Senate Rules Committee assigns members to review rules, introduces science and technology policy fellow

The Senate Rules Committee met for a short session and assigned each member two rules to review, set a process for agency presentations and deferred votes, and introduced Dr. Ellen Upton as a year-long science and technology policy fellow.

The committee’s vice chair, Senator Zito, said committee members “have a sheet here with rule assignments” and that “we just gave everybody 2 to review.” She asked members to read rules beyond their assignments and to consult the assigned reviewer if they have questions.

Senator Zito described the schedule the committee will follow for handling rules: agencies will present their materials at scheduled meetings; the committee will consider the agencies’ information before voting; and the committee will either vote at the next meeting or on multiple items together at a later meeting. As Zito put it, “we won’t vote on them that day so that we can consider what the agencies tell us.”

Committee members were instructed to use binders distributed at the meeting. A staff member (the committee secretary) conducted a silent roll, and the chairwoman said members will reconvene the following Tuesday to begin the rules process.

Dr. Ellen Upton, introduced by the chairwoman as a resource for the committee, said, “Hi. My name is Ellen Upton. I recently got my PhD in immunology from the University of Iowa, and I'm here for a year long, science and technology policy fellowship.” She said she will serve as an LSO analyst/researcher and offered to assist with research and data presentation for the committee.

The meeting was brief; the chairwoman closed the session by saying, “So committee, we will see you next Tuesday. Have a great weekend and this meeting is adjourned.”