Committee advances multiple bills to rules and the floor; votes recorded on several measures

The House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection on April 3 conducted a sequence of work sessions and recorded committee motions sending several bills either to the rules committee for additional work or to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation.

What the committee advanced: the committee moved House Bill 3,179 and House Bill 3,102 to the rules committee for further work; it approved House Bill 2,128 (travel insurance modernization), House Bill 3,533 (price disclosure for fees), House Bill 3,156 (utility-bill consumer contact information), and House Bill 2,971 (changes to capital/net worth rules for certain depository institutions) to the floor with committee recommendations or referrals as noted below.

Votes and procedure: multiple motions were made on the floor of the committee and each motion passed by roll-call or unanimous consent. Examples of recorded actions include:

- HB 3,179: Vice Chair Taichie moved the bill "without recommendation as to passage" and that it be referred to the Committee on Rules; the motion passed by roll call and the bill was referred to Rules.

- HB 3,102: Vice Chair Chai Chi moved HB 3,102 "without recommendation as to passage" and that it be referred to Rules and then to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference; the roll-call motion passed and the bill was referred accordingly.

- HB 2,128 (travel insurance): The committee adopted the dash-4 amendment (technical alignment with the NAIC model act) and then voted to send HB 2,128 as amended to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The committee recorded the bill as headed to the House floor and named Representative Wallen as the floor carrier.

- HB 3,533 (price disclosure): The committee adopted the dash-2 amendment (harmonize with California law; carve-outs for federally regulated sectors and broadband providers), then voted to send the bill as amended to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Representative Walters agreed to carry the measure to the floor.

- HB 3,156 (utility-bill contact information): The committee adopted the dash-1 amendment and voted to send the bill as amended to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; the committee instructed that the Public Utility Commission would require utilities to include the Commission’s consumer service phone number and online complaint form link on bills.

- HB 2,971 (qualified depository institutions): The committee adopted the dash-1 amendment and voted to send the bill as amended to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; Representative Gomberg agreed to carry the bill on the floor.

Committee leaders and witnesses: committee motions were made by vice chairs and carried by roll call. Staff and bill sponsors provided brief summaries before the committee acted; for example, committee staff described HB 3,179 as requiring the Public Utility Commission to consider cumulative economic impacts of proposed rates if revenue increases exceed 2.5 percent in-state, and staff described HB 3,102 as directing the Department of Consumer and Business Services to study wildfire damage impacts.

Ending: Several bills were carried over to the committee’s next meeting for additional consideration; the committee adjourned after recording the listed actions.