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Heated hearing on $2 device excise for digital equity; business groups oppose, education and community groups support

2333123 · February 18, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

House Bill 15 17, proposing a $2 excise on qualifying smart wireless devices to fund digital equity programs, generated heavy testimony in House Finance on Feb. 18 with robust support from community groups and opposition from retailers and industry groups.

House Bill 15 17 drew a large, contested public hearing in House Finance on Feb. 18. The proposed substitute would impose a $2 excise tax on retail sales of smart wireless devices with a selling price of $250 or more, with proceeds deposited into the state’s Digital Equity Account. The substitute designates that 30% of revenue be transferred quarterly into a newly created learning device and technology account for device and technology grants; remaining funds would support the Digital Equity Opportunity and Planning…

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