Conference committee amends membership for HB 328, keeps governor appointee nonvoting

A Committee of Conference on House Bill 328 agreed to change the conference committee’s membership so the seven voting members will consist of four members appointed by the House and three appointed by the Senate, and the governor’s designee will serve as a nonvoting member. The committee agreed to incorporate the amendment into the conference report.

The House appointments will include two members named by the Speaker and one member each named by the chair and the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee. The Senate appointments will mirror that structure: the Senate President will name one member and the chair and ranking member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee will each name one member. The parties present said the Senate had previously proposed a 3–3 voting split plus a governor-selected voting member; the revised language makes the governor’s appointee nonvoting.

Committee members moved to accede to the Senate amendment as revised and indicated unanimous support; the amendment will be placed in the conference report. No formal roll-call vote or tally was recorded in the transcript excerpt; speakers confirmed a second and that they would “put this amendment in the report.”

Committee discussion also clarified that the change affects only section 1 of the Senate-amended bill. After agreeing on the amendment language and appointment authorities, the committee chair closed the conference on HB 328 and advised members they would receive an email to sign off on the report.

The committee did not record additional substantive directives or new timelines for the commission’s work in the excerpted discussion.