If I often seem to be back-footed by bills in the legislature, it's only because I am. If a group doesn't have a lobbyist in the building with an inside line on what's going on is at a big disadvantage. The number of bills has skyrocketed, the legislative counsel's office is overwhelmed, and big amendments to apparently anodyne bills sometimes appear with almost no notice. The loss of capitol coverage by journalists for legacy media makes the situation worse. Ironically, some of this is a result
