I always question what "last minute" really means in these stories. Usually, when i go and look up the legislative calendar, the committee was scheduled to meet and do mark up of that bill, well in advance. So it usually not "last minute" in that sense, only in the sense that "it happened before the vote".

There have been cases where the committee meeting/etc was scheduled last minute, but that's super-rare (and not allowed in a lot of legislatures, actually).

Here, i believe it was scheduled a week ahead of time, from the data i can find.

These change were, from what I'm gathering, introduced the night before the vote. That's pretty last minute.

DannyBee said the amendments were approved 8-0, so presumably that doesn't make them "secretive", nor is it questionable why they are legal: Everyone who is supposed to vote on those amendments did. In favor.

> DannyBee said the amendments were approved 8-0, so presumably that doesn't make them "secretive"

Just because the people who are required to vote on something know about it doesn't mean they are not secret or "secretive." This is the public's business.

> nor is it questionable why they are legal: Everyone who is supposed to vote on those amendments did. In favor.

There are frequently other considerations in whether something is legal than whether the people who needed to vote on it voted for it.

I know, but I'm pretty sure that's what the OP was referring to.