Executive Board hears bill to align statutes with proposed committee rule changes

Senator Wendy DeBoer introduced a statutory cleanup bill before the Executive Board intended to align statutory references with a proposed rules change recommended by the LR 174 Select Committee. In her opening the senator said the bill would update references to the Agriculture Committee, Natural Resources Committee, and the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee if the rule changes are adopted, and she asked the committee to hold the bill until the parallel rules process concludes.

DeBoer told members the broader package involved combining agriculture and natural resources into one committee and splitting Transportation and Telecommunications into separate Transportation and Telecommunications and Technology committees. She said the bill is a technical follow-up to ensure statutory language matches committee structure should the rules change pass.

Senators asked whether the proposed committee-day schedules and referencing guidance would affect where bills are referred, whether senators would be constrained to certain committee assignments, and how to avoid scattering technology-related bills across unrelated committees. DeBoer said the select committee studied bill volumes and suggested a one‑day telecommunications/technology committee because the historic bill counts supported that structure, and she emphasized a need for a referencing guide and further adjustments in future sessions if problems arise.

DeBoer waived closing remarks; the record included one letter in support and one in opposition. The committee took no formal action.