Committee reviews HB 12‑10 agency bill: data center tax share and model‑home changes discussed

Representative Snow presented the Department of Local Government Finance agency bill (House Bill 12‑10) and described bipartisan conference committee work to reconcile Senate amendments. He said conference edits were intended as fixes so the bill would not require rework next year.

During questions, Representative Dvorak and others asked about changes to model‑home provisions; Snow said the numbers were altered in conference and recounted the prior figures and the conference outcome, characterizing it as an agreed‑upon adjustment.

Representative Pierce pressed Snow on a provision requiring data centers to return to the approving local unit an amount equal to 1% of the sales‑tax savings tied to power consumption (the committee recorded the provision in section 100, page 103). Snow explained that the calculation is based on the taxable power usage — "if the bill is $100, take 7% of that... now you're at $77 and take 1% of that" — and told the committee data centers can use substantial power, citing "$40,000,000 a month" as an example of monthly power costs for large facilities.

Snow described the 1% payment as money that "goes back to the locals" and said it could be directed to the city or county that approved the data center. Committee members sought to confirm the provision does not change the underlying exemption on equipment or other non‑power items and that the requirement applies to the power consumption component only.

The committee moved to provide the conference committee report for HB 12‑10 for member distribution and to hold it for one hour; the distribution motion passed on a recorded roll call (9‑0).