State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs-Senate

Clark, keep it brief. I've just got a few minutes, uh. Clark Tucker, happy to be here. Ready for business. Here we go. Yeah Good morning. Thank you. Most members don't know Senator Hammer. He doesn't run a lot of bills, so um but he is a member of the Senate, been here for many years now. All right, we've got Ms. Carly Cooper. Christy Hutchinson. And where's Liz? Is Liz, she didn't come. The demote her for that. All right. So review and adopt the Senate rules. I was thinking about a potential new role. I want to keep these committees kind of streamlined. So if it runs over an hour. We're going to kind of set the precedent for what we're going to be asking in our students in public schools to do, which is to put your cellphones in a pouch. So without objection, I'm going to put that to the uh the rules to be adopted. Yeah, Jim, I figured you would. All right, so if I do can't get a motion, I think these are the same rules, um, same rules that we've had previous two years. OK, so with that, we got them in the packet. You're right, Senator Payton, you're recognized. Uh, if you look at your draft there, the rules number 4, all bills referred to state agencies and governmental affairs Committee will automatically be placed on the committee agenda, uh, in public health, we struck that because if a if a bill sponsor asks for it to be on the agenda, and we know it's going to be heard and presented, then that keeps our agenda a lot cleaner. Then if you just have all the bills showing up on the agenda, so it allows the general public to have a better idea of what's going to be heard at any given time, and the other language and the rules. Says that, you know, once it's on the agenda and nobody shows up to sponsor it after 2 meetings, I think it is, it goes off of the agenda until they say they want to present it, so I would just suggest that we follow suit and strike number 4 there. Cheer for that. I got a second, a second by Senator Dotson. Our question. I'm sorry. So just in order to be on the agenda, the bill sponsor has to tell the chair of staff that they want it on the agenda that day. Yes, sir. All right, 1 2nd, Senator Clark. Senator Hammer, we're going to ask a question. Yes, sir, it may not be relevant, but I'm just, I'm dropping down. You said number 4, right? So down on number 5, and maybe this has no relevancy, sorry, I'm just trying to think through it out loud, but a bill has appeared on the committee agenda and sponsor of the bill. Senate does not attend the meeting to present a bill. The bill will be placed on the agenda 2 additional times. So the way this would play out by doing what we're going to do number 4 would be, it's not going to be placed on the agenda until the committee member or to the sponsor wants it to be put on there, right. But then if they don't show up for 2 times because we have seen bills that get put on genders and then they don't show up, then 5's going to kick in. Is that correct? That's correct. So if, if we leave 4 in there, everything goes on the agenda. Whether they're ready to present it or not. And so then after two consecutive meetings of not appearing to present it, it's going to get dropped off that agenda anyway until they tell us that they want it on there. So, but then they would be able to reintroduce it. If they wanted to. After they could deferred back on the agendas. Dotson. Senator Dodson, thank you, Mr. Chair. Um. I know last time we, we changed rule number 5 to where it was only 1 additional time on the agenda versus 2, the only thing I have a concern with striking this is uh You know, oftentimes something will, will you, you're thinking it's going to be on the agenda. It's the day that it's scheduled to be on the agenda, but you didn't know what the committee rule was, and so you didn't notify the chair or you didn't automatically think to put that on there, um, I don't know we could always suspend the rules and they hear that if there's an issue, just take that as a case by case. Well, but it takes 6 members to suspend the rules and Sometimes with with people running in and out, we don't always even have 6 members in the room, so. I don't know The importance of being kind of more in favor of of leaving that in there and then maybe considering just reducing it to one additional time on the agenda so we keep the agenda clean, but if somebody's, if a bill comes out of committee late and the bill sponsor forgot to say it came over from the house. Late in the day, it's automatically on the calendar versus having to try to remember to to instigate that or wait another week for it to be placed on the agenda, so, um. Uh, I don't think I'm in favor of the striking 4, but maybe modifying 5. OK, Senator Payton. You. I was just making a suggestion. I'm not married to it. I just think it helps the general public to have a more reasonable view of what may or may not be heard on a given day. Alright. So Sir Peyton, you want to restate your motion again, and we'll just take a vote on that. My motion is that we strike rule number 4 in this draft and adopt the rest of it as is. All right, got a motion for Senator Peyton. Question sir, discussion. If, if, if we do this, if I may be so bold, Mr. Chair, I would just recommend that you make an announcement on the floor to let everybody know that that's going to be the policy for for Senate state agencies, and then if we get into the middle of the session, it gets to be where it's a problem to delay a week for house bills or whatever we can make an adjustment, adjustment at. time, but that would be my thought boldness is appreciated, Senator Clark Senator Tucker, I'm sorry. That's right. Thank you. Thank you. Senator Clark, Uh, excuse me being late. I got caught in the hallway, but could you state again you stated the motion, but could you state again the reason for the motion? Yes, so the way it is now when a bill is filed, it automatically goes on the agenda, so we end up with an agenda with a lot of bills that people are not prepared to present at the next meeting. And so instead of putting them automatically on the agenda. When you file a bill and you're ready to present it, you would need to let the chair or the staff know that you want it on the agenda, and it would go on and then number 5 in the rules says it sits there for 2 consecutive meetings and then gets kicked off if you don't present it, so, uh. The bills that automatically go on the agenda many times they're going to be removed from the agenda before they're presented anyway because of number 5. In public health yesterday, we eliminated rule number 4, so this would not be the only committee that did it, and this is the reasoning is so that our agenda. The view on the, on the website to the general public is a little more. Accurate and a little more concise about what may be heard in a meeting. OK, so in this committee, in order for me to get a bill on the agenda. I've got to get this chair to place it on the agenda. Well, I, I think the chair could instruct staff if they're if they're notified, there's no restriction on getting it on the agenda. I'd like your chances most of the time at the park. I like it. We're getting a pretty good precursor for how I expect this committee to be going, you know, and we've only gotten to the adoption of the rules. So looking for a vigorous discussions in here, Senator Dodson, you're recognized question just as far as what is the lead time to allow, like, do we notify staff? 