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Senate tables hazardous-waste fee repeal on third reading after fiscal concerns
Summary
Senators advanced House Bill 13 to third reading but then voted to table it there after sponsors and fiscal officers flagged an estimated $500,000 negative revenue impact; proponents called it a repair bill to undo an earlier fee.
House Bill 13, described by Senator Allen as a repair measure to repeal a $28-per-ton hazardous-waste fee enacted previously, was advanced to the third-reading calendar and then tabled on third after senators raised fiscal-concern objections.
Allen said the earlier fee had placed a company (Clean Harbors) in a disadvantaged, noncompetitive position, causing layoffs and lost business, and called HB 13 a repair to fix inaccurate information that had underpinned the prior law. He estimated a fiscal-note impact “just over half a million dollars.”
Senator Bramble and others noted the bill had task-force origins and was intended to address hazardous-waste issues; Senator Hickman moved to table the bill on third reading because of its negative fiscal impact and inconsistent display of fiscal notes on the chamber screen. The motion to table on third reading was adopted by the Senate.
The floor action means HB 13 will not proceed to immediate final passage on third reading; sponsors were asked to alert the floor when bills have fiscal notes exceeding $10,000 to allow time for tabling or further review.
Next steps: HB 13 is tabled on third reading; sponsors and fiscal staff may reconcile the fiscal note or pursue further committee or scheduling options before final action.
