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Health and Welfare committee introduces RS 32,575 after debate over public access
Summary
Sponsors and committee members debated whether to introduce RS 32,575 or keep it as a sponsor-owned RS to preserve time; members pressed for public access and the committee voted to introduce the RS so it can be printed and posted.
The Health and Welfare Committee introduced RS 32,575 on a voice vote after members pressed sponsors to make the draft publicly available.
The measure, presented by Representative Jordan Redmond of District 3 (Kootenai County), is a revised replacement to a previous RS (03/28) and includes clerical and substantive tweaks to the bill's work-requirement language. Redmond told the committee the changes were intended to "fulfill the actual legislative intent" and specifically to allow part-time college, university or vocational students to meet the work requirement and to permit a parent or caretaker personally providing care for a dependent to qualify under the work requirement.
Committee members raised concerns that keeping the language as a sponsor-only research/sponsor (RS) would limit public access and testimony. A number of members asked whether the RS could be posted on the public agenda or otherwise made available before Monday's hearing. The chairman responded that once an RS is before the committee it "does become public knowledge," but acknowledged there is no routine website link and agreed to check with the House Clerk about posting options. The chairman also said sponsors can release the RS and that the sponsors intended broad distribution.
Representative Healy and others argued introducing the RS as a bill would delay the committee's timeline because the RS would need to be read across the desk, printed and assigned a bill number before the committee could hold its hearing. Representative Egbert moved to introduce RS 32,575 so the draft could be distributed to the public; the committee voted in favor.
Committee members and sponsors emphasized the intention was not to withhold the draft from the public. Representative Redmond said he wanted the document "widely distributed" so the public could see it and have an opportunity to testify. The chairman said he would check with the clerk and the speaker about the quickest path to obtain a bill number and post the text so the Monday hearing could proceed with a printed bill if possible.
The committee voted to introduce RS 32,575 and asked sponsors to transmit the RS to the clerk so it could be read across the desk, assigned a bill number and returned to the committee before the scheduled Monday hearing. The chairman noted the committee's Monday start time would be moved to 9 a.m. because the bill might not be available earlier.
The committee did not take further action on RS 32,575 beyond introduction; sponsors said they expect to present the printed bill at the next hearing and answer committee questions then.
