To provide a continuity of study and action between sessions, interim joint committees are formed from the standing committees of both houses. For instance, the Education Committee of the Senate and the Education Committee of the House become the Interim Joint Committee on Education after the regular session.

Interim committees, besides discussing and studying issues in-depth, draft and approve bills for prefiling for the next regular session. This enables bills to be introduced at the beginning of the session and standing committees to become active immediately. All interim committees, which are actually subcommittees of the Legislative Research Commission (LRC), are open to the public and the press so the people have an opportunity to express views on areas the proposed legislation will affect.

Click here for more information on committees during interims.