Well ... I've been so busy with LA-06 and law school finals, that I've neglected the Legislative Session that is currently underway. Starting today, I will be focusing a tad more on the bills that are under consideration in the Legislature. And let me warn you ... there's some baaaaaaad bills. Here are three bills and one potentially explosive issue that I am going to take a look at:
It's now in the House, and I have absolutely no doubt that it will find itself on the Governor's desk for his signature in short order because we have a lot of spineless Democrats in the Legislature who are afraid of standing up to the religious right.
The third bill is the "Let's Allow ANYONE To Have A Concealed Gun On College Campuses Bill", or HB 199. A concealed gun permit is the answer of the NRA, which sponsored this bill, and lobbied for it in the State Capitol, to the campus shooting that occurred at Virginia Tech. My problem with the bill is that all you have to do is be 21 years of age, take a safety course, and pass a background check, which does not include checking to see if you are on medication for mental illness.
It is currently awaiting a vote on the floor of the House. I have no doubt that it will pass the House and be sent on to the Senate. Hopefully, they will amend it to ensure that folks who are on medication for mental reasons will be automatically denied the concealed gun permit.
The final thing I will be watching is perhaps the most explosive. It deals with the "gold standard" of ethics changes that Governor PBJ got passed in the 1st Extraordinary Session. The bills that were passed weakened the Ethics Board in at least two respects:
1. It removed the Ethics Board from the role of judging the results of the investigation, putting that job in the hands of judicial appointees, who are FAR MORE susceptible to political pressure, as they serve at the pleasure of the Governor; and
2. Heightened the standard to convict to "clear and convincing", from "reliable and substantial" burden, which essentially means that the judge or jury must find it more likely than not that an ethical violation occurred. The clear and convincing standard is similar to having absolutely no doubt that a violation occurred.
The change in the standard was introduced by State Senator Bob Kostelka of Monroe, but according to The Reduct Box, Governor PBJ's top lawyer, Jimmy Faircloth, is rumored to have authored the amendment that changed the burden of proof on the Ethics Board at the 11th hour.
So there's a lot to rake and discuss. What bills are y'all interested in? Let me know in the comments!
