The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-04-02
DUvAL SENATOR PLANS
A REORGANIZATION
OF Florida Legislature to
Promote Efficiency and
Economy.

To abolish the numerous commit
tees with their high-sounding titles,
in both branches Of the Florida Leg
stature, substituting therefor num-
bered committees, six committees for
the Senate and ten committees for
the House, is the aim Of a resolu-
ton to be introduced at the coming
session by Senator Ion l.. Farrls, OF
Jacksonville.
This reorganization plan is the re-
suit of the experience gained by Sem
ator Farris during his. two terms as
Sneaker of the House of Represen-
tatiyes, and his intimate knowledge
of the waste of time and the loss OF
efficiency in the handling of the leg
Iislative grind through the multiplied
tv of unnecessary and time-wasting
committees. If adopted, the resolu-
ton will automatically reduce the
expense. for clerical and other help
to minimum.
This idea is something entirely
new in legislative procedure and Will
undoubtedly be watched with the
keenest interest by the legislators OF
every State in the Union.
1t is proposed that the six Senate
committees shall consist of five Sen
ators each, and the House committees
to have seven members each. These
committees, known as Committee
No. l." Committee No. q" etc,
are to be made up of legislators ac-
cording to their vocational interests.
For instance: On each committee
there will be a banker, a farmer, a
LAWYER, a business man and rep
resentative of labor. Bills will be
referred to these committees in the
order in which they are introduced.
The first bill introduced will be re-
ferred to Committee No. /, the sec
ond bill to Committee No. 2, and so
on automatically, until all of the bills
introduced are divided prorata among
the committees.
Appointments Will Not be Made by
Speaker.
The resolution further provides
for the creation of a Especial Com
mittee on Committees and Rules,
this body to have the naming Of the
members of the committees, recogniz-
ing every vocation and every element
of citizenship.
When the committees Of either leg
.islative body are filled up with bills
that body will adjourn until the com
mittees are ready to report, thus en-.
aiding the members to attend all o.
the sessions of the legislative body
. to which they were elected by theil
constituents, and, at the same time
give them ample opportunity to dc
their necessary committee work
That this in itself will prove one Of
the greatest time savers in the his
. tories of State legislatures, canno
be denied
Every bill introduced will have the
careful consideration Of representa-
= tives of all the elements of citizen
ship in the State, men who will have
. no direct interest in the bills unde
| consideration, because they will no
: know in advance what bills will come
| before them, making ''packed' com
' mittee for or against bill almost al
! impossibility.
. More Committees Than Senator's.
At the 1913 session of the Florid;
] Legislature there were "a committee
!, of the Senate and but 80 members o
! that body. The House, with mem
+ bership of 70 Representatives, ha'
! At committees. The members of tn
: Senate were appointed to serve OF
f from five to seven committees each
an average of six committees to
+ man, and in the House, the repre-
\ sentatives were serving on ten an
! sometimes IA committees each. Thu
it can be readily seen that if mem
Der of the Legislature attended to hi
t committee work as he should hav
g done he had but scant opportunity t
e attend to the other legislative bust
: ness of the session.