Shorten the session

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House Speaker David Wilkins has been on a mission for more than a decade: Shorten the time the Legislature meets. He filed two bills last week to accomplish the worthy objective of a shorter legislative session, and if history is a guide, the bills will make it through the House of Representatives. Here's hoping the state Senate will do a better job this time around and pass the bills, too.

"This is about saving state money. It's about better utilizing our time and it's about encouraging more people to get involved in the legislative process by reducing the amount of days they must spend in Columbia each year," Wilkins said last week in a statement. His two bills, each listing about three dozen co-sponsors, would shave time off the start and finish of the legislative session. The session now begins on the second Tuesday in January and ends on the first Thursday in June.

One bill would end the legislative session on the second Thursday in May. The House also would be required to finish the state budget on March 15 instead of March 30, thereby giving the Senate ample time to do its job. The other bill, which would require a constitutional amendment, would start the legislative session later, thus giving legislative committees more time to finish their work. Lawmakers interested in a more efficient and less costly process should pass these bills — and quickly.