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House Committee on Rules approves amendments to House rules, lowers proxy threshold for medical absences
Summary
The House Committee on Rules voted to move House Bill 5007 Sub A to the floor after reconsidering House Resolution 5007. Changes include reducing the proxy-voting threshold for medical absences from five to three consecutive meetings and a requirement that committee hearings be recorded with audio.
January 23, 2025 — The House Committee on Rules voted Thursday to advance changes to the chamber’s internal rules that shorten the proxy-voting threshold for medical absences and require that committee hearings include audio recording.
Chairwoman Fogarty opened the committee’s review and described the proposed changes as “just a few changes in the house rules this year,” noting date updates for filing and a provision extending study-commission bill introductions. She summarized specific changes to recording and proxy voting before the committee took several votes that ultimately sent House Bill 5007 Sub A to the House floor.
The substantive changes approved in Sub A include a revision to committee-recording language so that “all committee hearings shall be audio recorded or video recorded with audio,” and a change to proxy voting eligibility so a member may use a proxy if unable to be physically present in the chamber for three or more consecutive absences due to health or a medical condition (the previous threshold in the draft was five consecutive meetings). Committee members also updated a range of filing dates in the rules language to reflect 2025 and 2026 and clarified that some commonly nonlegislative items (for example, ceremonial resolutions) remain outside date-change provisions being adjusted.
The committee first voted on House Resolution 5007 and recorded an affirmative roll-call. A member then moved to reconsider that vote; after reconsideration, the committee voted to indefinitely postpone House Resolution 5007 and to replace it with House Bill 5007 Sub A. That motion passed on a roll call with one member recorded as voting no. The committee then voted to move House Bill 5007 Sub A to the floor; that vote carried.
Votes at a glance: • Motion to approve House Resolution 5007 — Passed by voice/roll call (ayes recorded). (See roll call list below.) • Motion to indefinitely postpone House Resolution 5007 and replace with House Bill 5007 Sub A — Passed by roll call, yes 14, no 1 (Representative Newberry recorded as No). • Motion to advance House Bill 5007 Sub A to the floor — Passed by roll call (ayes recorded).
The committee concluded with a motion to adjourn after approving the rule changes and sending Sub A to the full House. The changes approved in Sub A are procedural rules governing House operations; implementation will follow the House’s floor consideration and any subsequent final adoption by the full chamber.
