The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) has released a new commentary, Clean Bills of Health just as the legislature re-enters the Capitol this week to fulfill its constitutionally mandated assignments and aid the economic and health care recovery from the unanticipated ravages of COVID-19.
The House and Senate have set good protocols to create a paperless process and enforce cleanliness and social distancing. With that plan in place, there now are three key things they can do to make this session a safer and more productive experience: follow the new rules; keep the legislative matters concise; and allow some testimony and confirmations remotely by phone or video.
Unfortunately, the Legislature is off to a rough start on all three counts.
“If legislators take their role seriously while also taking the pandemic seriously, they might see fit to give the public a safer alternative to participate,” says PAR President Robert Travis Scott.
To access the full commentary click here.