New-York tribune., 1920-12-20
City Club Asks
5 Changes in
Assembly Rule
Speakers Power to Kill Any
Bill Through Committee
ON Rules Held Worst Evil
III Legislative Procedure
End of Morgue Advocated
Adjustment Of the Senate
Graveyard and Logrolling
Among Recommendations


Club, after series of conferences with
prominent legislators, will recommend
number of progressive changes in
legislative procedure to the new Legis
ls;ure.
These recommendations are:
!. The elimination of the so-called
,spid roll call, on which absent mem
bers have been frequently recorded as
having voted.
2. The adoption of the Assembly
rules governing standing committees
BY the Senate.
8. End the Senate graveyard by put
ting the order OF motions and resolu
tons just before the third reading of
bills.
4. End log-rolling by providing that
special or local bills must be intro
duced before February Is and voted
on not later than March Is.
5. End the UNIQUE Assembly morgue
b. extending the life of all standing
eommittees.to the end of the session.
In this last recommendation the Citv
Club aims at ending what all legisla-
tors agree is the worst evil in legisla-
tive procedure in the world By virtue
Of its existence Speaker Sweet was en-
sbled TO kill every measure he wanted
killed, whether it originated in the
Senate or Assembly, by the simple proc
ess of keeping the bill IN Rules Com
mittee, as the morgue is officially
known. He is chairman of this COM
mittee and appoints it's members.
Morgue Is Condemned
Commenting on this Recommendation
the Special Committee, which com
prises such men as ex-senator George
B. Agnew, 'Represe sentative elect Ogden
l. Mills, ex-senator Martin SAKE,
Mark Eisner and others familiar with
the evils they seek to correct, says:
"Ihe most extraordinary feature of
legislative procedure in this state is
involved in the arbitrary powers of
the Assembly Committee on Rules dur
ing the closing days of the session.
Often this period of rules domination
is so extended as to cover several
weeks. Other standing committees are
discharged from the consideration of
pending measures. The all-powerful
Committee on Rules, appointed by the
Speaker. becomes the only functioning
committee OF the House. Reports
from this committee stand as the ac-
ton of the House unless overthrown
by the vote of majority of all the
elected members.
ave respectfully suggest that stand
ing committees in the Assembly should
continue to function until the end of
the session and that the Assembly
Rules Committee should be given
powers similar to those of the Rules
Committee in the Senate, which are
defined as follows:
"''The Committee on Rules may sit
at any time, the reception and con-
sideration of its report shall always
be IN order, debate on its adoption
shall not exceed one hour, one-half
hour for and one-half hour against,
such time to be allotted by the tempo
rary president and minority leader, and
no other motion, except motion by
the temporary president for a call of
the Senate to adjourn or to recess,
shall be in order until the vote of the
Senate is had thereon"
How Graveyard Is Conducted
Discussing the Senate graveyard
which in a measure is a counterpart of
the Assembly morgue, the committee
says:
The nearest approach in the Senate
to the obstructive powers exercised in
the Assembly by the Committee on
Rules is in the so-called Senate grave
yard. This expressive term is legisla-
tive slang for the order of business
known as general orders. This is the
last order OF business On the daily
Senate calendar. 1t is seldom reached,
for It's approach is signal for ad-
lournment. Theoretically, the situa-
tion is alleviated by provision
through which, under the order of mo-
tions and resolutions, a member may
move for the discharge OF bill from
general orders. But the order of mo-
tionS and resolutions is also near the
foot OF the daily calendar, and is itself
teldom reached.
Again, in the interest Of genuine
majority control, we suggest that the
crder OF motions and resolutions should
be moved forward on the calendar, so
that it will come just before instead of
Immediately after the order OF third
reading OF bills. The order of third
reading Of bills has to be reached al
most every day. This simple change
Sould enable a mem Der who has a ma
!ority with him to secure considera-
ton for bill which has got into gen
eral orders"
AZ a change from the so-called rapid
roll call, which at times has been used
Improperly, the committee suggests for
the consideration Of the Legislature
She methods of recording votes in
vogue in Wisconsin and Iowa. In the
'egislatures OF these two states the
desks Of the members are equipped
NTH electric buttons, connected with
large board upon which the members
names are listed. Each members vote
IS instantaneously recorded by
eolored light appearing after his name
red meaning aye; blue, mo-; white,
present" On the reverse side of the
toard appear the words corresponding
70 the lights BY Photographic proc
ess these are made part of the per
faanent record.
The committee obss4ves that there
are other changes besides those it rec
'nlmends, and adds:
II was thought best that the clubs
Recommendation should be confined to
snen proposed changes as will serve to
eradicate certain Of the more basic
f'is 9s'is OF present Legislative procedure.
~ ms can be accom- plished the respon
sioiiisy Of individual legislators will be
inersased and the Legislature az
ghoie viii, no doubt, enjoy a higher