The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-01-25

st. Paul, January "a.
Since the law making body has
finally in its third week got itself
under way sufficiently so that it is
actually engaged in the business of
making laws, we may venture to deS-
cribe the mechanics of the process.
Any proposal for a law Is first
drawn up in the form of "bill' which
invariably begins, "A bill for an act"
to do thuS-and-So. Then follows the
enacting clause, Be 1t Enacted by
the Legislature of Minnesota" and
after that the subject matter of Lne
bill is set forth in sections This bill
is introduced by some member and
is referred to committee for con-
sideration. The committee reports
the bill back; if it recommends that
the bill do pass, the bill is then
placed on a list of bills called Gen
eral Orders"
Each house has a regular order of
business When the order of busi-
ness General Orders" is reached, the
house goes into the COMMITTEE OF
the Whole; that is, the whole house
sits as committee, member other
than the speaker presides, and the
bills on General Orders" are taken
up in order discussed as informally as
in any other committee.
The bills approved by the Commit
tee of the Whole are then placed on
another list of bills called the "Calen-
dar", and when the house reaches
that order of business some days
later, each bill is debated in order
as 1t appears on the Calendar. Here
tofore the voting has been informal,
viva voce, or by division, but bills
on the Calendar" are voted on by roll
call only. Each members name is
called and he votes aye" or "No".
In the house If the bill receives Sc
votes or more it is declared passed
and its title agreed to" and it is then
sent to the senate where the same
process is gone thru again If the
bill when finally considered on the
Calendar" in the senate receives "a
votes or more it then goes to the
governor for his approval or Veto If
approved it is engrossed and deposited
in the office of the secretary of state
Most bills may begin or end n
either house but bills for raising
revenue must originate in the house
Alternate Method.
At any stage of the proceeding the
rules may be suspended, the routine
described above disregarded and the
bill placed on its immediate passage
To do this, however, requires the
consent of two-thirds of the members
of the chamber.
If bill Is passed by the house
and amended by the senate, it must
then be returned to the house for
repassage, and vice versa. If the two
houses cannot agree, conference
committee of three to five members of
each chamber is appointed; if the
conference committee agrees the bill
must then be repasSd by both cham
bers.
Such are the mechanics of law
making. What the folks back home
think about it., however, has more to
do with making a law than any other
one thing. Next in order of influence
is the gossip and the exchange of
views among the members; lobbying
and debate compete for the minimum
OF influence in the making of law
What Laws Shall We pass?
The papers have been full of the
laws that the Legislature of 1929 will
pass. Perhaps they are right. We
WOulo llOt fClltuIC W Say. 1.-The was
when we were confident of what the
legislature would do, but it has set
us down so hard and so often that we
now approach the making of law in
a humble and chastened spirit You
may be prophet and the son of a
prophet but you cannot forecast what
1913 different minds, representing 1913
differing sections of the state with
1913 conflicting interests will do.
We see by the papers that roads,
crime, taxation, the state university
reforeStation will be the principal sub
jectS that will engage the attention of
the Legislature of 1929. Roads, taxa
ton and reforestation being economic
subjects, will probably make the most
noise, but the action of the legislature
upon such subjects of social legisla-
ton as the university and crime will
probably be of far reaching conse-
quence.
Craftsmanship as We See 1t.
The university should be left alone
as much as possible. It's status quo
should be maintained. The legisla-
ture should not elect its regents for
that would be plunging the university
into politics. Civilization has much