HOUSE RESOLUTION AMENDING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE YEARS 2023 AND 2024 (Amends the House Rules to enable any member to have up to 3 bills that are held for further study either substituted in committee or allowed to have a committee vote for placement on the floor calendar exclusively at the discretion of the Speaker.)
Summary
H5036 is a House resolution that amends the Rhode Island House Rules governing committee procedure, bill hearings, posting requirements, deadlines, and reporting obligations. The resolution largely reorganizes and restates Rule 12, but it also adds a new procedural right for members: with respect to three bills that have been held for further study, a member may require the committee chair either to authorize a substitute bill at the sponsor’s request or to force a committee vote on whether the bill should be sent to the House floor.
The bill also reinforces existing committee process rules, including notice and posting requirements for hearings, limits on the number of bills heard at one meeting, deadlines for committee action, and procedures for sponsor-requested hearings. It preserves special treatment for appropriations, revenue, and expenditure bills, and it continues to give the Speaker significant control over calendar placement and committee transfers. The resolution’s stated effect is to create a mechanism for moving certain stalled bills forward while keeping final placement on the floor calendar within the Speaker’s discretion.
Impact
If adopted, H5036 would change the internal operating rules of the House of Representatives rather than the Rhode Island General Laws. It would affect how standing committees schedule hearings, handle substitute amendments, and dispose of bills held for further study, while also preserving the Speaker’s authority over whether a committee-reported bill is placed on the House calendar. The practical impact would be on House members, committee chairs, bill sponsors, and the legislative process for pending House legislation, especially bills that might otherwise remain stalled in committee.
Sentiment
The available materials suggest a generally procedural and reform-oriented sentiment, with the resolution framed as a way to give members a limited tool to advance bills that have been held for further study. The explanation attached to the bill emphasizes that the change would allow up to three bills per member to be either substituted or brought to a committee vote, but still only at the Speaker’s discretion for floor placement. No committee transcript or recorded vote is provided, so there is no evidence of broader public debate or organized opposition in the record supplied.
Contention
The main point of contention is the balance of power between individual members and the Speaker/committee chairs. Supporters would likely view the measure as a modest procedural safeguard against indefinite committee inaction, while critics could see it as only a limited remedy because the Speaker still controls whether a bill reaches the floor calendar. Another possible issue is whether the rule change meaningfully increases transparency and member rights or simply formalizes an additional step without reducing leadership control. Because no hearing transcript or vote history is included, the record does not identify specific opponents or supporters.