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Committee reports bill extending cooling-off rules to executive branch appointees
Summary
House Bill 4063, presented to the House Committee on Government Operations, would apply a post‑employment cooling-off restriction to executive branch officials and department heads; the committee reported the bill with recommendation.
The House Committee on Government Operations reported House Bill 4063 with recommendation after Representative Martin, one of the bill sponsors, said the measure would apply to executives and department heads and keep them from immediately registering as lobbyists after leaving state service.
Representative Martin told the committee the measure is “ditto” to the sponsor’s description for legislators and is intended to keep department heads focused on state service while they hold office. He said the restriction would apply to appointed department heads and those in executive branch roles so their post‑employment activity would not distract from public service.
Committee members raised general questions about noncompete policies and the practicality of relying on internal rules versus statute. Representative Van Roe asked whether internal branch policies could achieve the same effect; witnesses and sponsors replied that a statutory “bright line” is cleaner and avoids uncertain enforcement of internal noncompete arrangements.
On a motion by Representative Harris to report House Bill 4063 with recommendation, the clerk called the roll. The committee recorded 3 yes votes, 0 no votes and two passes; the motion prevailed and House Bill 4063 was reported with recommendation.
The bill will advance through the House process after the committee report; no committee amendment or final House floor action was recorded at the meeting.
