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House committee votes to adopt rules after debate over quorum size; two rules packages pass
Summary
House committee members debated quorum size and a proposed 24‑hour notice rule before approving two separate committee‑rules packages, including a Planning and Community Affairs rules package that passed 8–3.
Members of the House committees debated quorum thresholds and procedural language before adopting committee rules in two separate votes during the session.
Early in the meeting, the chair brought up customary housekeeping and described committee rules for the biennial session. A member proposed adding a rule requiring a 24‑hour digital notice for all bills being heard or voted on, but the chair declined to consider changing the rules at that time, saying committee practice already provides advance materials. The chair said, "I also always hear bills before we vote on them ... I'll not entertain that motion to change it in these rules." The committee then moved to a vote and the rules passed; the chair recorded that there was one nay.
Later in the session the committee again considered a different set of rules for Planning and Community Affairs. Representative Jan Jackson moved to increase the quorum from five members to nine to ensure a 50% representation for the committee of 18 members; other chairs and vice chairs argued that many committees set lower quorums because overlapping committee schedules make higher thresholds impractical. Representative Jackson said raising the quorum would help explain to constituents which majority made decisions on legislation. The motion to raise the quorum failed; members then voted to adopt the rules package for the planning committee. The chair announced the rules passed by a recorded vote of 8–3.
Throughout the discussion members invoked both practical scheduling concerns and democratic representation. Vice Chair Patty Marie Stinson explained her vote for a lower quorum by citing concurrent committee schedules and the practical difficulty of maintaining higher attendance: "I've been in positions where we have to sit and wait and wait for members to come in to get a quorum." Representative Jan Jackson countered that a larger quorum better reflects representative legitimacy: "It's always healthy for at least, 50‑50% plus 1 to represent that."
Ending: The committee adopted the two rules packages and adjourned after member introductions; members said they expect to return with bills in future meetings.
