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Panel endorses option for LSO to produce 'tracked‑in' versions of heavily amended bills
Summary
Lawmakers asked LSO to prepare a non‑official version that incorporates adopted amendments when a bill is heavily amended; committee debated naming (‘engrolled’ vs. 'tracked‑in'), publication logistics, and staff workload before forwarding the measure to management council.
The Select Committee voted to recommend adding subsection C to joint rule 21 to allow a chamber, by majority vote, to request a non‑official LSO version of a bill that incorporates previously adopted amendments when a bill is so heavily revised it is difficult to read.
Director Obrecht framed the proposal as a tool to help members and the public follow complex amendment chains: the LSO-created version would carry a disclaimer that it is not an official bill version and would not replace official engrossed/enrolled text. "If a house bill or senate file has been so heavily amended... the house may, by majority vote... request that the legislative service office create a version... containing all previously adopted amendments," he said.
Members and staff debated the product name (longstanding practice has used the informal term "engrolled," which staff and members noted is a hybrid of "engrossed" and "enrolled"). Senator Ralphis and others suggested "tracked‑in version" or "tracked version" as clearer alternatives; the committee asked LSO to propose a consistent term of art for the rule.
Committee members pressed staff on how and where a tracked‑in version would be published. Jamie Schaub (LSO IT) said the bill‑processing system does not automatically create a publishable page for such drafts; making them public would require manual steps or a new resources tab for session materials. AARP's Laycock testified that a publicly available tracked‑in draft would help outside readers reconcile what the bill actually says after many amendments.
Senator Case moved and the committee voted to forward the proposed rule to management council; a roll call recorded six ayes. The committee asked LSO to return with suggested terminology and publication options.
