Clerk's office briefs House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on committee procedure, bill-reporting deadlines

Clerk's office staff told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 17 that the committee's bill reporter is responsible for delivering the committee report to the clerk's office and that reports must be the final, edited versions before submission.

The explanation, given during a procedural overview by clerk's office staff and supported by a written document posted to the committee page, covered the role of committees, types of committee reports (favorable, favorable with amendment, without recommendation, or adverse), the steps to get a bill on the notice calendar, and how multi-committee review is handled.

The guidance stressed the bill reporter's central role. "By rule the chair designates a member of the committee to be the bill reporter," the clerk's office said, and that person "is responsible for the committee report's accuracy" and for delivering it to the clerk so the bill can appear on the calendar.

Why this matters: committee reports and their timing determine whether and when legislation reaches the full House for consideration. Clerks said an incorrectly formatted or draft committee report can be pulled into the calendar in error, creating confusion during floor consideration.

Key points from the clerk's…