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Question of the day

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* The Better Government Association took a look at some of the bills assigned to the House Agricultural Committee this year…

* concealed possession of hand guns,
* waiting periods for firearm purchases,
* changes to the criminal code for minors when handguns are involved,
* rules requiring women to have ultrasounds before having an abortion,
* required reporting of child abuse, and
* gaming.

That “gaming” bill involves horse racing, which is in Ag’s natural domain.

* And then comes the editorializing…

But when bills are placed in committees that have nothing to do with their subject matter, the entire legislative process risks being subverted.

Pam Sutherland, head of policy for Planned Parenthood of Illinois pointed out that placing a bill about women’s health into the Agriculture Committee is “like sending a hog-farming bill to the Public Health committee.”

House members were chosen to sit on the Agriculture Committee because of their expertise and interest in agriculture. They do not have the subject matter expertise that allows them to make informed decisions on legislation unrelated to that topic.

House Speaker Michael Madigan knows how to play the game and is aware that bills with little chance of passing in the correct committee can sail through another committee simply because lawmakers don’t know or care to ask the right questions.

Actually, a hog farming bill might very well have an impact on public health.

People aren’t necessarily chosen for committee assignments based on their “expertise.” If they were, the committee assignments would look a bit different than they do now. The sparsely populated Counties and Townships Committee would have a lot more members than it does, for instance.

* The truth is that the House Ag Committee has been the place to send more culturally conservative legislation for a while now so that the sponsors are assured that their legislation makes it to the floor. Madigan likes to make his members happy, and getting floor votes on bills is part of that process. This started with guns and went from there. Pro gun bills were sent to Ag. Gun control bills were sent to whatever committee had the most liberals on it.

The “child abuse” bill assigned to Ag requires people whose work encompasses “abortions, abortion counseling, abortion referrals, contraceptives, contraceptive counseling, sex education, or gynecological care and services” to report suspected child abuse. Hence, the assignment.

* Anyway, I’ve been thinking for a while that Ag’s name should be changed to reflect its far more influential role in the process. So…

* The Question: What should be the House Agricultural Committee’s more “appropriate” new name?

Snark is heavily encouraged, of course.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 3:08 am

Comments

The new name should be the Acme committee - we legislate everything

Comment by Angry Republican Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 6:17 am
Committee on WingNut Affairs

Gotta wonder when the BGA will do something besides fundraise….like asking IL corporations what they gave to the RGA…maybe all those “investigators” could start digging into 10-Ks other SEC documents.

Comment by Reddbyrd Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 6:29 am
The new name should be the Lemming commitee. They mindlessly march over cliffs or into traps, just as the speaker wants.

Comment by Palatine Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 6:55 am
Everything AND the Kitchen Sink committee.

Comment by Wensicia Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:07 am
The Aristocratic Committee

Comment by nona Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:10 am
The Blue Dog Committee

Comment by Don't Worry, Be Happy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:19 am
The we-need-to-appease-the-conservative-downstate-Democrat-members committee.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:24 am
Guns AND Butter Committee

Comment by muon Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:36 am
House Hybrid Committee

Comment by Observing Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:43 am
The Hazzard County Commission

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:53 am
Has to be “ag”-something — as if we silly wabbits had mistakenly thought that “ag” logically would be short for “agriculture”, when it actually has stood for something else all along.

House Aggravation Committee? Nah.

“House Ag Committee” = House Aggregation Committee. Where MJM aggregates legislation.

Comment by Dooley Dudright Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 8:11 am
The committee on selection of meeting table shapes

Comment by Ghost Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 8:24 am
We have aStaute on Statutes in the law books,

how abut the Committee on Committee’s?

Or the committee in support of the use of double letters.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 8:26 am
“Fibber McGee’s Committee”

(And here’s the link for you youngsters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibber_McGee_and_Molly#The_Closet)

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 8:34 am
The Good’ol’Boy Committee

Comment by PublicServant Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 8:43 am
The House Everything But Agriculture Committee

Comment by Stones Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 8:47 am
The yes men/women.

Comment by Irish Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:00 am
The House Ag Getrdone Committe

Comment by Down South Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:05 am
The Gun-Toting Minors and Pregnant Women on Horseback While Farming Committee

Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:05 am
Hee Haw

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:13 am
More importantly than asking for snark would be to ask the question as to why Speaker Madigan, a Democrat, would want bills that are being used to chip away at reproductive rights for women to get to the floor? Apparently unions and women are the targets of politics in this country. I just didn’t think women were a target in the state.

