Friday, December 07, 2018

Preventing Lame Duckocracies


With the lame duck shenanigans in Wisconsin and Michigan (after being pioneered by North Carolina), I would support amending my state's constitution to provide for a post-lame duck legislative veto process. In other words, if the legislature passes and the governor signs some legislation during a lame-duck period, the next legislature and governor should have the ability to repeal that legislation on a simple majority vote (with the governor's option to veto) within 60 days from the date the new legislature and governor takes office. No filibuster or even a debate. Just a simple up-or-down vote and governor's signing or veto.

After watching the anti-democratic power grab in the upper Midwest this month, every other state should be looking at ways to stop it from happening to them. They should do it now too, before it is clear who would be the winner or loser in some future lame-duck power-grab. A little veil of ignorance can do some good on something like this.