In a welcome update to the Legislature’s conference committee process, each committee’s lead House chairperson is now required to clearly summarize the purpose and content of a bill before the vote is taken.

That improvement is spelled out by House Speaker Scott Saiki in a Monday memo to House members, as conferences occur in earnest over the next week-plus. The purpose of the new protocol is to reasonably inform committee conferees, as well as the general public, of the content of the measure being voted upon. Anyone who’s seen the sometimes opaque and confusing committees in action will appreciate this move toward more transparency and clarity.