Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Legislators' votes can be tricky to obtain

PAT LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com

The New Castle News asked Lawrence County's legislators in Harrisburg to produce their voting records from January 2005 to present. The request was simple enough.

However, aides to the five lawmakers- state Rep. Chris Sainato, state Rep. Frank LaGrotta, state Rep. Rod Wilt, state Sen. Bob Robbins and state Sen. Gerald LaValle - had similar puzzled reactions.

"You want what?"

Four of the five legislators contacted provided the records sought in some form, either through e-mail, mailed reports or a handwritten list faxed to The News.

An aide forRobbins advised The News it would cost $20.30 for the information.

The exercise provides insight into the manner in which lawmakers themselves must obtain vote data.

Among their duties, lawmakers' staffs respond to constituent requests for voting records - an infrequent situation.

"It is rare that they actually ask for a roll-call vote on a matter," said Nathan Silcox, Robbins' legislative director.

Tony Rigano, chief of staff for LaValle, echoed that view.

"We may get three or four calls per day when it's slow," he said. "Twenty, thirty calls on something of interest."

Someone seeking voting records must be specific in what they want. Legislators cast votes while in committee; for bills, resolutions and amendments; and during master roll call, procedural matters and executive nominations.

The number of yeas and nays cast in a legislative session is considerable.

Pennsylvania lawmakers have access to a private network or intranet. Commonly referred to as the LDPC, the site shares legislative data with members, staff and agencies of the state's General Assembly.

"Basically, it's a tool we use everyday to help us," Rigano said. "It's been an invaluable service."

Information appearing on the LDPC is approved by the House and Senate through the House Bipartisan Management Committee and Senate Committee on Management Operations.
Bills and amendments are featured on the site. House members votes are available, while Senate votes are not.

"It's more of an inconvenience than anything," observed state Rep. Lynn Herman (R-Centre County), who chairs the Legislative Data Processing Committee.

"That information can easily be obtained. Pick up the telephone and call. Or march your (expletive) over (to the Senate) and get it."

The public, though, cannot access the LDPC. To obtain official roll-call votes, a person must contact the roll-call clerk in the House or Senate.

A third option is to visit a county library that receives the Legislative Journal, which documents the daily activities of the General Assembly. There's no guarantee, though, the library will have current information.

For example, at Lawrence County's law library the last issues of the journal were received on June 27.

The law library is the only county facility to possess copies of the journal.

An overwhelming majority of states address the issue of access by placing legislator votes on the Internet. Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico are the only states that do not.

"I would be absolutely in favor of it," LaGrotta noted. "It would make my life easier. I think it is just a matter of common sense."

Copyright (c) 2005, New Castle News

Monday, August 29, 2005

Records cache: The answer is out there

On the Web
State of New Jersey -ftp://www.njleg.state.nj.us
State of New Hampshire - http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/
Commonwealth of Massachusetts - http://www.mass.gov/legis/legis.htm
U.S. House of Representatives - http://www.house.gov/
U.S. Senate - http://www.senate.gov/

VOTE, PLEASE
How to search

Here are a few tips to locate voting records on the Internet.

·To find a particular state, type that state's name into a search engine (Google or Yahoo). When the results appear, select the state's home page.

·Once there, access the site's legislature page.

·If voting records are not immediately noticeable, then find the "faqs" section (frequently asked questions). Search for a section on voting records.

·Know what legislation and legislative session you want. Most sites allow visitors to search by bill number or use of a key word.

·Still lost? Locate the site's "contact" page. Send an e-mail to its Webmaster or call the support staff for assistance.


NATION: States differ in providing legislators' individual voting records online.

PAT LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com

New Hampshire's officials once opposed the move, while Massachusetts made the journey taxing.

New Jersey? Atlantic City's slot machines give better odds.

The three states are among the 46 nationwide that offer legislators' individual voting records online. Lacking a national standard, states employ varied approaches in presenting voting records to Web users.

Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico do not offer roll-call votes online.

Of the 46 states' Web sites reviewed, New Hampshire deserves notice for the pro-public manner in which open records are exhibited. A trip to the Granite State's home page followed by a link to a legislator's site gets you started.

In other words, two clicks and you're in.

"We get good comments from people," said Dave Nadeau, assistant manager and senior software engineer for New Hampshire's general court information systems. "People seem to think it's friendly."

