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Lawmakers debate bill to allow caucus leaders access to members' bill drafts to improve session efficiency
Summary
Representative Scott Lausser told the Government and Veterans Affairs committee HB1356 would let the four legislative caucus leaders see bill drafts requested by their caucus members before session, aiming to reduce duplicative bills and improve coordination; members raised confidentiality and potential for pressure on freshmen.
Representative Scott Lausser introduced House Bill 1356 during a Government and Veterans Affairs committee hearing March 12, proposing that leaders of the four legislative caucuses receive access to bill drafts requested by members of their caucuses before the legislative session.
Lausser said the aim is efficiency and earlier coordination: leaders could see themes among drafts, convene members working on similar topics, and reduce duplication. “I started thinking, what opportunities do we have going into session… could we increase some efficiencies by having access to those bill drafts,” he said. He told the committee the idea began after consulting Legislative Council staff and caucus leaders and that the measure would preserve attorney-client confidentiality protections.
Committee members expressed a range of concerns. Several members asked how the system would treat early-stage drafts prepared by interns or authors who might not intend to introduce a bill; Lausser said practices would vary by leader and he envisioned voluntary use and timing controls. Representative Rohrer and others warned leaders could pressure freshman legislators not to introduce bills or appropriate authorship credit to incumbents; Lausser and several leaders responding to testimony said poor leadership would be to abuse such access and that existing committee and cosponsorship tools already allow collaboration.
House Minority Leader Mike Lafourne testified in support and urged the committee to consider mitigation measures (opt-in features, topic-based groupings, mechanisms to credit multiple prime sponsors). He said the legislature produced a very large number of bill drafts in the pre-session period — roughly 1,400–1,500 drafts — and leaders need tools to triage them. Lafourne suggested the committee pursue guardrails such as opt-in features, topic groupings, and ways to credit co-prime sponsors to reduce duplication without limiting members’ ability to introduce bills.
Several members volunteered to work with the sponsor and legislative council on amendments that could add opt-in or timing controls or to add an option for leaders to notify members before sharing. The committee did not vote on the bill at the hearing.
