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Letter To Editor
The Editor Rappahannock News
Your readers may be interested in specific details regarding the secret conduct of their public business in the General Assembly.
The General Assembly has one of the most modem voting machines that can be found anywhere in the county. Electronic boards are on either side of the House where a recorded vote can be had in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, the machine is not used except on final passage (Final Reading) of a Bill, or when 20*7 of those members present request it (Constitution of Virginia). In other instances, the vote is taken either by voice or a show of hands.
The critical stage of a Bill is in its Secohd Reading (not final passage) when amendments are offered and possible alternatives suggested. This is the point where Republicans want a recorded vote. But because we have only 14 Republican Delegates out of 100, they are not strong enough to meet the 20^ rule. As far as I am able to determine, every Republican Delegate has supported every request for a recorded vote on the grounds that the public’s business should be public at all stages of the legislative process.
Let me assure your readers that, after November, we shall be strong enough to overthrow this obsession with secrecy by demanding that every vote taken in the General Assembly be recorded. The passage of a bill is not the only place where secrecy prevails in the General Assembly.
There is no record of the minutes of any committee meetings • open or closed. There is no record of arguments or debates. The only recent exception occurred during the hearings on revision of the Constitution because of their historical importance.
This obsession with secrecy even extends to routine matters. In a recent session, a Republican Delegate proposed a little Bill requiring outside rear view mirrors on all autos licensed in Virginia. After he explained the Bill to the Roads Committee, the Chairman promptly excused the public including the Delegate who proposed the Bill, closed the doors, and had a secret discussion and vote. Obviously, the measure was too earth shattering to be considered in public.
After November, we are going to demand that all committee hearings, with the possible exception of those involving personnel, be public.
In view of all this sham and hypocrisy, I renew my charge that one-party politics has made the General Assembly a rubber stamp factory with a country club front. Its high purpose should be something more than a bad excuse to leave home.
My authority for this statement of condition in the General Assembly is based on extensive discussions over the last three months with Republican Delegates and Senators presently in the General Assembly.
Very truly yours,
Preston Pulliam
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