RH Jones: Enforcing the one-subject legislative rule in a House Bill

From RH Jones, January 3, 2007

Subject: To force the one-subject legislative rule in a HB

To all:

Through a wonderful legislative aide, I have just found out that: There is a one-subject rule in the house that protects a bill from "crazy" unrelated items being attached to it. But, a house majority can overrule it! And to do it at the last second a mid-night is very wrong as well. Both are unethical and needs to change. No good can come from this practice. The public has no chance for input. Perhaps an Ohio Constitutional Amendment would force the majority to follow this one-subject rule. To my knowledge, a change can not be done legislatively; it must be done, should be done, with a Constitutional Amendment.

All educator unions need to get behind this and get it done. Legislators have got to follow the rules. And the only way to insure that they do is to make it illegal to break the one-subject rule of a House Bill and to stop the practice of adding unrelated items at the last second.

Robert Hudson Jones, retired teacher member of the STRS & a union lifer.