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Senate Judiciary Committee Concurred With House Amendments on Several Bills, Including SB658 and SB646
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted by voice to concur in multiple House amendments, adopting an amendment and concurring on measures including SB451, SB658 (which deleted a section and moved an emergency clause) and SB646 (a technical fix limiting third-party crime-lab access to prosecutor approval).
An unidentified senator (Speaker 1) moved to adopt an amendment limiting an identified provision to people "outside of the building, dealing with the public," and the committee adopted the amendment by voice vote.
The committee then moved to pass a bill "as concurred with the House amendment," again approving the motion by voice vote and signaling concurrence in the House changes.
The panel also took up a concurrence for "Senate Bill 4 51," noting House additions that tighten licensing provisions for contractors and public accountants. Committee members described provisions that would bar licensing for individuals convicted of felony theft or fraud; after no requests for debate, the committee concurred in the House amendment by voice vote.
Senator Flowers presented House amendment number 1 to Senate Bill 658, describing the change as a deletion that altered section numbering so that what had been section 10 (the emergency clause) became section 9. "This was house amendment number 1 to senate bill number 658, and it deleted section 10," Senator Flowers said when recognized to explain the concurrence. The committee moved and concurred in that amendment by voice vote.
Members also reviewed a technical correction to Senate Bill 646 related to access to crime-lab information. Committee discussion clarified that the amendment strikes wording so that third parties seeking crime-lab information may do so only with approval of prosecutors (the committee corrected an earlier misstatement that suggested defense approval); committee members said the Public Defender's Commission had agreed to the change. A motion to concur, moved by Central Ballinger and seconded by Central Flowers, passed by voice vote.
With no further business, Speaker 1 adjourned the committee "until the call of the chair," noting additional items may be returned to the committee.
Votes at a glance
- Adoption of amendment (unnumbered): motion to adopt moved by an unidentified senator (Speaker 1); outcome: adopted by voice vote. - Concurrence on bill passed 'as concurred with the House amendment' (unnumbered): outcome: motion carried by voice vote. - Senate Bill 451 (House concurrence): House amendments tightening contractor licensing and public accountancy licensing approved by voice vote; outcome: concurred. - Senate Bill 658 (House amendment #1): House amendment deleted a section and shifted the emergency clause; Senator Flowers presented the amendment; outcome: concurred by voice vote. - Senate Bill 646 (technical correction): Amendment clarifies third-party access to crime-lab information requires prosecutors' approval; outcome: concurred by voice vote.
What happens next
All concurred items were approved by the Judiciary Committee and will proceed according to legislative process (transmission to the next chamber or final enrollment as required). No roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript; votes were taken by voice.
