House Rules committee permits Education Committee to introduce bill after deadline

The House Rules Committee voted 7-0 to allow the House Education Committee to introduce a committee bill on education transformation after the committee-bill filing deadline, the committee said during a brief reconvened session.

The chair said the deadline for committee bills is established by House Rule 40C2 and noted the deadline is “the last day in March,” which was the current date. The chair said Ways and Means and Appropriations are not subject to that deadline but that the rule does apply to education, creating the need for the Rules committee to permit a late filing.

A committee member moved that the committee "permit the Committee on Education to approve its committee bill on the next steps in education transformation after today's committee bill introduction deadline." Another member seconded the motion, and the committee proceeded to a roll call vote.

During the roll call, Representatives Bartholomew, Dolan, Felts, Higley, Hogan and McCoy recorded yes votes; the chair also recorded a yes. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.

The chair described the bill as “really important” and “critical” to keep moving through the process and said the Education Committee is expected to move a bill out in the next couple of days, giving it a short window to proceed following the Rules committee’s permission.

With the vote concluded, the chair thanked members for returning to address the item and adjourned the meeting.

Next steps: the House Education Committee may now introduce its committee bill on education transformation despite the committee-bill deadline; no additional timing or procedural conditions were recorded in the Rules committee’s action.