May 6, 2009
As the Legislature enters the final weeks we are in a time where members have to pay close attention. This is because we vote on Senate changes made to House bills. These items aren’t scheduled. They are added to the schedule with little notice of when and what will be considered. The process requires that a bill which is amended after being passed through one body must be voted on in the originating body. Any change that the Senate makes to a House bill comes back to us for a vote. There are three choices—concur which is approve, non-concur which kills the bill, or non-concur and request a committee of conference which is a small group of House and Senate members who meet to negotiate an agreement. The committee which heard the original bill should meet to discuss their recommendation on the changes. The Chairman of the Committee makes the recommendation to the full House. The members then vote on this recommendation. This is another attempt to stop a bill which members may object to. The final step is the Governor’s desk. The first example of a high profile bill which falls into this process is the bill on same sex marriage. The Senate amended the bill. The bill went to the Judiciary Committee to review. They voted 11-6 to accept the changes and will recommend that the House “concur” today. There will surely be debate on this issue. This could make a light agenda much longer.