Legislative Actions to Deal with Future Changes.

• Position: National Conference of State Legislatures task force

Change is a given, but taking steps to deal with it effectively will increase public approval and support of the institution.

There's a lot of public discontent with the legislative process. Part of it can be blamed on the legislatures themselves for not always effectively explaining their actions to the public. Legislators should be educators, encouraging involvement in and public support for a dynamic, open legislative environment. Legislatures that have the wisdom to provide ways for constituents to communicate on public policy issues can only win in the public's eye. Failure to do so can cripple a legislature in the arena of public opinion. If legislatures maintain their core values, provide ongoing public education, make continual adjustments, and convince the public of their value as an institution through the actions they take, public support for the legislature will be high.

To deal effectively with future change, the task force developed the following recommendations.

Legislatures must help improve the quality of public participation in all forms of the democratic process.

The implication for the legislature is that it should not fight the trend toward greater direct democracy, but should seize the opportunity to find ways to inform the people of choices, taking every opportunity to promote the core value of deliberation in the process.

Legislatures must help improve the quality of policy debate on public issues, showcasing the advantages of the legislative arena where possible.

Technology will make it easier for legislatures to get information out to the public about policy issues. The task will be to win the public's attention and to help citizens understand how the institution of the legislature provides a desirable arena for solving complex problems and for bringing together competing interests to arrive at solutions that are sensitive to the interests and needs of a broad range of people.

Legislatures must continually reassess and refine their public policy role.

Legislatures should carefully consider the role they may be asked to play when initiative processes lead to conflicting or competing laws or, more important, what role they can play to keep such conflicts from arising.

Legislative leadership will be especially important in setting up communication processes and deciding when and how to provide a quick response to public concerns.

Legislatures must protect the balance of power.

The more dynamic the political...