Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

These past two years, many important pieces of legislation have found their way into long, complicated bills that did not reach legislators - much less the public - until just hours before a vote.

Meetings at which the budget was being negotiated occurred behind closed doors. The work of legislative committees, which hear citizen comments on all sorts of topics, was often ignored.

Information was not getting to the public - or even to rank-and-file legislators - in a timely manner prior to legislative action. That simply isn't the way the people's business should be done.

Democratic Party leaders do not see a problem with the status quo. They say that the public judges us only on what we do, after we vote. I tend to think that citizens, given the many who attend various public hearings on a wide range of topics, are actually quite interested in voicing their opinions before a proposal becomes law.

Why else have public hearings? Why publish our phone numbers on mailings and websites? Republicans want the public's input before we vote. Isn't that what the term "people's government" means?

All deliberations, budget or otherwise, should be conducted with maximum transparency, and the public's participation should be encouraged at every step. Citizens should be well aware of and have a chance to comment on proposed legislation long before it becomes law.

People trust what they can see, what they have had a chance to weigh in on. They want to feel that they can play a role in bringing about change. They want their voices heard.

The House Republican caucus wants to open budget meetings to the public. But the reforms we are presenting will take us even further.

The Connecticut Legislative Reform Agenda is our plan to bring the process to the people in as many ways as possible. We suggest having committee agendas available 36 hours before every meeting, making it easier for residents to e-mail testimony on a bill, and combining committees to strip away confusion and bureaucracy.

Other Republican proposals include:

New taxes and tax increases would receive a public hearing before coming to a vote in the legislature. The public should know the impact of such proposals well before they reach the floor of either chamber.

Emergency-certified bills would be available publicly, via the Internet, at least 72 hours prior to a vote. This proposal means that legislators and the public would have ample time comment on pivotal legislation before it is voted on rather than read about it after the fact.

Legislative sessions would end at midnight. Matters before the General Assembly should be debated and voted on in the light of day, not the dark of night. The public watching the legislators should not have to be half asleep. Neither should their representatives. This would also help prevent rushed decisions and sloppy mistakes.

Legislative committees would be encouraged to bring public hearings into the 21st century and increase the public's participation by experimenting with remote, interactive hearing locations across the state. Currently, if people want to comment on a bill before a legislative committee, they have to take time off work and spend hours traveling to Hartford to attend a hearing.

The Appropriations Committee and the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee would be merged into a Ways and Means Committee to consider what revenues are available, as well as how that money is then spent. A separate Capital Projects Committee would consider state bonding and capital projects. This would create a more efficient system of taking up matters relating to the budget. Also, we would do a better job of making sure we spend no more money than we take in.

We need to start cutting red tape. Too many residents are put off by all the time and work required to make their voices heard.

These reforms would hold us accountable to those who trust us to represent them. They - you - deserve nothing less.

Robert Ward of North Branford is the House Republican leader.