From staff reports

A House-Senate task force didn’t have much enthusiasm this week for a plan that would have opened party caucus meetings to the public.

Wednesday, January 09, 2002

A House-Senate task force didn’t have much enthusiasm this week for a plan that would have opened party caucus meetings to the public. This is not surprising, since the people most hurt by the change would have been themselves. It is, however, disappointing, because the most important discussions about public policy in this state will continue to happen behind closed doors.

Legislators argue that these sessions – when members of each party get together to plot strategy and work out differences – must be private because otherwise their legislative enemies could use the discussions against them.

That may be true, but what is more important: The political loss suffered by these individuals, or the accessiblility of state government to the people it is supposed to serve and their ability to be involved in the process?

The reality, as pointed out by Democratic senator John Marty of Roseville, is that these caucus meetings are where many of the important decisions are made by the parties, sometimes turning the public portion of the process into a charade.

These private meetings would be the equivilant of three or four like-minded Albert Lea City Council members getting together before the meeting to decide what they will do, then showing up for the public meeting with their minds made up and a strategy in place. That practice would be illegal, and righfully so. Public officials should conduct the public’s business in full view of their constituents.

The only reason this rule does not apply to the state legislature is because of the political parties, which have incredible influence over policy decisions. Because our elected representatives are organized into these two major parties, they somehow get the right to plot and plan and scheme in private with absolutely no accountability. This only reinforces the control the parties have over state policy. It doesn’t make sense and Marty is right to challenge it.

Unfortunately, as is the case on the unicameral legislature issue, it will be tough to win legislative converts to a philosophy that makes life harder for legislators themselves.