A change in attitude allowed voting records to be offered on the Web in 1999.

"There was some opposition to it for quite a while as far as being allowed to show the votes on the 'Net," Nadeau said. "(Legislators) were a little bit protective ... in the past."

New Hampshire shows votes two ways: by legislation and by legislator. Web sites from the U.S. House and Senate are equally user-friendly.

Massachusetts joins a number of states such as Ohio and West Virginia that present individual votes of lawmakers through online journals. The journals serve as the official record for a state's legislative bodies - and add more steps to the search process.

In addition to knowing the bill number, some state Web sites require the date the legislation was voted on and the journal page number. Once located, the site visitor heads to the state's online journal and continues the search.

New Jersey's site reflects the efforts of its counterparts. Visitors can easily access bill information, state laws and a legislator seating chart among the items listed.

Yes, roll-call votes also are given. Just one problem - there's nowhere on the site that directs visitors to them.

"I think we should have something in the faqs (frequently asked questions section)," noted Harold Berkowitz, chief technology officer of the state's Data Management Unit.

Actually -no.

The votes are found in the state's download section, which is on the New Jersey Legislature's home page. After they are located, the user must "unzip" the file that holds them.
"We take the votes straight off the voting machine," Berkowitz said.

"The programming to put it on the legislators' site itself isn't that daunting. It's just very time consuming."

As for better location promotion, Berkowitz said an addition to the faqs will appear soon.

"We should put that in there."

Copyright (c) 2005, New Castle News

'Lack of interest' keeps votes offline

On the Web: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/

WEB SENSE: Pennsylvania joins Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico as the only states that do not provide individual legislator votes online.


PAT LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com


When state representatives tackle controversial legislation, Randee Dechesne responds with letters, faxes and e-mails.

Dechesne, a roll-call clerk for the House of Representatives, fields requests on how representatives vote. House Bill 1521 boosted lawmakers' salaries and Dechesne's workload - if just momentarily.

"It's been a popular one," she said of the pay-raise legislation passed on July 7.

Few bills generate significant interest from the public and media, Dechesne said. Even smaller is the number of resources to track the complete and official voting records of Pennsylvania's representatives and senators.

The House and Senate roll-call clerks are one option. The other is the state's Legislative Journal, which serves as the official record of the House and Senate.

There is no argument that legislator votes are public record. But in the most public of places - the Internet - Pennsylvania fails to register a hit.

Pennsylvania joins Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico as the only states that do not provide individual legislator votes online, a New Castle News study finds.

A polling of state lawmakers and officials shows support for placing votes on the Internet. But don't expect immediate change.

"We're in the information-technology environment," said state Rep. Lynn Herman (R-Centre County), who chairs the Legislative Data Processing Committee.

"More and more things are getting on the Internet. I foresee a progression toward that. How fast it will be? I don't know."

BROWSING

The Pennsylvania General Assembly Web site, http://www.legis.state.pa.us/, generally mirrors that of its counterparts nationwide. Information features biographical data on representatives and senators to a virtual tour of the state Capitol.

The difference is in the state's bill tracking system.

The state Web site projects a user-friendly atmosphere. Several methods are offered to obtain bill information, from bill number or keyword searches to indexes.

Users also can track the progression of a bill and view legislation from current and past sessions.

Want to know who voted for what? Log off and start making phone calls or find a library that carries the Legislative Journal.

PUBLIC IS PUBLIC

"I can't think of a more important public record than how your legislators have stood on a bill," said Ed Goppelt, the founder of Philadelphia-based Hallwatch.org, a good government group.
Goppelt argues that residents are better informed when a state's Web site contains the same information that lawmakers receive.

As of now, that's not taking place.

House and Senate members have access to a private network (or intranet) called the LDPC. On it, they can track a bill and see which amendments are being proposed or are in place. The votes of House members are available. The Senate does not provide individual votes.

The public, meanwhile, has access to amendments that have already been approved in addition to bills.

"In Pennsylvania, much to our great discredit, a lot of important legislation is passed by last-minute amendments," Goppelt said. "The amendments are not available on the public Web site."

LOCAL SUPPORT

Don Bowden prefers the personal approach when it comes to politics. The Hickory Township resident wants to see his legislators in person.

That's the time to discuss his representative's voting record.

