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 office

- Final edited copy required: The clerk's office repeatedly urged committees to submit only the final, edited version of a committee report. "Please, please, please make sure it's the final edited version," a clerk's office presenter said. The office asked that submitted reports contain no highlighting, underlining, or tracked changes.

- How to submit: Committee reports should be emailed to the clerk's designated address (housestaff@leg.state.bt.us) as soon as the final version is ready. The bill reporter must identify themself in the message and state whether the report is "favorable" or "favorable with amendment;" if the latter, the amendment text must be attached.

- Daily timing and confirmations: The clerk's office asks committees to advise by 3:30 p.m. on normal legislative days if they expect to deliver a committee report that day. Committees should not assume the report is received until they get a confirmation email from the clerk's office; committee reporters were asked to monitor email for follow-up questions.

- Bill-reporter duties and floor reports: The designated bill reporter delivers the committee report and is responsible for explaining the committee's recommendations on the House floor. Clerks provided a short "floor report" script and examples for members who will serve as bill reporters on the floor.

- Amendments and straw polls: If a bill reaches the floor and an amendment that affects this committee's jurisdiction is offered, practice is to recess so the committee can provide an informal "straw poll" on that amendment. Clerks explained that members may still offer amendments after a committee has voted a bill out, but those must be offered by individual members because the committee no longer has possession of the bill.

- Multi-committee process: Clerks used a "layer cake" analogy: when a bill goes to subsequent committees, each committee's recommended amendments are layered on top of previous work. If a later committee takes no action, the bill can remain on that committee's wall and will not proceed unless removed by a floor motion.

- Committee bills and drafting: Committee-originated bills must be sent to drafting operations ("drafting ops") to be formatted in official bill form; committees were asked to copy the clerk's office when sending committee bills to drafting ops and to designate a bill reporter for those bills.

- Other procedural notes: Seconds are not required for motions under Mason's Manual practice, committees do not produce minority reports, and a committee may choose not to take a bill up (in which case the bill remains on the committee "wall" and effectively dies at the end of the biennium if not acted on).

What the committee asked and next steps

Members asked practical questions about who can serve as bill reporter, whether committee members must vote for a bill to serve as reporter, how to structure floor reports, and what to do when new issues arise on the floor. Clerks replied that the chair designates the bill reporter and that practice — not rule — often guides who is chosen for major bills. Clerks also said committees can move to postpone action if they need more time to gather testimony on a proposed amendment.

The clerk's office encouraged committee chairs and bill reporters to coordinate in advance, to inform the clerk's office promptly of timing changes, and to visit the clerk's desk in person if a quick confirmation of receipt is needed before leaving the building.

Ending

Committee members were given a posted document and a short mock script to help draft floor reports; clerks said staff (including the first assistant clerk and other clerk's office staff) would respond to committee emails and are available to answer follow-up questions on the process.