This article was originally posted on 12-14-2012

Representative Masin Committee Assignments

Part of the work Representatives do in the Minnesota House of Representative is work in committees which focus more narrowly (and deeply) on specific legislative and policy topics. The 2013-2014 Membership in the committees was published online.

Sandra Masin's assignments are as follows: Vice Chair of Transportation Policy, Transportation Policy, Civil Law.

You can read more details here. The meeting schedule for each of the committees is published here.

There is an excellent brochure about Legislative Committees here. Among the many items of useful information, the following description of what the Committees' role is:

The committee's role

It would be impossible for any legislator to be familiar with and understand each of the thousands of bills that are introduced in any given session. Therefore, House committees on various subject matters, such as health and human services, education or agriculture, act as filters deciding which bills should be heard, or if they should be approved and then moved on through the process.

The committee holds public hearings on bills to put each bill into its best form. During the bill's hearing, the committee can take testimony from the bill's sponsors, the general public and experts in the areas the bill affects.

Acting as a filter, the committee has several courses of action it can take:

• amend the bill;
• combine two or more bills under one file number;
• recommend a bill to pass as introduced;
• recommend it be passed as amended;
• send it to another committee for consideration;
• vote not to approve the bill; or
• table it, which in essence delays action.

Even if a bill is voted down by a committee it can be resurrected. In addition, a bill defeated in a committee can be amended into another bill in another committee or on the House floor.

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