The House Finance Committee voted 9–3 to advance Senate Bill 309 to the Committee of the Whole after Representative Brown described the bill as a permissive statute allowing nonprofit organizations to place paid, nonpartisan science and engineering fellows with Legislative Council Staff (LCS).

Representative Brown told the committee the bill would create a longer‑term fellowship model like the one he entered, saying, “There’s no fees. I’ll start with that,” and that the statute would permit the director of legislative council staff, with appropriate approval, to “engage with nonpartisan entities to create a fellowship program.”

The bill would let nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations pay PhD or master’s‑level fellows to be housed with LCS while the nonprofit retains the pay responsibility. Brown said the Institute for Science and Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science has expressed interest but that the statute would be permissive and not limited to any single organization.

Representative Bradley pressed the sponsor on why the Legislature needed a statute to allow the program, saying on the record, “I just don’t understand why we need a bill for this.” Natalie Mullis of legislative council staff told the committee LCS asked for statutory authority so the elected leadership could provide an explicit covering for the program and to preserve nonpartisanship: “We asked for the authority of the elected official to provide a covering for us for this program.”

Committee members also asked about conflicts of interest and funding. Representative Camacho asked whether outside organizations paying fellows could create conflicts; Brown said he had “not encountered that” given the nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations involved and described the model as similar to his federal fellowship experience. Representative Stewart clarified that fellows would be paid by the nonprofit, not the state; Brown confirmed that.

After discussion and a closed witness phase with no testifiers, the vice chair moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; Representative Gonzales seconded. The committee roll call produced nine yes votes and three no votes, and the motion carried 9–3.

The measure, as presented, authorizes but does not require LCS to run a fellowship program. It does not appropriate state funds or establish a state‑funded position; payment would come from nonprofit organizations, and LCS would need to approve individual placements.

Next steps: Senate Bill 309 will go to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration.