Assembly Has Moved to Provide Complete Public Access - No More Private Meetings

Sep 29, 2026

Business Week panel discussion and legislative updates focus on shifting U.S. economic policy and energy planning while reducing uncertainty for the public. The text outlines California Assembly reforms to improve public access to hearings, including limiting private meetings, requiring advance availability of committee analyses, and ending proxy voting. It also addresses committee structure changes to reduce conflicts, accelerate bill movement, and diminish end-of-session logjams.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Assembly Has Moved to Provide Complete Public Access

No More Private Meetings

Poor Legislative Practice Changed

FRIDAY,MAY Znd,12 NOON FRIDAY,MAY 9hh,12 NOON THE HON.LEO T.MeCarthySpeaker of the California Assembly "Business Week"Panel of Editors"THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK:PROSPECTSFOR PROSPERITY“ Lewis Young,Editor-In-ChiefAnthony Paisi,Energy EditorJohn Carson-Parker,Markets and InvestmentsEditorRobert Farrell,Washington,D.C.,News Bureau ChiefWilliam Franklin,Business Outlook Editor The future path for the U.S.economy is still uncertain.Economists and business forecastersare stifled.The business outlook for the U.S.appears to be dependent on the organizationof a national economic and energy program.Still unresolved is how to change the U.S.public's demand for oil.The Ford Administration and the Congress seem to be workingagainst each other while trying to accomplish the same goal.The Business Week panel willdiscuss these developments,attempt to put these confusing cross currents into perspective,and interpret what the present economic situation means to you. Tickets $5.50 at door HOWARD G.VESPER,Quarterly Chairman DR.JOHNL.McLUCASSECRETARY OF THEUNITED STATES AIR FORCE Tickets $5.50 at door HOWARD G.VESPER,Quarterly Chairman Assembly Has Moved to Provide Complete Public Access FRIDAY FLASHES-APRIL 18+hFrom Address by "The perennial problem of Speakers hasbeen how to maintain full committees tohear bills and still manage to secure finalaction on the floor of the House for billsapproved by the various committees. We first reduced the number of stand-ing committees;the Assembly now has 20committees in place of 26. This accomplished two major objec-tives.One is to give each committee clear-ly defined subject areas.Bills now are as-signed to a single committee for policyand one fiscal committee if spending is in-volved.Secondly,cutting the number ofcommittees to the smallest number of G0LD BALLRO0M,SHERATOW-PALACE HOTEL CONCERT RO0M,SHERATOW-PALACE HOTEL standing committees in this century,I wasable to virtually eliminate conflicts of the80 Assemblymen. By limiting the sessions to Mondaymornings,Thursday afternoons and,soon,either evenings or Fridays,we avoid con-flict with committee work.The result hasbeen full committee attendance and theability to move legislation through theHouse and to the Senate. Proposition 9,the Political Reform Initi-ative,has had a very real effect on manymembers,but the change in attitude ofthe membership is even more important.Both Houses have set new standards fortheir members. In the Assembly we have moved to makecertain that the publie has full access towhat we are doing.Some changes will helpeliminate the logjam of bills at the close (Conrined on nex page) ReducedBillIntroductonSavingsof$700perBill MeCARTHY(Continued from preceding page)of the session.Not only is it vital that weprevent hundreds of last-minute bills onthe floor of each House,but we must haltthe flood of bills to our fiscal committees. To say that due deliberation can begiven important legislation when mem-bers must hear 70 or 80 bills in a singlecommittee hearing or floor session evadesthe truth.Any bill now in a policy com-mittee of either House which has fiscalimplications must be reported out of thepolicy committee and to the Senate Fi-nance or Assembly Ways and Means Com-mittee prior to May 16th. For bills which can be reported out of apolicy committee and directly to the floorof either House,the final day for enact-ment will be June 6th.This will give fiscalcommittees a full month to clean up thefinal rush of bills sent them by the variouspolicy committees.By June 20th every billauthored in our House must clear the fis-cal committee.This will give us at least 7uninterrupted days in floor sessions to con-sider such measures and pass them to theother House for approval or rejection.Thelogjams should be greatly diminished. # No More Private Meetings Occasionally a real emergency arisesduring a floor session,calling for immedi-ate

FAQs

What is the purpose of moving away from private meetings during floor sessions?

A real emergency still may require immediate action, but the text states that meetings must occur in hearing rooms where the press and public have full access, eliminating back-of-chamber private practices.

What rule change improves transparency for bill hearings?

When a bill is scheduled for hearing, a copy of the committee consultant’s analysis must be ready and available to anyone 24 hours in advance of the committee hearing.

How does the text say committee and amendment processes were improved?

It describes reducing the number of standing committees to clarify subject areas and prevent conflicts, and it adds that unclear substantive amendments require the bill to be sent to print and returned to committee for a vote.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Sophia Brooks