News Clips

"Certainly the fact that it is very low-paying, that’s kind of a reflection of the value that has pervaded for a long time in America – that legislatures should be made up of regular citizens or residents of the state or city that they’re representing," said John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island. "But we know that it can result in bodies not being necessarily as representative of a community as [they] could be because the lack of pay means that people who don’t have flexible jobs or don’t have a source of wealth that allows them to serve what is a pretty substantial commitment – that creates incentives for certain people to run for [city council]."

“After the 2024 election, the General Assembly should seriously consider whether the process for selecting board members needs to be changed. This should be a wake-up call,” Morgan Drayton, policy and engagement manager at the nonpartisan government watchdog group Common Cause Maryland, said in a statement. “It is sickening to think that Ayala was making decisions about our elections after allegedly participating in the attempted insurrection. His disrespect for the voices of Maryland voters and his disregard for the peaceful transfer of power stands in direct contrast to the duties of the Board of Elections.”

The citizens’ lobby Common Cause calls the nationwide movement for a convention “the most serious threat to our democracy, flying almost completely under the radar.” What can you do? Sign Common Cause’s online petition opposing an Article V convention. Track how your legislator votes on these bad bills. Then vote against anybody who thinks this is a good idea.

John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said the bill limit might amount to "inside baseball" for the legislature. "But it's incredibly important inside baseball because it affects how representatives are able to represent their constituents," he said. "When you watch 'School House Rock,' no one says, 'That poor bill sitting on Capitol Hill can only have 14 friends,' " Marion said, referring to a series of educational cartoons that ran on Saturday morning TV in the 1970s and '80s, including "I'm Just A Bill," on how a bill becomes a law. Marion said it's understandable why the House wants to cap the number of bills each member can introduce. "Agendas have gotten terribly long in recent years and hearings are continuing late into the night," he said. "Too often, the sponsors of the bills themselves don't even show up for the hearings because they're in another committee or have left the building and gone to a fundraiser." But, Marion said, "Any limit needs to be weighed against the fact that introducing legislation is one of the primary means by which legislators represent their constituents. The 16th good idea a legislator has shouldn't necessarily have to wait until next year. There should be reasonable exceptions to any limit." Marion said some bills are poorly drafted, stand little chance of passage, and appear aimed only at making headlines. "But it doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to put that bill in," he said. And Marion said the bill limit should not become yet another thing, such as office assignments and parking spaces, that legislative leaders can use to reward or punish individual members. "Any limits should come with clear exceptions," he said, "and those should be debated and codified in the House rules."

“The delegates could write amendments that revoke any of our most cherished rights — like our right to peaceful protest, our freedom of religion, or our right to privacy,” the progressive watchdog group Common Cause warns. Hyperbole? Maybe. The point is we simply don’t know.

Virginia Kase Solomón will be the next president and CEO of Common Cause. Currently CEO of the League of Women Voters, she will start her new role in February and will be the first Hispanic person to lead the democratic watchdog. She succeeds Karen Hobert Flynn, who died this spring after three decades with the organization.