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Proposal to raise committee quorum to nine members fails after debate
Summary
Representative Derek Jackson sought to raise the committee quorum from five to nine members (50% of an 18-member body); members debated scheduling tradeoffs and the motion failed after a voice/hand vote. Vote counts for that motion are not specified in the transcript.
Representative Derek Jackson introduced a motion to change the committee quorum rule from five members to nine, arguing a higher quorum better reflects representative legitimacy. "It's always healthy for at least, 50/50% plus 1 to represent that," Jackson said during discussion of the proposal.
Several members responded that many committees lower quorum percentages because overlapping committee schedules make it difficult to convene on time. Chair Trey Rhodes and other members said that reduced quorum thresholds have been used elsewhere to avoid repeatedly postponing meetings. After discussion and a hand/voice vote, the chair announced the opposition prevailed and the motion to increase the quorum failed. The transcript does not provide a numeric tally for that specific vote.
