Report upon the status of legislation pending

 From Master of the Senate (512).  Johnson changed the way that the Senate functioned.  It had been uncoordinated, with each committee chair having lots of power and a lack of care about how the party got things done.  Johnson, now the minority leader after Eisenhower's victory in 1952 brought along a majority change in the Senate, changed that:  his own Policy Committee would help coordinate committee work -- and provide Johnson with a huge amount of information that he could use.

Lyndon Johnson was making other changes that involved the Policy Committee, changes more subtle -- and more far-reaching.

The third topic was presented just as casually -- although a great deal of not-at-all casual thought had gone into it.  "Senator Johnson (Tex),.. explained that there was a need for liaison between the Policy Committee and the Democratic members of [Standing] Committees," the minutes reported...

Johnson had, of course, "counseled" with his Policy colleagues beforehand, and as soon as he made the suggestion...  Senator Russell agreed, but suggested, possibly by prearrangement, that the liasison be kept on the staff level.  "There being no objection. Senator Johnson (Tex) stated that the leeter would ld be redrafted. and the next day the ranking Democrat on on each of the fifteen Standing Committees received the letter:

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee is in need of regular information upon the activities of the various Legislative Committees of the Senate. I have been requested by the Policy Committee to ask your help in meeting this problem.

If you could designate a staff member of [your] Committee ... who could contact Roland Bibolet... on a weekly basis, it would be greatly appreciated. Bill analyses are not requested, but a report upon the status of legislation pending in your Committee that affects the Senate Democrats as a whole and the probable timetable for action on this legislation would be of great value.

With assurances of high esteem and respect, I am,

Sincerely yours,

Lyndon B. Johnson

   No suggestion could on its face have been more logical, simply more conducive to the efficient operation of the Senate and to the unity of the Democrats in the Senate. If a single senator glimpsed the possibility of further implications behind the seemingly innocuous request, there was no indication of it. By Policy's next meeting, Johnson could report that "replies furnishing the names of committee staff members" were coming in at a rapid rate.

    But there were further implications. In the past, each of the Senate's Standing Committees had operated as a totally independent barony, generally advancing its bills without more than cursory reference to other committees bills not infrequently, in fact, advancing bills whose contents conflicted with other committes' bills. Some of the more irascible chairmen were, in fach, prone to give notably short shrift to inquiries about schedules, or bill content. from the party leadership. This lack of coordination contributed to the Senate insing; it was one of the primary reasons for the traditional end-of-session logjam in which major bills from many different committees arrived on the floor at the same time.  It also contributed to the committee's independence, to their almost absolute freedom from an y outside control -- and therefore to the power of their chairmen.  Now, with that February 4 letter, the situation was changed. An outside entity, the Democratic Policy Committee, would henceforth be advised weekly on the status of bills within the Standing Commmittees.  The PC could notify the committee's ranking members... of poetential scheduling conflicts, could suggest that a bill be moved forward or held back, could be doing so intervene in the all-important strateic timing of action on legislation.  ... Policy staffers... would be much better able to analyze the legislation to "call individual senators, explore their thinking," mediate between opposing points of view; to perform, in short, a role hitherto performed only by the mighty chairmen, and their staffers.

    The chairmen had, in fact, been to some degree removed from this new arrangement. It was not they with twhom the PC... was communicating , but rather a member of their committee's staff.