JFAC co-chairs address rule dispute after split votes; failed motions to be reconsidered at JFAC

A procedural dispute over how to handle motions that fail in one chamber’s panel of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee surfaced on March 7 and prompted co-chairs to tell members they would bring failed motions back to the full JFAC rather than unilaterally sending bills to the House or Senate. Members said a February 2023 letter between House and Senate leadership had established a process for handling failed motions but that differing interpretations by legal advisers led to inconsistent practice this session. Senator Cook and other members urged clearer rules and votes on the committee’s process; the co-chairs said they were working with leadership and legal counsel to follow advice and to avoid delaying passage of motions unnecessarily. "If it's going to fail, we're gonna bring it back. Rather than send it to one side or the other, this is the way we've decided with our leaderships, that that's the way we're gonna handle it," a co-chair said. The co-chairs said they had followed the approach previously on Wednesday and intended to continue returning failed motions to JFAC for reconsideration, and they said leadership would work over the summer to seek a more permanent agreement. Members objected to inconsistent rulings earlier in the session and asked for a more predictable rule that would be voted on by the committee; co-chairs responded they were following legal advice and leadership direction and that there would be no further discussion of rules during the current session. The exchange followed close or split roll calls on several items earlier in the meeting; the co-chairs emphasized the committee's goal of resolving remaining budget items with minimal procedural delay.