John Burris: The Measure Of Legislative Success

How do you measure the success of a legislative session? Is it what gets done, or how long it takes to do it?

That’s the question that starts getting asked about this time every two years. In other words, some become obsessed with the number of days a session must last, rather than the issues that still need resolution.

That’s a dangerous standard. Most great, or even average, things aren’t done with only the measure of the duration in mind. Quality must also be measured, and valued. The time it takes legislators to complete their business is a factor in success; it’s just not the most important one, and it shouldn’t be the focus of those aiming for a job well done.

What are the motives for a speedier session?

Sometimes it’s a means of management. Almost always, the Governor’s office is hustling for a conclusion that’s sooner than most legislators would like. That only makes sense. The governor can usually get his priorities passed during a month ending in a “y”, while legislators are left scrambling in their own version of “March Madness” in order to move their priorities along.

Add to that the convenience. For a new Governor like Asa Hutchinson, it would only be natural to hope for a faster-than-normal session. Politically, it looks like a winner. But it also means time to breathe. Imagine how you’d feel after an 18-month campaign, with an immediate transition into running state government, and inheriting135 elected opinions to manage.

Thankfully, our new governor is patient. Patience does have its limits, and I’d foresee his (or that of his office) running out around Day 60.

But there’s another group that becomes obsessed with a session’s end date, and it’s not because of the motives I (hypothetically) ascribed to the Governor and his team. Their motive can generally be described as laziness, though it probably has more to do with their lack of involvement in serious issues.

In other words, some legislators get bored. And when people get bored the natural tendency is to talk about how busy they are at other places in their life. I know legislators who did nothing in their years of service other than talk about how they were too busy to be at the Capitol, usually while sitting at the “pitch table” playing cards or at the “round table” in the cafeteria. What a sad waste of such a great opportunity.

It’s an odd form of arrogance. It’s almost like saying you’re too good to be doing this thing that you asked to do, but you’ll do it anyway because the state needs you to do it, even if half-heartedly.

Legislative service is certainly a sacrifice. It’s more of a sacrifice on some than others (I had it easier than most, no doubt). I just don’t believe a few more days at the end of a few months for an event that happens once every two years is too great of an additional sacrifice. Especially not if it means doing the job right.

If clever sayings count for anything, there’s plenty of helpful advice for legislators who are ready for an end date to the session. You should measure twice, cut once. You shouldn’t be penny wise but pound foolish. When someone tells you to hurry up, slow down.

Or, perhaps most appropriately, don’t let your rule be: Ready, Fire, Aim. Speed counts, but other things count more. Bullets must hit their targets to be effective.

No one would advocate that the session last until June. It should only last long enough to get the job done and to get it done well. To the extent that the length matters, there’s helpful context. The 2011 session lasted 94 days. The 2013 session lasted 100 days. If leaders conclude in less time than that, they’ve appropriately checked the box for those who measure success by the session’s length.

For those who measure success by something differently – meaning the policy that is implemented – there is much to be satisfied with. But there is more to be done. There is still time to do it, as long as quality remains the focus.

For those who might read this column and disagree with the content, I’ll add that I wrote it very quickly. So I have no doubt that it’s my best one yet.