North Dakota Law Review/Volume 1/Number 4/Legislative Deliberation
LEGISLATIVE DELIBERATION
The 1925 Session of the Legislature, just closed, had up for consideration about 590 bills. Notwithstanding that this number represents about sixty to seventy per cent of the average usually introduced at a Session, we direct attention to the following:
Assume, first, that about fifty of these bills required and received one hour’s consideration, each, by the Assembly, and that the remainder obtained an equitable share of the balance of the time.
The Session lasted sixty days. The daily grind started at two P. M., and closed at 5 P. M. That made up a total of 180 hours, or 10,800 minutes, devoted to lawmaking, and an equal amount of time for committee consideration—assuming that committees met regularly every morning from nine to twelve, and making no allowance for roll-calls, routine, or side-issues.
Deducting the time consumed in the consideration of the fifty bills before referred to, including consideration in committee and discussion in the Assembly, leaves an assignment of about fourteen minutes in committee and fourteen minutes in the Assembly for each of the other 540 bills.
Verily, the members of this great deliberative body need the prayers of the people as well as powers of analysis and discernment far beyond the average run of men.
Judged by their work, can anyone say the best were not chosen or the task?