It’s a measure of how things have been going in Petersburg that residents there can look up at Richmond’s recent experience with an elected mayor—from the eviction of School Board offices from City Hall to lawsuits over budget powers—and say, “Man, have they got it good.“

Republican leaders in the House of Delegates have made the right call in directing the clerk to ensure that votes in subcommittee are recorded. The votes didn’t much matter for a long time, but they do now.

Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group, is absolutely right: House Republicans should clear the air in the smoke-filled rooms where legislative subcommittees of the General Assembly meet. AFP wants the House to record subcommittee votes. So do Democratic lawmakers. So does Sam Nixon, chairman of the GOP caucus. Recording votes might not have been a big deal a few years ago, but it is now: In 2006, a rules change let subcommittees kill legislation—something they couldn’t do before.