Bipartisan task force will study ways to improve state's legislative process Star Tribune Patricia Lopez October 26, 2005, Wednesday, Metro Edition After watching the 2005 legislative meltdown, the Center of the American Experiment has decided to do what it can to stop the state's system of governance from becoming, as center president Annette Meeks said, "a national laughingstock." Meeks said Tuesday that the center will form an unusual task force to recommend reforms to the legislative process, unusual because it will rely on a wildly diverse group of members. How diverse? Former DFL titan Roger Moe, the twenty-year leader of the DFL Senate and gubernatorial candidate will join forces with Chris Georgacas, onetime head of the state Republican Party, political strategist and a member of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's transition team, to guide a team that includes former DFL House Speaker Dee Long and Bernie Omann, former chief of staff to Gov. Arne Carlson. "It's a little like herding cats," Meeks said of the group, laughing, "and you might wonder what could they possibly agree on, but the truth is, we've got a lot of people on both sides who are just heartsick over what happened this last time." Meeks called Moe and Georgacas "the most brilliant tacticians in either party." She said the group will work on smoothing out the kinks in the legislative process, instilling more trust, cooperation and civility among members, and getting more acquainted with what other states do. While the center is a conservative by nature, Meeks said the issues at the heart of the breakdowns transcend party politics.