would be no floor amendments.
Your skepticism is well-founded. Once such new “one-time” approaches succeed, they have a habit of reappearing in later years.
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No sir, a conference report is unamendable. Period. Cannot be severed. Must be accepted or rejected as is. Same with a Governor’s Amendment, no changes, but they can be severed or sent to committee.
To follow the standard process once the process stalled, the legislature would have needed to stay in recess. Then we could have had a regular conference report. But to stay in recess would mean to forego fundraising…..so they adjourned.
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AARGH! You are right! I must have been up too late last night or have been out of this too long. I was getting the conference report confused with how they handle proposed committee amendments and amendments sent back by the Governor. The conference report is an up or down vote as a whole, thereby putting a lot of power in the hands of the conferees.
I am embarrassed. Thanks for straightening me out.
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Aren’t they just imitating their DC betters, to which many aspire? Never really pass a budget as separate bills and wrap it all up in one big thing you have to vote for? And no member can be blamed for the various huge piles of excrement cuz they had to vote for the package? At least we aren’t spending 40% over what we take in…
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As funky as Richmond gets, please, it is not Congress. Yet.
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