Despite minor glitches, public input worked in special session
YOUR JUNE 24 editorial, “Public input during special session yet another virus casualty,” was very critical of the legislative proceedings during the special session.
The webcast interruptions occurred because of a corrupt database file that resided on an outside vendor’s server, a technical error over which our office had no control. I was very clear with the vendor that if the issue was not resolved, their contract was in jeopardy. The issue was identified and resolved after midnight on opening day.
It is important to note that all proceedings were stopped when the webcast was not working. At no time did the public miss any discussion on bills being debated. In fact, our internal network continued to record during that downtime and those recordings can be found on our website.
All webcasts were operational on Friday with one minor exception late that night, which was resolved within 15 minutes, again an oversight on the part of the outside vendor that had scheduled a routine maintenance update. At that time, a back-up plan was set in motion and the House and Senate webcasts would have been redirected to another platform. However, both houses decided to recess for the night. The webcasts on Saturday and Monday went off without a hitch, much like the entire 30-day session earlier in the year.
The public participation in House committees worked despite some derogatory remarks during the House Rules and Order of Business Committee. There was no other occurrence like that.
Certainly, there are lessons to be learned, but these were extraordinary circumstances under which to convene a special session. An “unmitigated disaster” it was not.
RAÚL BURCIAGA Director, Legislative Council Service
Drive sober, avoid tragedy this Fourth
THIS WEEKEND, many Americans will celebrate the Fourth of July with friends and family. For some, however, the festivities will also bring tragedy. Independence Day is one of the deadliest holidays in the U.S. due to drunken-driving crashes. When traffic accidents happen and minutes can make the difference between life and death, emergency air medical services are often deployed by first responders or doctors to fly patients to the closest medical facility for emergency care.
Every 50 minutes, someone loses their life to an intoxicated driver and an additional 290,000 people are injured every year because of drunken or drugged driving. Behind every one of those numbers is a human being with family, friends, loved ones and colleagues. Fortunately, air ambulances are ready to deploy 24/7, 365 days per year to reach these victims in a matter of minutes and provide the fastest possible transport to an emergency room, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
This Independence Day, Americans must give more thought to driving sober, but if disaster strikes, emergency air medical services will be ready to respond.
CHRISTINA KANMAZ Washington. D.C.