House Appropriations Committee rereports five bills unanimously, advances sprinkler retrofit tax relief amid party split

The House Appropriations Committee met with a quorum present and unanimously rereported five measures and approved a separate property-tax relief proposal aimed at funding sprinkler retrofits in residential high-rise buildings.

Committee staff summarized six bills for the record: House Bill 1093 would require drivers and passengers under 18 to wear seat belts; House Bill 1299 would require companies that use automatic subscription renewals to provide advance notification and to allow online cancellation; House Bill 1424 would exempt privately owned campgrounds from certain local amusement/admissions taxes; House Bill 1433 would lower the years of required experience for mortuary inspectors from 10 years to 5 years; House Bill 1668 would create a property-tax relief program to help retrofit residential high-rises with automatic fire sprinkler systems; and Senate Bill 475 would change references to "problem-solving courts" to "treatment courts" in Title 42.

By unanimous committee voice vote, the committee rereported House Bill 1093, House Bill 1299, House Bill 1424, House Bill 1433 and Senate Bill 475, following staff presentation and without extended debate. Committee members indicated they would vote affirmatively on those five measures; the chair announced they would be rereported from the committee.

House Bill 1668 drew a partisan split. Committee discussion was brief and procedural: Republican members announced they would vote in the negative on the bill, while Democratic members announced they would vote in the affirmative. The chair announced that the ayes prevailed and that House Bill 1668 passed the committee and will be forwarded as approved at the committee level.

The meeting was procedural and short; there were no public comments or extended debate recorded in the transcript. The chair adjourned the committee after noting no further business.