The House State Administration Committee approved five agency bills on executive action on Tuesday, advancing measures to adopt the most recent Uniform Code of Military Justice, remove a 15-day pay limit for enlisted National Guard members during emergencies, transfer supervision of the Veterans Affairs Division administrator to the Adjutant General, implement an automatic return process for unclaimed property under $1,000, and allow opt-in electronic communications for certain Department of Revenue notices.

Rebecca Power, committee staff, summarized each bill for committee members during the session. On House Bill 66, Power said, "This is a bill that they bring each session, and it adopts the most recent version of the Federal Uniform Code of Military Justice. And they indicated that there was no there's no fiscal note, no fiscal impact. Madam Chair." The committee approved HB 66 by voice vote and moved it to the floor.

On House Bill 72, an agency bill carried by the Department of Military Affairs, Power said the measure "creates pay parity between National Guard members and state employees who are working together during emergencies" by removing a 15-day limit so Guard members would not need a break in service to receive the same pay. Representative Byrne clarified during discussion: "It's only for the enlisted side. It does not include the officers." The committee approved HB 72 by voice vote.

House Bill 81, carried by Representative Bertolio and presented by committee staff, would move "the supervision of the administrator of the Veterans Affairs Division from the Board of Veterans Affairs to the Adjutant General," aligning the supervisory structure with other department heads, Power said. Chair Darling commented, "I think it's a great idea, and it's probably long overdue." The committee approved HB 81 by voice vote.

House Bill 88, an agency bill from the Department of Revenue, would implement an automatic return process for unclaimed property valued under $1,000. Power told the committee the threshold and process are consistent with other states' practices. The committee approved HB 88 by voice vote.

House Bill 91, another Department of Revenue agency bill, would allow people to opt into electronic communications for certain communications, with staff saying existing programming can support the change and there would be little to no fiscal impact. The committee approved HB 91 by voice vote.

Votes at a glance

- HB 66 (Department of Military Affairs; adopts most recent Uniform Code of Military Justice): Approved by voice vote; moved to the floor. Motion to pass moved by Representative Portillo.
- HB 72 (Department of Military Affairs; removes 15-day limit for National Guard enlisted pay parity): Approved by voice vote. Motion to pass moved by Vice Chair Bertolio. Representative Byrne said the change applies only to enlisted personnel.
- HB 81 (Department of Military Affairs; moves Veterans Affairs Division administrator supervision to the Adjutant General): Approved by voice vote. Motion to pass moved by Representative Bertolio.
- HB 88 (Department of Revenue; automatic return process for unclaimed property under $1,000): Approved by voice vote. Motion to pass moved by a committee member (not specified in transcript).
- HB 91 (Department of Revenue; allows opt-in electronic communications): Approved by voice vote. Motion to pass moved by a committee member (not specified in transcript).

All five bills were approved by voice vote; no roll-call tallies or proxy votes were recorded in the committee transcript.

The committee ended the session with scheduling notes. Chair Darling outlined upcoming items and said the committee would try to hold executive action on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and handle bills with amendments on Fridays. She also announced a MARA presentation at 9 a.m. the next day and said two bills (120 and 152) were on that agenda.