APPENDIX 1
COMMITTEE OPERATING GUIDELINES
The following list
references the major sources of committee operating guidelines and provides a
brief synopsis of significant information contained in each:
(a) Statutory
Provisions.
(i) Legislative
committees exempt from public meeting law.
W.S. 16-4-402(a)(ii).
(ii) Issuance
of Subpoenas. W.S. 28-1-109.
(iii) Power
to control disturbances at committee meetings.
W.S. 28-1-110 and 28-1-111.
(iv) Formation
of interim committees; request for LSO staff services. W.S. 28-8-104.
(v) Role of
standing committees and interim committees in the administrative rule review
process. W.S. 28-9-103 through
28-9-105.
(b) Management
Council Policies.
(i) Assignment
of Interim studies.
(ii) Organization
and general operations of joint interim committees.
(iii) Interim
committee budget, finance and travel regulations.
(iv) Conducting
executive sessions of joint interim committee meetings.
(c) House
and Senate Rules.
(i) Designation
of standing committees in Senate and House. SR 7-1, HR 4-1.
(ii) Number
and apportionment of members on standing committees. SR 7-2, HR 4-2.
(iii) Standing
committees' duty to report on bills; meetings to be open unless declared to be
executive session by chairman. SR 7-3, HR 4-3.
(iv) Majority
vote required to overrule standing committee chairman. HR 4-3.
(v) Recalling
bills from standing committee. SR 7-4, HR 4-4.
(vi) Filling
vacancies on standing committees. SR 7-5, HR 4-5.
(vii) Re-referral
of bills containing an appropriation to the appropriations committee. SR 9-4, HR 8-5.
(viii) Referral
of bills to standing committees and re-referrals. SR 10-2, HR 9-2.
(ix) Delivery
of bills to committee chairman after first reading. SR 10-3.
(x) Standing
committee chairman's role in presenting committee report in committee of the
whole. SR 11-3, HR 10-3.
(xi) Joint
interim committee authority to sponsor bills.
Joint Rule 9-2.
(xii) Standing
committee report to be presented within two working days after committee vote.
Joint Rule 13-1.
(d) Wyoming
Manual of Legislative Procedures.
(i) Description
of standing committee action on referred bills.
(ii) Standing
committee report checklist.
(iii) Detailed
procedures for standing committee chairman in presenting committee report
during committee of the whole.
(e) Mason's
Manual of Legislative Procedure.
(i) Committee
officers. Sec. 608.
(ii) General
duties of committee chairmen. Sec. 611.
(iii) Quorum
requirements for committees. Sec. 613.
(iv) Delegation
of powers to committees. Sec. 615.
(v) Procedure
in committees. Sec. 632.
(vi) Committee
reports. Sec. 663 et seq.
APPENDIX 2
SAMPLE INTERIM COMMITTEE RULES
I. OFFICERS.
A. Chairman. The chairman shall:
1. Call the
committee together at the times and places necessary to enable the committee to
properly perform its duties.
2. Preside
over meetings of the committee and put all questions.
3. Maintain
order and decide all questions of order subject to appeal to the committee
present.
4. Prepare,
or supervise the preparation of, reports of the committee and submit the
reports to the legislature.
5. Authorize
and approve or disapprove all committee expenditures and sign all vouchers for
committee expenses to be presented to the Management Council.
B. Vice
Chairman. The vice chairman shall:
Perform all duties
of the chairman in the absence of the chairman.
II. MEETINGS.
A. Call.
The chairman, the
vice chairman in the absence or incapacity of the chairman, or a majority of
the members of the joint interim committee, may call a meeting of the committee
by sending by regular mail to each member of the committee written notice
fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting.
Written notice may be waived by unanimous consent of the entire committee. Attendance at any meeting constitutes waiver
of written notice. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, less
than a quorum of the joint interim committee may meet and transact business
provided the absent members are subsequently polled and asked to vote by
written ballot on any action taken and further provided the action taken at the
meeting is thereby approved by a majority of the members of the full committee.
B. Time
and Place.
The time and place
of meeting of the joint interim committee shall be designated by the chairman
or by the vice chairman or members calling the meeting.
