September 01, 2017

Legislators Work Out, and Work Together, to Get Bills Passed

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-WA, tells a story about the advice he received when he was a rookie state senator. A veteran legislator, a Republican, advised him to always reach across the aisle—always get a sponsor from the other party for each bill. And always do what you think is right—vote for the good bills, vote against the bad ones. Kilmer took that advice with him to Congress, where he co-chairs the House Bipartisan Working Group. Members of the working group identify issues on which they agree and write legislation accordingly. The idea, according to Kilmer: Congress is never going to agree on everything, so let’s identify issues on which we do agree and work to resolve those.


By:  Richard Walker
Source: Indian Country Today