Senate committee advances bill to repeal citizen initiative’s 90‑day session limit

Senate Finance Committee Chair Senator Hoffman on Feb. 3 opened a hearing and the committee advanced Senate Bill 34, a measure to repeal a citizen‑initiative requirement that the Legislature adjourn after 90 days.

Senator Kathy Giesel, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee the 90‑day requirement was set by a citizen initiative “a couple decades ago” but now “sets an unrealistic expectation by the citizens,” given the complexity of matters the Legislature must address. "We haven't met that standard," she said, adding that adjourning mandatorily at 90 days is not realistic.

Paige Brown, staff to Senator Giesel, provided historical context and cited recent session lengths to the committee: the 2020 session was shortened to 69 days due to the pandemic while the following year the Legislature met for 217 days to complete work. "The public expects sessions to conclude within 90 days, but that is unrealistic with the current situation of the state," Brown said.

Senator Stedman asked whether the state Constitution, which contains a mandatory 121‑day limit, takes precedence over the citizen initiative. "That is correct," Brown responded, noting the Constitution establishes the prevailing constitutional limit and constrains legislative timing.

Senator Kiel reviewed the fiscal note for SB 34 and reported that the Legislative Affairs Agency submitted a fiscal note showing no fiscal impact (0). Following committee discussion, Senator Stedman moved that the committee report SB 34 with the attached fiscal notes and committee recommendations; members signed the report and the measure was sent from committee.

Next steps: SB 34 will be placed on the Senate calendar for further consideration. The committee record shows no fiscal impact reported with this measure.