How Legislative Committees Work

When a bill is introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, it is sent to one of committees in its own house which deals with that particular type of issue. At the point of introduction, the bill will be given a number and copies will shortly be available from the legislative document room.

There are 21 permanent House committees and 15 permanent Senate committees. These “standing” committees generally contain from five to twenty-five members. The Appropriations Committees are divided in subcommittees where bills with monetary implications are assigned for discussion, analysis, and revision before being presented to the full committee for action. (See subcommittee section for chairpersons and members.)

There are several other types of committees set up by the legislature to achieve certain goals. Special committees may be created by a House or Senate Resolution and appointed by the Speaker and/or the Senate Majority Leader, and are generally appointed to serve during a specified time period. The number of members of these committees will vary according to the specifications of the Resolution. For the most part, these committees are used to study and investigate topics of special interest, such as railroads, aging, urban mass transportation, nursing home problems, etc.

Another type of committee is the joint committee. Several of these are established by statute, for example: the Committee on Administrative Rules and the Legislative Council. These committees, like standing committees, are appointed for two-year periods, but membership consists of both Senators and Representatives.

When a bill is referred to a standing committee, the members of that committee have a choice in the actions they may take on any bill: report a bill with a favorable recommendation--or without recommendation; report a bill with amendments--with or without recommendation; report a substitute bill in place of the original bill; report a bill and recommend that it be referred to another committee; or take no action on a bill (committees are not required to “report out” a bill).

Although one of the chief functions of a committee is to “screen out” undesirable bills, arbitrary refusal of a committee to report a bill can be remedied by a motion to “discharge the committee from further consideration of the bill.” If the motion is approved by a majority of members in the respective house, the bill is placed on the order of Second Reading in the House or General Orders in the Senate.

As a rule, all standing committee meetings are open to the public. Exceptions are extremely rare. Most committee business is conducted during the meeting. All committee action requires the approval of a majority of those appointed and serving on the committee. If there are a sufficient number of “yes” votes, the bill is reported out.

Members are usually given at least one day’s notice of all committee meetings. There is an informal schedule of committee meetings which indicates what day and time committees are meeting each week . Public hearings are announced at the end of the daily House or Senate sessions and appear on the calendars (available daily during sessions from the document room). The notice for such hearings gives the time, date, place and subject matter.

Testifying Before a Committee

If you become aware that a particular bill of interest to you has been introduced, KEEP TRACK OF IT. Find out, from the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of the Senate or an interested organization, which committee the bill was referred to. You may then write a brief letter to the Committee Clerk for that committee , asking to be notified when the bill is put on the committee agenda for discussion or is scheduled for a public hearing. (Be sure you send your name, address, and telephone number.)
You may also write to the Chairperson of that committee requesting that the bill be put on the agenda or scheduled for a hearing. Sometimes only a volume of letters on a particular bill will assure that it receives a committee hearing, since not all bills are “automatically” considered--many die without ever having been considered by a committee.

It is important to note that attention given to bills in regular committee meetings may not be as extensive as in a public hearing because of time limitations. A committee may be regularly scheduled to meet for an hour, and may need to consider 3 or 4 bills during that time. A public hearing, on the other hand, may hear testimony on a single issue for more than three hours. However, only major pieces of legislation or gills in which there is widespread interest will normally be scheduled for public hearings.

When a bill is scheduled on the committee agenda for consideration, and if you have an active interest in the legislation and feel there are contributions you can make to the committee process, you may decide to testify at either a meeting or a hearing. The purpose of testimony given should be informational so that committee members can vote on the bill with as full an understanding as possible of all sides of the issue it addresses, and the consequences of its passage. In a meeting, the sponsor, experts on the problem, and informed members of the public will normally be heard. If the measure is controversial or additional information is needed before a decision can be reached by the members, most committees will gladly put the bill over to a future meeting or even a public hearing.

If you find out about a bill after it has passed in its house of origin, you still may have the opportunity to be heard before the committee in the other house to which it has been referred.
The following guidelines are suggested to assist citizens in making their testimony influential and effective:

1. WRITE to committee members and to your own legislator, simply expressing support or opposition to the legislation.
2. IF YOU DECIDE TO TESTIFY, notify the committee as soon as possible of your desire and, as a courtesy, let your legislators know that you’ve asked for time to present testimony.
3. IF YOU REPRESENT A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS OR AN ORGANIZATION, choose one person to present the group’s point of view and bring others along as supporters. (No committee wants to hear the same testimony over and over.)
4. PREPARE TESTIMONY and/or SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS IN ADVANCE. Read the bill carefully and any available analyses. Do research, if necessary, be sure that all your facts, background material, and figures are accurate. Consult with others to determine the scope of the issue and clarify what you, or the group, want to cover in your testimony.
5. PREPARE A CLEAR< CONCISE WRITTEN STATEMENT which has been thoroughly proofread for errors and review it with others who have the same interest.
6. WHEN YOU TESTIFY, identify who you are and, if you represent a group, give the name of the group. At the beginning of your remarks, state whether you are testifying in support or opposition of the proposal or bill. Relate your group’s or your own experience or views directly to the issue.
7. KEEP YOUR TESTIMONY SHORT AND TO THE POINT. If your testimony is lengthy and complex, it is best to offer highlights at the hearing and request permission to place your complete position and supporting material in the record. Anything you present in writing will be placed in the committee members’ files and will be available to them at any future meetings. If possible, have copies of testimony available for committee members and staff.
8. AVOID EMOTIONAL SPEECHES AND PROPAGANDA. Your role is an important one--don’t abuse it. This is the surest way to invite a hostile reaction and alienate the very committee members you are trying to persuade to your point of view.
9. IF YOU ARE ASKED A HOSTILE QUESTION, keep a cool head. Don’t be afraid to stop and think for a minute to answer a question properly. If you don’t have the answer, never guess--request permission to file a detailed response at a later date.

Without the support of the committee involved, the bill or proposal you are interested in may never make it to the floor to be voted on. Even if you prefer not to testify, your attendance at a hearing and personal correspondence with committee members and your own legislators are important in influencing the decision-making process.

Information from Citizens Guide to State Legislature, pp. 62–64, available from your state legislator's office.