The Congress Shall Assemble At Least Once Every Year…How Sunnyside Can Use This Example
February 23, 2009 1 Comment
Article 1, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution stipulates that Congress shall assemble at least once every year. This section has been modified by the 20th amendment, but the language requiring Congress to assemble at least once every year was retained.
This should tell us something about our founding fathers’ intent for how much government would effect our everyday lives. In fact, when this part of the Constitution was being debated, some felt like it was an overburdensome requirement! They felt that there would not be enough business for Congress to have to meet every single year.
Proponents of an annual meeting felt that for Congress to be an effective check and balance for the President, an annual meeting would be beneficial for the people. How times have changed! It seems Congress is almost always in session, with politicians saying that it would be a “catastrophe” if they don’t act on a seemingly endless variety of issues.
Another benefit to having Congress meet (at least annually) is that the public can stay informed about issues of government. It is this aspect to meeting at least once every year where I think our City government can improve.
At the start of this year, the City and the Port held a joint meeting where our Council and Port attendees could not agree on whether the Sunnyside Economic Development Association legally exists, or has been dissolved! Former Council Member Bruce Epps noted at the meeting that SEDA is supposed to meet at least once a year. See the Daily Sun News story, here.
At the same meeting, Sunnyside Mayor Paul Garcia to noted, “We have many boards in existence, but nothing ever happens with them.”
It has been over a year since the Airport Committee (not a formal committe in City Code) has met. A special meeting of City Council was required to avoid missing the deadline to accept FAA grant money. With regular meetings, the public would have been better informed, and perhaps this could have been handled more efficiently.
It seems to me that if we go to the trouble of forming a committee or board, requiring a meeting at least once every year would not be too much to ask. At the very least, the public will have an opportunity to stay informed. If the board or committee does not require meeting every year, then it should be dissolved. It is my contention that a “do-nothing” committee does not need to exist.
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Jason- I think perhaps you did not finish what was really need said. You said a do nothing committee does not have to exists. Now by say ” do nothing !” I am wondering what is meant by this. I agree that a committee formed to promote something, should meet each years. But, in our case her in sunnyside. We are so fortunate that the committees do not meet each year. Here is the reason. We have the Port of Sunnyside and City of Sunnyside. Would we not be better off in this city if neither of them met at all during the year. I do believe when it comes to doing things for the taxpayers. That this city council and Port of Sunnyside is as much of a definition of ” doing nothing ” that I have ever seen. Now is doing nothing a verb, adverb or noun. Being absolutely is not being done for the taxpayer. There is no action. Thus it cannot be a verb. Being an adverb is very unlikely. Now, I am thinking it may be a noun. hy a noun ! These do nothings are all clowns. Clown would be a noun ! Wouldn’t it?