Special Session, New House Rules, Committee Changes, and More

A proposed set of new rules was approved by the House Rules Committee on Tuesday to make some changes to committees and subcommittees and reduce the bill limit for Representatives. These proposed changes were voted on by the full House on Thursday.

According to Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, these new rules will return the committees to something akin to how they were structured under Speaker Beth Harwell. When Glen Casada succeeded Harwell as speaker, he dramatically increased the number of committees and subcommittees, dividing some committees like Education into Education Administration and Education Instruction, splitting Judiciary into Civil and Criminal Justice and splitting the State and Local Government committee into separate State and Local committees. Sexton indicated these committees will be recombined.

The membership and leadership of the new committees were also announced this week. . Sexton also indicated that subcommittees in the House will be smaller and more focused. The House has also added technology to make the committee voting process more like the full session votes, with electronic voting and boards to display member votes. 

House Bill Filing Limits Will Shrink This Year Along with Committee Structures

In what was a negotiated compromise in the House Republican caucus this week, the new rules reduce the number of bills that a House member can file from 15 to 12. Next year, the limit will be further reduced to 10. Speaker Harwell created the original 15-bill limit during her tenure as speaker. In addition to the bills that rank and file members are allowed, full committee chairmen are allowed five additional caption bills, and subcommittee chairs get two additional bills. The Senate does not limit the number of bills its members can file.

2025 ‘State of the State’ Address Expected Mid-February 2025

Senate Clerk Russell Humphreys has indicated that the budget may be introduced a little later this year. He expects the Governor’s State of the State address to be delivered on Monday, February 10th – the week prior to County Government Day. The Governor’s proposed budget is traditionally introduced the same day as the address. Once the budget is introduced, the Senate typically holds six weeks of budget hearings to review the budgets of state departments and agencies. Then, the committees will begin to dispose of their remaining bills and move toward closure. The clerk indicated that the General Assembly should wrap up its business by early May at the latest.

Governor Lee Is expected to formally call for a special session sometime today (Friday). This will clarify exactly what can and can’t be considered during the special session. That session will likely start the week of January 27th, after the General Assembly takes a one-week recess to get offices assigned to new members and for new committee chairs to be moved into larger accommodations. During a special session, the General Assembly can only vote on legislation related to those subjects delineated in the call for the special session. Once it concludes the legislature can begin taking up all other matters.