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Show I ChnoNiclE WtdNEsdAy, jANwwy Paqe Six 20. 19M C$1: LEGISLATURE Constituent input influences laws, state senator says By Edward Ruiz Chronicle staff writer To people who don't voice opinions because they feel a difference, Utah Senate their ideas won't make President Arnold Christensen has this message: "You're kidding yourself." Christensen, in his 10th year as a senator, feels it's important for constituents to voice their opinions, but that there are specific processes one must go through to do it. "We invite all citizens to provide input, and in fact solicit it," he said. He admits, however, that most citizens don't even go to the polls to vote, let alone talk with their legislators. But for those who do care, Christensen offers several ways to be heard. First, a person can call legislators at home or in their offices. Trying to reach them at the Capitol may be more difficult because legislators are in meetings all the time. To get the phone number of a representative or senator, one can simply call the House or Senate offices at the Capitol. The second way to communicate with one's legislator is to write. "I can honestly say that as far as I know, every senator reads his mail," Christensen said. "We try to respond as much as we possibly can." Christensen said he and other legislators use their interns to help answer constituent letters. Personal contact is another way people can provide input. If a person has something pertinent to discuss, and the legislator has time, there's nothing wrong with the two he explained. meeting That personal contact is also important if a person wants to provide input during the session. "First of all, every bill goes through the committee process," Christensen said. "The public can come and listen and if you want to speak, you can get your name on the agenda by talking to the chair of the committee." If a representative or senator wants an individual to speak on the floor, that legislator has to request a "Committee of the Whole," he said. This procedure allows individuals who are not members of the Legislature to speak on the floor and is used often throughout the session, Christensen said. "Whenever we get into a technical area where the legislator himself doesn't have the expertise, he can call in experts to testify." face-to-fa- ce, But Christensen warns that only people with purposeful information should be allowed to speak, because the legislator who introduces a person is also responsible for him or her. "Time is very valuable on the floor. If some guy gets up there who's a nut, and the senator permitted that, his colleagues would be on his case and he'd lose the point of whatever he was making so they're very careful," Christensen said. Although individual input can have an influence, lobbying is still the most effective means of being heard. The Utah Education Association, one of the largest lobbying groups on the Hill, spends a lot of time and effort trying to advance its cause. "I think the legislators basically look at lobbyists as an important source of information," Jim Eldredge, UEA's director of government relations, said. Eldredge believes legislators try to understand both sides of an issue so they can see the picture objectively. "Lobbying is the most influential way to get UEA's input to the legislators," Eldredge said. "They recognize that they need to have input from individuals and from professional lobbyists that represent organizations." Christensen also believes lobbyists serve an important function. "There will be over 900 bills introduced during this session. For any one person to be conversant on all 900 is impossible," he said. He also said people who are actively involved with organizations are more aware of the issues and are more likely to communicate with their legislators. But few Utahns know what goes on during the session, Christensen said. "And some that are aware don't have the facts." He said most people who complain about the Legislature don't understand why its decisions were made. They could learn, however, if they took a moment to sit down and discuss it with him, he said. Christensen is not sure why there are such low turnouts at the polls, or why there are so many when it comes to providing input. "Their input could make a difference, but they have to remember how to do it. Standing out in the hallway and hollering doesn't bring a whole lot of input," he said. non-believ- ers Legislators rely on the media TV, newspapers try to focus publics' attention However, TV affects the legislators' constituents a lot By Edward Ruiz Chronicle staff writer The Legislature provides the media with a product-go- ods they are more than willing to sell. Television stations and newspapers make money by getting people interested, "and from their standpoint, the function of the Legislature is to attract public attention," reporter Rod Decker said. Decker, who has been with KUTV, Channel 2, since 1980, is at the Capitol every day during the legislative session. He said although the media are businesses first, they also have some public responsibility. The media serve an important role because they inform the public about what legislators are thinking and what they're doing, he explained. But the relationship is not one-wa- y. "They (the legislators) are up there because they have things they want to do, and they want to use the media to get their ideas across," Decker said. He explained that legislators, who sacrifice a lot to run for office, want to be on TV and want to see their names in the paper. "Legislators believe in what they do and they work hard," Decker said, "Almost without exception, legislators love to be on TV. They think that's neat." Bob Bernick Jr., political editor of the Deseret News, also feels that legislators enjoy being the center of attention. "You can tell they love to be on TV. Let Rod Decker ask: 'Who wants to be on my live noon shot?' and, boy, those guys go nuts. They love it." However, Senate President Arnold Christensen disagrees. He said a few legislators may be "press hogs," but most of them are not. "I personally try to keep a low profile," he explained. "I'm not one who gets a big kick about seeing my picture in the paper. I'd just as soon try and do what's best for the state of Utah." Decker sees important differences between TV and newspapers: "Legislators see the papers and the papers can give extended arguments and they have more respect for the opinions of the paper than they do for the opinions of TV." Bernick feels that "you won't find out what's going on at the Legislature by watching TV or listening to the radio, because too much goes on." But he added, "TV does the best it can for being TV." "The newspapers can afford to cover issues that are only of interest to a few people," Decker said. "We can't do that. We have to sell a newscast." more than the papers,, and constituents are genuinely powerful, Decker said. He feels the media can have a definite influence on decision-makin- g at the Hill. Legislators genuinely try to do what people want, he said. They also want to do what's best for the state and they like to know what the people want. The media help them do that, he said. "The things that get on TV can cause a lot of phone calls and legislators listen to phone calls," he said. Decker explained that editorials in the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News are important voices the legislators heed. "Legislators, to some extent, take the papers' editorials as being representative of the public's view." Bernick feels that the media can have an indirect influence on the Legislature because "the media can highlight things. Once they become public knowledge, the constituents can start calling up and complaining. It's the constituents that have the influence." wV. ar a on the Hill, agrees. veteran Christensen, The media can have an influence because they publish what's going on, Christensen said. He added that legislators all read the papers and watch some TV to gather more information. "I read letters to the editor to be conversant on how people feel. It's a valuable tool and it interests." Although the media may be a tool for legislators, business is still the media's primary goal. Because the job of a TV newscast is to attract a large audience, only certain types of stories are aired, Decker said. He explained that, for the producers who decide what stories will go on the air, the Legislature is convenient because it's always available. But as the session nears its end, producers want to run less coverage of the Hill, whereas Decker wants to see more . 10-ye- coverage. "They get awfully damn tired of it. Day after day for 45 days. They'll say, 'We're just tired of those shots of legislators, of talking heads' and I get more excited." Bernick said the Legislature doesn't traditionally get very positive coverage. "There can be 200 reasonable, good measures introduced and then someone comes along and introduces a cable TV bill or a sex education bill that grabs the media's attention so everyone thinks the legislators are a bunch of crazies," Bernick said. "It's kind of like Congress. It's an amorphous blob that the public loves to hate. They're aware of their public image, but they realize there's not much they can do," Bernick said. see "media" on page eleven |
