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Senate pauses bill that would bar class actions against Department of Revenue; author to revise language
Summary
Senate discussion of House Bill 416 (prohibiting class actions against the Department of Revenue and Office of Debt Recovery) centered on whether the language would affect pending lawsuits. After questions from senators, the item was returned to the calendar so the sponsor could work with the author on revised language.
Senate consideration of House Bill 416 drew sustained questions on June 2, 2025. The bill would prohibit certain class actions against the Department of Revenue and the Office of Debt Recovery related to tax enforcement and adjudication procedures.
Senator Morris explained the bill’s purpose as preventing costly class action litigation that had failed to produce recoveries because classes historically had not been certified. Several colleagues asked whether the bill would affect pending litigation and whether it would apply retroactively.
Senator Luna and Senator Carter pressed the sponsor on specific language in the draft, particularly a clause stating that “no class action shall be brought or maintained against the secretary of the Department of Revenue,” which colleagues worried could impair ongoing certified or uncertified cases and deny relief to taxpayers who had relied on class actions.
The sponsor did not have authority to adjust the author’s text on the floor. Senators agreed to return the bill to the calendar to allow the sponsor and the author to meet and consider amended language that would preserve taxpayers’ rights in pending matters and address the concerns raised on the floor. The item was temporarily passed and will be taken up again after the author and interested senators have conferred.
