House passes waste-fee overhaul after amendment vote fails

Representative Urquhart introduced House Bill 246 as a measure to "equalize fees in the state." Representative Ray offered amendment number 14 to remove a particular royalty or fee that he said would triple costs for an affected entity; the amendment prompted detailed questioning about which fees and royalty payments would be excluded and whether the amendment would produce unintended consequences.

Representative Urquhart and others warned the amendment could be hostile to the fee scheme and noted they had asked affected facilities to produce precise fee spreadsheets but had not received them. Representative Becker argued the amendment risked undermining the overall waste-fee framework. After a division and recorded vote, amendment 14 failed (30 yes, 38 no). The underlying bill later passed the House by a vote of 55 yes to 12 no and was referred to the Senate.