Joint Order, To Amend the Joint Rules Regarding Public Hearing Notices

the Senate concurring, that the Joint Rules be amended by amending Joint Rule 305 to read:

Rule 305. Scheduling Public Hearings and Work Sessions.

At the beginning of the regular session, each committee shall recommend to the presiding officers specific days for its public hearings and work sessions, taking into consideration the availability of assigned staff and hearing rooms. Upon approval of the schedule by the presiding officers, the chairs shall try to schedule all committee work on those days. Each committee shall distribute a detailed list of hearings and work sessions that have been scheduled for the following week to all committee members. This schedule must also be posted outside the committee room. Notice of a committee's public hearings and work sessions must be posted each day on the board boards provided for that purpose on the third floor of in the State House and the Burton M. Cross Building. A committee may not hold a hearing or conduct a work session for which notice has not been posted.

Public hearings must be advertised 2 weekends in newspapers one weekend in advance of the hearing date , as long as the hearing date is not earlier than the first Wednesday following the newspaper advertisement. Notice of all public hearings schedules for the following week must appear on the Legislature's public bill status website no later than 5 p.m. each Wednesday. All exceptions must be approved by both presiding officers.

The committee shall direct the committee clerk to notify all sponsors of the bill of the public hearing and work session on the bill.

It is the intent of the Legislature that a person not be denied access to committee public hearings and work sessions because of a disability. Committees shall provide reasonable access for disabled persons to their proceedings and allow adequate time for participation by disabled persons.