Campaign and Candidates Subcommittee

Tuesday, January 27, 2026·59m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Campaign and Candidates Subcommittee tabled a bill that would have exempted lobbyists from reporting meals with cross-party legislators (HB 620, four to three), advanced a bill easing same-day large-contribution reporting deadlines (HB 1348, six to one), and sent two bills by for the day pending further work, while a fifth bill went by due to patron absence.

Key Actions

·HB 868 – Patron Absent, Goes By for the DayNo Vote

+ 3 more actions

Controversies

HB 620 — Whether exempting cross-party lobbyist meals is the right approach to restoring legislative camaraderie

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr. argued the bill was necessary to restore 'cross pollination' between parties lost since current rules came into effect around 2016. [UNCLEAR SPELLING] Carlson moved to table, stating: 'I appreciate the idea and concept. I just don't think this is the right way to get there.'

+ 5 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“We go to our own little echo chamber and you never get any cross pollination. So I've tried to figure out a way to solve some of this.”
Robert S. Bloxom, Are — Bloxom, Jr. was explaining the purpose of HB 620, which would exempt lobbyists from reporting meals up to $200 when members of two different parties are present, as a way to restore cross-party interaction among legislators.

+ 4 more quotes

Votes

HB 868 – Go by for the dayPassed

HB 620 – Motion to tablePassed

HB 1348 – Report from committeePassed

HB 1185 – Go by for the dayPassed

HB 1150 – Go by for the dayPassed

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TranscriptPreview

Come to order. The committee will go. At ease. The committee will come back to order. Alrighty. We will go ahead and take attendance. Clerk, please open roll. All righty. Madam Clerk, please close the roll. Looks like we have a quorum for administrative actions. We can go ahead and take care of this. House Bill 868, patron by delegate Cousins. She asked for it to go by for the day. Is there a motion? I hear motion and a second. This is a voice vote. All in favor? Aye. All opposed? All right, that bill goes by for the day. So up next, we have House Bill 620 by Delegate Bloxham. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. All right. This is the second year I brought this bill. Last year, I just kind of threw it out because I saw in the General assembly the camaraderie disappearing. So I said, well, you know, we need to do something. And this is cross pollination is what I'm talking about. Republicans and Democrats. When I first got up here, a lobbyist would take out a group of legislators, it might be the subcommittee, and just go out…

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