It's that time of year again on Smith Hill.

The Senate on Tuesday officially suspended its rules that require advance public notice of hearings and votes.

While we're waiting to hear whether the House has done the same thing, a committee posting this morning for a hearing Thursday suggests that the House has also followed through on the annual tradition of abandoning 48-hour public noticing rules in the final days of the session.

A House spokesman said he would look into whether its rules had officially been suspended, as the Senate did on a unanimous voice vote at the beginning of Tuesday's session.

For most public bodies in Rhode Island, public notice is required by law. But the General Assembly is exempted from the open meetings act, and essentially informs the public of meetings voluntarily.