Not all lawmakers created equal

It would be inspiring if all Arkansas lawmakers, like the women, men and children of Lake Wobegon, were all strong, good-looking and above average. We’d settle for two of the three.

OK, when the Legislature is in session, how about just one.

Truth be told, not all of the folks the voters of Arkansas send to the Capitol are equal. Oh yes, they all have the authority to act as legislators, having been duly empowered by the voters of their districts. They all get to wear those little pins marking them as representatives of the people, although it’s highly questionable whether the adornment has the magical power to actually make them represent the people.

For a moment, perhaps when they’re all sworn in, these lawmakers stand entirely equal, full of the potential to be great legislators. Each will have pledged or affirmed “that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am now about to enter.”

Then they start filing bills. They start attending committee meetings. And they start opening their mouths.

Equality ends there.

The lawmakers all get their votes, but people who enjoy (?) paying attention to that sausage factory known as the General Assembly recognize there’s a wide disparity among the 135 men and women when it comes to common sense, critical thinking, articulation of ideas and a capacity to defend their arguments. And, at least as indicated by recent federal investigations and other examples through history, there’s even a wide range in the capacity of folks at the state Capitol to stay within the bounds of the law.

The debate over concealed carry of firearms brought this matter to our notice. State Rep. Charlie Collins of Fayetteville has resolutely pursued an expansion of concealed carry to university and college campuses, garnering admirers from pro-gun advocates and derision from those who want the guns left at home. But throughout the discussion, people from both sides could admire Collins’ level-headed, clear defense of his position and his thorough understanding of every aspect of Arkansas’ laws regarding concealed carry. Nobody has caught him off guard with a question.

Then there’s an example like Sen. Terry Rice, R-Waldron. He proposed Senate Bill 585, which would have written into law that “unlicensed carry is not prohibited” in Arkansas. Sounds simple enough, right? But lawmakers don’t always think through the implications of their bills and, in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, satisfactory answers were few.

“I think the bill either does nothing, because it’s subject to other rules of the state of Arkansas, or it abolishes all (gun) laws,” said Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, committee chairman.

It’s frightening a bill could be so vague that the two possibilities Hutchinson cited could both be simultaneous interpretations of the bill.

Lawmakers pressed Rice over and over to explain how his bill would affect the issues of concealed carry, which requires a permit in

Arkansas, and open carry, which some people suggest Arkansas law already allows while others argue the opposite.

What was Rice’s response to those questions? “I would leave that up to the courts,”

he said.

Isn’t that exactly the kinds of laws Arkansas needs, the ones that even its sponsor is hesitant to explain? Up to the courts? Really?

We suppose the idea is the Legislature has to pass the bill so that we can find out what it does. Didn’t Nancy Pelosi say something along those lines once upon a time?

Arkansans would serve

themselves well by getting to know who their lawmakers are and reading the newspaper to catch examples of when they’re doing great jobs and also examples of when they, perhaps, are falling short of expectations. Or even more eye opening in the last week or two of this session, watch the live feeds of the state House of Representatives committee

meetings. It reveals a lot.

There will be others, legislators who represent other areas of the state, who will no doubt draw attention, too.

That guy from Conway, Jason Rapert, for example. Every Arkansans ought to pay attention to him because he’s the kind of lawmaker who has a tendency to give all us Arkansans bad reputations

on a national level. Otherwise, though, it’s worth remembering that no matter how much you might dislike a lawmaker from De Queen or Little Rock or Jonesboro or Hot Springs, it’s their voters who get to pick them, not you. Your direct electoral influence is limited to the local ballot box. In terms of our General Assembly, that means one state representative and one state senator.

Pay close attention, folks. Because the quality of the laws we Arkansans must operate within is directly proportional to the quality of lawmakers we send down to Little Rock.