Representative Mike O'Neal asked for the reestablishment of the institution last session after a colleague addressed the chamber in what O'Neal found to be a "very obnoxious, oversized" Kansas State Powercat windbreaker. O'Neal, who is a devoted University of Kansas alumnus, says that it was more than just the appearance of the rival logo that motivated his appeal.
"I felt that the decorum has been sliding a little bit, and we were ignoring the traditional rules in the House," says O'Neal. "This has been a tough year, and I wanted to return to a time when legislators took a moment to poke fun at themselves and at the same time had some good-natured discipline on the floor."
Windbreaker-wearing Representative Jerry Aday fulfilled his punishment by bringing in two crates of apples for the House's 125 members. And despite the committee's revival occurring late in the session, O'Neal says he did note a change in his peers' behavior.
"We didn't actually pull the trigger and enforce it that much, but things have started getting better. I think people are happy that there was more respect for the rules," says O'Neal. "I don't want this to be a diversion or distracting, but it does make people aware of when they don't have their jacket on or push their light to speak."
