A Common-Sense Fix for Senate Gridlock
Like many Coloradans, I’ve been frustrated by the increasingly slow process of moving legislation through the Senate over the past year. Senators—from both sides of the aisle—have allowed hyperpartisanship to make it tough to gain ground, and the American people suffer when obstruction prevents us from even considering legislation.
The Senate has been called the “world’s most deliberative body.” But what are we if we don’t deliberate? I believe the problems are a two-way street – both parties deserve part of the blame. And if we’re going to fix the process, both parties need to work together. To that end, I introduced a proposal to close some technical loopholes in Senate rules so that they can’t be used to unfairly hold up business for days at a time. My bill would:
- Level the playing field between the majority and the minority on cloture, which is the vote to break a filibuster.
- Provide a way to amend a bill when the majority leader is blocking new amendments.
- Shorten the timeframe required to stop a filibuster.
- Reduce the number of votes required to end debate on a single bill.
- End the reading of amendments when they are made available in advance.
- End the requirement that Senate committees seek consent to hold meetings.
My bill will help streamline the Senate’s ability to begin substantive debate, while still respecting the rights of the minority party. But it will limit the use of worn-out rules that only grind Senate business to a halt. Ultimately, I believe this will help us bridge the partisan divide so we can focus on doing the work we were elected to do.
In writing this bill, I did some bridge-building of my own: American Enterprise Institute scholar Norm Ornstein was pivotal as my unofficial cosponsor. Some of the Colorado press have already picked up on this idea; the Denver Post ran an article detailing its potential and the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel endorsed it in an editorial. I hope more of my Senate colleagues join me in effecting change so that we can get back to work that the American people deserve.
More specifics of each point of my bill are available HERE.