One of the biggest problems with our political system is that people don’t get involved and often don’t care to pay attention. Who can blame them? Our system does not make it easy to see what is really happening, and makes it even more difficult for the average person to participate.

The Legislature meets for 60 days each year, and in that time more than 2000 bills are heard in nearly 1000 hearings, and thousands more votes are cast. Facing such a tight timeline, the Legislature has traditionally been able to give little public notice for upcoming hearings and bills that people may be interested in supporting or opposing. That often amounts to 48 hours or less, and hearings are typically scheduled in the middle of the work day which makes it difficult for the average person to make their voice heard.

One of the most important changes we can push for, is making the legislative process more accessible to the public. I have introduced House Bill 1448, which extends the maximum length of the legislative session from 60 to 90 days. This is a first step we can take to allow more time to extend the notice to the public for upcoming meetings and allow more time for debate and careful revision of bills throughout the process. Ultimately, whether it is an extension of the current legislative session, or even moving to a whole new schedule, we should look at ways to open our legislature to the public.