At time when back-door deals and the lack of transparency in government is the norm, the Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce is actively supporting proposed legislation to help bring open government to Sacramento. A constitutional amendment designed to allow the public to react to last minute changes in legislative proposals has been introduced by Assembly Member Kevin Jeffries. ACA 8 would require the Legislature or committees in both houses to post an agenda containing a description of each item 72 hours in advance before action can be taken.

“We thank our Kevin Jeffries for taking this unpopular step with the legislature’s leadership but this is something that needs to be done,” stated Kim Cousins, President and CEO of the Chamber. “Our state legislature should follow the same rules that are required of our local city governments, school boards, and other organizations that are required to post 72 hours in advance,” continued Cousins.

Currently the legislature uses a process called “gut and amend” that has been a staple in the legislature for some time. The “gut and amend" is a practice used during the end of a legislative session and during budget negotiations in which the entire contents of a bill are deleted ("gut") and replaced with something new ("amend") usually completely different than the original intent of the bill. This process does not allow input from the public or interested organizations due to the lack of time to respond.

The Chamber understands that this will be an uphill battle and urges the business community to weigh in with its opinions. Over the coming months, the chamber working with its business advocacy coalition, the Southwest California Legislative Council will work closely with Assembly Member Jeffries to ensure movement on this very important piece of legislation.

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