Date: 02/19/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1184

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved to Postpone Indefinitely House Bill 09-1184.
Moved to refer House Bill 09-1184 to the Committee		PASS
Pass Without Objection



09:46 AM -- House Bill 09-1184

The committee was called to order. A quorum was present. Representative May, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1184, concerning the allocation of time the General Assembly is convened in regular session to conduct its business. Representative May provided background on the bill, and discussed his reasons for sponsoring the measure. Committee members received a handout detailing the length of legislative sessions in the various states (Attachment A). Representative May also discussed the impact of the legislative session's length on the ability to attract quality legislative candidates, and the fiscal impact of the bill. Representative May then discussed legislative session lengths of other states, and the ability of the legislature to finish its business within 90 days. Representative May responded to questions regarding the frequency with which other states enter into special legislative sessions, and the burdens of the time constraints already in place for conducting business.

090219AttachA.pdf


09:57 AM

Discussion ensued regarding the time limits for conducting legislative business in other states, the amount of money dedicated to legislative activity in certain states, and the potential for conducting standing committee activities year round. Discussion followed regarding the year of applicability of the time constraints considered by House Bill 09-1184, and the potential for amending the bill to limit the number of bills offered during a legislative session. Representative May responded to questions regarding the positions of leadership members on the bill, and the ability to conduct a special session under the bill's provisions. Discussion followed regarding the potential for amending the bill to allow legislative discretion to lengthen the session during times of emergency, and the scheduling challenges faced by legislators during the session.


10:08 AM

Discussion continued regarding the merits of shortening the legislative session, and the effect of current time constraints on the legislature's work.


10:10 AM

The following person testified regarding House Bill 09-1184:


10:10 AM -- Ms. Christine Watson, representing the League of Women Voters, testified regarding the bill. Ms. Watson mentioned that the league is not currently taking a position on the bill, but she expressed interest in the idea of changing the legislative session schedule. Ms. Watson discussed the impact of changing the legislative session time period on the legislative process, and what might occur if the number of introduced bills were limited. Ms. Watson then discussed the impact of term limits on the legislative schedule, and the potential for expanding the interim committee process were the regular session to be shortened. Ms. Watson also discussed the fiscal impact of House Bill 09-1184. Ms. Watson responded to questions regarding the need to explore reducing the number of days in a legislative session. Representative May explained his reason for bring a statutory measure to address the issue of the session length, as opposed to a constitutional measure. Discussion ensued regarding switching the legislature to a two-year budget cycle. Discussion returned to the issue of term limits.


10:20 AM

No amendments were offered to the bill. Representative May provided closing comments in favor of House Bill 09-1184.


BILL:HB09-1184
TIME: 10:20:35 AM
MOVED:Murray
MOTION:Moved to refer House Bill 09-1184 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion failed on a 5-6 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Nikkel
VOTE
Casso
No
Court
Yes
Hullinghorst
No
Lambert
Yes
Massey
Yes
McCann
No
Miklosi
No
Murray
Yes
Nikkel
Yes
Labuda
No
Todd
No
Not Final YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Fail


BILL:HB09-1184
TIME: 10:21:46 AM
MOVED:Labuda
MOTION:Moved to Postpone Indefinitely House Bill 09-1184. The motion passed on a 6-5 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Hullinghorst
VOTE
Casso
Yes
Court
Yes
Hullinghorst
Yes
Lambert
No
Massey
No
McCann
No
Miklosi
Yes
Murray
No
Nikkel
No
Labuda
Yes
Todd
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS