Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Committee Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senator Lawrence introduces resolutions to let committees elect chairs, expand reporting, and explore livestreaming
Summary
Senator Lawrence presented three resolutions proposing that committees elect their own chairs (with removal by committee), that committee chairs be allowed to report more bills to the pro tem, and that the Senate pursue a low-cost livestreaming setup to identify speakers for constituents.
Senator Lawrence introduced three resolutions asking the Senate to change internal committee procedures and improve public access. He proposed letting each committee elect its chair by vote of the committee and giving the committee authority to replace a chair if members conclude the chair is not acting in the group’s best interests.
Lawrence also proposed amending Rule 50 so that committee chairs may report more than three bills to the president pro tem, arguing that the current limit leaves some active, worthy bills "lagging left in the committee." He said allowing chairs to report additional bills would help the full chamber consider measures more promptly.
On public access, Lawrence urged the chamber to adopt a livestreaming capability to make it easier for constituents to follow debate and to identify who is speaking. He questioned a reported $180,000 fiscal note for such a system, calling that figure "just dumb" and suggesting a two-camera setup that offers wide and close-up views would be sufficient and far less expensive. He asked that the resolutions be printed in the journal.
The resolutions were presented for the record and will be printed in the journal; no committee change or rule amendment had been adopted on the floor during this session.
What happens next: the resolutions were submitted for journal printing and would require follow-up in the appropriate rule-change or committee-governance processes if the Senate pursues them further.
