The increase in committee proxy voting is disturbing

As we near the midsession break, I thought I'd offer a few observations about the legislative process this session.

People frequently ask me if I notice any differences from the earlier periods when I served in the Senate. Some things are much the same as they were in those years of my previous service. Most of the members are genuinely interested in good public policy, although they may have fierce disagreements about just what should pass as good public policy. I believe there has been a concerted effort this session to be more civil with one another than was the case last session. To date,...