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Committee adopts amendments to Senate Bill 50; bill routed to Appropriations
Summary
The committee approved two technical amendments to Senate Bill 50 — L6, which applies the measure to the state and adds the Department of Education to covered agencies, and L7, which preserves a federal "Manassa" checkbox as a subcategory of "other" — and voted to send the bill to the Appropriations Committee with a favorable recommendation.
Senators on the Senate Committee on State, Veterans and Military Affairs approved two amendments to Senate Bill 50 and voted to send the bill to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation.
Senator Giudette, the bill sponsor, told the committee the two amendments substantially reduced the fiscal note. She said amendment L6 "applies the bill to the state" and added the Department of Education to the list of covered agencies so those changes were reflected in the fiscal note. Senator Joe explained amendment L7 would preserve an existing federal "Manassa" checkbox by making it a subcategory of "other," so Manassa would still be captured even if voters or forms used the broader "other" label.
The committee took a voice roll on the amendments. Chair and committee members raised no objections and the panel adopted both L6 and L7. After debate concluded the committee moved the amended bill to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation; the clerk recorded the vote as 3 to 1 in favor and noted members absent or excused for the roll call. No further amendments were offered.
Senator Giudette closed by saying the changes give people who "identify from the Menassa region a chance to be counted and seen and heard." The transcript shows the committee determined work remained on the fiscal side but that routing remained to Appropriations.
No witnesses or outside proponents provided extended testimony on SB50 during the recorded segment. The committee's action was limited to adopting the two sponsor amendments and forwarding the bill to the next fiscal committee.
