Letters.

• Author: Anderson, Terry C.
• Position: SHORT TAKES - Letter to the editor

Dear Editor:

I read with interest the very-fitting tribute to Karl Kurtz published in the December 2014 issue. In it, Karl is quoted saying "most state legislatures are in situations that are just as polarized as is Congress, but most of them are able to reach settlements and negotiate differences in the way Congress is not able to."

I believe a major reason this is likely true is the presence and involvement of nonpartisan staff. While Congress does have nonpartisan research assistance, its effectiveness has been substantially mitigated by an increase in member and committee partisan staff.

In state legislatures, nonpartisan staff still play an active role in constructing state budgets, drafting bills, staffing committees, and researching issues. They are, however, much less involved than they were in the 1970s and 1980s.

Increasingly, nonpartisan staff are absent from the table when decisions are made. This practice diminishes the institutional history available to guide the differing parties. The more this increases, the more...