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Senate panel amends grocery grant language, cuts appropriation to $5 million and advances bill
Summary
The Senate appropriations subcommittee amended Senate Bill 2390 to add an explicit rural grocery-store purpose, cap grants at $500,000, require 50 percent of funds for communities with fewer than 1,000 residents, reduce the appropriation from $30 million to $5 million, and advanced the bill to the next committee step.
The Senate appropriations Government Operations Division amended Senate Bill 2390 on changes to regional grant authority, adding language to allow grants “for the purpose of preserving or reopening rural grocery stores in a rural community,” capping individual awards at $500,000 and reducing the bill’s appropriation from $30,000,000 to $5,000,000. Committee members also approved language requiring 50 percent of available monies be allocated to communities with populations under 1,000.
The changes were presented and moved by Senator Dwyer, who said he would "make a motion to amend and then a motion to further amend," and were explained in detail by Levi, staff, who told the committee: "When the bill was introduced, that was after the introduction deadline for appropriations. So the only thing that could be added to the bill at that time was a transfer section. If the bill is to continue an appropriation would need to be added." Carol, the committee clerk, conducted the roll calls during the recorded votes.
Why it matters: The amendments narrow the grant program to explicitly include rural grocery preservation and change the program’s size and distribution. The reduction in the appropriation and the requirement that half of funds go to communities under 1,000 materially change how and where the grants could be awarded if the bill becomes law.
Details of the amendments and process: The committee removed a statutory definition of “minority group” from the bill on grounds it did not fit the regional councils’ mission; added the rural grocery-store purpose; set individual grant maximums at $500,000; and limited allowable expenses for certain line items to travel, per diem and related expenses. A further amendment removed a sentence on page 4 that committee members said was redundant after other expense limits were inserted. Senator Brookhart seconded the motion to remove that sentence.
The chair asked for a motion for a "due pass as amended," which was moved by Senator Dwyer and seconded by Senator Eberly. The committee then recorded its vote and the bill was advanced from the subcommittee as amended.
Votes and formal actions taken (in committee): - Motion to adopt amendments (LC 02/2002) — mover: Senator Dwyer; second: Senator Eberly. Motion approved by roll call; the bill was left in amended form. - Motion to further amend (LC 02/2003) — mover: Senator Dwyer; second: Senator Brookhart. Motion carries on recorded roll call. - Motion for due pass as amended — mover: Senator Dwyer; second: Senator Eberly. Committee gave the bill a favorable recommendation and advanced it.
Next steps: With the subcommittee’s recommendation, the amended bill will appear before the full appropriations committee. Committee discussion noted the bill’s relationship to other pending rural-development proposals and that duplicative funding lines (if present elsewhere) will need to be reconciled before final passage.
