House Appropriations Committee approves model zoning ordinance for data centers with local-hire amendment
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Summary
The House Appropriations Committee approved House Bill 21‑51 as amended, adopting an amendment that recommends local hiring and local contractor involvement in model zoning for data centers; the committee then voted to pass the bill as amended.
The House Appropriations Committee on April 2 considered House Bill 21‑51, which would require the development of a model zoning ordinance for the regulation of data centers, and approved the measure as amended.
The committee's executive director said, “We have house bill 21 51, which requires the development of a model zoning ordinance for the regulation of data centers,” summarizing the bill’s purpose. Committee members then debated an amendment labeled A02745 that would recommend the use of local labor and greater local engagement in data center projects.
Committee members asked for clarification about the amendment’s language. One member said the amendment appeared to refer to “local contractors” and that communities where a project is located should be involved in the planning process. Another member, speaking for the Republican members, said the amendment supported local workforce development but expressed broader opposition to additional regulation of data centers, stating, “These data centers are abiding by the rules. They do not need further regulation, and they are creating jobs in this commonwealth.”
The committee put Amendment A02745 to a vote; the chair announced that the amendment passed unanimously. After further brief discussion, the committee held a roll call vote on House Bill 21‑51 as amended. The chair declared, “Seeing that the ayes have it, House Bill 21 51 will pass the committee as amended.”
The meeting concluded with the chair adjourning the session. The committee record shows the bill passed the Appropriations Committee with the local-hire recommendation attached; further legislative steps were not specified during the meeting transcript.
Notes on attribution: quotes and statements are drawn from the committee meeting transcript. Speakers are identified in the meeting record by role where personal names were not provided.
