Joint Interim Committee on Legislative Facilities
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Speaker 3
0:18
Chil Thayer Bureau of Legislative Research, Senator Hammer under the law, this committee has a jurisdiction over legislative spaces within the
Speaker 5
0:25
state Capitol building, so any of the spaces over in Big Mac or not part of this, uh, committee's purview, but the legislative spaces here are. OK. And the House had
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
0:37
their Committee rooms done last time we were the, it wasn't
Speaker 6
0:42
last year though it was 2 sessions ago sessions ago, OK. Um,
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
0:51
Madam Chair, I'd like to put it up for discussion. We come back together. When, when was the last time this end
Speaker 5
1:01
was done, Jill? It's gonna be. This committee has not met since, I believe, 2018, um, the committee
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
1:08
has not met since 2018. OK. OK, but as far as this end in our committee rooms. When was the last time they were done like hold are the chairs and our stuff or does anybody remember
Speaker 13
1:31
didn't say Sabrina back there. Yeah, because I
Speaker 14
1:34
came and they were. pretty much like this, so I maybe between 2000 and 2003 they did something. Right. So this end hasn't
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
1:45
been touched since 2000. The Senate committee rooms have not been touched since 2003.
Speaker 18
1:54
Give or take we did OSB for sure that has been the most recent update in my. OK, nice furniture, the podium. really. Supreme Court How about coming to Mike, if you don't mind? Is that right, Madam Chair?
Speaker 23
2:27
One thing you might have the Secretary of State's office to look at. The drapes in the old Supreme Courtroom are frayed. They really are bad. If you walk up and look at them, I've had several people come up and mention those drapes to me and uh that would be something that they would. Put in, but you'd need to request it from Col Jester. As Secretary of State or even the next. Other than that, I think. Thank you. Can I have Ms. Jill
Representative DeAnn Vaught
Unverified
2:58
explain the money real quick so people online understand where the money comes from, what we, I don't want them
Speaker 5
3:07
to think that we're just frivolously throwing money out there. Thank you, Madam Chair. The bureau has in its appropriation every year $205,000. It's a line item that's designated for legislative facilities and the practice in the past has been that the chambers take alternate who gets that money that would be authorized by this committee.
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
3:28
uh present Protem history are recognized. Well, I, I would like for us to understand, uh. If we did some reconfiguration like the. We can't build these rooms for Easter Sunday, right? But we also almost every committee meeting, people are standing, uh, do we need half this table if we went with a U shape. I don't know interior designer who you Employee To try to figure out how we can be the most efficient with the space we have are our chairs too
bulky and we can add in 7 more seats if we change the kind of chairs they are. I would just like to understand, can we do what we're doing better and then and then it's for the constituent experience. We always get the good seats, right? Uh, I'm never not gonna walk in a room and not have a seat during session, but what can we do to make it uh more user friendly for the people,
Representative DeAnn Vaught
Unverified
4:19
and I totally agree with that. We were talking prior to to going online about y'all's ag send it ag. And there's never a time that it's not two people deep against the wall. I mean, it is
completely packed every single time that committee meets. And you can't even hardly get into the chair to testify for your bill because there's so many people behind you, so I agree 100%, um, Miss Jill, do you know who we could maybe call on to look to
make sure that we're doing it more efficiently in the rooms. I don't know if the Secretary of State might be able to assist
Speaker 38
4:50
with that. Marty may have a better answer. Marty, could you please come to the table? Yeah, if it's just layout or if we need to change the
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
5:00
furniture, right? Like this table seats. We need 8 seats for members, 2 seats for staff, so we need 10 seats or maybe 2 for people. We need 12 and this one seats 20. If we went to a 12 top, could we add another row or two of seats for for people. Recognize yourself
Speaker 39
5:18
for the record, then you might Marty Geraghty
Speaker 44
5:20
with the Bureau of Legislative Research, I think you have probably a couple options. I know the Secretary of State's office, they have architects and contractors that they work with on a regular
basis. We also have division of Building Authority with Anne Laidlaw, that may be an option. I know they have a state architect, um that may be willing to come in and assist with kind of looking at the room and um. Or resources within that division that could help too. And alternatively you could hire an independent, um, consultant, architect, or, you know, designer that could assist with that.
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
6:03
Senator Dot and you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, so two questions. One, When a lot of the house rooms were reconfigured. I think I remember applying, we applied for some sort of a matching grants from his historical society or something like that, so one checking to see if that's available to to add on to the amount that we have appropriated and set aside for things and
then secondarily also looking at the lighting in in the various Senate chamber rooms for sure, um, as well as the The mics There's several mics that are especially in the education committee room. Because they're not wired, the batteries die on them. They're they're difficult to get to turn on and then the sound in there
is very hard to hear if you're sitting at the table or even in the audience sometimes, so looking at those things for a future, future meeting to see what we plan to do would be the things that I would suggest us look into, Senator Hamer. I'm sorry,
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
7:23
you're talking about 207 where it you meet. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, Senator, we just took care of that, right? Uh, Senate efficiency just took care of authorizing the purchasing of
new mics to match what's in here that'll be going in there to get rid of those shell mics. OK, that, that's right,
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
7:45
isn't it? I think that's where you walked in. I think must have been I saw something about Mike's on there and that's why it reminded me to to mention it, um. And then do we have authority over like the the Senate chamber as well. Is that or is that the deficiency Committee. So, uh, again, the lighting and
maybe even cleaning of the Dome glass and those curtains that are up there. I don't know if those are still necessary or not, but I know when the curtains were taken out of the house chamber, it really brightened things up in there, so those would be things I would consider. Get rid of all the trees. Yes sir, clarify something
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
8:30
for me because I was thinking that when it comes to the chambers of the respective ends that in our
case, it's the efficiency committee that takes care. of any decisions with regards to remodel within the Senate chamber. Am I right or wrong on that? I think that
Speaker 5
8:46
that's how the practice is that it's been handled that way, yes, this committee could allocate those funds for you to utilize for
Representative Carol Dalby
Unverified
8:55
that. OK. Represent Dobby, you're recognized. Well, I, I would have a motion at a proper time that we allow our chairs to get with the Secretary of State's office and also with the
state facilities commission to see if they would have the expertise that could go and look at each one of these rooms, uh, taking into consider the need for space, lighting, carpet, that kind of thing, and give our, I would, I would move that we give our chairs that authority to talk to them to get somebody in here until we have someone who's come in and said, here's what's needed in room 207 or room 272 or whatever uh or that we need new drapes in the
old Supreme Courtroom. We're kind of spinning our wheels, so that would be my motion if it, if it's proper at this time. I've
Representative DeAnn Vaught
Unverified
9:46
got second, so I've got a motion and a second. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing no discussion, all in favor say aye, oppose no motion passes. So Senator Hammer and I will get with them and then we'll call
another meeting once we get all the information put together if that works for everybody. Well, thanks for being here. We're adjourned.
Agenda
A. Call to Order
B. Discussion of Legislative Facility Needs
C. Other Business
D. Adjournment
Documents
| Title | Type | Pages | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agenda — JOINT INTERIM COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE FACILITIES, May 21, 2025 | Agenda | 1 | Official source ↗ |
Speakers
Speaker 3
Speaker 5
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
Speaker 6
Speaker 10
Speaker 13
Speaker 14
Speaker 18
Speaker 23
Representative DeAnn Vaught
Unverified
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
Speaker 38
Speaker 39
Speaker 44
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
Representative Carol Dalby
Unverified