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2010 SESSION

10101579D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2
Offered January 13, 2010
Prefiled January 12, 2010
Directing the Clerk of the House of Delegates to post the recorded committee and floor votes of members of the House of Delegates to the electronic legislative information system. Report.
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Patrons-- LeMunyon, Keam, Abbott, Albo, Anderson, BaCote, Bell, Richard P., Brink, Bulova, Cleaveland, Cline, Comstock, Cox, J.A., Ebbin, Edmunds, Englin, Garrett, Greason, Herring, Hope, Howell, A.T., Hugo, Iaquinto, Johnson, Kilgore, Kory, Lewis, Lingamfelter, Loupassi, May, McClellan, McQuinn, Miller, P.J., Morefield, Morrissey, Phillips, Plum, Rust, Scott, J.M., Shuler, Sickles, Stolle, Surovell, Torian, Toscano, Villanueva, Ward and Ware, O.
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, democracy works best when citizens are well informed and actively involved in the processes of their government at all levels; and

WHEREAS, connecting citizens to their government promotes transparency, accountability, better access to public services and information, improved communication between public officials and the electorate, and confidence in those who have been elected to represent them; and

WHEREAS, today, technology is an integral part of the legislative process at the state, local, and federal levels, and nearly every state utilizes technology to promote legislative efficiency and effectiveness, and to increase citizen access to the legislative process and their elected officials; and

WHEREAS, state legislators cast recorded votes on thousands of measures in subcommittees, committees, and on the floors of each chamber during a legislative session, and millions of taxpayer dollars are spent each year to maintain the legislative electronic information system; however, it can be an arduous task for ordinary citizens to track the voting records of their state legislators; and

WHEREAS, citizen access to the voting records of state legislators would facilitate communication between members and the electorate and provide legislators an opportunity to respond to and build relationships with citizens, explain the nuances of the legislative process and public policies, provide assistance and advocacy as appropriate, and correct inaccurate information in a timely manner when contacted by constituents; and

WHEREAS, significant advances have been made in web technology and a growing number of states' websites include an electronic display of the full texts and amendments of bills and resolutions, legislative calendars and journals, standing committee structure, the budget, links to important governmental and nongovernmental sites as well as members' voting records; and

WHEREAS, state legislative websites are evaluated on the following criteria: content, usability, interactivity, transparency, and audience, and these advanced websites promote participatory government, civic engagement, and an informed citizenry for the benefit of the common good; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates be directed to post the recorded committee and floor votes of members of the House of Delegates to the electronic legislative information system. The publication of such information on the electronic legislative information system by the Clerk shall commence with the 2011 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

The Clerk of the House shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary and report of its progress in meeting the directive of this resolution no later than the first day of the 2012 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.