WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HCR 1

LIMIT NUMBER OF BILL INTROS BY MEMBER

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Matthew McQueen and 1 co-sponsor

Limits a member to five bills led or introduced in a regular session, with up to five lead-sponsored jointly sponsored bills and unlimited co-sponsors.

action postponed indefinitely
#legislature
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HCR 1

Summary — HCR 1: "Limit Number of Bill Intros by Member"

Bill number: HCR 1
Short title: Limit Number of Bill Intros by Member
Type: Concurrent resolution (amendment to legislative joint rules)
Subject: Legislature
Introduced: August 15, 2025
Status (per provided info): Action postponed indefinitely

Note: The file supplied contains multiple, conflicting documents and draft texts from different jurisdictions and sessions. This summary focuses on the version described in the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) fiscal-impact document (Document 39) and the synopsis that limits the number of bills each legislator may introduce.

Purpose / Intent

The resolution would amend the joint rules of the House and Senate to limit how many bills an individual legislator may introduce or be the lead sponsor of during a regular legislative session. The intent stated in the fiscal note is to reduce legislative workload, constrain the total number of bill introductions, and potentially generate modest savings in drafting and fiscal-analysis resources.

Key provisions

  • Caps the number of bills an individual member may introduce (or sponsor as lead) in a regular session at five.
  • For jointly sponsored bills: one member is designated the lead sponsor (listed first); up to four additional named sponsors may be listed; unlimited co-sponsors may be added.
  • Members are limited to being the lead sponsor on no more than five jointly sponsored bills.
  • The resolution amends internal joint rules of the two chambers (procedural change), not substantive statute.

Who is affected

  • All members of the House and Senate (limit applies to every legislator).
  • Chamber clerks and administrative staff (rule changes in bill-processing procedures).
  • Legislative service agencies that research, draft bills, and prepare fiscal impact reports — likely to see a change in workload and potentially fewer contract needs for drafting/research.
  • Advocacy groups and constituents (may be affected in how they secure sponsorship or get issues introduced).

Fiscal and operational impact

  • LFC estimates no direct fiscal impact to state or local government operating budgets; implementation costs can be absorbed by House and Senate clerks.
  • Possible indeterminate but minimal recurring savings to legislative drafting/research budgets. The fiscal note cites existing drafting/research contracts in the $10,000–$25,000 range for the 2025 session as potential areas of reduced expense.
  • The LFC notes that with the proposed limits, no more than 560 bills could be introduced in a session (figure cited in the fiscal note), compared with historical session totals that vary widely (e.g., 503–1,084 bills in 2020–2024 sessions).

Procedural/timeline notes

  • As a concurrent resolution changing joint rules, the measure would be adopted by both chambers to take effect for sessions going forward; it does not require executive approval.
  • In the provided materials the bill’s status is listed as “action postponed indefinitely” (Aug 15, 2025), indicating it is not currently advancing.
  • The LFC fiscal note references a related bill (House Bill 256) that would remove the deadline for introducing legislation; the two measures may interact on procedural timing and strategy.

Considerations and potential impacts

  • Could encourage consolidation of proposals, more strategic use of co-sponsorship, or increased leadership gatekeeping of what becomes a lead bill.
  • May reduce the volume of draft/fiscal analysis work and related contractor expenditures, but could also concentrate agenda-setting power and limit the number of distinct issues an individual legislator can formally advance in a session.
  • Enforcement and technical rule definitions (e.g., counting jointly sponsored bills, companion bills, amendments) would determine practical effects and may require drafting clarifications.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.