House Bill 107: Legislative Voting Sunshine Act (Last Update: 2/3/2010)

I have introduced the House Bill 107: The Legislative Voting Sunshine Act. This is a very simple bill that would ensure that all votes & motions taken in standing committees of Maryland's Legislature are published online so that anyone can easily peruse them. Currently only floor votes in the House and Senate are published online even though some of the most important votes are taken in committee. Committee voting records are currently made available only by request (usually in person). If passed, my bill would make state government more open and accessible for the public and the press.

You can read the actual text of the bill by clicking here.

You can read the Washington Post write-up about this issue by clicking here. (I have included the full text of the article below for your convenience).

Soon after I announced this bill, there was a flurry of events surrounding it. In fact, the strong interest in this idea took on an amazing life of its own as people from all quarters of the political spectrum added their voices in support of this idea:

• This bill was endorsed by the prominent Montgomery County liberal blogger Adam Pagnucco on 12/8/2009.
• This bill was endorsed by the prominent Maryland Conservative blogger Brian Griffiths on 12/9/2009.
• This bill was endorsed by the Washington Post on 12/16/2009.
• This bill was endorsed by the Baltimore Sun on 1/3/2010.

[UPDATE 1/26/2010]: Great News! Today Senate President Mike Miller announced that Senate Committee votes would soon be placed online. This is an excellent first step for openness in Government. Click here to see it.

[UPDATE 1/26/2010]: More good News!! Now House Speaker Michael Busch has announced that House Committee votes would soon be placed online. This is another step forward for openness. Wow! Click here to see it.

[UPDATE 2/3/2010]: The proof is truly in the pudding. House and Senate committee votes are now appearing online. Click here to see an example. Victory!!

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Delegate seeks to put Md. committee votes online

The Maryland General Assembly is pretty good about letting the public know how legislators vote on bills that reach the House or Senate floors. Citizens can go on the legislature's Web site and pull up a tally sheet, as long as they know what bill they're looking for.

Committeee votes are another story. Vote sheets are available for public inspection, but reviewing them requires going to the relevant committee office in Annapolis during business hours.

Legislation that a Montgomery County delegate is planning to introduce in the coming session would make the process more transparent from afar.

The Legislative Voting Sunshine Act, drafted by Del. Saqib Ali (D-Montgomery), would require committee votes to be posted on the General Assembly site, as well as any other recorded votes on amendments and motions related to bills that are taken during committee meetings.

"I'm a technofile, and I'm also someone who's very interested in open government," said Ali, adding that his bill would cost the state little or nothing.

He characterized the current system as "a high barrier if you're not in Annapolis or if it's outside business hours."

Ali said he had yet to seek the support of House leadership for his bill, and a spokeswoman for Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said he was not yet convinced of its merits.

Busch "backs open and transparent government, and that's why committee votes are open to any member of the public and any member of the media," said spokeswoman Alexandra Hughes said.

She said that committee staff are often willing to relay votes on specific bills over the phone.