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Committee on Veterans and Military pulls House Bill 2214 after members raise short‑notice concerns
Summary
The Committee on Veterans and Military stopped consideration of House Bill 2214, the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act, after members complained about short notice and the chair said a compromise had not been reached. The chair announced both bills would be pulled from further action; no formal vote was taken.
The Committee on Veterans and Military ended consideration of House Bill 2214 on procedural grounds after members raised concerns about short notice and the absence of an agreement on amendments.
Carly, a reviser’s office staffer, briefly summarized the measure for the committee: "2214 is an act concerning veterans and military relating to veterans benefits." The bill was described in the hearing record as proposing the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act to limit compensation for assisting in veterans benefit matters.
Members objected to the timing of the committee action. Representative Carlin said she expected more advance notice, saying, "I thought there was... Mason's or something that would have given us a time period because most public bodies have to give a 24 hour notice of an agenda." Carly told the committee the email announcing the meeting was sent at 9:03 a.m. that morning, and a reviser’s office representative added, "There is no statutory time limit."
The committee chair — who had introduced the bill earlier in the process and said they planned to offer an amendment — framed the bill’s goals as preserving veterans’ "freedom of choice" while protecting them "from dishonest brokers" who might take advantage of claimants. The chair said they had sought compromises during hearings but received no agreement and therefore would not press the measure today.
After brief discussion about procedure and notice, the chair said the bills would be pulled from consideration and the committee hearing closed. The chair characterized the decision as discretionary and said, "I don't know where it's gonna go next year," indicating no date was set to reschedule consideration. The committee then moved into a scheduled caucus meeting. No formal motion or recorded committee vote to advance or kill the bills appears in the hearing transcript.
Background: Committee members noted that House rules require the chair to provide notice and agenda information to members and the public (the transcript cites "House rules, Rule 1302" in that context). Committee members also referenced the broader legislative process, including the speaker's role in granting additional time for bills to be worked on outside the committee.
