How A Bill Becomes Law – From A Retiring Rep

Today a lot of Reps and Senators are saying goodbye to the legislature. One of them is a man I have always had respect for, whether we agree or disagree on an issue. He just posted some wisdom on how a bill becomes a law to his facebook page, and I thought it appropriate to share with our readers as we say “until we meet again” to Rep. Mike Dudgeon:

Afternoon of day 40… its time to repost the “real” way laws are made:

You have heard that a bill becoming a law is like making sausage. Let me be more descriptive. Your humble House rep has a great bill, lets call it a filet mignon center cut from his prized Angus beef cow. He takes it to committee, who paints the cow blue and chops off its legs. You drag the cow to Rules, who locks it in a cage and holds it hostage until you bring the Rules guys 3 sheep and a horse.

Off to the floor it goes, and you pass the House. Senate committee knocks you over the head with a club and while you are unconscious replaces your prize cow with a nasty old goat wearing a cow costume. On the Senate floor they amend it to glue dozens of scorpions to the hide of your goat/cow. When it goes back to the House, we amend to pry off some of the scorpions and also staple a giant hunk of the torso of the original cow onto the goat in the costume.

That monstrosity goes to conference committee, which takes all of that and puts it in a wood chipper, gathers the goo that shoots out the other end it into a clear casing, and makes a sausage. This passes, and we have a law!

Thank you sir. Gonna miss you a lot.