Committee waives 48-hour agenda posting rule; members raise transparency concerns

The committee voted to waive its usual 48-hour agenda-posting requirement so members could consider bills that arrived after the normal deadline.

The move came at the start of the meeting after the chair said the committee had secured a waiver of the 48-hour rule "for today so we could do bills since we didn't get bills till yesterday afternoon." Representative Sneed had requested to be first on the docket for a bill, which prompted the chair to note the procedural change.

Members expressed concern about the effect of the waiver on transparency and preparation. Representative Munson asked whether the committee planned to treat the waiver as routine, noting the statutory policy-deadline of April 10. He said the short notice reduced time for member and staff preparation and limited public awareness of what the committee would hear. Representative Munson also said he would raise the matter with leadership.

Representative Pope Miller pressed for a commitment from the member moving bills that any substantive amendments circulating after committee action be shared with members. The presenter said he would email the amendment to committee members as soon as it was available.

The chair framed the vote as a one-time accommodation because bills had arrived late; he suggested members who wanted broader change discuss it with Speaker Hilbert or other leadership. The committee proceeded to hear bills after the waiver was approved.

The record shows members voiced the transparency and notice concerns during the agenda-item discussion; no formal policy change was adopted during the meeting.