Representative Smith (Palermo) introduced a joint order on the House floor calling for the Legislature to remove the use of "concept drafts" from its process, saying the practice has reduced public transparency.

"The people of Maine think we are hiding something," Representative Smith said, arguing that concept drafts allow bills to appear "under the cloak of darkness" and that even when parameters were imposed the changes were not enough. She concluded, "Concept draft should be removed from the legislative process."

Representative Ben Moonen (Portland) asked that the order be referred to the joint rules committee rather than immediately enacted. Moonen said the joint rules committee previously voted unanimously to impose stricter deadlines and automatic-kill provisions for concept drafts if sponsors failed to provide language in time for public notice. "We had a unanimous vote in the joint rules committee to put some pretty serious restrictions on the use of concept drafts to place deadlines by which language has to be available in advance of public hearings so that the public can see what is being proposed in a bill and can testify accordingly," Moonen said.

Representative Greenwood (Wales) requested a roll call. The House complied and, following the roll call, the clerk announced: "72 having voted in the affirmative 66 in the negative. The motion prevails." The House therefore referred the joint order to the joint rules committee for consideration rather than adopting an outright repeal on the floor.

Members on the floor noted the joint rules committee has not yet set a date to meet on this item; Moonen said he had heard the Senate chair suggested "sometime mid session" but that no specific date was fixed. The referral sends the matter to the joint rules committee for its next steps, which may include drafting specific rule changes, setting deadlines for concept-draft language, or proposing a repeal.

The action is procedural: as referred, the proposed change will require committee work and any rule changes would be decided by the Legislature through the committee process.