SAVE Commission's findings - La Follette School of Public Affairs ...

17.6
17.7
17.8
17.9
17.10
17.11
17.12
Develop a modern view of public input. To
gain access to more unbiased information and
enhance credibility, the Legislature should use
a variety of citizen input techniques and technologies
(using the Public Information Utility)
in addition to legally required hearings.
Hearings should be more convenient to the
people and less intimidating to the public.
Place the Legislature on a sum certain budget.
To treat all branches equally, place the
Legislature on a sum certain budget. This will
encourage spending discipline and encourage
office and system efficiency.
Require non-legislators to pay for bill drafting.
To recover costs, require non-legislators
to pay for bill drafts.
Participate in shared experiences to gain understanding.
To reduce the enmity and culture
gap between state and local, public and
private, agency and Legislature, job sharing or
job loaning should be practiced as part of a
“walk in the other’s shoes” strategy. The reverse
advice is true and others will benefit from understanding
legislative burdens.
Achieve “higher level” campaign as condition
of public financing. Campaign finance reform
is left to other commissions. However, to establish
a “higher level” of campaign conduct,
campaigns receiving public financing should
be required to adhere to a higher legal and
ethical standard of conduct. Campaigns should
be issue-oriented, as guided by an independent
body, such as the State Elections Board.
This should not infringe on free speech, but is
a condition of a government grant.
Require legislative impact statements. To increase
the quality of bills, require a legislative
impact statement before introduction. Questions
will address: duplication of existing programs,
total administrative costs, impact on
all citizens and long term costs. Contacts
should involve numerous agencies, interests
and perspectives.
Reduce the number of committees and require
term limits on committee chairs. To ensure
new thinking and fair issue treatment, limit
the terms committee chairs can serve. Fewer
17.13
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committees would be structured to comprehensively
focus on complex issues rather than
small niches of fiscal or policy control. Also
recommended is proportional partisan representation
on committees.
Require 24-hour cooling off period between
bill introduction and vote. To discourage a rush
to judgment that invites mistakes, require a
24-hour cooling off period between the introduction
of a bill and a floor vote.
Prohibit proxy voting. To enhance the credibility
and accountability of legislators, require
that casting a vote in committee be done in
person and that the prohibition against casting
another legislator’s electronic vote be enforced.
Limit the number of bills a legislator may introduce.
To encourage priority setting and reduce
low priority paperwork, limit the number
of bills a legislator may introduce. As an
escape clause, a legislator may submit legislation
above the ceiling if the cost of research
and preparation comes from the legislator’s
personal budget.
Require public hearings on all bills before
floor vote. To enhance public involvement and
avoid hastily made mistakes, all bills should
have a public hearing before a floor vote.
GOAL #18 EXECUTIVE BRANCH
18.1
Eliminate the offices of Secretary of State and
State Treasurer. To streamline government,
eliminate the outdated Constitutional offices
of Secretary of State and State Treasurer and
transfer remaining administrative functions
elsewhere.
18.2
Allow a gubernatorial candidate to choose a
running mate. To bring the state in line with
the national executive branch electoral process,
allow a gubernatorial candidate to select
a running mate, eliminating the separate primary
election for lieutenant governor.
18.3
Place the Governor’s Office on a sum certain
budget. To treat all branches equally, place the
Governor’s Office on a sum certain budget to
encourage priority setting and efficiency.
CITIZEN • COMMUNITY • GOVERNMENT — WISCONSIN: THE 21 ST CENTURY 67