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Idaho House Resources and Conservation committee holds organizational meeting; members briefed on RS process, rules and research support
Summary
At an organizational meeting, the House Resources and Conservation Committee reviewed committee logistics, the rules schedule, use of OneDrive for bill materials and introduced a Legislative Services Office research fellow. No formal votes were taken.
The House Resources and Conservation Committee met for an organizational session in which members reviewed committee procedure, the schedule for rules work, expectations for legislative requests (RSs) and available research support. No formal actions or votes were taken.
Chair (name not specified), chair of the House Resources and Conservation Committee, opened the meeting and said the panel may be busy this session because “each legislative session takes on a life of its own,” and that several RSs and draft bills had already been circulated to him. He said he will chair the committee for a second term and noted the panel includes two freshman members.
The meeting set administrative expectations for the coming session. Charlie Shepherd, vice chairman, told members he will lead the committee’s work on rules and that the committee intends to consider the rules as a full committee so the group can “be done with them when we’re done with them.” The chair said the rules work will likely begin next week.
Andrea Blades, committee secretary, reviewed how members will receive materials. She said RSs, bills, administrative rules and committee reports will be posted to the committee OneDrive and “will be in the electronic drive 24 hours before the meeting for you to review.” Blades said documents posted there will not necessarily appear in paper folders at the meeting unless a member specifically requests printed copies; she asked members to leave committee folders in the room at the end of meetings so staff can reuse them.
Caitlin Casey, a science policy fellow with the Legislative Services Office, introduced herself and described the research services she will provide to legislators. “As a fellow, I perform nonpartisan research to support all legislators,” Casey said, adding she can compile legislative histories, pull budget information in collaboration with LSO budget staff, review other states’ policies and summarize peer-reviewed literature. Casey said she adheres to LSO confidentiality and that contact information was provided in committee folders.
The committee also introduced its page, Bliss Miller, a senior at Rigby High School who said she plans to attend Idaho State University and study radiology. Representative Souder volunteered to proof the minutes.
Members used introductory remarks to signal policy priorities they expect this session to address. Several members mentioned water and other natural-resource topics as central to the committee’s work; Representative John VanderWaeta, who said he has served on the committee for many years, and others noted water rights and invasive-species issues as likely recurring subjects. No specific bills were taken up and no formal directions or assignments were recorded beyond the scheduling and administrative items described above.
The chair closed the meeting after confirming technical support from LSO staff to help members connect to the OneDrive and asking members to notify staff if they want paper copies. The committee will next convene to begin rules work and to consider any RSs that sponsors file for introduction.
