>> CATHY: THE END OF THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS MARKED BY CHAOS AND DIVISION DURING THE CLOSING MOMENTS IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE CHAMBERS.
AS ALL HOUSE SEATS ARE ON THE BALLOT THIS FALL, SOME LEGISLATORS WILL NEED TO WORK WITH EACH OTHER AND ACROSS THE AISLE.
MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE, A NON-PROFIT AIMING TO FOSTER CONVERSATION BETWEEN POLITICALLY DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, HAS RELEASED ITS SECOND ANNUAL REPORT ON BIPARTISANSHIP.
JOINING US IS FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE, SHANNON WATSON.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> YOU TOO.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> Cathy: SO WE HAD YOU ON LAST YEAR.
>> YEAH.
>> Cathy: YEAH.
IT DOES NOT SEEM, SHANNON, AS THOUGH MUCH HAS CHANGED WHEN IT COMES TO BIPARTISANSHIP AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE, GIVEN THE IRRITABLE ENDING TO SESSION.
I DON'T KNOW, WHAT'S YOUR FEEL?
WHAT DOES YOUR REPORT SAY?
>> YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT THE -- WE LOOKED AT SORT OF VERY SPECIFIC THINGS WITH THE REPORT.
WE LOOKED AT THE NUMBER OF MINORITY-LED BILLS THAT ERE GETTING HEARINGS AND THEN WE LOOKED AT THE NUMBER OF BILLS THAT WERE GETTING INTRODUCTIONS THAT WERE BIPARTISAN IN NATURE AND THEN JUST SORT OF HOW INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATORS SORT OF MANAGED THEIR OWN BILLS.
WERE THEY JUST THEIR OWN PARTY OR WERE THEY BIPARTISAN IN NATURE.
AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS, IF YOU LOOK AT REALLY TOP LINE, SORT OF OVERALL RESULTS, THE NUMBER OF BIPARTISAN BILLS INTRODUCED IN '24 COMPARED TO '23, IT FELL A LITTLE BIT.
AND THE NUMBER OF HEARINGS GIVEN TO MINORITY-LED BILLS, THOSE FELL A LITTLE BIT.
BUT THE THING THAT WAS GOOD WAS IT LOOKED LIKE A LOT OF INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATORS WERE HAVING MORE BIPARTISANSHIP AND THEN THERE WERE A LOT OF COMMITTEE CHAIRS WHO SEEMED TO BE MAKING AN EFFORT.
LIKE EVEN IF, YOU KNOW, YOU WENT FROM ONE BILL TO TWO BILLS, LIKE THAT'S AN IMPROVEMENT.
AND THAT SHOWS THAT PEOPLE WERE TRYING.
>> Eric: DON'T A LOT OF THE LAWMAKERS' CONSTITUENTS AND THE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS, THEY KIND OF ENCOURAGE PARTISANSHIP, DON'T THEY?
>> THEY ABSOLUTELY DO, YEAH.
>> Eric: WHAT'S THE ANTIDOTE FOR THAT?
>> YOU KNOW, WE THINK THAT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THOSE VOICES GET DROWNED OUT IS BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO WANT THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO BE BIPARTISAN AND TO WORK TOGETHER WERE NOT ARTICULATING THAT MESSAGE TO LEGISLATORS.
SO LEGISLATORS GET TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY HAPPY OR VERY UPSET OR ADVOCATES THAT ARE PAID TO PERSUADE THEM FOR SOMETHING.
WHAT THEY'RE NOT HEARING FROM CONSTITUENTS IS, WE CARE ABOUT BIPARTISANSHIP, WE CARE ABOUT COMPROMISE, AND WE WANT YOU TO DO THAT AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO PUNISH YOU FOR DOING SO.
THERE'S A LOT OF LEGISLATORS THAT DON'T REALLY ACTUALLY WANT TO DO A LOT OF BIPARTISAN WORK OUT IN THE OPEN RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT MAKES THEM A TARGET.
>> Cathy: THAT'S A SHAME.
>> YEAH.