But Bowden believes there should be no barrier in obtaining the votes of lawmakers. The Internet meets that need.

"They should be available through any kind of a resource," the former Laurel School Board member said. "It's public information. It's a public vote. It should absolutely be available."
Bowden's state rep, Chris Sainato (D-Beaver and Lawrence counties), agrees.

"I have no problem putting (votes) on the state Web site. Actually, it's a good idea. People should know how we vote."

THE PROBLEM

Two forces are stalling the effort to place votes on the Internet. While the concept is embraced in the House, the Senate dismisses the idea.

W. Russell Faber, chief clerk of the Senate said an Internet vote record "was discussed at some point in the past and never went anywhere."

The bigger problem involves Pennsylvania residents themselves. Lawmakers and state officials note a lack of interest among the populace in following the direction of House and Senate bills.

"There isn't that much interest in (roll-call votes)," Dechesne said. "Of course, something like the pay raise or a tax vote - anything that generates more interest - I get requests for."

Tony Rigano, chief of staff for Sen. Gerald J. LaValle (D-Lawrence, Beaver and Allegheny counties), observed that most calls arrive prior to votes.

"They'll call in and ask that (LaValle) vote a particular way on a bill. Once a vote is taken we don't get a lot of calls."

WHAT NEXT?

Bipartisan committees in the House and Senate ultimately decide what information is placed on the Internet. By law, the House Bipartisan Management Committee and the Senate Committee on Management Operations must approve changes to the state Web site.

According to Herman, the two committees meet infrequently.

The site itself is run by the Legislative Data Processing Center. Calls and e-mails to its executive director, Kathy A. Sullivan, were not returned.

"If you want to find something on the state Web site you have to be very motivated," Goppelt noted. "It's not as easy as it could be.

"The question is why?"

Copyright (c) 2005, New Castle News

Monday, August 1, 2005

Sainato's demotion surprises LaGrotta

PAT LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com

First, a colleague is demoted. Then, a second committee leadership assignment is awarded.

Frank LaGrotta knows the cynics and watchdogs see a conspiracy in the making.

"The timing of this whole thing was not ideal," the Democratic state representative from Ellwood City observed yesterday. "It caused a lot of people to be suspicious."

Passage of pay raise legislation on July 7 boosted the salaries of state lawmakers, county and state judges, the governor and state row officers.

The base pay for legislators went from $69,647 to $81,050. Subcommittee chairs and committee vice chairs, who previously received the same pay as rank-and-file members, gained an additional $4,050.

"In an area like (Lawrence County), people are upset," state Rep. Chris Sainato said last week after voting against the bill. "They are upset about the percentages. Getting a raise is one thing, but getting 16 to (34) percent is awful high.

"We're not a wealthy area here."

For 15 House Democrats, including Sainato, the negative vote also meant the loss of leadership posts. In Sainato's case, he is no longer minority subcommittee chairman on recreation.

"These things happen every once in a while," Sainato said last week. "I have to vote my district. You can't worry about upsetting leadership."

The loss of $4,050 as subcommittee chairman isn't a concern for him.

"I'm not complaining about my salary," he said. "I make a good salary for where I'm at."

One possible reason for that: According to Associated Press, Sainato has decided to accept the pay raise, despite voting against the bill. The increase is to be paid out in "unvouchered expenses," special pay that effectively allows legislators to begin collecting their raises at least 16 months before the Pennsylvania Constitution permits.

While Sainato expected some type of retribution for his vote, the House Democratic leadership's action caught LaGrotta off guard.

"I was very surprised," he said. "Chris is a very good legislator. He is very effective."

Like Sainato, LaGrotta said he casts votes that are contrary to the wishes of the Democratic leadership.

But in the instance of the pay raise bill, LaGrotta supported the majority. In the midst of the mid-term shake-up, the Ellwood City resident was elevated to vice chairman of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

LaGrotta rejects suggestions that he received the post in exchange for backing the pay raise.

LaGrotta said he never asked for the post and wonders how he received the vice chairmanship.

"I am not privy to leadership and how they make their decisions," he said.

LaGrotta expects the pay raise vote to become an issue among voters and potential rivals. He wants residents to judge him by his performance and accomplishments.

"That's how I'm going to approach re-election."

Copyright (c) 2005, New Castle News