Committee approves bill requiring biannual reports from state commissions and repeals dormant sepsis task force

The Public Policy Committee voted 9-0 to pass House Bill 1272 as amended, adopting new reporting requirements for state commissions, committees and boards and removing a sepsis treatment guidelines task force the Department of Health requested be repealed.

Sponsor comments said the bill implements findings of the summer study committee on local government and continues a multi-year review of commission, committee and board administration. The sponsor told the committee the Department of Health asked that the sepsis task force, created in 2019 and reported as having not met, be repealed because it no longer served a purpose.

Under the bill approved Wednesday, commissions, committees and boards must report biannually to the Legislative Council. Each report must contain official actions taken or actionable items considered during the preceding two years. The bill also directs that interim committees review those reports in even-numbered years. The sponsor also said the legislation includes an exit plan for an interstate rail passenger network compact, noting that this exit plan is for a compact with the same name but is distinct from another active compact with an identical name.

There was no public testimony on the bill. Committee discussion was limited to clarifying questions. The committee adopted the chair’s amendment (amendment 2), which removed the sepsis task force language at the Department of Health’s request, by unanimous consent before taking the final roll-call vote. The roll call recorded ayes from Senators Ron Alting (chair), Kyle Walker, Benita Becker, Justin Busch (recorded as Bush), Janelle, Randy Maxwell, Greg Walker, Jackson and Sarah Niezgotski; the bill passed 9 to 0.

The bill moves to the next stage in the legislative process with the reporting and compact-exit provisions in place; no implementation dates or funding sources were specified during the committee hearing.