Committee advances SB 69 with amendments extending Rural Opportunity Zone benefits and adding optional local program choices

Senate Bill 69, which concerns Rural Opportunity Zones, was amended and advanced out of committee after senators approved two substantive changes: (1) authorizing county-level program options beyond student loan repayment to include down payment assistance and childcare reimbursement, and (2) expanding eligibility by changing a residency requirement from two years to three years for qualifying movers to eligible counties. The committee then passed the bill favorably as amended.