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Senators debate undoing 20‑bill limit; no final vote as amendment filings follow
Summary
Senator McKinney moved to repeal the 20‑bill limit for senators, arguing it constrains constituent representation; supporters of the cap cited a drop in total introduced bills and committee efficiency. A proposal to subject the governor to the same limit was filed for redrafting; no final vote on repeal occurred in the transcript.
Senator McKinney moved on the floor to amend Rule 5 Section 4 to remove the 20‑bill cap that limits how many bills a senator may introduce in a session, arguing the limitation curtails representatives' ability to respond to constituents and privileges lobbyists and insiders.
McKinney said the limit "effectively stifles the voice of the people," noting constituents who asked him to introduce bills late in the process and arguing that agencies sometimes only respond when a bill is filed.
Opponents defended the cap as a practical tool to reduce bill proliferation and ease committee workload. Senator Hanson, who sponsored the earlier rule that set the cap, cited recent numbers — 820 bills in 2023 and roughly 715 introduced this year — and said the limit has already nudged senators toward committee cooperation and fewer frivolous filings.
Floor debate focused on tradeoffs: supporters of repeal said the limit constrains representation and can be worked around by chairs, omnibus packages or gubernatorial requests; supporters of the limit said it encourages collaboration, protects committee time, and has reduced total bill filings. Several senators warned the limit can be gamed via shell bills or omnibus amendments, and others cautioned that applying the cap only to senators — but not to the governor's requested bills — raises separation‑of‑powers concerns.
Senator Hughes announced she would file an amendment to hold the governor to the same 20‑bill limit; she said the language needs to be redrafted and would be returned for consideration the next day. The transcript ends before any final vote on McKinney's repeal; committee reports and notices followed, then the body adjourned.
Next steps: the McKinney motion remained on the floor with amendments to be printed and language revisions pending; no final disposition on repeal appears in the provided transcript.
