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Sen. Busigliano says short-notice subcommittee denied public input on pipeline bill
Summary
Sen. Busigliano criticized Senate leadership for holding a subcommittee in a small room that she said excluded members of the public from speaking on a pipeline bill and accused leaders of a "bait-and-switch" between House File 2104 and Senate File 2067.
Sen. Busigliano criticized how a subcommittee hearing on pipeline legislation was scheduled and run, saying the meeting was held on short notice in a small room that left many people outside and prevented public testimony. She told the chamber the arrangement amounted to a deliberate effort to avoid public debate.
"No public hearing," Busigliano said during her remarks, arguing the floor manager and leadership used the process to move House File 2104 in a way that denied meaningful public participation. She described watching the session as a "fiasco" orchestrated by the Senate leader and said it felt designed to limit citizen input.
Busigliano also tied the procedural grievance to policy concerns, citing state fiscal choices and raising a budget warning: she referenced roughly "$1,600,000,000" and said the Legislature previously "gave away 1000000000 dollars in income tax cuts," arguing those moves have constrained options and warranted greater public scrutiny.
Sen. Alans later echoed the procedural complaints, calling for deliberative, honest processes and more transparency in budget analysis. Neither the subcommittee’s scheduling nor the bills Busigliano discussed were acted on on the floor during this session; the complaints were made as part of floor remarks rather than a formal motion or vote on the legislation.
The Senate adjourned without floor action on the bills mentioned; senators said they would continue to press for more open subcommittee procedures going forward.
