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Committee passes interim study on procurement and no-bid contracts after amendment narrows scope
Summary
The House State Administration committee approved House Joint Resolution 42, an interim study on procurement and no-bid contract transparency. An amendment to limit agency burden passed 19-0; the amended resolution passed the committee 18-1 and will go to the House floor.
Chair Darling opened executive action on House Joint Resolution 42, described as Representative Edwards’ interim study on procurement, no-bid contracts and transparency. Representative Edwards moved Amendment HJ 42.1 and explained the change to address agency workload concerns related to a $25,000 threshold.
Edwards said staff and some co-sponsors agreed the $25,000 threshold could be "quite large," and the amendment gives the designated committee discretion to scope the sample of contracts to review so agencies are not asked to pull "thousands and thousands" of records. She framed the amendment as a way to avoid creating an "unduly burdensome amount to agency staff."
The amendment was adopted in a roll call vote of 19-0. A subsequent motion to pass HJ 42 "as once amended" was made; Representative Perry urged passage, citing "recent items that have occurred in the Senate" and arguing the study could help prevent potential ethical problems in the future. The committee used a voice vote on the final question; the chair recorded 18 in favor and 1 opposed (Representative Bennett voted no; Representative Love voted by proxy). Chair Darling announced HJ 42 as amended passes and will go to the floor.
Next steps: HJ 42 as amended will be scheduled for floor action; if assigned to an interim committee, that committee will scope the work and determine any resource needs.
