Joint Legislative Oversight Committee adopts rules for 68th legislative term

The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee adopted committee rules for the upcoming legislative term, accepting a rules package that OPE staff said is unchanged from the previous year.

Ryan Langrell, director of the Office of Performance Evaluations, reviewed the rules on the record and said they mirror statutory guidance about committee membership and co-chairs, outline parliamentary procedure and subpoena authority, describe selection and conduct of performance evaluations, and require distribution of OPE reports with attempts to collect formal responses from evaluated agencies and the governor's office. Langrell also said the rules note OPE reports are independent work of the Office of Performance Evaluations and not the positions of the oversight committee or its members.

The rules also list actions the committee may take following OPE reports, including endorsing legislation, referring reports to germane committees, requesting follow-up work from OPE or agencies, or appointing a subcommittee to monitor response. A committee member moved adoption of the rules for the two-year span of the 68th legislative session; another member seconded, and the committee approved the rules by voice vote.

Senate-member remarks during discussion emphasized the practical importance of rules as a uniform guide for conduct. Representative Birch asked for confirmation that the rules cover the full two-year 68th session; the chair confirmed they do. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; the chair announced the minutes and the rules were approved after an "Aye" voice vote.

The committee's rules will guide oversight procedures and the selection of future OPE evaluation topics for this legislative term.