Banking Committee votes to raise 20 concepts for public hearings

The Banking Committee voted by voice to raise 20 legislative concepts for public hearings and further consideration at its first meeting of the 2026 session. Representative Jason Doucette, House cochair of the committee, called the vote after a motion to raise the concepts was moved and seconded.

Raising a concept schedules it for a public hearing and does not itself endorse or pass a bill, Doucette said in explaining the procedure. "It just means that we would like to have a hearing and to consider them further," he said.

Representative Tom Delnicki moved to raise all 20 concepts as bills; Representative Foster seconded the motion, which prompted brief supportive remarks from members. Representative Hoxha said he would "agree to vote on raising these bills" and noted he had questions about a few items but supported moving them forward for public review. Senator Eric Berthel, the Senate ranking member, described the committee as collaborative and said the panel does work that benefits both consumers and financial institutions.

Chair Doucette called for a voice vote. "Those in favor of raising the 20 concepts on our agenda, signify by saying aye," he said. After hearing "ayes," he declared, "The ayes have it," and announced the committee had voted to raise the concepts.

The chair also noted the committee had strong attendance in the room and online and that the meeting would be held open until 3:00 p.m. to allow additional members to log in for attendance. He said a potential meeting was reserved for Feb. 19 — the raised-bill deadline — but that the session may not require that additional meeting.

The action advances the concepts to the next step in the legislative process: public hearings before the Banking Committee, where members will hear testimony, ask questions and decide whether to move any items forward as formal bills.