Committee adopts amendment, advances constitutional amendment to allow more nonfiscal prefiled bills

Senate Bill 20, presented April 16, 2025, would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to change rules for prefiling bills in odd‑numbered (fiscal) legislative sessions. The bill seeks to increase the number of general (nonfiscal) prefiled bills a legislator may file from five to seven and to clarify what counts as a fiscal bill by using broader language such as "legislate with regard to taxes and fees" and by expressly covering dedication and rededication of funds.

The sponsor, identified in committee as Senator Wie, told the committee the change is intended to give legislators more flexibility to address nonfiscal matters that arise during fiscal sessions. "We're primarily in a fiscal session...the meat of this bill deals with the number of bills that fall outside the definition of fiscal," the sponsor said, describing the proposal to raise the nonfiscal prefile limit to seven.

Committee amendments clarified terminology (to make it easier to identify fiscal versus nonfiscal matters) and adjusted ballot‑timing language so the amendment would align with any changes the House pursues on when constitutional amendments appear on the ballot. Yolanda Dixon, secretary of the Senate, advised the committee the changes aim to reduce subjectivity in prior practice and explained how prior attempts to add items such as rebates to the constitution had failed. "What Senator Wie is attempting to do is to make it a little bit more, less subjective," Dixon said.

Several senators asked whether the change could be used to evade prefile limits by attaching a fee to otherwise general policy bills; the secretary said the primary object of a bill remains the deciding factor at filing and that the determination occurs at filing time. Bruce Riley of Vote testified in opposition, arguing that the legislature already files many measures and that increasing the number could worsen the volume and decrease clarity for voters. "When people see this on the ballot, that's going to be a waste of ballot money," Riley said.

Committee members adopted the amendments and, after discussion, the committee recorded a motion to move the bill "favorable as amended." The transcript records "No objections" to the motion. Senators asked the sponsor to work further on ballot language to make the amendment's intent clear to voters.

Because SB 20 is a proposed constitutional amendment, if the legislature approves it in the required procedural steps it would ultimately go to the voters for ratification.