Economic Matters committee moves a package of bills on consent and concurrences; several bills amended or held

The Economic Matters Committee considered a long list of bills on the agenda and disposed of many by consent or concurrence, with a small number held for fixes or additional review.

Consent calendar and alcohol bills: The committee moved a consent calendar (voting list number 18) that included a set of alcohol-related bills, with the exceptions of Senate Bill 662 and Senate Bill 972, which were pulled because they had amendments. The motion to move the consent calendar passed by voice vote with all present voting in favor.

Other actions and concurrences: Several bills were amended and moved as noted in the record: - Senate Bill 561 (electric cooperative nonissued capital credits): A committee amendment clarified that accumulation of credits may only start from the cooperative’s date of incorporation in the state; the motion to move the bill as amended passed by voice vote. - Senate Bill 834 (vehicle dealer website pricing): The committee considered amendments allowing manufacturers or distributors to require dealers to include freight or dealer processing charges in online prices and protect dealers from adverse action for disclosing manufacturer minimum advertised prices. The committee moved this bill forward; the transcript records both yes and no votes during the roll call. - Senate Bill 844 (self-service storage lease-sale notices): The motion was favorable and passed by voice vote. - Senate Bill 901 (extended producer responsibility for packaging and paper products): The committee considered amendments clarifying definitions and policing for bottle-deposit programs; the bill drew a split vote (the transcript notes an 18–4 vote in a referenced committee and the Economic Matters committee later decided to hold this bill after discussion).

Concurrences (House bills with Senate amendments): The committee voted to concur on multiple house bills where the senate amendments were largely conforming, including House Bill 15 (limited worker cooperative associations), House Bill 1018 (mortgage disclosure/assumption), House Bill 1335 (Caroline County special-event licenses), and House Bill 1516 (consumer credit licensing). The committee recorded “all present voted in concurrence” for those items when noted in the transcript.

Bills held or deferred: The committee held several items for fixes or additional work, including the earlier-discussed House Bill 1241 (electronic smoking devices) and at least one bill where members said they would "hold this bill for a fix so Pam's listening." The production-responsibility bill (Senate Bill 901) was also noted as held after a split.

Why it matters: The consent calendar advances many local and regulatory items quickly; the held bills identify measures where further stakeholder engagement or technical fixes are needed.

What to watch next: Committee staff and sponsors will circulate amendments and clarifications; floor-leader assignments and further action were discussed for the next legislative day.