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House Higher Education Committee adopts 2025–26 rules, lowers quorum from 13 to 9
Summary
The House Higher Education Committee approved its 2025–26 rules, including reducing the quorum from 13 to 9 members, to reduce meeting delays caused by seeking a full 13‑member attendance.
The House Higher Education Committee voted to adopt its 2025–26 rules and to reduce the committee quorum from 13 members to nine. Chair Rep. Chuck Martin presented the rules and said the quorum change was intended to avoid holding meetings open while staff sought a single absent member to reach a 13‑member quorum.
Martin told the committee that he did not intend the rule change to be used to “stack a room” on controversial bills and that the change was meant to ease scheduling difficulties: “I have dropped that as I would suggest an offer to you to drop that from 13 members down to 9,” he said. Committee members asked no substantive questions about the rules, and a motion to adopt the rules was made and seconded; the chair said the rules were approved unanimously by voice vote.
The change will allow committee business to proceed when nine members are present rather than 13, which committee staff said previously had required holding meetings open while clerks sought an additional member. Committee staff will circulate the adopted rules and notify members of the revised quorum requirement.
Ending: The committee’s adoption of new rules takes effect immediately for committee procedure; administrative staff will update members and post the rules through committee channels.
