Committee advances several bills in work sessions; votes sent multiple measures to the House floor

SALEM — After public hearings the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection held work sessions May 6 and advanced multiple Senate-origin measures to the House floor with due-pass recommendations.

Key actions taken in work sessions:

- Senate Bill 864A (landscape contractor bond): The committee moved SB 864A to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The measure would require licensed landscape contracting businesses to file a $20,000 surety bond or an irrevocable letter of credit with the State Landscape Contractors Board; the printed fiscal note described a minimal fiscal impact. Vice Chair Osborne moved the bill with a due-pass recommendation and the motion passed by roll call.

- Senate Bill 914A (lottery advertising): The committee advanced SB 914A with a due-pass recommendation. The bill would require billboard advertising that promotes lottery games to include a problem-gambling help statement and hotline phone number; proponents said the requirement aligns the message with warnings already provided on tickets and machines. Committee discussion included differing views on the effectiveness of billboard warnings; the motion passed and a committee member volunteered to carry the bill to the floor.

- Senate Bill 433A (self-service storage liens): The committee moved SB 433A to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The bill raises the value threshold for which owners must publish newspaper notice before disposing of liened personal property from $300 to $1,000, intended to reduce low-value newspaper-advertising costs to operators while preserving protections for higher-value units.

- Senate Bill 904 (self-insured employers): SB 904 was advanced with a due-pass recommendation. The bill adds school districts to the list of self-insured employers eligible to apply for exemptions from proof-of-financial-ability rules at the Department of Consumer and Business Services.

- Senate Bill 463A (insurance fund report): The committee adopted an amendment that extended a report due date to Jan. 31 and then advanced SB 463A as amended; the measure requires the Department of Administrative Services to report every even-numbered year to the Legislature on the condition and stability of the State’s insurance fund and contains an emergency clause.

- Senate Bill 831A (insurer group capital and liquidity reporting): The committee moved SB 831A with a due-pass recommendation. The measure requires entities that ultimately control an insurer to file a group capital calculation and—if they meet criteria—conduct a liquidity stress test and file results with the chief insurance regulatory official; it prohibits disclosure of some specified information and is operative Jan. 1, 2026.

Most work-session motions were moved by Vice Chair Osborne or the chair and passed on roll-call votes recorded on the committee record; several bills were assigned floor carriers and all were sent to the House floor for further action. Committee staff indicated minimal or no revenue impact for the advanced measures where fiscal notes were submitted.

Committee members asked for additional clarifications on narrow points (for example, the emergency clause on SB 463A and whether certain measures raise liability concerns for retailers or employers). The items advanced will next be scheduled for floor consideration by the full House.