Although this has not been great year for the Red Sox, as
the All-Star break approaches, I am a little sad to know that we are almost
halfway through the baseball season. Unlike some who think that the games and
the season are far too long, I wish it were even longer and that some sports
(particularly professional basketball) were only played in alternate years.
The never-ending season is also an issue for the Rhode
Island General Assembly. I bring this up not because Capitol TV impinges on my
enjoyment of baseball, but because I think it’s a major roadblock to running
for office. Much has been made of the fact that more than 40 of our 113
legislators will be unopposed this year, but the truth is that every year an
enormous percentage of the seats are uncontested. While others might say that
the “power of incumbency” scares off newcomers, I believe that the job hours
and responsibilities are so completely out of whack with the pay and the
benefits that the logistics of actually serving in the General Assembly are far
more intimidating to a newcomer than campaigning against an entrenched incumbent.
The legislative session lasts about 24 or 25 weeks each year
for three days a week. Even if very little business is being done on the floor
of either Chamber, legislators have committee hearings and events to attend as
well as constituent meetings, policy briefings and legislative work. Nights and weekends are
often filled with must-attend events that include everything from fundraisers to
community events. During the session, it is far more than a part-time job. Over
the years I have closely observed the hours of several members and spoken with
others who spend at least 20 hours a week during session on their General
Assembly duties. Next year the pay will
be $15,171.55 with health benefits.
While some people would like a $15,171.55 part-year job that
comes with benefits, the truth is that for most Rhode Islanders, the General
Assembly salary neither pays the bills nor allows a person to have a
traditional nine-to-five job. And let’s be honest: we need highly-qualified
people to serve and many of the most qualified are not attracted by this salary
level — or even triple it — so we are not going to get more candidates to run
even with significantly higher compensation. I know one legislator who takes
his vacation time in hourly increments to attend session so he can keep his day
job, but I am certain he runs out of vacation time long before the end of
session. Despite the focus on legislative salaries, people serve because they
want to and real the challenge to getting more people is not about money, it’s
about time.
Thankfully there are 49 other states with similar challenges
that we can look to for solutions. While some states like California and
Pennsylvania have full-time legislatures and pay their legislators full-time
salaries, other states like Texas, Florida and Kentucky limit the length and
frequency of their legislative sessions. In Kentucky, session is limited to 30
days in odd numbered years and 60 days in even years. Texas’ legislature only
meets every other year and Florida’s is limited to 60 day sessions every year.
These are states with far bigger budgets and many more residents but much
tighter legislative sessions. It should also be noted that no other state has an
official state appetizer, so I suspect that the shorter legislative session does
not allow for discussion of truly trivial matters as they wrestle with real policy
issues and challenges. Perhaps Rhode Island would do better with a two-year
budget addressed in a 60-day session in even years and a 30-day session in odd
years for everything else.
Bottom line: before assuming that apathy and a fear of
incumbency prevents people from running, we should take a long hard look at the
job we are asking folks to take on and think about whether we’d want to do it
ourselves. If the answer is “heck no” perhaps it’s time to shorten the season.
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