Lawmakers’ spats should not stymie people’s business

The people’s business stops where a lawmaker’s tiff starts? What the heck?
We refer to Delegate Eric Porterfield, R-Mercer, deciding to invoke a rule that requires the actual legal language of bills be read aloud, instead of being explained and argued in common language.
Porterfield plans to continue to invoke this rule until another delegate, Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, who he claims confronted him in a Capitol parking lot, is disciplined.
Both Republican lawmakers have traded accusations of intoxication, egotism, potential violence, defamation, name calling and so on about the incident.
Full disclaimer here: Our newspaper has taken both these delegates to task for past language, remarks, bills and actions. We certainly don’t have a favorite in this dispute and don’t hold back on Democrats’ inappropriate actions, either, be they kicking doors open, DUIs and what have you.
We’re inclined to think the most distressing aspect of this latest incident is the ugly image it casts on our state.
Yes, making laws is a messy business where we generally agree to disagree, often passionately, but yet uphold civility at all costs. We don’t take it “outside” or call our opponent a “coward” or a “liar” and “everything else” as Steele has admitted he called Porterfield. Or attempt to soft peddle such harsh words to just being “pretty hot” and then claiming “these disagreements happen … all the time.”
For the record, Steele should be disciplined by House leadership and ditto for any lawmaker who conducts himself or herself as such.
That said, what distresses us more about this incident is that this stalls the legislative process even further than it already is.
All too many bills range in length from 10 to 40 pages and beyond. Last year’s education reform bill weighed in at more than 120 pages.
Forcing a clerk to read these bills in full on the House floor when they are only being debated is a complete waste of time and money.
Of course, taxpayers in the long run are paying for this poor excuse for governing by virtue of so many issues and bills not rising to the floor or advancing.
We understand Porterfield’s concerns with his colleague and leadership should address it, but to hold the state’s legislative branch of government hostage to his grievance is wrong.
It also smacks of him applying a double standard. Reportedly he has insisted that Steele resign in light of this incident. Just last year, Porterfield used hate speech in a number of references to LGBTQ groups, likening them to the Ku Klux Klan.
We urge the Republican-led House’s leadership to address this incident immediately.
The Legislature controls the purse strings, but it looks to have lost control of its members.