Fee-bill conference committee to add motor-vehicle language, will take two weeks of testimony

The conference committee on the fee bill told House colleagues that it will add proposed language to the bill’s miscellaneous motor-vehicle section and open two weeks of testimony before returning a strike‑all amendment, committee members said.

Committee members said the step responds to a suggestion from Senator White and is intended to allow additional testimony to shape the final language. "We are confident that we could add the language ... and take the testimony that we need over the next 2 weeks with a commitment from us to do that," Speaker 2, conference committee member, said.

The committee discussed preparing a strike‑all amendment to the Senate bill so the revised language will be considered in full when the conference reconvenes. "It's coming back, no matter what," Speaker 2 said, adding that testimony during the two‑week window could influence the draft.

Members also reviewed proposed edits to language about lease revenues from state‑owned railroad rights of way. Speaker 3, conference committee member, described a drafting change proposing to replace a plural reference to "the most recent fiscal years" with "the most recent fiscal year's lease revenues" and to remove the phrase "following types of" in favor of inserting "related" at the end of the clause. Speaker 3 said the phrasing "reads better." Speaker 1, conference committee member, identified the change as applying to the bill text around section numbering (participants referred to section 30 and section 37 during the review) and asked staff to confirm alignment in a side‑by‑side comparison.

Staffing and scheduling questions were raised. Speaker 2 said the committee assistant was present and aware of the plan and that scheduling of witnesses would be handled through that office, noting the committee assistant’s supervisor is the transportation committee assistant. "Our committee assistant is here and aware of and then has the, is gonna be working on the plan," Speaker 2 said.

Committee members reviewed a draft on paper, requested additional edits and a clean copy for signatures, and asked that editors remove highlights and renumber sections before final circulation. Speaker 3 said they would produce a comparison document and circulate an edited version for review. No formal motion or recorded vote was taken in the portion of the meeting covered by the transcript.

The committee also briefly confirmed that an item described as "additive" would leave existing statute language in place while adding the new provisions; a member summarized that the drafting was intended to be additive to the existing statute. Members concluded by agreeing to circulate the revised draft and to sign the final pages once edits were completed.