COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN'S HANDBOOK
CHAPTER I
COMMITTEE
ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL OPERATING GUIDELINES
1. SESSION
STANDING COMMITTEES.
(a) Designation
of Chairman.
Standing committee
chairmen are selected by the majority leadership in each house subject to
confirmation by the majority party caucus.
(b) Committee
Membership.
Committee members
are appointed by the presiding officer of each house with the advice and
consent of the Rules Committee.
Membership is apportioned to reflect as nearly as possible the
percentage of majority and minority members elected to each house. Recommendations of the minority party caucus
are generally taken into consideration in the appointment of minority party
members to serve on the various standing committees.
(c) Other
Committee Officers.
Although not
required by rule, most committee chairmen designate another member of the committee
(often the ranking member of the majority party) to serve as acting chairman in
the absence of the chairman.
2. INTERIM
COMMITTEES.
(a) Formation
as Joint Interim Committee.
When the
legislature in not in session, the respective standing committees of the House
and Senate combine to function as "joint interim" committees. W.S. 28‑8‑104(b).
(b) Organizational
Meeting.
Interim committees
generally meet for the first time near the date for adjournment of the general
session to organize, elect officers, adopt committee rules and discuss possible
interim study topics (see Chapters II and V of this Handbook relating to
interim committee studies.)
(c) Election
of Officers.
At the first
meeting of the interim committee, the committee elects a chairman and
vice-chairman or cochairman. (The
office of secretary for a committee is archaic and unnecessary. It is preferable for the chairman or
cochairman to approve the summary of proceedings.) These officers serve
for the remainder of the biennium.
Although not
required, it is the common practice of many committees for the chairmanship to
rotate between the House and Senate every two years.
Committees which
elect cochairmen are urged to designate one of the two cochairs to handle
administrative matters, e.g., signing vouchers, serving as the point of contact
for staff in arranging meetings, etc.
3. GENERAL
OPERATING GUIDELINES.
(a) Committee
operations are subject to numerous guidelines ranging from specific statutory
directives to informal "customs".
A list referencing
the major sources of committee operating guidelines and providing a brief
synopsis of significant information contained in each is attached as Appendix
1.
(b) Appendix
4 and 5 contain two publications prepared by the National Conference of State
Legislatures (NCSL) providing general guidelines and practical hints for
committee chairmen.