Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Foreign Adversary Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee OKs amendment dropping funding; directs Department of Emergency Services to report on foreign-adversary property risks
Summary
After working with the governor's office, the committee amended House Bill 1209 to remove funding and require the Department of Emergency Services to produce a written report for legislative management on properties vulnerable to foreign-adversary influence; the measure advanced unanimously among members present.
A House committee amended and unanimously advanced House Bill 1209 to require the Department of Emergency Services to produce a report identifying properties that could be subject to foreign-adversary influence, with the amendment removing an appropriation and setting the material as an exempt record.
Representative Olson, presenting the revised amendment, said the change "changes the title portion a little bit to really just say, requiring a legislative management report," and that "the funding is taken out entirely based on the testimony from the governor's office." The amendment replaced consultant references with the Department of Emergency Services and stated that the findings "must remain in the exclusive possession and under the control of the Department of Emergency Services and is an exempt record under chapter 44-04."
Why it matters: committee members said the governor's office told them the department could perform the analysis without outside consultants and recommended removing an appropriation. The bill now instructs the Department of Emergency Services to compile the analysis and submit it to legislative management with any recommendations for legislation.
Committee action: the committee voted to adopt the amendment on an 11-0 roll call with three members absent. Representative Tweed moved a "do pass as amended" recommendation, seconded by Representative Van Winkle; that motion also carried 11-0 with three absent. The committee discussed logistical steps to ensure legislative counsel incorporates the governor's office changes into the counsel system. Representative Schneider was later named the bill carrier.
Clarifying details included that the amended text makes the department—not an outside consultant—responsible for the report, and that the findings are to be exempt under chapter 44-04. The emergency clause in the original draft was removed, and the amendment retained the required report contents from the earlier bill text.
The committee did not attach any funding to the bill after the amendment; members said the governor's office advised the work could be completed in-house. The committee record shows the measure advancing to the next legislative stage with a do-pass recommendation and a bill carrier assigned.
