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Published: Jul 05, 2007 12:00 AM
Modified: Jul 05, 2007 02:46 AM
What is meant by 'catfish amendment'?
It's a seemingly friendly amendment designed to kill a bill by making it undesirable.A few examples from North Carolina newspapers:* In 1996, the legislature considered a term limits bill. Rep. Dan Blue proposed making the limits retroactive, knowing it would disqualify many sitting lawmakers from running again. The amendment failed.* In 1998, the legislature considered a bill to inform domestic violence victims about the whereabouts of their abusers. Then-Rep. Sam Ellis proposed expanding the bill to include all misdemeanor crime victims. The amendment failed.* In June, a legislative committee considered a bill to publicly fund campaigns for certain statewide offices. Rep. Paul Stam proposed giving those candidates more money each time their opponent was endorsed by a newspaper. He later withdrew the amendment.NORTH CAROLINA NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES