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Committee chair sets rules for hearings: time limits, amendment notice, Zoom testimony and decorum
Summary
At the organizational meeting, Chair Carrie Hamblin explained procedural rules for the Tax, Business and Transportation Committee, including a nonnegotiable 24‑hour rule for amendments, a 20‑minute allocation for bill sponsors and experts, sponsor rebuttal time, variable public‑testimony limits, and Zoom procedures.
Chair Carrie Hamblin opened the organizational meeting and outlined procedural rules that will govern hearings in the Tax, Business and Transportation Committee for the session.
Hamblin said the committee will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. in the committee room or 30 minutes after the floor concludes; she warned meetings may occasionally occur on weekends late in the session and said start times may vary modestly. She emphasized that the committee will enforce a 24‑hour advance requirement for any amendment or substitution so bill sponsors and committee members have time to review changes; Hamblin described that requirement as “nonnegotiable.”
Hamblin said the committee aims to be efficient and respectful of witnesses’ time. She announced a default 20‑minute allocation for a bill sponsor and their expert combined (to be adjusted on a per‑bill basis) and said sponsors will receive a five‑minute period to respond after public testimony. Public testimony limits will vary by the number of speakers; Hamblin gave an example that if 10 people are in support and 10 in opposition she would allocate 1 minute each to attempt fairness. Vice Chair Heather Bergmans will serve as timekeeper, Hamblin said.
The chair described Zoom procedures: registered remote witnesses will receive instructions from committee staff and Zoom attendants will use chat to cue speakers; remote participants will be allowed to testify but must follow the same time allocations as in‑room witnesses. Hamblin asked members to use the committee secretary or the chair to add themselves to the question list during presentations and said she will not “stifle” member discussion but will ask members to be concise and to stick to the bill being debated.
Hamblin also addressed decorum: committee members and presenters are expected to be respectful, and audience members who attack participants may be asked to leave. The committee adjourned and scheduled agency presentations and bill hearings for upcoming meetings.
