Sponsor Statement for HCR 7

Amending Rule 23(a) of the Uniform Rules

HCR 7 addresses the problem of meeting the public notice requirement of the Uniform Rules during the first week of the first legislative session.

Problem: Uniform Rule 23 (a) states that "the person who chairs the committee" shall provide public notice of a meeting "by 4:00 p.m. on the preceding Thursday." Under this requirement it is technically impossible for a chairman to hold a meeting during the first week of the first legislative session. A member is selected to serve as a chairman (or co-chairman) by the Committee on Committees. Under normal circumstances the Committee on Committees report is in effect until the members of the next legislature are sworn in. So the previous chairman has no authority beyond his/her term as chairman, and the new chairman has already missed the preceding Thursday deadline and can therefore not meet during the first week.

In order to mobilize the committee, prospective new chairmen have for some years dutifully noticed meetings planned for the first week of session by the preceding Thursday deadline, even though they do not yet preside over the committee. The alternative, of course, would be to give notice on the first day of session, and then wait until the following week to hold the first meeting.

Solution: HCR 7 amends the Uniform Rules to allow for a hearing during the first week of the first session to be held after 24 hours notice. Under such a rule, a meeting could be held on the second day of session if notice was given immediately after swearing in and approval of the Committee on Committee report. Such a hearing could only be held for the purposes of an overview or committee organization, as the requirement in Rule 23(a) that a bill or resolution be noticed for a least five days before the first public hearing would still apply.