House panel approves bill to clarify waste-management board appointments

The Committee on Natural Resources and Energy voted to give House Bill 88 a favorable recommendation after Representative Emily Callaway said the measure would resolve confusion about term limits and appointment procedures for local waste-management boards.

Representative Emily Callaway, who introduced the bill, said the statute that governs the waste-management boards — informally called the “109 board” — sets out procedures, term limits and appointment rules and that local officials have been unclear about how to apply those requirements. “We have specific statute … that directs our waste management boards about procedures and, term limits and appointments,” Callaway said, adding that consolidated governments should actively recruit community members to serve and that public-facing application information can be hard to find on some websites.

Callaway described the bill as only a few lines intended to “honor the intent” of the existing law and clear up procedural confusion. There was no extended debate. The clerk called the roll and the committee recorded enough affirmative votes for the bill to pass with a favorable recommendation.

The committee chair said the committee would record final votes as required and noted the measure is expected to proceed to the full House for further consideration.