If you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, don’t. 

            I brought the draft legislation to our power breakfast.  It would encourage the hiring of low-income individuals for certain construction projects.

            Every word in the bill was new because it would add a section to the law.

            And then the light went on.  (Perhaps it was the cholesterol intake.)

            I remembered that I had passed a law encouraging people doing business with the state to hire current and former welfare recipients.  With a little help from a friend, I found the language. 

            Now I’ll compare the existing law and how it’s been implemented to what we’re trying to accomplish

            I may be one of the most liberal members of the General Assembly, but when it comes to bill drafting, I’m very conservative. 

            If I can say that my proposal modifies existing law and builds on what is already state policy, that’s a big plus.

            One could also see this episode as evidence that after 28 years, I’m recycling the same ideas.  But let’s not go there.

January 17