Several conference committee measures rolled to reconvene April 25; managers cite pending releases

A number of conference committee items were deferred for further work and a reconvened session after managers said they lacked necessary committee releases or agreement on language.

At the April 24 meeting in Conference Room 224, managers repeatedly asked to “roll” measures to the next day at 1:30 p.m. and cited the need for Ways and Means or Finance release on several items. Measures explicitly deferred included a renewable gas tariff bill (identified in the session as Senate Bill 1220), SB 1500 SD2 HD1 (electric utilities), HB 850 HD1 SD1 (electronic meetings/voting for condominiums), SB 825 SD2 HD2 (eviction mediation), SB 1044/related property insurance stabilization measures, SB 1367 (installment loans with discussion of a $1 converted fee and a possible five-year sunset), and others for which managers said a CD1 had been drafted but release was pending.

Managers noted they had distributed proposed CD1 language in several cases but that committee releases remained outstanding. In other cases, managers said they were still negotiating specific drafting points and recommended rolling the items to allow time to finish technical edits and secure the appropriate committee releases.

Why it matters

Rolling measures preserves the opportunity for further negotiation and for required committee releases (for example, Ways and Means or Finance) before a conference vote. Some deferred items include consumer-facing topics (eviction mediation, property insurance stabilization, installment loan fees and terms, and renewable energy tariff provisions) that could have regulatory or financial effects if enacted. Managers agreed to reconvene in Conference Room 224 at 1:30 p.m. the following day to resume consideration.

Details from the meeting

- Renewable gas tariffs (Senate Bill 1220): Managers said the measure lacked senate-side quorum for the moment and asked to roll it to the next day at 1:30 p.m. - SB 1500 SD2 HD1 (electric utilities): Managers said no quorum was present and requested to roll it to the next day at 1:30 p.m. - HB 850 HD1 SD1 (condominium electronic meetings/electronic voting): Managers said agreement was unlikely this session and recommended deferral to next year or to future consideration; conference managers agreed to defer the measure. - SB 825 SD2 HD2 (eviction mediation): Managers reported agreement on CD1 but still awaited Ways and Means and finance committee release; they asked to defer to the next day. - SB 1367 (installment loans): Managers discussed a conversion of a fee to $1 and a possible five-year sunset; they reported waiting for CD distribution and asked to roll the measure.

Next steps

Managers scheduled reconvening at 1:30 p.m. in Conference Room 224 to address the deferred measures and any outstanding committee releases. Several managers emphasized that distribution of a CD1 and formal committee release (Ways and Means/Finance) are conditions for floor action in the conference committee.