The Ulster County Legislature's Laws, Rules and Government Services Committee voted 0–6 on May 15 to reject a proposed rule change that would raise the signature threshold required to file a petition to discharge a committee-rejected resolution.

The proposal, sponsored by Legislator Alexander Collins, would have replaced the current requirement—calculated as 75% of the minority caucus—with a fixed majority number of legislators. Collins characterized the change as intended to ensure broader support before bringing defeated committee items to the full floor.

“This is the opposite of that. The minority caucus actually has more influence and power in committee than it does in session,” said Legislator Alexander Collins, arguing the measure would require a larger base of support before taking up defeated committee items at the legislature floor.

Opponents framed the measure as politically motivated and questioned changing internal rules midterm. “This change appears to be politically motivated, and I'm disappointed,” said Legislator Hansett during the debate. Another member warned against altering rules midstream, saying any change should take effect at the start of a new legislative term.

Committee members debated past use and frequency of petitions to discharge. A presentation in the committee traced the rule’s history to 2013 and said roughly 80 petitions had been filed in 12 years—about seven per year—arguing the existing system was not being abused and that floor debate can be an important public forum.

Supporters of the change said a fixed numerical threshold avoids future situations in which a small minority caucus could satisfy a percentage-based rule. “If you can't get 12 signatures on the petition discharge, then you're not gonna get it passed at the session anyway,” Collins said, arguing a fixed number fosters clearer expectations.

A motion to postpone the resolution failed earlier in the meeting, and a subsequent roll-call on final passage recorded six "no" votes and zero "yes" votes, causing the resolution to fail. The committee recorded the tally as 0–6 (yes–no).

Committee members also discussed whether petition-to-discharge signatories should be limited to members of the committee that considered the item, and whether limiting petitions would reduce opportunities for public debate on high-profile issues such as a proposed landfill that had previously drawn strong public comment.

The committee’s rejection leaves the current petition-to-discharge rules unchanged. Several members urged that any structural rule changes be considered at the start of a new term so the entire legislature works under the same rules.

A final roll call during the vote was read aloud by the clerk; the committee chair announced the resolution failed. No further action on the proposal was scheduled at the meeting.