Committee advances measures on state filings, asset forfeiture, House seal and a convention application

The committee advanced several short bills and a concurrent resolution in a series of mostly uncontested votes.

SB 13: Mike Heim of the Revised Statutes Office said the bill, proposed by the Secretary of State, would eliminate filing requirements for a range of records the presenter said are readily available elsewhere—items Heim listed included reciprocal university agreements, certain easements, tax abatements and employee-organization filings. Representative Reese moved to report SB 13 favorably; Representative Sanders seconded and the committee approved the motion on a voice vote.

SB 137: Heim described SB 137 as aligning civil asset forfeiture procedures with criminal procedures by providing that firearms seized in civil forfeiture cases could be sold or transferred to a properly licensed federal firearms dealer as one option. Members asked whether previous statutory changes disincentivized using forfeiture proceeds to fund law enforcement; Heim said recent amendments reduced that incentive. Representative Smoyer moved SB 137 favorably; Representative Miller seconded and the committee approved the motion on a voice vote.

House Bill 2,332 (House seal): Heim said HB 2,332 designates the seal affixed to the front podium as the House seal, to be kept in the speaker’s office and used on official documents. An amendment was adopted to permit any member of the House to use the seal on official stationery, newsletters or communications so long as the use does not convey an official position of the House; the seal may not be used for campaign purposes. Committee members questioned whether the provision applied to former members and whether incidental appearances of the seal in photos used during campaigns would create issues; Heim and members advised that the Governmental Ethics Commission would have oversight and that inadvertent or incidental uses likely would not present enforcement problems. Representative Reese moved HB 2332, as amended, favorably for passage; the motion carried on a voice vote.

SCR 1604: Heim summarized SCR 1604 as a concurrent resolution applying to Congress to call a convention to propose amendments that would impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit federal power and jurisdiction, and limit terms of office for officials and members of Congress. Representative Smoyer moved the resolution favorably; Representative Sanders seconded and the committee approved the motion on a voice vote.

Ending: Committee members announced a later afternoon hearing on HR6016 and adjourned. The transcript records voice votes for these measures; roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.