Panel directs legislative counsel to draft Commerce grant language for regional implementation program

Senator Dwyer asked the committee to add policy language to House Bill 15‑24 authorizing the Department of Commerce to award grants to regional development councils or other local entities to implement state‑authorized programs, including housing, workforce, rural catalyst and local food/grocery initiatives.

Nut graf: The committee supported drafting a statutory amendment to place grant authority in the Commerce chapter of the Century Code and asked legislative counsel to prepare language; funding was left for conference committee consideration.

Dwyer’s proposed language stated the Commerce Department “may award grants to regional development councils or other local entities to support local and regional implementation of state authorized programs and initiatives, including housing, workforce, rural catalyst, local food and grocery.” He told the committee the policy is a directive to Commerce and that actual funding, if any, should be decided in the commerce budget conference process.

Legislative counsel (Grant) and staff (Levi) confirmed the provision could be added either to the commerce code chapter or the regional planning chapter; the committee favored putting it in the Commerce chapter so authority is clearly directed to the department. Committee members discussed whether to specify an appropriation amount now; several members preferred adding policy authority and deciding funding during the commerce budget conference to avoid jeopardizing passage.

Ending: The committee asked legislative counsel to draft the proposed amendment and to return with formal language (Grama) in time for committee action next Monday; the question of whether to include an appropriation was deferred to conference committee negotiations.