Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee adopts proposed rules, reinstates suspense file

The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation on Feb. 25 adopted proposed committee rules that include reinstating a suspense file for certain bills and set testimony time limits for hearings.

The rules require that support and opposition witnesses be limited to two minutes for primary witnesses and two minutes total for testimony, and direct that subsequent witnesses state only their name, organization and position on a bill. The rules also reinstate a suspense file for bills with estimated fiscal impacts of plus or minus $150,000, which makes those measures ineligible for an immediate vote after presentation.

Chair Gibson said the rules were distributed to committee members and will be posted on the committee website once adopted. The chair framed the suspense-file change as a tool to enable the committee to "holistically consider proposals" and prioritize policy amid the state's projected budget constraints.

On a recorded roll call the committee adopted the rules on a 5-0 vote. The chair said the committee will apply the rules consistently to all participants and warned that disruptive behavior at hearings could lead to removal or law enforcement action.

The rules' reinstatement of the suspense file means many bills presented in this hearing will be routed to suspense for further fiscal review, the chair said. Committee staff advised members that the proposed rules reflected the committee's stated priorities for the session and that the rules contain details for implementation and notification requirements.

The committee then proceeded to consider bills on the printed agenda.