The Glenwood post., 1922-08-31
Young Republicans Of CoIora.
do Would Do Away With
Useless Legislation
A CENSOR COMMITTEE


scientific method of preparing and
considering new legislation are pro-
posed by Henry Wolcott Toll, chair
man of the Legislative committee OF
the Young Republicans of Colorado, in
n letter sent today to George II. Shaw
of Fort Collins; Republican state chair
man, says Lee Casey in the Denver
Times. In his letter Toll embodies the
results of three months investigation
by the committee, during which the
opinions of legislators, judges, public
officials and others interested in the
enactment of legislation were obtained
and classified.
If the suggestions of Toll, who is
one of the top designees for the Re-
public nomination for state senator,
are carried out, not only will the next
legislature devote large part Of its
energies to putting present laws in
clear form, but all proposed laws be-
fore they can be submitted to either
house will have to gain the approval
of a committee composed of three
members of the state senate, three
members of the house and the COVER
nor.
In his letter Toll tells Shaw that one
member of the Colorado assembly
wrote him as follows: "My first sug-
geston would be that a legislature
could very profitably spend one session
in simply amending and simplifying
and repeating laws already on the stat
ute books without adding any new
ones.'
After declaring that in his opinion
the most important needs are that laws
be considered more thoroughly in ad-
vance, and should be more carefully
and clearly worded, and more perfectly
co-ordinated with laws already in
force. Toll makes the following rec
concentrations:
''That we shall urge the legislature
to create n standing committee, to be
q, known as the legislative program COM
mittee, consisting of seven members,
namely, three state senators, three as
semblymen and the governor.
"This committee shall be constantly
ready to receive and consider legisla-
tive proposals during the entire period
during which the legislature is not in
session. When each session Of the leg
islature convenes this committee shall
report to it all measures which have
been proposed to the committee since
the last session, together with the COM
mittee's Recommendation concerning
each proposal. To this report the Re-
publican members Of the committee or
the Democratic members may adV .
separate report if they desire.
$50 far as it has opportunity to do
SO, this committee shall put into con-
crete form ready for enactment, each
proposal which it approves taking care
that the proposed statute is properly
unified with already existing laws
touching the same subject.
"After this committee has been tried
for one or two sessions it might seem
best to provide that no new measure
should be considered at legislative
session unless it had been proposed, in
substance; to this legislative program
committee at least thirty days before
the opening of the session. This would
reduce the amount Of legislation, would
weed out some jokers and would min
imize the danger Of surprise legisla.
tion or hasty action. In other wonts
it would simply assure reasonable no
ticc of proposed statutes.
at is obvious that the work of tnis
committee would save much time whom
the legislative actually met-and- il sig
mcn can save the time Of 100, it is de-
sjrable that they should do so.
TWhetber or not some Improvement
Of this sort is made in our legislative
procedure, 7 urge you to create leg
islative program committee for the Re-
publican party, to serve year in and
year out. If only one party had such
hn< rorky xwou1d havA