I'm with the GOP on this one. - state GOP House leaders set sights on reforms in housekeeping and decorum, etc.

Nancy Badertscher of the ajc has an article in the 12-19-04 issue of the ajc entitled "GOP House leaders set sights on reforms." As is the proper role of a reporter, Nancy did not turn her report into an editorial.

However, knowing that Nancy spends a fair amount of time on the state House floor pursuing her duties as an ajc reporter, I bet that if you asked, she would tell you she thinks many of the proposals are sound and overdue.

Among the proposals:

-- Georgia House Speaker-designate Glenn Richardson indicated that the upcoming legislative session could be shorter than the standard 40 days.

Many legislators have complained of sessions getting longer and more grueling in recent years. Sessions that once ended in March now regularly stretch deep into April. Legislators say their jobs and family lives have suffered.

[Great I say, it needs to be.]

-- Some of the reforms are aimed at bringing calm to the sometimes chaotic atmosphere in the House chamber. For example, long cellphone calls on the House floor will be taboo.

And those popular photo sessions — where legislators parade in everyone from the local beauty queen to their high school football team to have their pictures taken with the speaker — most likely will be scheduled before or after the day's legislative session.

"Our intent is to bring a higher degree of professionalism to the floor of the House," [Majority Leader-designate Jerry] Keen said. "In the past, everyone — regardless of party — would agree that, at times, it's just very difficult to have debate with all the activity."

-- Richardson said other reforms will be geared to making the process more efficient and less frustrating for legislators. For instance, he wants to develop a system so legislators can have at least 24 hours' notice when a bill is going to reach a committee or the floor.

"Ideally, they'd know well before that," he said. "We're struggling through to see how we can do this."

-- House committees will have more power and responsibility, Keen said, and bills will face more debate and fine-tuning at that level, he said. "That should not be interpreted as trying to limit the debate in any way," Keen said.

But he said it should reduce the need for legislators to come back the next year to correct errors in bills, which happens occasionally.

[This could be a double-edged sword, but the House no longer has Denmark Groover of Macon to review bills in detail to make sure they do not contain unintended consequences. Maybe more time in committee can do this. Regardless, this does not change the reality that if the leadership does not wish for a bill to leave committee, flawed or perfect, the bill does not leave committee.]

-- One rule change would eliminate an established policy of allowing a legislator who has won re-election to retain previous committee assignments, Richardson said. The shift of majority control to the GOP will require that, he said.

[I am not sure whether Richardson is meaning even within his own Party. That is, if a Republican is re-elected in 2006, will his committee assignments also be reviewed. If the new Speaker intends this, then we are seeing a bit of arrogance evolving. I look for more to come.

But overall, the decorum of the House will not only appear, but should be, more orderly with some of the above reforms in place.]