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Committee forwards a slate of bills including vessel-registration fee change, crime-victims filing extension and retirement adjustment
Summary
The committee reported several bills favorably or with technical fixes: HB79 (vessel registration fee bookkeeping to support a reservoir management grant fund), a Senate companion presented by Senator Kitchens, a crime-victims compensation filing-deadline extension to two years (with a corrected effective date), HB145 (removing a third-party payment requirement), and HB159 (allowing circuit clerks to join a regular retirement system).
The Ways and Means General Fund committee moved several bills forward with limited debate:
- HB 79 (Representative Crawford): Sponsor said a prior reserve-management grant program was set up with a $5 fee added to vessel registration; the change represented bookkeeping to ensure a $5 portion is routed to a reservoir management grant fund and preserve Coast Guard grants rather than a new tax. Committee members sought clarification about the mechanics; the bill received a favorable report.
- Senate companion (Senator Kitchens): Senator Kitchens presented the Senate companion to the vessel-registration bill, saying it mirrors the House version; the committee reported it favorably.
- Crime Victims Compensation (Representative Betzel): The bill extends the filing deadline from one year to two years to allow victims time while investigations and prosecutions proceed. Representative Betzel noted an appeal process already exists for exceptional situations. A replacement amendment corrected the effective date; the amendment and bill received favorable/fair reports.
- HB 145 (Representative Lee): Sponsor said the measure eliminates a third-party requirement for certain business payments so businesses may be paid directly, expediting transactions and reducing costs; the bill received a favorable report.
- HB 159 (Representative Bolton): The bill allows remaining circuit clerks in an older supernumerary retirement system to participate in the regular employees retirement system and close the old plan. Sponsor and staff said a maximum of about 18 people could be affected and that the fiscal note indicated no additional state funding would be required. The committee approved the bill.
Each of the above bills was reported out (favorable or fair report) by voice vote; the transcript does not show recorded roll-call tallies.
