General Directions

• Committees will begin meeting on Friday and continue through Saturday afternoon.
  • Committee Sessions – Bills are organized by topic. This is a time to further strengthen the content of the Bills for the upcoming Legislative sessions. Bills will be voted on a pass/fail format, as to whether or not delegates believe the bill merits hearing in general chambers. Time will be allowed for caucuses, at the Chair’s discretion.
  • Opening Committee Session – At the first committee session at the Legislative Conference, the Committee will complete the following tasks:
    • • The Committee Docket will be announced.
      • Treasury Department Releases Budget Information and Cabinet Officers may address the Committee
      • Bill Authors announce and read their Bill
      • Committee Session begins. Amendments are in order.
• If a Bill is found to be unacceptable by the Committee, it is the Committee’s responsibility to do whatever is necessary to make the Bill acceptable, e.g. rewrite, amend, combine, table, defeat, etc.
• All amendments must be written clearly on the proper form.
• Assistant Treasurer, Cabinet, Press or Lobbyist may observe and address the committee on each bill during Bill discussion. They must be recognized by the chair to address the committee.

Action on the Bills

• Debate in Committee focuses on the merits of the Bill. Committees are designed so that only the well-written and highly debatable Bills will advance to the Legislative sessions. Debate is not intended to focus on the delegate’s individual like or dislike of the Bill.
• The Chair must divide the time remaining by the number of Bills in the committee and allot that number of minutes to each Bill – including the time needed to vote on each. However, every Bill may not be heard and time may be extended on an individual Bill.
• Before beginning the debate, Committee Leaders will stress the importance of advancing only the most qualified Bills and of voting based on those qualifications.
• Committee Leadership will then read the number and title of the first Bill to be discussed. The Main Sponsor will give a 1-2 minute Opening Statement in support of the Bill.
• Technical Questions. The committee will be permitted to ask questions of the main sponsor. Questions are limited to non-debatable questions. Lobbyists, Cabinet, and Assistant State Treasurers’ may be recognized to speak by the Chair during this time
• Con-Pro Debate – 1-minute per speech, with no more than 5 rounds of speeches, beginning and ending with a Con speech. Lobbyists, Cabinet, and Assistant State Treasurers’ may be recognized to speak by the Chair during this time.
• The Main Sponsor will then give a 1-2 minute Closing Statement.
• The Committee Leader will then conduct a standing vote, with a simple majority required to pass. Lobbyists, Cabinet, and Assistant State Treasurers’will NOT be permitted a vote.
• The Committee shall follow the same steps until all of the Bills have been discussed and voted on.
• Any legislator may propose amendments to the bill during the committee hearing. Amendments may be made to any part of the bill. Lobbyists, Cabinet, and Assistant State Treasurers’ may write amendments but they cannot offer the amendment to the committee. A legislator must offer the amendment for it to be heard by the committee.