"I take some pride in how I've run other committees up here," said Urquhart, who was first elected in 2000. "I like to protect all members' rights — we are all elected, Republicans and Democrats, by constituents."

Said Biskupski, "I hope we can even get some of (the Democrats') ethics bills out soon. I certainly hope this (way of operating) runs right through the end of the session."

The heavy work of both the House and Senate Rules Committees comes in the legislative session's last week or so, when the floor calendars are wiped clean and the Rules Committees pick which bills come out before the session ends at midnight Feb. 28.

"I hope to use this approach up to the end" of the session, said Urquhart. "But will the wheels fall off" and committee members fall back to partisan bickering? "We'll see."

The new arrangement, while more fair and efficient, also requires more attention by the committee members.

"I joked with Steve that he was going to work us to death," said Hendrickson, a conservative Democrat who has a history of working well with the Republican majority.

Rep. Kevin Garn, R-Layton, is a new GOP rules member who previously served in GOP House leadership. At the end of one rules meeting, Urquhart asked that each committee member recommend four bills for consideration at the next day's meeting.

Garn joked in the next rules meeting that he couldn't even find four bills that were worthy of a public hearing. Yet the House Rules Committee has pushed out upwards of 200 bills for public consideration, said Urquhart.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com