Week 2 in the Iowa House was shorter than most, with the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday and a snowstorm that sent many legislators home early if they didn’t have committee meetings scheduled for Thursday. Most committees had their second meeting of the session, unless they were canceled for a lack of business to complete; and several subcommittees met to begin moving individual bills through the legislative process.
A bill must pass a subcommittee of three legislators to be considered by the full committee. When a subcommittee meets to discuss a bill it is more like an open conversation about the pros and cons of the proposed legislation. This is the time when the public can have direct input and time to publicly comment on a bill. In the past, I have learned this is a great time to get ideas for how to amend the bill to make it better or more acceptable to other legislators. Subcommittee meetings are very informal and can last just a couple of minutes if there is not much comment, or up to 30 minutes or more for longer or controversial bills.