December 5, 2011 To All Senators, Representatives, Staff, Lobbyists, and members of the public

RE: Dual Introduced Identical Bills In preparation for the upcoming Second Regular Session, we would like to forego the practice of introducing identical bills in the House and the Senate. We understand it is considered a fast track method for substitution in the opposite chamber, but it will result in a bill being further assigned to the appropriate committee when the bill crosses over and this creates redundancy in the process. We strongly encourage the Committee Chairs to coordinate on key legislative priorities and identify which sponsor and chamber will initiate the measure. We recognize there will be instances where agreements may not be made in this regard, and many issues have multiple advocates, but please make every effort to avoid dual introduction.

On a similar note, we encourage you to be conservative in the overall number of bills you introduce. The success of legislation is dependant on the commitment of its sponsor. Our goal is to continue to work within the legislative timelines and conclude our business in an efficient manner. We intend to work with all of you to facilitate that outcome.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with all of you. Regards, STEVE PIERCE Senate President-elect ANDY TOBIN Speaker of the House