New Legislative Administration committee orients members on scheduling, decorum and bill ownership

Chairman Representative Greg Hill opened orientation for the Legislative Administration Committee with administrative guidance on scheduling, public testimony and committee norms, urging members to coordinate absences and to treat witnesses with courtesy.

The session laid out several practical items: how the committee schedules hearings, a proposal to post large-font placards identifying the bill at the witness table for live-stream viewers, guidance on electronic devices and testimony, and a reminder that committee replacements require 24-hour notice for exec session votes. "We tend to look at bills on their merits... and whether it will help state of New Hampshire and primarily the legislature operate," Hill said.

Why it matters: legislative-administration is the committee that oversees how the House organizes hearings and internal process. Clarifying logistics — who to contact about absences, where committee files are kept, and how committee reports are drafted and published — affects how quickly bills move from hearing to calendar and how transparent hearings are to the public.

Highlights and details

- Scheduling and hearings: Hill said he typically schedules hearings in short blocks (15–20 minutes) and runs them consecutively to avoid idle time; he asked members to help place a visible bill placard at the witness table so remote viewers know which bill is being heard. Members agreed to a make-up hearing date of Feb. 19 for remaining bills rather than a date that conflicts with the governor’s budget delivery.

- Committee reports and records: Committee assistant Karen Davis described her role assembling files, drafting committee reports with researcher review, and submitting final materials for publication. Clerk Paul Smith urged timely, legible committee reports and noted the committee historically places many bills on the consent calendar when members resolve issues in advance.

- Public testimony and decorum: Chairs emphasized clarifying, not adversarial, follow-ups to witnesses. Hill instructed members to signal for follow-up questions rather than interrupting testimony, to avoid using devices that block a witness from view, and to treat witnesses courteously. He discouraged food at the table and asked members to notify chairs about absences, amendments, or anticipated late arrivals.

- Bill ownership after committee: Hill proposed a committee-level practice to "maintain ownership" of bills after they leave the committee — for example, assigning a member to follow and testify for the committee in the House or at Senate hearings so that committee reasoning is represented. Members discussed case-by-case assignments for floor testimony.

What members asked and emphasized

Members asked for predictable scheduling (some preferred Thursdays), requested clarity about how the committee will present public comment tallies on exec days, and requested options to store committee materials and lockable drawers in room 104. The clerk and chairs answered process questions about exec sessions and replacements; Hill said replacements require 24 hours. Several members noted the committee’s unusually small size and the presence of experienced former chairs among members, calling that a resource for procedural questions.

Taper: The orientation closed with reminders about security, emergency egress, and a pledge to work collaboratively; the committee reconvened for the afternoon’s scheduled bill hearings.