New-York tribune., 1910-11-21
SUGGESTS MANY REFORMS
Citizens Union Urges Changes in
Rules Governing Committees.
SAFEGUARDS IMPERATIVE
Too Much Power Vested in
Standing Committees, Sec
retary Hammitt Writes.

y
The Citizens Union IS after the Legisla- /
tive Investigating Committee with sugges
tlons for the reform Of legislative proce- /
dure. coupled with instances of slips or
near-slps in legislation 10 show the need
Of the reforms which they ask the commit /
tee 10 recommend in its report to the Legis- /
lature-
In a letter to NJ. Linn Bruce. counsel 70 |
the committee. written by J. Q. Hammltt. /
the secretary Of the Citizens Union. and
made public last night. the subject of the
work and methods OF standing committees
Of the Legislature is taken up at length. !
and the following reforms suggested:
Standing committees should be required
10 hold regular meetings at stated inter
walls Special meetings should be held
whenever the pressure Of business requires
il Notices Of all meetings. whether regu-
/ lar or special. should be published for the
/ information Of citizens. Such notices should
/ be advertised in newspa pers
1t should be required that a ma iorftv OF
each standing committee be present when
/ action is taken upon any pending bill.
! There should be regular calendar of
the matters before each standing commit
I tee, and these calendars should he pub
/ Ijshed for the information Of citizens. The
placing Of matters on the calendar of the
/ committee should be governed by rule but
/ Z sufficient latitude should be permitted to
the committee SO that matters OF pressing
importance might in proper cases be given
d ference.
Each standing committee should be re-
Quired 10 make a report in favor of or
against the passage Of every bill referred |
10 IL"
The Citizens Union holds that so long as !
the standing committee of the Legislature !.
, remains as powerful as il is under the pres
ent rules of the New York Legislature, so :
long will the opportunity for corruption |
and improper Influences exist. and that by /
a change in the rules governing the actions /
OF standing committees this opportunity can /
be removed 10 a great extent.
Safeguards Imperative.
I submit that il is imperative that safe
guards should be placed around the action
OF standing committees of the Senate and !
Assembly wrote Mr.. Hammitt, and IN
Ill this is done the legislative processes will |
never be adequately protected against cor
rlIpt and improper influences
Standing committees determine TO a large
extent the course Of legislation. and in his
letter 10 the committee Mr.. Hammitt
pointed out the usual method OF a stand
ing committee
The chairman calls meetings OF his com
n7ittee upon short notice he wrote. and
the chairman arranges the calendar of
hearings. Ordinarily he decides what mat
ters shall be considered At each meeting.
what persons shall be heard, what post
ponemenJs allowed. often he actually
makes up the report Of the committee on
an important bill without even going
through the fOrmality OF vote by the
members of the committee. There Is no
written law and no written rule by which
the committee procedure is definitely gov
erned-'
Senators and Assemblvmen are prac-
tically forced to rely on the judgment of
these committees, because Of the mass OF
legislation that is introduced, and all the
safeguards against corruption and i'm
proper Influences contained in the consti-
tuition, the legislative law or the rules of
either house. are directed at the Senate or
Assembly as q whole and not al all at the
action Of the standing committee.
consequently. every lobbyist who goes
to Albany to promote or oppose legislation
seeks to deal with the chairman of the
standing committee" the letter continued
and # he has the support Of the chair
man Of the proper committee, he IS con
hdent Of ultimate success.
AS an instance Of the slipshod manner in
which the important functions of standing
committees are exercised. Nj Hammitt
told Of an apparently careless error. which
had It not been corrected by a representa-
tive of the introducer of the bill. would
have resulted Indirectly in the postpone
ment for at least one year OF the pos
sibilitv Of the present new subway ac-
tivity being engineered by municipal funds
in New York City.
THE Rules Committee. in 1908 he wrote
in explaining this Instance, delegated to
Ray 3 Smith. the clerk of the Assembly
and member. Beverley S. Robinson
power to determine the form of d consti-
tutional amendment affecting the debt
limit Of cities. They prepared the report
of the committee IN such form that, nad
il not been for corrections made in proof
reading 10y a representative OF the intro
Queer Of the bill the bill would have been
placed on the Senate files instead of on
the Assembly files