Full-Time General Assembly?

Published Oct 26 2009, 12:21 PM by David Scharfenberg

The ProJo has an item in its political scene column today about Senator Frank Ciccone reviving his push to turn the part-time General Assembly into a full-time legislature - of smaller size and larger pay.

There are two reasons the push is likely to fail: a lot of politicians would lose their jobs in a shrinking legislature and in a cash-strapped state, the public probably has little appetite for growing the pay of the pols who helped get lil Rhody in its big mess.

But the idea has some merit. Full-time legislators would be in a better position to counterbalance the leadership, which has traditionally held an iron grip on power. A full-time legislature would also be in a better position to tackle the complex issues facing the state.

And there could be a little more force behind the push this time. Ciccone's state Senate, which often plays second fiddle to the House, has been showing some spunk.

Filed Under: General Assembly

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