more on Civics 301 and "parliamentary tactics"

Rep. David Floyd (R-KY) speaks for himself in the C-J on the use of "floor amendments"-- or if you will, what the C-J applauds (elsewhere) as "parliamentary tactics"...

The Courier-Journal's editorial and reporting are misleading, in that the filing of an amendment cannot block passage of any measure....the only person who can kill a bill in the House of Representatives is the bill sponsor or majority leadership. With each of my amendments, the bill sponsor and majority leadership removed a bill from the orders of the day as soon as the amendment was filed. None of the affected bills is “dead,” nor can they be killed by any amendment.

Each bill sponsor knows that my amendment would pass the House...For years, their scheme has been to control membership of a single committee whereby all pro-life (or, if you prefer, anti-abortion) legislation can be voted down, and never receive a full hearing on the House floor.

My desire is that each of these bills not only remains in the active orders, but also receives a vote by the full membership. If the sponsor considers the bill important, she can easily ask for it to get a vote, and it will be done. But their strategy is that no pro-life measure gets the same chance. So they are the ones who decide whether or not their bill is important enough to advance; they decide...

As to the amendment....would require a face-to-face counseling prior to performing any procedure, which brings conformity with Kentucky law requiring such counseling to be done in a “personal, private setting.” The American Medical Association and the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure agree that all medical procedures, and the prescribing of medications, should be done face-to-face. This section of my amendment passed the House in 2006 by a vote of 87-11, but never became law....