Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
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If a Clock Strikes Midnight and No One is Around to See It...
Courts in Kentucky might have to decide what happens if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to see it -- metaphorically speaking. From the Lexington Herald-Leader :
After lawmakers officially shut down the 2008 General Assembly at 1 a.m. Wednesday, they left behind questions about the legality of some of the bills that were finalized after the constitutional deadline of midnight.
Television cameras and reporters witnessed at least five bills -- two in the Senate, three in the House -- receiving the necessary signatures from House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, and Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, long after the midnight deadline passed.
The state's constitution says the General Assembly session cannot "extend beyond April 15."
The legislative record, however, will show that no bills were finalized, or enrolled, after midnight, said Robert Sherman, director of the Legislative Research Commission.
...
Clocks on the walls of both the Senate and House stopped at 11:54 p.m. for nearly an hour. Legislators sometimes employed that strategy in the 1970s and 1980s to cram in the last bit of work. That move this week prompted criticism from some lawmakers.
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