The State-Tribal Relations Committee met yesterday afternoon in the Capitol. Dana Ferguson reports that the committee met “informally to discuss disagreements over past minutes, minority report.”
Informally?
Wearing their formal Legislative badges, sitting in one of their formal committee rooms, constituting a formal quorum… sure looks like a formal meeting!
According to Joint Rule 7-1.4, we’re supposed to get some heads up on such meetings:
7-1.4. Posting of agendas. Agendas of the bills, resolutions, and other proposals to be considered at any meeting of a standing committee or subcommittee shall be posted on the bulletin board of the respective house. At least one legislative day shall intervene between the date of posting and the date of consideration. An agenda must be posted by 5 p.m. in order to allow for an intervening legislative day. However, if a day of legislative recess intervenes between the date of posting and the date of consideration, the requirement of posting is fulfilled if posting is made by 5 p.m. on the day before the legislative recess [Joint Rule 7-1.4, adopted 2018.01.09].
Ferguson reports the committee decided to meet again today. The committee’s webpage—still lingering on the 2017 Interim page, with no mention on the 2018 Session Committee page—makes no mention of either Wednesday’s meeting or today’s meeting, meaning anyone interested in following the committee’s action has no idea that the committee is meeting, let alone what they’ll discuss or where they’ll discuss it.
Are committees allowed to have work groups? Maybe this is a work group.
If there’s a quorum, it’s a meeting.
Check that picture, Timoteo—it appears all ten members met. That’s not a working group; that’s the committee.
They are flirting with the rules. One of the adults on the staff of the LRC needs to pull the chair aside and tell him.