House Environment and Transportation Committee declines to concur with Senate amendments to MDOT human-trafficking bill; names conference committee

The House Environment and Transportation Committee voted during a brief session to not concur with Senate amendments to House Bill 1, the Maryland Department of Transportation human-trafficking measure, saying the Senate changes would raise the bill's cost. The committee then named three delegates to a conference committee and moved to amend and pass the companion Senate bill, SB7.

Presiding member, House Environment and Transportation Committee, said the Senate's amendments "drive up the cost of the bill" and moved that the House not concur with those amendments. A second was acknowledged and the motion was decided by voice vote; all in favor said "aye," and no opposing voices were recorded in the transcript.

After the not-to-concur motion, the committee identified Delegates Stewart, Ziegler and Morgan as members of a conference committee, naming them as the designees to handle negotiations between the chambers. The presiding member then said the committee would "pass out the senate version, in the same form, SB7," moved the amendments, and the amendments were approved by voice vote. The record shows the presiding member called for the ayes and, after the voice votes, said the amendments passed and that the bill passed.

The transcript does not record roll-call vote counts, individual member votes, or additional debate on the substance of the bill beyond the presiding member's remark about cost. The record also does not include a speaker name for the person leading the meeting; the transcript identifies that speaker only by role.

The committee concluded the item and the presiding member closed the meeting with a brief lighthearted remark.