HOUSE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

July 03, 2003 Hearing Room E

10:00 AM Tape 94

MEMBERS PRESENT: Rep. Dan Doyle, Chair

Rep. Linda Flores, Vice-Chair

Rep. Laurie Monnes Anderson, Vice Chair

Rep. Vic Backlund

Rep. Phil Barnhart

Rep. Patti Smith

MEMBER EXCUSED: Rep. Joanne Verger

STAFF PRESENT: Cara Filsinger, Administrator

Annetta Mullins, Committee Assistant

MEASURE/ISSUES HEARD: Amendment to House Rule 8.01 – Work Session

These minutes are in compliance with Senate and House Rules. Only text enclosed in quotation marks reports a speaker’s exact words. For complete contents, please refer to the tapes.

TAPE/#	Speaker	Comments
Tape 94, A
		NOTE: Pursuant to announcement from House Speaker Karen Minnis on the House floor on July 3, 2003, Rep. Patti Smith replaces Rep. Betsy Close for this meeting only.
004	Chair Doyle	Calls meeting to order at 10:02 a.m., welcomes new, temporary member, Rep. P. Smith, and opens a work session on an amendment to House Rule 8.01.
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE RULE 8.01 – WORK SESSION
008	Rep. Flores	MOTION: Moves to ADOPT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO HR 8.01 dated 6/17/03 (EXHIBIT A).
	Rep. Barnhart	Asks what the effect of the rule change will be.
015	Chair Doyle	Explains the proposed amendment is to HR 8.01 (15) and that Ways and Means has been the only committee that would have appropriation measures referred to them. The reason for the notwithstanding clause was the “Special Session 6” in January that dealt with the 2001-03 budget. There is already a Special Committee on Budget established in (16). The effect of the rule change is that Ways and Means will not be the only committee that could be referred appropriation measures. Adds that based on the negotiations, there will most likely be a need for appropriation bills to come out of a committee other than Ways and Means. This provides the vehicle for that.
036	Rep. Barnhart	Comments he thinks it is improvident for the legislature to be moving in this direction. One of the reasons and probably the most important reason for the Joint Ways and Means Committee is that Oregon has found that the budget process can be handled much more expeditiously by having joint committees than doing it separately. Comments that setting up a budget process separate from the Senate may make a lot of noise and have a lot of interest in the House, but it will not have any significant, substantial long-term on the budget process itself except to slow it down. Comments on budget negotiations by Speaker Minnis, President Courtney, and Governor Kulongoski. States that if this amendment is adopted, the House will end up voting on positions that Speaker Minnis held at the beginning of the negotiations and continues to hold.
082	Rep. Monnes Anderson	States she assumes bills would originate in the Special Committee on Budget. Asks what happens to those bills in the Senate.
	Chair Doyle	Explains that under the amended rule, budget bills can go to any committee and it would be up to the Senate to do what they want. Comments on possible scenarios as bills pass through the legislative process.
136	Rep. Monnes Anderson	Asks if this will cost the tax payers more than the current process.
148	Chair Doyle	Responds he believes there will be a minimal fiscal impact. Explains that most of the work has been done. Explains how the process could work.
166	Rep. Barnhart	Comments this will be a timewaster and the members would be pulled out of Ways and Means, and there will be expense in preparing different bills for consideration by the House. Comments on timeframe. Comments there is an established process and excluding the Senate makes no sense.
212	Rep. Monnes Anderson	Comments she will vote no because it will not expedite the process.
	Rep. Flores	Comments there is a log jam and this may help break the log jam.
229	Rep. Backlund	Comments he hopes the negotiations by the Speaker, President, and Governor are successful. It is conceivable this will speed up the negotiations.
241	Rep. Barnhart	Comments this is a partisan process. States that the members should be working together on what is best for Oregonians and this doesn’t help the process.
257	Chair Doyle	States there have been interesting negotiations by both parties and there has been considerable movement but some things are not moving. Adds that the legislature has to make decisions and this is a way that at least the House will be able to start making some decisions, good or bad, to move the negotiations through to a conclusion. Adds that the ultimate responsibility of the legislature, the only constitutional responsibility, is to balance the budget.
309		VOTE: 4-2-1 AYE: 4 - Backlund, Flores, Smith P., Doyle NAY: 2 - Barnhart, Monnes Anderson EXCUSED: 1 - Verger
	Chair Doyle	The motion CARRIES. REP. DOYLE will lead discussion on the floor.
297	Chair Doyle	Closes the work session on the amendment to House Rule 8.01 and adjourns meeting at 10:24 a.m.

EXHIBIT SUMMARY

A – House Rule 8.01, proposed amendment to (15), staff, 1 p