Section 1. There shall be the following standing committees which
shall serve and shall continue throughout the year:

To consist of thirty-seven Senators:

Finance

To consist of twenty-five Senators:

Rules

To consist of twenty-three Senators:

Judiciary

To consist of nineteen Senators:

Banks

Transportation

Education

Higher Education

Insurance

To consist of seventeen Senators:

Health

To consist of sixteen Senators:

Codes

Labor

To consist of thirteen Senators:

Crime Victims, Crime and Correction

Environmental Conservation

Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation

Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs

To consist of eleven Senators:

Aging

Civil Service and Pensions

Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business

Energy and Telecommunications

Agriculture

Consumer Protection

Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

Racing, Gaming and Wagering

To consist of nine Senators:

Elections

Housing, Construction and Community Development

Infrastructure and Capital Investment

Investigations and Government Operations

Local Government

To consist of six Senators:

Children and Families

Cities

Corporations, Authorities and Commissions

Ethics

Social Services

Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

a. The Republican Conference Leader, the Democratic Conference Leader
and the Independent Democratic Conference Leader and their Deputies
shall be nonvoting ex-officio members of all standing committees of the
Senate of which they are not actual members. As far as practicable,
Senators shall be appointed to no more than seven standing committees.

b. Term limits for chairs and ranking members. No chair or ranking
member of a committee shall serve in such capacity longer than eight
consecutive years.

c. Conference membership of committees. The membership of all
committees, unless otherwise provided by the act or resolution creating
them, shall be composed, as nearly as may be, of Majority Coalition and
Democratic Conference members in the same proportion as the number of
Majority Coalition and Democratic Conference members in the Senate bears
to the total membership of the Senate.

For purposes of committee composition, in the event that the
proportion of Majority Coalition members would result in a fractional
amount, the number of Majority Coalition members shall be rounded up to
the next whole number. Furthermore, the total number of Independent
Democratic Conference members appointed to all committees shall be in
the same proportion, as nearly as may be, as the number of Independence
Democratic Conference members in the Senate bears to the total
membership of the Senate. Further, in the case of an excused absence of
any committee member on either the Finance or the Rules Committee, the
Conference Leaders may designate an alternate member of the conference
for meetings of standing committees provided written notice is provided
and accepted by the Majority Coalition Leaders at least one hour prior
to the commencement of such committee meeting.

d. The provisions of the opening paragraph of this section and
paragraph c of this section relative to the proportional membership on
committees as well as the specific number of members to comprise each
committee may be amended by resolution adopted by a majority of members
elected.