Above is Bill, a character from the short, animated film, “I’m just a bill” from the Schoolhouse Rock series.
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
Editor’s Note: Political writer Howard Fischer has covered the Arizona Legislature since 1982. He offers a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at how the process works – or does not, as the case may be.
So you think you know how a bill becomes law?
Well, it isn’t exactly the process from the Schoolhouse Rock song, “I’m just a bill on Capitol Hill.”
Yes, there are a House, a Senate and a governor.
And, yes, there are committees and floor debates.
But what actually happens at the Arizona Capitol? It ain’t textbook.
What the textbook says: A constituent goes to a legislator and suggests a change in law to deal with a problem.
How it happens in the real world: Many more bills come from – and are actually written by – special interests and their lobbyists, people who may have helped elect the lawmaker who agreed to put his or her name on it.
