Mike Moon: Missourians' voices silenced in House of Representatives

(From Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove)

In my last report, I mentioned the second amendment I offered to the House rules. One more remained to be brought up. This third amendment was aimed at eliminating a major blockade – the two Rules committees. This change would also require that all bills reported out of the standing committees be placed on the Calendar (and readied for debate).

Modeled after the U.S. House committee structure, the Missouri House Rules committees act as yet another “tool” afforded to the Speaker to hold up and/or “kill” bills.

I encourage you to ask around (among the current and former representatives) to find out for yourself (whether or not these two committees are “used” for the purposes stated above). If you ask enough, I’m certain you’ll find that what I’ve reported is true.

Before I continue, allow me to provide a “sneak peek” into a Rules committee hearing. You may recall, in committees (other than Rules) witnesses may provide testimony as a follow-up to the bill sponsors presentation of the bill. This testimony may be either in support or opposition to the bill. Committee members may interrogate the bill sponsor and witnesses during the hearing.

In Rules committee “hearings,” however, testimony is atypical. In fact, Rules committee hearings usually go something like this: A roll call is conducted in order to establish a quorum. Once established, the committee chair announces the first bill. If a committee member has a question about the bill, this is the time to speak up. (Often, the only question is, “What is this bill about?”) After all questions have been satisfied, a vote is taken. Each bill vote takes seconds to a few minutes at most.

Several years ago, I had a bill pass out of a standing committee. Since this was my first bill to reach the Rules committee, I decided to attend the “hearing.” I’m glad I did. My bill was called up. The chair noticed me in the audience and asked if I’d like to explain the bill. A thought raced though my mind: “Are you serious?!?” If I had not been in attendance, the committee would likely not have had a clue about the bill. Another thought entered my mind: “If no public hearing is allowed and the committee members have not read the bill and satisfied their questions, what is the purpose of the committee?”

Of course, I was gaining quickly on the answer.

The bill received a favorable vote, so I considered my effort a success.

Later that day, I went to see the Rules committee chair to ask when the bill would be reported out of committee. The chair told me the bill would not be reported out. When I asked for the reason, I was told in no uncertain terms, “Because I don’t want to!”

Now, you might be wondering: This was not the Speakers fault. Oh, but as Paul Harvey used to say, “Here’s the rest of the story….”

During this particular session, the Speaker had placed a limit on the number of bills a committee could report out. My bill would have taken the place of another “more important” bill. So, you see, the Speaker’s control was indeed at play once again.

Allow me to tell you about another more recent bill. After being held up in the standing committee for about three weeks, the bill finally was reported out. As soon as the bill was sent the Rules committee, I spoke to the Rules chair about when the bill would be taken up for a vote. I was told the vote would take place the following week.

Due to my past Rules committee experience(s), I decided attend the “hearing.” The committee met on schedule, however, the list of bills did not include mine. The chair was not present when the committee convened, however, when he arrived, I inquired about my bill. Now here’s the “funny” part: the chairman, looked at me and stated this question, “Your bill’s not on the list?.. We’ll get to it next week.”

Most “seasoned” legislators know that bills already heard in committee can be taken up at any time for a vote (whether or not it’s on the list.) Fortunately, I knew this and mentioned it to the chair. He was not moved.

A week later, the Rules committee met again. I’ll bet you’re a step ahead of me… and, you’re spot on – the bill was not listed, again. The committee chair was less than apologetic, made a lame excuse and said he’d make sure the bill was on the “hearing” list the following week.

By this time, I was just shy of livid. You can probably imagine what was “running” through my mind at this time. This part I’m not going to share.

For weeks, I’d been in touch with the Speaker about the bill’s progress. Finally, I’d had enough, so I asked the Speaker for an answer about the bill. My questions were about why the bill had been held up, had he opposed the bill, had someone else wanted the bill stopped….

The answer was that the bill was opposed by a group outside the legislature – not elected representatives. All it took was for the opposition to convince the Speaker of their wishes and the deal was done.

I hope you understand the problem. The Missouri House, with 163 representatives, is controlled by one – the Speaker. Missourians elect 163 individuals to represent their wishes in the State House. The problem: the House members willingly cede their “power” – power not theirs to give – to one individual. As you have read in these reports, this power is/has been used to silence the voices of many across the state.

Since the Floor debate and eventual adoption of the House rules for the 100th General Assembly, a number of representatives have communicated to me that I was right about the need to change the rules. In the recent days others have expressed their support for these changes. You know the saying, “A day late and a dollar short?”

While it’s true that rules are typically revised and adopted only once during a two-year General Assembly, a resolution with new rules can be adopted at any time. All it takes to make this happen is for enough members to understand the need and resolve to adopt the changes. My hope is that a “seed” has been planted and someday (perhaps in the not too distant future) Missourians across the state will realize that their voices have been effectively silenced and they will require their individual representatives to restore their control in the Missouri House.