Comment by Seriously??? Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:21 am
The Bermuda Triangle Committee.

Comment by Honest Abe Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:26 am
The “Help a Legislator Look Good to the Folks Back Home” Committee

Comment by Bluefish Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:27 am
Mr. Madigan’s Special Filter Committee.

Comment by Behind The Scenes Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:31 am
For the HP fans on the blog, how about the “Committee of Requirement”. It appears whenever a legislative leader has great need of it, and transforms itself into whatever the legislative leader needs it to be at that moment in time.

Comment by lincoln's beard Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:41 am
The Special House Committee on the Proper Preparation of Tea Bags.

Comment by jerry 101 Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:43 am
Or, perhaps, The House Committee on What’s That Got To Do With The Price of Tea in Effingham?

Comment by jerry 101 Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:44 am
The Mayberry Tea Bagger Town Council.

Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:46 am
The House Agriculture, Arms and Fertility Committee to Defend Against ZOG

They’ll set things aright!

Comment by Canned Yard Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:49 am
The “Throw Me a Bone, Speaker!” committee

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:54 am
The “Consent Calendar” Committee … One votes and all the bills move on …

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 9:59 am
Agri-Gun-Culture Committee.

–“like sending a hog-farming bill to the Public Health committee.”–

If you live anywhere near one of these enormous hog operations — or draw water from a nearby well — you better believe Public Health should eyeball such legislation.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:01 am
The “We Don’t Read ‘em, We Just Pass ‘em” Committee

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:01 am
The AG Grevating Committee.

Comment by Nuance Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:05 am
The “Speaker’s Chit Cash-Out” Committee …

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:08 am
The Bergoo & Ag Committee.

Comment by Alexander cut the knot. Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:09 am
The “Green Button Boys” Committee

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:11 am
“Any Issue That Begins With The Letter A Committee”
Ag, abortion, arms, ammo, assistence, anything else

Comment by Joe from Joliet Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:19 am
I’m reminded of what one wag said “NASCAR” stood for: Non Active Sports fans Confederates And Rednecks …

Comment by Smitty Irving Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:25 am
Yes, Jeff Gordon screams redneck

Comment by piling on Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:39 am
The Not-Chicago Committee
The Retro Illinois Committee
The Fair and Balanced Committee
The Committee of Reason and Reflective Reality
The West Indiana Committee
The South Wisconsin Committee
The Purple Centrist Committee

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 10:42 am
The Downstate Detour

Comment by Amused Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 11:26 am
The House Gats and Chattel (yeah Sugarbuns, that means you) Committee

Comment by Tired of This Nonsense Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 11:28 am
The S. of I-80 Committee

Comment by KGB Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 11:34 am
The committee that has as much to do with agriculture as the BGA has to do with better government committee

Comment by piling on Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 11:41 am
The Copperhead Committee

Comment by lincoln's beard Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 11:42 am
The “Mental Floss” Committee

Comment by Holdingontomywallet Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 11:58 am
The House Committee for the Prevention of the Defiling of the Precious Flower of our Little Women

Comment by Buy Us All Chastity Belts and Get It Over With Already Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 12:06 pm
Don’t quote me regulations! I co-chaired the committee that reviewed the recommendation to revise the color of the book that regulation’s in.

We kept it gray!

Comment by Bureaucrat 1.0 Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 12:15 pm
The Committee on Redundancy Committee

Comment by PublicServant Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 12:45 pm
The Give Us Some Non-Ag Bills So We Can Discuss More Than Tail Docking and Hog Waste Committee

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 12:47 pm
The House Agri-Culture-Wars Committee.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 3:01 pm
The Gods, Guns, and Growin’ Group

Comment by Robert Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 3:45 pm
God

Comment by Robert Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 3:45 pm
The ATAVIH (All Things Vegetable and Animal Including Humans) committee.

Comment by jake Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 3:53 pm
The “RIGHT Place to Send Certain Bills” Committee

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 3:58 pm
how about the Springfield Friends of NRA Committee.

I just couldn’t resist

Comment by Todd Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 5:37 pm
The Committee for Consideration of Issues Unappealing to Members from Cities with Populations in Excess of 100,000.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Feb 28, 11 @ 7:38 pm