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Joint rules committee adopts change to budget-amendment timing to give public more review time
Summary
The Joint Rules Committee approved an amendment to Joint Rule 14-1M that requires budget amendment ideas be submitted earlier to legislative attorneys and adds a one-day gap in the mirror budget schedule so approved amendments can be posted for public review before second reading.
The Joint Rules Committee on Monday adopted an amendment to Joint Rule 14-1M that requires proposed amendments to the mirror budget bill be submitted to the respective House or Senate attorneys by the conclusion of committee of the whole and adds one day between committee of the whole and second reading so approved amendments can be posted for public review.
The change, presented by Matt Obrecht, director of the Legislative Service Office, establishes that amendment ideas for the mirror budget must be received by legislative attorneys by the end of the committee of the whole (a two-day process), and that amendments approved by the 10 a.m. deadline the next morning must be posted to the website; reading of the budget bill may not begin until 24 hours after that approval deadline.
The rule alters the current five-day budget schedule by inserting an extra day between committee of the whole and second reading. Under the timeline described by Obrecht, a likely sequence would be: committee of the whole on Friday and Monday, submission of amendments by end of Monday, approval of second-reading amendments by 10 a.m. Tuesday, and second reading of the budget bill on Wednesday; third-reading amendments must be in by the conclusion of second reading and approved by 10 a.m. the following day, with final third reading beginning the next Friday.
Obrecht said the change is intended to improve transparency by giving members, agencies and the public time to review approved amendments after they are numbered and posted. "It will put more pressure on LSO staff that night, the final night of Committee of the Whole, the final night of second reading to get those amendments all wrapped up and done," he said, adding that the work would largely shift a burden from early morning to a late night.
Committee members said the amendment responds to constituent and agency concerns about having insufficient time to review and respond to late-posted budget amendments. The director noted a difference between the House and Senate text: the House’s own rule (House Rule 11-7) sets a separate amendment deadline for mirror budget amendments and would need repeal or alignment with the new joint rule language.
A motion to adopt the amendment was moved and seconded; Vice President Salazar seconded the measure and the committee adopted the change by voice vote.
Director Obrecht said he would provide talking points to the floor manager(s) for the rule when it moves to each chamber’s floor.
The committee proceeded to consider a separate rules amendment concerning the ethics-complaint process after adopting the budget-amendment timing change.
