Jerrol LeBaron didn’t bother to interview any lawmakers for his new documentary “Fools on the Hill.”

The film calls out politicians for routinely passing legislation, sometimes at a feverish clip, they haven’t so much as read. LeBaron thought it was foolish to bother asking them why they behaved in such a fashion.

“I judge an organization or a person by their actions and results, not by what they say,” LeBaron tells Big Hollywood. “The only reason to pass a law is to fix something, and they aren’t even looking at the problem … I could care less what they think.”

LeBaron serves as the Michael Moore-esque hero of “Hill,” an Everyman trying to drum up support for a bill that would require politicians to read new legislation before voting on it. We see LeBaron schlepping across North Dakota to convince people that his proposal will bring accountability to Congress. LeBaron’s mission would also allow for the public dissemination of future bills online so Americans can see what’s about to be considered.

It’s a truly nonpartisan affair. LeBaron doesn’t pick an ideological side in the film, and his roster of talking heads includes figures from the Left – Ed Begley, Jr. – as well as the Right – conservative talker Rick Amato.

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In Parts One and Two of this interview, Mr Lebaron described the many legal, moral and ethical problems plaguing the California legislative process. In Part Three, Mr. LeBaron describes how We The People can begin to bring the long-hallowed and honorable traditions of enlightened American lawmaking back to the State House in Sacramento.

Q: How could such a law as the Honor In Office Act be enforced?

JERROL: There are some legislators who will perjure themselves day in and day out. There is no hope for them, unless someone reports the violation. However, we are dealing with partisanship. That means that 45-55% are Democrats and 45-55% are Republicans, typically. The Honor In Office Act plays very nicely into that. Newly elected lawmakers might be far more conscious of the new rules. There are other lawmakers in office who have lost their way, because they have had no way to protect themselves from the less scrupulous. (more…)

In Part One of this interview, Mr. LeBaron provided background on his own classic American and Hollywood success stories, and why he started the Honor In Office campaign. Today, Mr. LeBaron tells us what Honor In Office is all about, and why real reform is so badly needed in Sacramento.

Q: Can you describe for me, specifically, what Honor In Office is all about?

JERROL: If you look at the header at the Honor In Office homepage you will see the phrase, “There was a time in this country when our leaders’ signatures meant more.” Be it the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or bills passed by Congress to conduct the People’s business, our Founding Fathers and early members of Congress drafted, read in full, debated at length, and either passed or rejected whatever legislation was before the Congress. (more…)

THE BACKSTORY

From all appearances, Jerrol LeBaron’s life is both a classic American and Hollywood success story. Having started out in the construction industry in and around Los Angeles, Mr. LeBaron became restless and purchased a small jewelry business, which he owned and ran for seven years. In 2000, after dabbling in screenwriting and discovering just how difficult it was to market scripts in Hollywood, Mr. LeBaron sold his jewelry business and started the online Writers’ Script Network, now known today as Inktip.com.

Today, InkTip is the most successful venture of its kind in Hollywood, matching spec screenplays with prospective studios, producers, and other film industry insiders looking for new material. An average of twenty films a year are made from scripts discovered on InkTip. Mr. LeBaron’s bi-monthly magazine, containing the loglines of hundreds of screenplays in the InkTip database, is distributed industry-wide. Having optioned a script off of InkTip myself, I can personally testify to its success. (more…)