House Kills House Calendar Committee

House Speaker’s Office

In a bipartisan vote, the House Rules Committee overwhelmingly approved a measure to abolish the House Calendar Committee.

House Resolution 1044 calls for the elimination of the House Calendar Committee, and if passed by the House, legislation would take on a more direct path to being heard on the floor. Once passed by a standing committee, bills would be eligible to be considered by the floor leader and assistant floor leaders to be placed on the agenda for a possible vote by the full House.

“The Calendar Committee was created with good intentions as a bipartisan approach to determine which bills should be available for consideration on the House Floor,” said House Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview. “Unfortunately, it descended into another layer of bureaucracy that frustrated Republican and Democrat representatives alike.”

If approved by the House, bills and amendments and agendas for the House committees and the House Floor will continue to be posted online for public access and scrutiny.

Representative Mike Reynolds carried the bill in committee and said it is imperative that the House operate under a clear and transparent process that can be easily followed by constituents to ensure accountability.

“This measure removes some serious stumbling blocks for legislators who are attempting to do the people’s work,” said Rep. Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. “While the Calendar Committee may have been created with good intentions, in practicality it did not achieve its purpose.”

Democratic Leader Scott Inman praised the effort to streamline the legislative process.

“Our caucus appreciates the ability to work with Speaker Hickman to eliminate what we believe is an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy that’s also known as the Calendar Committee,” said Leader Inman, D- Del City.


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  1. The Logician, 26 February, 2014

    Wow. I actually agree with everyone who commented in this story. Amazing!

  2. Jamison Faught, 26 February, 2014

    … but will the House Calendar Committee pass the kill-the-Calendar-Committee bill? Interesting dilemma…

  3. The Logician, 26 February, 2014

    According to Phil Cross, the Calendar Committee voted to abolish themselves 9-4.

  4. Eric, 28 February, 2014

    Vote will not be published. Was not a recorded vote. House of Chickens!

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