Senate rules panel approves conference committee reports on teacher pay, curriculum, credit unions and other bills

The Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee on a procedural vote approved conference committee reports for seven bills, forwarding them with the committee's finding that proper Senate procedure was followed. The measures included changes to a teacher compensation bill, a provision on school curriculum and consent instruction that drew a split vote, revisions affecting credit union voting and consumer finance charges, a land-use annexation measure, and adjustments to state reporting for services for people with complex medical needs.

The committee chair opened the meeting by noting the panel's role is to confirm proper Senate procedure for conference committee reports, not to debate the substance of the bills. Several reports passed unanimously; one conference committee report passed by an 8-4 margin after members raised questions about statutory placement and possible conflicts with existing education code changes.

The most contested item, conference committee report number 1 for Senate Bill 442, was described by its sponsor as making three main changes: requiring instruction about the importance of consent to be age-appropriate, prohibiting school corporations from using curriculum materials that have not been approved by the governing body, and aligning a second written consent request with the first consent form. Senator Byrne summarized the provisions for the committee. Senator Hundley said he had concerns the House language inserted into the report could conflict with House Bill 1002 and with provisions in Title 20; he told the committee, "Those are two concerns I have that this seems to be in the wrong place in code and that this, seems to be in conflict with House Bill 1,002." The conference committee report for SB442 passed 8–4 after a roll call.

On Senate Bill 146, Senator Rogers presented the conference committee report as applying to the teacher-compensation measure. "What the conference committee report does, it removes the paid parental leave and it also removes the interstate teacher mobility compact. Both of those are for fiscal reasons," Rogers said, asking for the committee's support. The panel approved the conference committee report for SB146 by a 12–0 vote.

Other measures approved on unanimous or near-unanimous procedural votes included:

- Senate Bill 255 (conference committee report number 1): Sponsor Senator Deary said the report merged elements of the House and Senate versions and addressed three education matters; the committee approved the report 12–0.

- House Bill 1125 (conference committee report number 1): Senator Walker said the change adds one technical correction, allows credit unions to use absentee voting for mergers as they do for other items, and increases the nonrefundable prepaid finance charge for subordinate loans from 2% to 3%. The committee approved the report 12–0.

- Senate Bill 525 (conference committee report number 1): Senator Buck said the language was adapted from House Bill 1472, with clarifications to accommodate a noncontiguous annexation, removal of a roadway contingency and the addition of a one-mile buffer around the roadway; the committee approved the report 12–0. Senator Poe asked procedural questions about the practice of inserting House language into other bills; committee discussion noted that the chambers often treat concepts conceptually in conference committee work.

- House Bill 1689 (conference committee report number 1): Senator Good said the report reflects conversations with the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) and moves responsibility for some data collection and reporting to an advisory council within the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS). He said the advisory council includes family members of individuals with medically complex needs, providers and advocacy groups and that the change allows more flexibility in reporting timelines and directs the council to study other state models. The report passed 12–0.

Committee members moved and seconded each procedural action and the chair instructed roll calls for each report. The panel concluded its agenda and adjourned.

Votes at a glance: SB146 (conference report #1) — approved 12–0; SB255 (conference report #1) — approved 12–0; HB1125 (conference report #1) — approved 12–0; SB525 (conference report #1) — approved 12–0; SB442 (conference report #1) — approved 8–4; HB1689 (conference report #1) — approved 12–0. Details, including sections removed or added in each conference committee report, were presented by the sponsoring senators during the meeting.