Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Committee Membership topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Former presiding officer urges rule change to allow interim committee membership adjustments
Summary
A former presiding officer recommended amending Senate Rule 2-8 to permit the president, with management council approval, to change committee membership or chairmanship during the interim for reasons such as illness, death or threats; the committee heard the proposal but took no action.
A former presiding officer addressed the Rules & Procedure Committee on Jan. 16 to propose an amendment to Senate Rule 2-8 that would permit the Senate president to request interim changes to committee membership or chairmanship when necessary, subject to approval by a management-council subset.
The presenter said the existing rule prevents the presiding officer from making interim changes without body action and recounted circumstances where modification would have been necessary for committee functioning or member safety. Under the proposed approach, the president would present the request to the four other elected members who serve on management council; a two-thirds vote of those five members (effectively four affirmative votes) would permit the change during the interim. The presenter said the rule would still require a majority of the full Senate to make changes during an active session.
The presenter framed the proposal as a practical necessity in cases such as member death, illness, or serious conflict that impede committee operation. He acknowledged potential for misuse and said the threshold could be set higher (for example, unanimous approval of the five members) to protect minority-party interests.
Committee members thanked the presenter and asked staff to consider the draft language; no formal motion or vote was recorded during the meeting.
