Some vote-skippers in the Legislature had excuses; others didn't

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Mar 31, 2008 | by Copyright 2008 Deseret Morning News By Lee Davidson

Clark said he tries to get out of leadership meetings early during the session so he can make some of his standing/budget committees, but often he can't. He still wants to be on those committees, however, because that gives him membership on like committees during the interim, where he says he rarely misses a meeting and he sees his participation as important.

To give an idea of how low committee voting by party leaders is, many were lower than the rate of Rep. Bud Bowman, R-Cedar City, who had heart surgery before this year's legislative session and later had a cancerous kidney removed just before the session ended. Even after his cancer surgery, Bowman showed up on the House floor for votes and still managed to make 67.9 percent of his committee votes.

Also, Rep. Carl Duckworth, D-Magna, is fighting multiple myeloma cancer. Yet he still made 69.1 percent of his votes, even though he had to miss a few days for his cancer treatments.

Some legislators who were not sick or in party leadership positions had lower rates than the ill Bowman and Duckworth.

Among them were Rep. Walker, making only 56.5 percent of his committee votes; Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, 59.4 percent; Rep. Stephen Clark, R-Provo, 63.5 percent; and Rep. Aaron Tilton, R- Springville, 64.4 percent.

Perfection

The analysis showed that it is possible to be nearly perfect in voting. Reps. Todd Kiser, R-Sandy, and Curt Webb, R-Logan, attended 100 percent of their committee votes.

Kiser also scored a rare double-double. Not only did he attend all of his committee votes, he managed to pass all of the six bills that he introduced this year -- landing atop two of the lists measuring legislative work.

Kiser said he prepared his bills early, which meant he could attend his committees and make the required votes, instead of being in other committees presenting his bills.

"I learned from watching several successful lawmakers that you work hard during the interim, and it pays off during the (general) session," Kiser said. He also takes his committee work seriously and makes the effort to be there.

Nobody had a perfect voting participation rate on the House or Senate floor, where bills receive their final votes in each chamber. A few came close. Sen. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake, was at 99.4 percent; Rep. Doug Aagard, R-Kaysville, was at 99.3 percent; and Reps. Chavez-Houck and Roger Barrus, R-Centerville, were at 98.9 percent.

Floor vote participation is generally high, with members averaging above 90 percent. There are no committee meetings scheduled during floor time, but lawmakers often walk off the floor to meet with lobbyists and constituents in the hallways outside of the House and Senate chambers. A bell rings when the House is taking votes, so members can hear it and try to get back on the floor to cast their votes.

The person with the lowest rate for floor votes had the excuse of serious illnesses. It was Bowman, who made only 51.5 percent of floor votes. Sen. Bill Hickman, D-St. George, a member of leadership as the Senate Rules Committee chair, was second lowest at 70.9 percent.