Committee advances pesticide-reporting bill after rejecting narrower amendment

The Environment Committee voted March 4 to advance HB 5155, a measure described by supporters as an effort to modernize pesticide reporting, after the panel rejected an amendment that would have narrowed reporting requirements.

Representative John Michael Parker, chair, opened consideration of HB 5155 and recognized Representative Diski, who moved an amendment to limit the bill’s reporting requirement to restricted-use pesticides applied by licensed applicators. Rep. Diski argued the bill as originally written would be “extremely broad,” requiring ordinary household purchases of pesticide — from garden powder to common insect spray — to be reported.

Committee debate focused on the scope of the bill and whether technical fixes should be made before a floor vote. Rep. Diski said the amendment would preserve the bill’s public-health goals while avoiding onerous paperwork for routine consumer purchases. The amendment was seconded by Representative Anderson and distributed in printed form for members to review; the chair encouraged colleagues to vote against the amendment in order to move the bill forward for continued language work.

The committee conducted a voice vote on the amendment that the chair ruled against, then completed a roll-call vote on the underlying bill. The clerk announced HB 5155 would be sent to the floor (JF) for further consideration. The committee record shows members voted both remotely and in person; the roll call included several corrections and confirmations during the tally.

The chair and several members said they expect continued drafting and stakeholder work on the bill as it proceeds through the process. The committee did not adopt the Diski amendment and did not change the underlying bill text at this meeting; proponents said further changes can be made after the bill reaches the next stage.