Tuition tax credit task force meeting, Part 3

This hearing will not be televised

by David Safier

[Note: In classic blog fashion, Part 3 is at the top of the page with Parts 2 and 1 following. Scroll down if you want to read them in the order they were written.]

These days, state legislative business is videotaped and streamed on the web. It's one of those wonderful high tech features that were impossible a few years ago. Bring the government to the people! (or at least let them watch the sausage-making live on their computer screens.)

The first meeting of the House's tuition tax credit/STO task force was streamed, as usual. Wednesday's session, however, wasn't. I read different explanations in the Trib and the AZ Guardian. I'm putting my money on the Guardian's version getting nearer to the whole truth.

The Trib has a "D Said, R Said" version of the events. The Ds said it was a case of the Rs stopping the legislative process from being open and transparent. The Rs said Shapira, the chair of the task force, didn't file a request for a hearing room in time to get the camera there.

But the Guardian says the cameras and crew were actually ready.

The crews were ready to roll Thursday morning when word came down that they were forbidden to televise the show because the Democrats didn’t, umm, book the room – at least that’s the official version coming from the Ministry of Information.

Why did the Rs forbid the shooting? According to the Guardian:

The GA hears the real story is Republican leaders didn’t want to give Attorney General Terry Goddard’s folks an avenue to score political points on the boob-tube. . . . A representative with the attorney general’s office was scheduled to deliver a presentation and there was concern Goddard’s people would possibly bash the GOP-led Legislature that passed numerous bills expanding a program that is now under heavy scrutiny. 

I hear the Guardian filmed the meeting. I sent them an email to confirm and to ask that they put all, or salient parts, of the video on their website. It's the weekend, so I don't expect them to reply right away. Maybe I'll find out more Monday.