COMMITTEE ON RULES
MINUTES: OCTOBER 13, 2004
Rules Committee MEMBERS: Chair: Young; Legislators: Oros, Ryan
IN ATTENDANCE: STAFF: Ochacher, Pérez
Meeting called to order by Chair Young at 9:45 a.m.
Legislator Ryan made a motion to approve the minutes of July 14, 2004. Seconded by Legislator Young. All in favor – Aye.
Chair Young stated that there is a need to finalize facility use rules for the 8th floor.
Legislator Ryan explained that there is a difference between groups asking to use the Board’s facilities for meeting purposes unrelated to the legislature and the Board of Legislators asking a group to be participants at an official Board meeting or function.
Legislator Ryan added that the use of the Chambers for Mock Legislature is part of the legislative process (public education) and therefore is an event to be conducted in the Chambers.
Legislator Ryan stated that at a COW meeting the County’s Departments of Emergency Services and Public Safety explained that for safety reasons the Rotunda should be used solely for access and egress to the Chambers.
Chair Young then stated that there should be no public use of the Chambers and no group use of the Rotunda under any circumstances, i.e. overflow seating, receptions, etc.
Legislator Oros inquired if the Rotunda would still be available to hold Press Conferences. Chair Young stated that any Legislator holding a Press Conference was under the definition of legislative process. However, the number of attendees needs to be determined for safety reasons.
Legislator Ryan mentioned that another concern with groups using the facility is the disruption of the work flow among staff members because of the noise created by attendees.
Legislator Oros clarified that in addition to the Mock Legislature, Legislators can hold special meetings with groups that they have invited to the facility.
Finally, Legislators Ryan, Young and Oros all agreed that the entire 8th floor should be off limits to “public use”, citing security and logistical concerns. With Mr. Ochacher’s input, they agreed that “public use” should be defined as independent solicitation of 8th floor facilities by groups or individuals unconnected to any ongoing legislative activity or without the explicit sponsorship of an individual legislator or legislators. The Rules Committee then directed outside counsel to prepare a second draft of the BOL Facility Use Rules to reflect this decision.
Legislator Ryan then proposed to create a special meritorious award to be presented from the Board to very special individuals. This will be discussed at a future meeting to develop criteria to be used.
Legislator Oros made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:15 a.m. Seconded by Legislator Young. All in favor – Aye.
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