Twenty members of the Senate are required for a quorum to vote on fiscal matters, and up until Wednesday, the collective bargaining provisions had been treated as fiscal. The contention that they are not was an abrupt about-face by GOP leaders, but that is what paved the way for Wednesday's vote. The conference committee separated items identified by the GOP leaders as non-fiscal and voted on them; the Senate approved the measure shortly thereafter.

The conference committee action was necessary to reconcile the bill with what the Assembly has already passed. That body will take up the legislation again Thursday.

Attorney Bob Dreps, an expert in open meetings and open records law, said the state's open meetings law requires 24 hours notice before any government meeting can be held. It allows for shorter notice for "good cause" only when it would be "impossible" or "impractical" to wait 24 hours. But even in those situations there must be a two-hour notice for an emergency meeting, he said.

Dreps said from what he could see, the Senate Republicans "didn't give valid notice."

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald responded to complaints by releasing a statement from Chief Senate Clerk Rob Marchant, who insisted no rules were broken.