New rule lets N.J. legislators phone it in
Members of the New Jersey Assembly will soon be able to register their attendance via cellphone or e-mail to allow certain legislative business to proceed.
Members of the New Jersey Assembly will soon be able to register their attendance via cellphone or e-mail to allow certain legislative business to proceed.
The Assembly introduced and passed a resolution Monday that changes the chamber's rules, which previously indicated that at least 41 legislators, a majority of the 80-member body, must be present at the Statehouse in order to constitute a quorum.
Now, in certain cases, legislators can record their attendance with the Office of the Clerk by using "communication equipment providing identification of the member," the resolution says.
Such equipment is expected to include phone and e-mail.
The resolution comes after news reports in July brought attention to the Assembly's practice of recording the presence of legislators without their knowledge.
For example, in a procedural step needed to get a constitutional amendment modifying the right to bail on the ballot in November, Assembly staff in July recorded a 70-member quorum, even though only one member was physically in the Statehouse.
One caveat: the rule change will not apply when bills or resolutions are being considered for final passage, reenactment, or a veto override.
Rather, the rule will allow the Assembly to conduct "routine business" - such as putting a bill on members' desks - without the need for each legislator to come to Trenton.
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