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Rep. Kathy Love seeks to clarify precinct committee representative terms in HB 309
Summary
Rep. Kathy Love introduced HB 309 to clarify that a precinct committee representative's two‑year term begins when a county certifies the election and ends on certification of the subsequent election; sponsor said the change corrects a clash between statute and party rules that shortened some terms.
Representative Kathy Love introduced House Bill 309 to clarify when a precinct committee representative’s two‑year term begins and ends. The bill, and an accompanying amendment (HB 309.1), would specify that a term “commences on the date the election is certified by the county and concludes on the date the subsequent election is certified by the county.”
Love told the committee the change is a narrow statutory cleanup prompted by "a little incident" involving a county central committee whose rules or ruling had, in her words, deprived sitting precinct captains of their full two‑year term. "This came about because of a little, incident with one of the county central committees where rules and law seem to clash," she said, arguing the bill prevents that outcome going forward.
During committee questioning, Representative Perry asked why the Legislature should dictate term timing rather than letting counties set their own rules. Love responded that state statute already specifies a two‑year term, and the bill simply clarifies the statute’s timing so party rulings cannot effectively shorten a certified term.
Love closed by describing the measure as a simple cleanup and recommended the committee give it a "do pass" report. The committee closed the hearing on HB 309 without recording a committee vote in the transcript.
