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Subcommittee reviews SB 8 fee bill; staff say most regulatory fees repeat annually
Summary
Staff described two categories of fees in SB 8 and flagged a small number of proposed changes for 2025, including a large placeholder number for a museum sales projection and modest adjustments tied to inflation or eliminated services.
The Economic and Community Development Appropriations Subcommittee heard staff presentations on the annual fee bill, SB 8, during its Feb. 5 meeting.
Gary Sipes, a committee staff member, told the panel there are two categories of fees: those set in statute (which require a separate policy bill to change) and regulatory fees included in the annual fee bill that agencies may adjust by administrative rule. "There are 2 categories of fees, fees that are in statute, that you'd have to actually run a specific policy bill to change," Sipes said. He described the regulatory fees as the ones the committee reviews and votes on each year.
Program analyst Joshua (Josh) summarized agency-specific changes planned this year. He said the Office of Museum Services (CCE) included a placeholder one‑time $15,000,000 revenue figure tied to an anticipated retail/store operation for a museum; staff described that amount as an initial, high estimate that would be reduced as agencies refine projections. Josh also described modest increases at the Department of Workforce Services for booth fees and a small fee reduction at the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement for services such as faxing, which the agency says are largely obsolete.
The subcommittee did not take a formal vote on the fee bill during the presentation; staff described the process the committee will follow to review and then approve regulatory fees in SB 8. Committee chairs and members asked few clarifying questions during the presentation and moved on to RFA presentations on the agenda.
The fee bill coverage identifies where fees appear in the printed bill (SB 8, starting at page 234). Staff repeatedly emphasized that statutory fees (for example, a concealed weapons permit fee) are not changed through the annual fee bill and require separate legislation.
A final committee review and vote on SB 8's regulatory fees will follow the staff briefings and agency justification materials that the subcommittee will continue to consider in this appropriations cycle.
