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Committee advances bill to update hazardous chemical reporting fees; director given authority to adjust with notice
Summary
Senate Bill 2,082 would raise long‑unchanged fees tied to the HazConnect chemical inventory system, update licensing and fund local emergency planning committees; the committee unanimously recommended a due‑pass after hearing that fees had not been raised since 1991.
The Appropriations Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 2,082, which would increase fees tied to hazardous chemical reporting and support the HazConnect data system used by emergency managers and fire departments.
Why it matters: The fee schedule for hazardous chemical reporting has not been updated since 1991, committee staff and witnesses said. The bill would allow the director of the relevant division to adjust fees with at least one year’s notice and includes language to distribute about half the revenue to counties for local hazardous chemical response and training.
Jeff Thompson, hazardous chemical officer for the Department of Emergency Services, told the committee the fee has not increased since 1991 and that, if adjusted for inflation, the per‑chemical fee would be substantially higher than the current $25. He said the funds pay for the HazConnect licensing and for the state’s portion of tracking spills and inventory data shared among four agencies: Agriculture, DEQ, the Oil and Gas division in Mineral Resources, and Emergency Services.
The committee discussed whether delegating fee‑setting authority to the director was appropriate; Thompson said the delegation, combined with a one‑year notice period and a ceiling in statute, was intended to avoid ad hoc large increases and to remove the need to come back to the legislature frequently for modest inflation adjustments.
The committee voted and the due‑pass recommendation passed 14–1–1.
Next steps: The bill will move forward with a committee recommendation; committee members asked staff to note the appropriation and fiscal note when it proceeds to the floor.
