Rules Committee advances a large slate of late LSRs; several study requests withdrawn or not moved forward
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Summary
The Senate Rules Committee approved numerous late-service requests for drafting by OLS—ranging from risk pools and education financing to childcare, veterans’ licensure and professional-employer rules—while a few study requests were withdrawn or failed to find a second.
The Senate Rules Committee considered a broad set of late-filed legislative-service requests (LSRs) and (by voice vote) approved drafting of a substantial number of them. Multiple approvals were unanimous by voice vote; a few items were withdrawn or not moved forward for lack of a second.
Items approved for drafting included: risk pools and education-financing LSRs introduced by Sen. Carson; constituent requests (barbershop cocktails and an AI consumer-protection position at DOJ) from Sen. Perkins; a supplemental appropriation LSR for nursing-home rate mitigation from Sen. Rosenwald; a PBM price-transparency LSR from Sen. Denise Richardi; Sen. Lang’s DRA mandatory-refund LSR and county biennial-budget LSR; an appropriation LSR for Northwood Meadows Dam from Sen. Howard Pearl; a childcare/parents’ hours LSR from Sen. Sullivan; emergency-room staff and veteran licensure LSRs from Sen. McGough; disability-system reporting reforms and hospital-compensation oversight LSRs (speaker 11); creation of a Safe and Resilient Schools Advisory Council and a historical marker request from Sen. Waters; and a transparency/reporting LSR for health-care transactions presented for Sen. Altschuler. The committee also approved a PEO workers’ compensation flexibility LSR and a Secretary of State clarification LSR.
Not all requests moved forward: Sen. Lang’s Winnipesaukee Basin study was withdrawn to facilitate later attachment and revision; Sen. Tara Reardon’s request for a Liquor Commission study on herbal tinctures failed to advance for lack of a second; and Sen. Pat Long’s late study request on health-insurance practices met formal resistance and was registered as a 'no' vote on advancing as a late study committee.
The committee’s procedural direction for all approved LSRs is to file them with the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) for drafting (OLS target: Jan. 29 by 4 p.m.), after which the prime and cosponsors must sign off (target Feb. 3 by 4 p.m.) unless the Senate president waives those deadlines for OLS timing reasons. Approval by Rules permits drafting and later public hearing but does not itself enact statutory changes or appropriations.
Votes and outcomes (selected): risk pools & education financing — approved (SEG 019–084); Perkins constituent LSRs — approved (SEG 085–122); nursing-home supplement — approved (SEG 124–172); PBM price-transparency — approved (SEG 173–260); Lang DRA refunds and county biennial budgets — both approved (SEG 266–352); Winnipesaukee Basin study — withdrawn (SEG 353–393); Northwood Meadows Dam appropriation — approved (SEG 398–433); childcare LSR — approved (SEG 438–520); ER staff & veterans licensure — approved (SEG 522–563); disability-system and hospital-compensation oversight — approved (SEG 572–657); Safe and Resilient Schools & historical marker — approved (SEG 664–723); herbal tinctures/Liquor Commission study — no second/withdrawn (SEG 726–831); Pat Long health-insurance study — committee voted no (SEG 832–879); AI study language to be attached to Perkins LSR — agreed (SEG 910–954); Altschuler health-care transaction transparency — approved (SEG 958–983); Innes open-primary LSR — committee voted no (SEG 1010–1042); PEO and Secretary of State clarification LSRs — approved (SEG 1046–1081).
Provenance: The agenda and approvals are documented throughout the transcript. The chair repeated filing deadlines and closed the hearing at SEG 1091–1105.
Speakers referenced in the roundup: Chair; Sen. Carson; Sen. Perkins Boca; Sen. Rosenwald; Sen. Denise Richardi; Sen. Lang; Sen. Howard Pearl; Sen. Sullivan; Sen. McGough; Sen. Pat Long; Sen. Waters; Sen. Tara Reardon; Grant Bosse; Pete Mulvey; and others.