C. Agenda.
Notice of meetings
of the joint interim committee shall contain an agenda of business to be
considered, or state the purpose of the meeting. Reasonable efforts shall be made to give prior notice of all
subjects to be acted upon.
D. Quorum.
The quorum
necessary for the joint interim committee to transact business shall be a
majority of the members. A majority of
the quorum may act on any matter.
E. Summary of Proceedings.
The summary of
proceedings from any meeting of the joint interim committee shall be approved
and signed by the secretary before distribution to and approval by the members
of the full committee.
III. ORDER OF
BUSINESS.
A. Standard
Order of Business.
1. Roll
call.
2. Reading
and approval of the summary of proceedings.
3. Motion
to reconsider.
4. Unfinished
business.
5. Subcommittee
reports.
6. New
business.
7. Adjournment.
B. Motion
to Reconsider.
A motion to
reconsider or to rescind actions of the committee, unless made at the same
meeting at which the action was taken, may only be made upon fifteen (15) days
prior written notice to each member of the committee, stating what action is to
be reconsidered or rescinded.
IV. SUBCOMMITTEES.
A. Composition.
1. Membership
on subcommittees shall be distributed among House and Senate members to ensure
nearly proportional representation.
Further, membership on each subcommittee shall be apportioned to reflect
as nearly as possible the same percentage of the majority and minority
political parties as on the joint interim committee.
2. Subcommittees
shall have a number of members as designated by the full committee, but no
subcommittee shall have less than three (3) appointed members.
B. Quorum.
A quorum of a
subcommittee with an even number of members shall be one‑half (1/2) of
the members, who may act on any question.
A quorum of a subcommittee with an odd number of members shall be a
simple majority of the membership, who may act on any question.
C. Duties.
Subcommittees shall
perform the duties assigned to them and shall report on all matters referred to
them. Actions of a subcommittee shall
be reported in the form of proposals or recommendations to the full committee
only, and shall have no force or binding effect except by action of the full
committee.
D. Rules.
1. Rules
relating to the full interim committee shall be followed by subcommittees,
except with regard to a quorum.
2. Subcommittees
shall not call public hearings without the prior approval of the interim
committee or the interim committee chairman.
E. Meetings.
1. The
chairman of a subcommittee shall schedule meetings only with the prior approval
of the interim committee chairman.
2. The
chairman of a subcommittee shall authorize and approve or disapprove all
subcommittee expenditures and sign all vouchers for subcommittee expenses.
3. A member
of the joint interim committee may attend a meeting of any subcommittee of the
joint interim committee whether or not he is a member of the subcommittee, but the
person shall not have a vote in any action of the subcommittee. The chairman of the joint interim committee
may authorize payment of expenses to the person.
V. ATTENDANCE
AT OTHER MEETINGS.
The chairman of the
joint interim committee may attend or designate a member of the joint interim
committee to attend meetings of interest or concern to committee activities.
VI. PROCEDURAL
GUIDELINES.
Mason's Manual
of Legislative Procedure shall govern procedural matters for the joint
interim committee and its subcommittees not covered elsewhere in these rules.
APPENDIX 3
SAMPLE: INTERIM STUDY PROPOSAL
(Date)
To: Members,
Management Council
From: Committee:___________________________________
Chairman:
___________________________________
Subject: Proposed
Interim Studies
The Joint Committee
requests authorization for the following studies, listed in order of priority:
1. First
priority study:
(a) Topic:
(b) Background/Discussion
concerning problem to be addressed:
(c) Anticipated
committee activity: (e.g., number of meeting days devoted to this topic;
whether legislation will be developed; need for extraordinary staff assistance,
etc.)
2. Second
priority study:
(a) Topic:
(b) Background/Discussion
concerning problem to be addressed:
(c) Anticipated
committee activity:
3. Third
priority study:
(a) Topic:
(b) Background/Discussion
concerning problem to be addressed:
(c) Anticipated
committee activity:
APPENDIX 4
HOW TO BE AN
EFFECTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR
(National
Conference of State Legislatures January 1996)
APPENDIX 5
A CHAIRMAN'S GUIDE
TO
EFFECTIVE COMMITTEE
MANAGEMENT
(National
Conference of State Legislatures, May 1981)
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