Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff’s plan to install cameras in the House of Representatives will surely bring out the hams in the chamber, along with the usual long-winded politicians and those campaigning for re-election.
But there also could be a positive side to that real-time pandering.
Citizens who have no clue who their elected officials are, what they do or how they represent their constituents will be able to see for themselves via live telecast on cable TV or the Web. Cameras are expected to be installed by the start of the new session in January.
What they discover might impress – or depress – them. Either way, it’s information to take to the polls.
Lawmakers who are too verbose, too annoying, asleep at their desks or just wasting time could hear about it from their constituents. Of course, there also could be a self-correcting aspect that would be good for the process. Some lawmakers might actually start doing their homework before jumping to the microphone to debate an issue.
Romanoff believes the cameras might improve decorum in the chamber. We hope he’s right.
More importantly, cameras will provide the public a window into the crafting of public policy. Colorado is among 16 states without televised legislative proceedings.
Comcast offered to make two cable channels available, one for the House and one for the Senate. The proceedings also will be streamed live on the Internet and made available later.
The Senate has not decided whether to install cameras in that chamber. It should. Congress does it. The Denver City Council has televised its Monday night meetings for years.
The legislature has no immediate plans to televise committee hearings, but Romanoff hopes it will happen in the future, as do we. Audios of those meetings are streamed live on the Internet. Lawmakers also should arrange to broadcast major news conferences and speeches.
Surveys in other states have found that people watch televised proceedings of the state legislature if available.
Romanoff’s chief of staff Will Coyne said the startup value of the project is “well over $1 million,” but that taxpayers will foot only a fraction of the bill. They have not yet figured out what that amount will be. Taxpayers’ portion would include Web streaming, camera equipment and possibly closed captioning, although that might be too costly.
The plan for now is that Comcast will foot the overwhelming portion. Denver is expected to cover the cost to extend the fiber optics from the City and County Building to the Capitol. There also would be an annual operating cost of more than $30,000. Romanoff is trying to raise private funds to help defray some of the cost to taxpayers.
The benefit of cameras to Coloradans should outweigh the cost.
The speaker has lawyers examining whether there are conflicts with the legislature using channels provided free by Comcast, a company it regulates. He believes public access to chamber proceedings supercedes the potential for abuse. “We should be accountable. This is a good way to achieve that,” he said.
Ultimately, we hope the cameras will generate greater interest in government and encourage citizens to take a more active role in democracy.
