Projo Politics Blog

The debate over proposed changes to the House rules was put to rest last week when Rules Committee Chairwoman Rep. Eileen S. Naughton, D-Warwick, announced that she would not hold hearings on any rule changes this session.

“After consultation with House Leadership and some members of the House Rules Committee, I have decided against holding a hearing this year on any possible rules changes,” Naughton said in a statement.

“Traditionally, we have amended the House rules every two years, and we see no pressing need to change the rules this session. We will review some of the suggestions that were incorporated into this year’s legislation after the session is completed and discuss them next year,” she said.

Several proposed rule changes introduced since January raised the ire of Republicans and talk-radio hosts, including one that could have limited some lawmakers’ ability to influence the state budget process by reducing the time that rank-and-file legislators can access the House version of the spending plan before voting on it.

House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox ultimately withdrew the proposal to reduce the time period to five from seven calendar days, but frustrations over proposed changes continued to flare.

House spokesman Larry Berman said Naughton’s subsequent resolve to not hold hearings was a leadership decision.

“The rules changes that were proposed did not rise to the level of having to change them immediately, Berman said. “The leadership felt like they weren’t so important that they had to change them now, in March, when we’re already a third of the way through the session.”

Berman emphasized that while some of the proposed changes were budget related, House Finance Chairman Steven M. Costantino was not involved in the recommendations.

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