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Unions Back Bill to Remove Sunset on Limits to Public Funding of Port Automation; Industry Urges Caution

House Local Government Committee · February 18, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Senate Bill 5995 would make permanent a 2021 law allowing port districts to buy zero- and near-zero-emission cargo-handling equipment while prohibiting use of public funds to buy fully automated equipment; union witnesses urged removal of the sunset to protect jobs and safety, while industry groups said the restriction could hamper competitiveness.

The committee heard Senate Bill 5995, which would remove a 2031 sunset on a 2021 law that authorized port districts to use public funds to buy zero- and near-zero-emission cargo-handling equipment while prohibiting purchase of fully automated equipment using public funds.

Sponsor (identified in the transcript as Senator Salman) described the bill as a one-sentence change that would simply remove the sunset clause to protect…

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