>> Cathy: THE REPORT SAID, YOU'RE RECOMMENDING SUFFICIENT TIME FOR DISCUSSION AND AMENDMENTS.
IS THAT NOT HAPPENING?
>> YOU KNOW, WE SEEM TO HAVE AN INVERSE ELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT IN COMMITTEE AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT ON THE FLOOR.
IT SEEMS LIKE IF THE COMMITTEES THAT SPEND A LOT OF TIME GOING THROUGH AMENDMENTS, GOING THROUGH ALL THE BILLS, GIVING A LOT OF DIFFERENT BILLS HEARINGS, LIKE SENATE TRANSPORTATION IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS, THEY SPEND AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF TIME IN COMMITTEE THIS YEAR, AND THEN WHEN IT CAME TIME TO PASS THEIR OMNIBUS BILL ON THE FLOOR, I THINK IT TOOK 20 MINUTES AND IT PASSED 65-0.
AND EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY WITH THAT BILL.
THE HOUSE PUBLIC SAFETY POLICY OMNIBUS BILL, IT PASSED THE HOUSE 129-0.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE HAD UNANIMOUS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY POLICY?
BUT BECAUSE PEOPLE WORKED TOGETHER AND THEY WERE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT THAT, THEN THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO HAVE A BUNCH OF AMENDMENTS ON THE FLOOR, A BUNCH OF PEOPLE STANDING UP GIVING SPEECHES.
THE SPEECHES WERE, HEY, LOOK, HOW GREAT THIS IS.
>> Eric: HOW ABOUT TIME LIMITS FOR THE HOUSE FLOOR SPEECHES?
>> YEAH, THAT GOES WITH ONE OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO HEAR MORE STANDALONE BILLS AND ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS FOR MNIBUS BILLS IS IT IT'S JUST ABOUT MANAGING THE MOUNT OF BILLS AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LUMP A BUNCH OF THEM TOGETHER, THEN IT DOESN'T TAKE AS MUCH TIME TO GET THEM ALL THROUGH THE FLOOR.
SO, WE THINK, IF YOU DO HAVE LIMITS ON THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT YOU CAN TAKE PER BILL, THEN YOU HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO O MORE STANDALONE BILLS AND THE STANDALONE BILLS ARE GENERALLY THE ONES THAT GET A LOT OF BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
>> Cathy: I MENTIONED THE CHAOTIC ENDING TO SESSION.
>> YEAH.
>> Cathy: WHAT DOES THAT BODE, THEN, AS WE LOOK INTO 2025?
>> YEAH.
>> Cathy: OF OURSE THERE'S AN ELECTION SO WHO KNOWS.
>> THERE'S AN ELECTION.
YOU KNOW, BOTH CHAMBERS, THE MAJORITY IS GOING TO BE DECIDED IN NOVEMBER.
AND THAT'S A UNIQUE SITUATION FOR THIS YEAR.
USUALLY IT'S JUST THE HOUSE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE RECOMMEND IS THAT LEADERS SIT DOWN NOW AND FIGURE OUT ANY OF THESE RULE CHANGES AND FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER I'M GOING TO BE IN THE MAJORITY OR I'M GOING TO BE IN THE MINORITY, I DON'T KNOW, AND WHAT ARE THE RULES THAT I WOULD BE HAPPY WITH.
BECAUSE I THINK PART OF THE CHALLENGE WITH THE WAY SESSION ENDED WAS THE DAMAGE TO RELATIONSHIPS AND THE TRUST FACTOR AND, SO, IF THEY COULD GO IN AND SORT OF HASH THOSE THINGS OUT NOW THAT EVERYBODY COULD BE HAPPY WITH, THEN I THINK JANUARY NEXT YEAR WILL BE EASIER.
>> Eric: MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE WEBSITE, YOU CAN FIND THE FULL REPORT.
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY, ALL 295 PAGES OF IT.
>> Eric: ALL RIGHT.
GREAT WORK.
THANKS FOR COMING OVER.
>> THANKS SO MUCH.