Senate committee of the whole adopts amendments and returns multiple bills as amended

The Idaho Senate's committee of the whole on March 7 adopted a package of amendments to multiple bills and returned those measures to the Senate calendar as amended without recommendation.

The committee considered amendments to House Bill 16 (an amendment adding a liability and personal-injury insurance requirement and excluding professional fighters), House Bill 146 (adjusting timing and technical language at industry request for wind-energy mitigation features), Senate Bill 11-11 (technical stakeholder-driven changes in a consumer protection measure), Senate Bill 10-64 (definition and time-frame clarifications relating to cloud seeding), and Senate Bill 11-24 (clarifications to public input and emissions language for wildfire mitigation standards). Sponsors and committee members said the changes were developed with stakeholders and described as technical or clarifying rather than policy overhauls.

"The amendments just add a requirement for liability and personal injury policy and to make provision not to apply this to professional fighters," said Senator Zito during debate on the House Bill 16 amendment. Senator Nichols and others described their amendments as stakeholder-driven adjustments to definitions and time frames.

Because the committee returned the bills "as amended without recommendation," the measures will advance to the Senate second-reading calendar and the amendments will be printed for the record. Several senators moved that their committees report the measures as amended without recommendation; those motions carried by voice vote.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 16 (as amended): Amendment to Section 1 (insurance/exemption for professional fighters) — Moved by Senator Zito; seconded by Senator Coole; amendment adopted. Committee motion to return HB16 as amended without recommendation — moved by Senator Taze; seconded; motion passed.

- Senate Bill 11-11 (as amended): Amendment replacing a section with stakeholder-suggested language — Moved by Senator O'Connorowitz; seconded by Senator Nichols; amendment adopted. Committee motion to return SB 11-11 as amended without recommendation — moved by Senator Toews; seconded; motion passed.

- Senate Bill 10-64 (as amended): Multiple amendments to sections 2 and 3 adjusting definitions and timeframes — Moved by Senator Nichols; seconded by Senator Cole; amendments adopted. Committee motion to return SB 10-64 as amended without recommendation — moved by Senator Taives; seconded; motion passed.

- House Bill 146 (as amended): Amendment to Section 1 adjusting timing requested by industry — Moved by Senator Van Orden; seconded; amendment adopted. Committee motion to return HB146 as amended without recommendation — moved by Senator Toews; seconded; motion passed.

- Senate Bill 11-24 (as amended): Amendments adding clarity to public input, removing a narrow exception, and clarifying emissions wording — Moved by Senator Woodward; seconded by Senator Denhart Hogg; amendment adopted. Committee motion to return SB 11-24 as amended without recommendation — moved by Senator Toews; seconded; motion passed.

What changed and what happens next

Committee speakers repeatedly characterized the amendments as technical or stakeholder-driven: they adjusted time frames, clarified language, removed or tweaked exceptions, and added definitions. Because the committee returned these bills "as amended without recommendation," they were later filed for first reading (engrossed/printed where applicable) and scheduled for second reading on the twelfth order of business, per the Senate calendar.

The committee of the whole proceedings were conducted by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript. Amendments will be printed and included with the bills as they move forward. The Senate clerk will refer engrossed amendments and printed amendments to Judiciary and Rules for processing before the measures proceed.

Background

The committee of the whole is a Senate proceeding in which the full chamber sits as a committee to consider amendments before returning measures to the calendar. The items considered on March 7 had already been reported out of standing committees; the committee of the whole considered and adopted technical and stakeholder-suggested amendments, then returned the measures to the legislative calendar.

Less-critical items from the committee of the whole — additional bills listed for further consideration — retained their place on the calendar for future action.