Senate Bill 37, sponsored by the Department of Public Safety and presented on the Senate floor by Senator Melhoff, passed with the two‑thirds majority required to make permanent a previously enacted increase in the state’s 911 surcharge and to change the annual reporting period to align with most local governments’ calendar years.

Melhoff said the bill “does two things”: it revises the reporting period for the 911 coordination board so municipal and county reports align with their calendar fiscal years, and it removes a sunset clause on the surcharge that had raised the fee from $1.25 to $2. “That ensures that they get more accurate reporting to that committee,” Melhoff said, and removing the sunset will keep the $2 fee in place until the Legislature decides otherwise.

Senator Perry added floor remarks stressing the importance of 911 services to public safety, saying, “I support this bill, not just a little bit, but a 100%.” The Senate recorded final passage by roll call, 33 ayes and 2 nays, meeting the two‑thirds threshold required for the provision that removes the fee’s sunset.

On the floor, Melhoff described the administrative rationale: earlier reporting requirements split data across fiscal years, complicating municipal reporting. The amendment in the bill aligns reporting with the calendar year used by many municipalities and counties, which proponents said will produce clearer, more accurate annual reports to the Government Operations and Audit Committee (GOAC). The measure also maintains the current $2 per line surcharge established in the prior session by removing the temporary sunset.

Senate Bill 37 will proceed under the Legislature’s process for enactment. No separate appropriation was discussed on the floor during the second‑reading debate.