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House Transportation committee advances motor-vehicle law revisions after tied amendment vote
Summary
The House Transportation Committee voted 14-0 to pass Senate Bill 380 to revise motor-vehicle laws after rejecting an amendment that would have coordinated the bill with a provision in House Bill 99; the amendment failed on a 7-7 tie.
At a meeting of the House Transportation Committee, members voted 14-0 to advance Senate Bill 380, a measure revising laws related to motor vehicles. The committee approved the bill after an amendment intended to coordinate SB 380 with a provision in House Bill 99 failed on a 7-7 roll-call vote.
The amendment, moved by Vice Chair Baum, was described by staff member Casey as "an attempt to coordinate this bill with house bill 99" to resolve a conflict over a 60-day line in the definition of a temporary registration permit on page 18. Casey told the committee that the two bills, as drafted, would not work together without either an amendment, a conference committee or other legislative workarounds; one of the bills has already been signed by the governor.
Opponents of the amendment expressed concern that amending SB 380 in committee would require the bill to return to the Senate for concurrence and could delay implementation of vehicle programs now under way. Representative Sprunger said he was concerned the amendment could "prohibit some of the really important rollouts of cars" and preferred passing the bill unamended to avoid delay. In debate, the chair urged caution about moving an amendment that could set the program back, noting the Motor Vehicle Division had raised similar concerns.
After staff and members discussed options — including a conference committee and legislative-services fixes — the committee held a roll-call vote on the amendment. The clerk reported "7 voting in favor and 7 voting against," and the chair declared the amendment did not pass. The committee then voted on the unamended bill: the clerk recorded "14 voting in favor and 0 against," and the chair announced that SB 380 passed out of committee and will move to the House floor for second reading. The chair said he would carry the bill to the floor.
The committee's action resolves nothing beyond advancement to the next step; staff said further coordination between legislative offices and the Motor Vehicle Division or, if necessary, a conference committee would be required to reconcile the language in both chambers if both measures proceed.
Next steps: SB 380 will be scheduled for second reading on the House floor and may return to the Senate if House amendments are adopted.
