Calendar and Rules committee advances dozens of bills to upcoming calendars, rolls a few items

The House Calendar and Rules committee, chaired by Chair Lady Moody, advanced dozens of bills to upcoming calendars during a brief Friday session, using voice votes and routine motions. Several items were placed on Monday's regular or consent calendars, a small number were placed on Thursday calendars, and a few were rolled for later consideration.

The committee took up a long list of bills and repeatedly called the "previous question" or "question on the bill," with members answering "aye" on voice votes. Most measures were moved to either Monday's regular calendar or Monday's consent calendar; some were placed on Thursday's regular or consent calendars. The committee also agreed to roll several items — most notably House Bill 0548 was rolled one week at the sponsor's request, House Bill 1418 (at the request of Chairman Boyd) was rolled one week, and House Bill 0550 was rolled to the heel of the day's calendar.

Why it matters: placement on a committee calendar determines when a bill may reach the full House floor for consideration. Many of the measures advanced will appear on next week's calendars for further action by the House.

What happened: Members were present in sufficient number for a quorum after roll call. The meeting included routine recognition (a staff and intern mention) and then proceeded through a lengthy series of procedural votes. There was no extended debate recorded on substantive policy questions in the transcript; most actions were procedural placements by voice vote. Leader Lambert moved at least one roll (to accommodate sponsor requests), and a committee member asked that HB0548 be held for…