Committee weighs rule to require sponsor handouts posted earlier; staff caution about disclaimers

Representative Thurston presented a draft requiring sponsors' supporting materials — limited to the equivalent of two letter‑size PDF pages — be posted with bill files earlier in the process so legislators and the public could review them before committee hearings and floor debate. Thurston said the goal is timing: “I would rather have people see them before the fact and so they can ask questions about it before the bill passes.” He proposed a two‑page limit and a prominent disclaimer that the document is not legislative intent and has not been verified. Committee members raised two concerns. Representative Dunnegan said sponsor materials are persuasive and worried that posting them on a bill page could cause the public to assume the statements are factual. Representative Perucci suggested a middle ground: having the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (OLRGC) prepare a neutral summary when possible. OLRGC staff said they sometimes prepare summaries but cannot guarantee perfect accuracy. Representative Wilcox and others said early circulation of issue briefs can improve stakeholder engagement and yield better ideas earlier in the process. The committee discussed placement options for the material (committee materials area versus the official bill page) and whether a prominent disclaimer or a requirement that OLRGC prepare the sheet would reduce the risk of perceived "imprimatur." No rule was adopted; chairs were asked to refine the draft and address how handouts will be posted and labeled to avoid implying that sponsor materials are authoritative legal text.