Senate committee adopts A1 amendment to Senate File 2781 and refers bill to finance committee

The Senate Committee on Environment, Climate and Legacy on May 1 adopted the A1 author amendment to Senate File 2781, recommended the bill as amended and referred it to the Senate Finance Committee, the committee chair announced during a meeting that began at 8:44 a.m. and concluded by the committee’s announced 9 a.m. hard stop.

The action restored policy language the committee had previously discussed. “I move that the A1 amendment to Senate File 2781 be adopted,” the committee chair said before a voice vote. After the chair called for the ayes, the chair recorded, “Aye. Opposed? No,” and the motion was declared prevailed.

The committee then moved to recommend the bill as amended and to refer it to the Senate Finance Committee, with the additional instruction that nonpartisan staff be allowed to make technical changes. The chair moved the referral and recorded the voice vote as in favor; the motion prevailed.

Committee members were urged not to offer amendments or give verbal testimony during the meeting. The chair said staff would accept written testimony submitted to the chair’s office. The chair also reminded members that the meeting had a strict stop time of 9 a.m.

No roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript and no individual members were named during the motions. The committee’s actions in the meeting transcript were limited to adopting the A1 amendment, recommending Senate File 2781 as amended, and referring the measure to the Senate Finance Committee with technical-change authority for nonpartisan staff.

Next steps recorded in the meeting were the referral to the Senate Finance Committee and prep for floor consideration with the A1 language in place; no dates for further committee action or floor scheduling were stated in the transcript.