House rules committee adopts consolidated 2025 "P-100" policies, including page stipend increase and communications allocation changes

The House Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration voted to adopt a consolidated package of House policies, labeled “2025 P-100,” including amendments that change member communications allocations, raise the high-school page stipend and clarify interim dates and remote-work timing.

Chair Harry Niska, chair of the House Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration, moved the P-100 resolution and first offered an author’s amendment (A1) to adjust how members may allocate postage and digital constituent-communications funds. The committee adopted the A1 amendment by voice vote. Representative Jamie Long then moved a second amendment (A2) to correct and update titles in the packet; that amendment was also adopted by voice vote.

The package was then presented by Pete Skora, controller and chief financial officer for the House, and Kelly Knight, director of human resources for the House. Skora summarized the packet as including longstanding personnel policies (service awards, donated leave, comp-time and time-card rules), and a mix of member-facing policies covering interim per diem, leadership pay, expense reimbursement, stationery and communications allotments. "The first policy in your packet is the service award Grama and this is a standard policy and, that we've had for many years," Skora said. He also outlined the remote-work policy and the change to interim dates.

Key provisions and clarifications discussed by the committee and staff include: - Remote work: The packet sets a remote-work window that staff may begin in June and requires a return-to-office date of Dec. 1, as described by House HR. (Staff presented this as a policy provision; the packet text governs timing.) - Interim dates: The member business services section was updated to reflect an interim period from Jan. 6 to Jan. 13 because this session began a week later than in past years. - Leadership compensation: Skora summarized that a state statute allows up to five members in leadership positions to receive 140% of a member's pay; the committee's packet reflects that statutory limit and the titles adjusted by amendment. - Expense reimbursement and per diem: The packet retains the existing threshold (more than 50 miles from the Capitol) tied to federal tax rules for certain reimbursements; Skora gave the per-diem amount used for calendar days during session as $86. - Communications and postage allocations: Staff said the amendment added percentages for splitting postage and digital constituent communications, including language discussed as "70% digital communications and 30% postage" while also noting an option to allocate 100% to digital communications in the packet text. - High-school page and internship programs: The packet sets the high-school page daily stipend at $15 (up from $10 last year) and caps the undergraduate internship program at 40 interns, with interns receiving $125 per week for completing six hours. - Other items: The packet includes policies on alcohol and drug use in house-controlled spaces (specifying the Centennial Office Building in the packet language), photographer image fee structures, a chaplain honorarium ($2,000) and a visitor chaplain daily payment ($35), and a legal-fee provision addressing recounts and unfair-campaign-practices cases; staff said there were no changes to the legal-fee policy from the prior session.

Committee members asked staff clarifying questions during the discussion. Representative Christy Purcell asked about the 50-mile threshold and its IRS basis; Skora replied that the 50-mile figure is derived from IRS tax regulations and that he could not speak to how long that threshold had been in place. Representative Athena Hollins asked how long the high-school page stipend had been at prior levels; staff said it was $10 last year and the packet increases it to $15. Representative Jamie Long moved the title-correction amendment (A2) and the committee directed staff to apply those title edits across the packet where needed.

All motions were adopted by voice vote. Chair Niska renewed the motion to adopt the full 2025 P-100 resolution as amended; the committee adopted the resolution as amended and adjourned.

Votes at a glance - A1 (author's amendment adjusting postage/digital communications allotment): adopted (voice vote). - A2 (author's amendment to update titles across the packet): adopted (voice vote); committee directed staff to implement corresponding edits in other sections. - Adoption of the 2025 P-100 resolution as amended: adopted (voice vote).