Blocked by the people and the Constitution from meeting more than 120 days every other year, the Legislature is trying to do an end run.
As it is right now, only the governor has the power to call for a special session of the Legislature and is able to strictly limit that which can be considered during such a session. AJR 5 would allow legislators to call themselves into “special sessions” to do pretty much whatever the hell they wanted.
If we give legislators the power to call themselves into special session whenever they want for whatever they want (everything under the sun will suddenly constitute an “extraordinary occasion”), they’ll be calling themselves into special sessions every other week to supplement their regular 120 session every other year. And no good ever comes out of a session of the Legislature – regular or “special.”
Every Democrat voted to give themselves the power to call themselves into a special session.
Almost every Republican voted against it (even Melissa Woodbury!).
GOP Assemblyman Chad Christensen was AWOL for the vote.
