House Rules Committee adopts routine staff and member policies, tables legal-fee and postage items

The House Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration on an approximately 29-minute meeting approved a slate of routine personnel, compensation and expense resolutions and tabled two items after members raised questions about legal-fee payment documentation and postage/digital communication options.

The committee adopted policies on the staff service awards program (P1), donated time (P2), compensatory and time-card rules (P3), per diem start dates (P4), staff photographs and digital images (P6), chaplain and leadership compensation (R1, R2), member expense reimbursements and lodging (R3), personalized stationery (R4), member communication expense reimbursement (R6), alcohol consumption at Centennial Office Building (R7), remote work (R8), high-school page and internship stipends (R10), and several other routine items. Two resolutions were laid on the table for later consideration: P5 (policy on payment of certain legal fees and related expenses) and R5 (postage and digital constituent-communication allocation). The committee also laid R9 (policy on drug use) on the table for further review.

Why it matters: These resolutions set year-to-year administrative rules that affect House staff benefits, member expense allowances, leadership pay designations allowed under state law, and programs for pages and interns. A decision to table P5 leaves unresolved questions about the committee’s prior authorization of legal-fee payments in at least one earlier case, which several members asked the committee to review.

Key adopted items and specifics

- P1 (service award program): Committee adopted the 2025 P1 resolution; no change from prior years, per Kelly Knight, director of Human Resources for the House.

- P2 (donated time): Adopted. Knight said the only substantive change clarifies that an employee may…