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Rules committee clears conference reports for four bills, setting 12‑hour distribution window
Summary
The House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee voted to allow four conference committee reports (Sen. Bill 4; Engrossed HB 1038; Sen. Bill 199; Sen. Bill 176) to be provided to members and held for 12 hours under House Rule 155.3 so they may be placed before the House; all four motions passed, with two recorded 6‑3 votes and earlier unanimous or near‑unanimous approvals.
The House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee voted to recommend amending House Rule 155.3 so that four conference committee reports may be provided for member distribution and held for 12 hours to become eligible for placement before the full House.
Chair Representative Ben Smolz opened the meeting and said the committee would move through Senate Bill 4, Engrossed House Bill 1038, Senate Bill 199 and Senate Bill 176. Representative Snow presented the conference committee report for Senate Bill 4, saying it contained six original Senate provisions with one technical reporting change the House had made. "When it came to the house from the senate, there were six provisions," Snow said, and he described a technical correction to reporting language that the House made in conference.
A motion that the committee recommend amending House Rule 155.3 to allow the Senate Bill 4 conference report to be distributed and held for 12 hours was made and seconded. The roll was called and the motion "Passes 10 0" according to the transcript.
Representative Snow then presented the conference committee report for Engrossed House Bill 1038, a gaming bill. He said three noncontroversial conference changes were added and that the conference met, introduced members and did not take public testimony. "We had a quorum," Snow said of the conference meeting. The committee moved and seconded the recommendation on HB 1038; the transcript records the motion as "Passes 90," which appears to reflect a 9‑0 tally.
Representative Behning presented conference committee report 1 for Engrossed Senate Bill 199, saying the conference report tracked the House version except for removal of certain "social media" language. Behning also said language adding "foster care parent placement" to a paid‑leave reporting requirement was suggested by a regent and intended to align with an ongoing study. When the committee voted, the roll call shows Representative Smalls and others voting yes and Representatives Manning, Voorack and Pierce voting no; the motion passed 6 to 3.
Chair Smolz then described Senate Bill 176, which he sponsored and served as conferee on. He said the bill was the same as it left the House except that language allowing a retired judge to carry a handgun in retirement in the same places as an active judge had been removed for germaneness concerns and placed in another bill. The committee moved and seconded to recommend the conference committee report for SB 176; Representatives Johnson, Dvorak and Pierce voted no and the motion passed 6 to 3.
The committee did not take public testimony on these conference reports and emphasized procedural points about including conference committee version numbers on motions. Chair Smolz said the committee would reconvene when a calendar warranted it.
Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 4 — motion passed (transcript: "Passes 10 0"); Engrossed HB 1038 — motion passed (transcript: "Passes 90", recorded here as likely 9‑0 based on the roll); Senate Bill 199, conference committee report 1 — motion passed 6‑3 (no votes recorded for Rep. Manning, Rep. Voorack, Rep. Pierce); Senate Bill 176, conference committee report 1 — motion passed 6‑3 (no votes recorded for Rep. Johnson, Rep. Dvorak, Rep. Pierce).
The committee recessed after completing business; Chair Smolz said the panel would return the next morning when there was a calendar to consider.
