Senate Finance Committee fixes drafting error, recommends Senate Bill 5 'do pass' 9-1

The Senate Finance Committee adopted an amendment correcting a drafting error and voted to recommend Senate Bill 5 for passage, the committee clerk reported.

Committee members said the error occurred when one amendment inadvertently included language from Senator Lanier's amendment, causing the same change to appear twice. The committee adopted a correcting amendment and then recorded a committee recommendation of "do pass," 9 in the affirmative and 1 in the negative.

The correction drew brief comments from members. Senator Coppell, a committee member, called the change "a friendly amendment," and thanked the chair and staff for pulling the committee back together to correct the drafting problem. Committee members also noted staff assistance and the arrival of a staff member named Elaine, who provided the revised amendment for distribution prior to the vote.

On the motions, the clerk recorded a motion to adopt the amendment and a subsequent motion reported as moved by Senator Brent and seconded by Senator Gonzales. The committee roll call included recorded votes: Senators Brent, Campos, Gonzales, Lanier, Padilla, Steinborn, Tobiasen, Trujillo and Munoz voted yes; Senator Woods voted no. The clerk announced the result as "do pass 9 in the affirmative, 1 in the negative." The committee did not record any abstentions in that tally.

Members discussed scheduling after the vote; the committee agreed to meet Saturday at 11 a.m. to prepare for the floor calendar, with the full Senate expected to convene at 1 p.m.

The action on Senate Bill 5 in the finance committee was procedural: committee members corrected a drafting error in an amendment before issuing the committee recommendation. No final Senate passage occurred at this meeting.