Kellner Proposes Governor’s Questions Hour
May 24, 2010
New Yorkers are sick of the “three-men-in-a-room” closed-door process that dominates so much of Albany’s business–and of the failures that this broken system has brought us. This is why I am introducing legislation to create a Governor’s questions hour, opening up debates over the direction of the state to public scrutiny. The bill would require the Governor to stand before the legislature for an hour each month during the legislative session to answer questions from Senators and Assembly Members, in a televised interaction similar to the British tradition of Prime Minister’s Questions.
A Governor’s questions hour would help break the logjam in Albany’s political process, giving New Yorkers direct access to the discussions that shape the state’s policies. By pushing political debates out into the open, it will create a remedy to the backroom dealings and bickering for which New York’s state government has become notorious.
People want to see an ongoing constructive dialogue between their legislators and the Governor to move our state forward. And having a regular questions hour would do just that.
The bill will give legislators an opportunity to question the Governor about the strategic direction, financial status, and general governance of the state. It will require the Governor to stand before the Assembly and the Senate on alternating months during the legislative session, responding to inquiries from Republicans and Democrats alike. The bills specifies that the percentage of time allotted for questions from members of the majority and minority parties will be based on the percentage of representation of each party.
Public dialogue and debate are critical to democracy. But as it stands, there is no opportunity for legislators and the Governor to get together on a regular basis to openly talk about the issues we’re facing. New Yorkers want accountability from their elected officials—and that means putting our debates and competing ideas out in the open.
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