24 hours 24 hours suffice. 24 hours. So guys, I just OK, Senate rules. OK, so 48 hours, I stand corrected. So if we file a bill on What is today? Wednesday if we file a bill on Monday, it's too late. To get it on that week's agenda. Where if it was filed on Monday. Uh, but didn't get right across the desk or assigned to committee, um. Until late in the day on Monday would pass that 48 hour mark and so it'd be the next week before it could ever ever go on the agenda on Thursday if we meet on Thursday. If you follow one day. Oh Tuesday and Thursday we haven't got to that yet, sir Tucker, so you know that's next on the hit list, so. If we file it on Tuesday, it would be too late in the day. You'd have to wait till the following Tuesday to to to actually get it on the agenda where if you filed it on Tuesday as is what the rules before they're changed, it would automatically go on Thursday's agenda for you to be able to. Presented Thursday. Sorry, Carly Cooper, Bureau Legislative Research, um, so if you filed it on Tuesday and it's referred to committee by Tuesday, then it could, as the rules currently stand, could go on Thursday's agenda. But if it's not referred. If the rules are changed, then it would be next week, but you have to file it and notify staff. In order for it to get to Thursday's agenda if it was filed on Tuesday if the rules are changed. Yeah All right. Senator Hammer. OK, based on the explanation is now puts an additional responsibility on the sponsor of the bill to not only get it filed upstairs, but now with the change of the rule. Yeah, I'll tell you what, I'm going to recognize Senator Payton, if you don't mind. I didn't intend for it to be controversial. It was a suggestion. I'll withdraw the motion and whatever we do in the way of rules, I'd prefer it to be unanimous. Yeah, let's not make this overly complicated. These are the same rules that this committee has been going by for a number of years now, so I think we're all familiar with the committee roles, so just for the art of simplicity and consistency I'll just accept the motion to adopt the current rules. Got a motion for Senator. So Uh Senator Clark, I'll allow you to 3. OK, you're working. Thank you, Mr. Chair and other committees for some time we have amended this rule. We have taken out all amendments to bills must be in writing. We leave verbal amendments are not permitted, and then we add short technical verbal amendments are allowed because we don't like to hold bills up that have 2 or 3 words that That are generally technical that can it's a lot of discretion you'd be leaving to the chair. Well, the committee can always overrule the chair, but Oh, those of us who chaired for a while are very aware that the committee can tell us to go stick it right members of your 5 with, you know, with, with, you know, technical corrections for verbal amendments. I mean, I think we know what Senator Clark is. You're doing that there. You put that emotion I would move that we strike all amendments to bills must be in writing and add and there could be cleaner language than this. I didn't bring the The what? Yes, short verbal, short technical verbal amendments are allowed. Alright. Any discussion on the motion? Got a second Senator Sullivan. So members, so just to be clear, we're adopting the current rules. We are amending rule number 3 to allow for verbal amendments for short technical corrections. Alright. Motion Senator Clark, 2nd Senator Sullivan, all in favor, please say aye, opposed? All right, rules have been adopted. take long. Alright, so please leave all the bills in the folder on the desk. You all know um our current agenda times and meeting times are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 100 a.m. right here in this room, which is consistent where we've always, you know, where state agencies always met. Um, I would like to starting off and I just ask members if you do have a bill that you plan on running, let's just try to, you know, to, to, to actually do some work in January and early February and not leave everything to the back end, so I'm looking to have two meetings a week for 15 minutes. So unless there is an agenda and a workload that deans us meeting on Thursdays. I'm going to try to keep it to Tuesdays, if we need to come in on Thursday, I'll leave that open to discretion of the chair, but you know if we're going to be in here, let's try to be in here for more than 5 minutes. If the bill can be run on Tuesday, it's not Thursday. Um With that Wednesday, February 12th. Is the deadline for constitutional amendments, um, and with the committee's exception, I would, I would recommend that we make a Thursday, February 13th, the deadline for running constitutional amendments. Senator Clark, would you be good with that? You wanna repeat that, Yeah, the deadline for filing constitutional amendments is Wednesday, February 12. I think maybe we would make the deadline for running them. Thursday, February 13th. I'd like to see the deadline for running them earlier and the deadline for submitting them later, but Senator Clark, I'm looking forward to serving with you. All right, but that is an important date, members, just to make sure that everybody knows the deadline is Wednesday, February 12th, and then with that we're going to recognize Secretary Hudson over here. Jim, get off your phone. I'm gonna put it on the pouch. So I'm going to move around the room and ask everybody from the state agencies to stand up, introduce yourselves. Of course, Jim, we know who you are, but We will be here to figure out how do we have. Yeah, well We understand Reverend Thaksin meeting again until April, so yeah, Dorley. Right. Great. Looking forward to working with you all. Sure. Tom, welcome back. Look forward to working with you, Michael. Alright. Marty, come on. Or direct relationship. What's he doing in the Senator Payton would like to know what you do in your spare time. Josh, Lindsay. Josh Currys. Alright. Great. Welcome, Caroline. Well, hopefully we don't talk you out of continuing your future in law. Stanley, got anything you want to say? I'll some words with you later, Stanley. Jerry. Great, great. Anybody else I'm missing? Jenna. She's Andy Davis's boss for the. All right, OK, I don't think we've missed anybody. All right, members, anything else from the committee? All right, no further comments, anything else, we are adjourned.