Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legislative Rules topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves broad rules changes covering cross‑chamber amendments, sponsor substitutions and interim drafting priorities
Summary
Representative Dunnegan asked the Senate Rules Committee to recommend a first substitute of HJR 6, which packages multiple clarifications and updates to legislative rules and committee practice.
Representative Dunnegan presented House Joint Resolution 6, a multi‑part package of rules changes developed by the legislative process committee and intended to codify several common practices and clarify ambiguities.
Key provisions Dunnegan highlighted include: removing a duplicative requirement for House and Senate rules committees to meet because the legislative process committee now performs that function; clarifying that legislators who attend committees of which they are not members may speak only during public comment when recognized by the chair and may not ask clarifying questions or make motions; allowing a sponsor who is presenting a bill in the opposite chamber’s committee to propose a substitute or amendment in that committee; setting a deadline for a sponsor to designate a substitute sponsor if they resign (within 30 days or by noon on the eleventh day of the general session, whichever is earlier); establishing drafting priorities (interim committee bills first, then priority bills); limiting how many times a chief sponsor can change (transfer) a bill to another sponsor (no more than twice); preserving a committee note for an interim committee bill provided the bill is not modified before numbering; and changing the appropriations deadline language to “on or before the 45th day” to allow more flexibility.
Senators asked clarifying questions. Senator Kwan proposed a technical grammatical amendment that the committee adopted as Senate amendment 2. Senator Weiler asked whether committee bills could be modified after interim committee approval; Dunnegan clarified that modifications after numbering would be allowed but the bill would lose its committee note. The chair opened the item for public comment and received none.
Senator Ibsen moved to give the first substitute a favorable recommendation. The committee approved the motion and the first substitute of HJR 6 passed out of committee with a favorable recommendation.
