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People's House, part 2
posted at 2007-03-22 23:56 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
The Joint Rules Committee is angling to make draconian changes in how the legislative building can be used. Why? Lawmakers have some valid concerns. Those with offices off the building's courtyards say they can’t hear themselves think when groups move in and set up exhibits. And they get requests from more groups than they can accommodate. Plus, the carnival vibe isn’t terribly conducive to work. According to Senior Senate Dem R.C. Soles, the new rules will help restore the Legislature's “dignity and decorum.”
Under the proposed rules, group displays would be limited to
one day a week – and only schoolkids and state agency groups could use the
legislative building. All other
public groups would have to move across Jones Street to a small, glass-enclosed
space next to the parking garage, where they can duke it out with the busloads
of schoolkids on field trips who eat lunch there everyday.
The long-term plan is to build a reception pavilion of some kind out on the Halifax Mall, that big stretch of lawn behind the legislature building. Senate Dem. Leader Tony Rand says maybe the state could charge visiting groups a rental fee to help pay for the structure. (Never mind that they’re already paying rent for Jones St. It's called taxes.)
For now, it looks as if these changes will sail through. But you have to wonder about the timing. Public opinion of the legislature is lower than ever right now – is evicting public groups likely to help? And as to the Legislature's "dignity and decorum," the average voter might see cash in the bathroom as a bigger problem than corn snakes in the courtyard.
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