Conferees bundle SB 33 with local-sales-tax vehicle, opt for a one-year freeze extension

Legislative conferees agreed to use Senate Bill 33 as the principal vehicle for a package that would extend an existing freeze for one year and incorporate local-sales-tax authority measures. Members discussed removing the House’s distribution formula from the vehicle and instead extending the current freeze for one year while allowing the House or the legislature to develop a new apportionment approach next session.

Participants said Committee Bill 2712 — which would allow counties up to a three-cent sales-tax increase subject to voter approval — could be placed into the SB 33 package so project-specific tax authorities are covered if revenue and valuation limits are adopted. Staff advised that if 2712 covers individual tax authorities, then Senate Bill 303 would be redundant and could be left out of the bundle.

Committee members also discussed logistics: setting the effective date on the register so local officials have time to prepare for elections tied to these measures. The House signaled concurrence with using SB 33 to carry the bundle. Members noted conferee and signature issues remain for some bills (for example, SB 434 lacked adequate signatures on the Senate side), and agreed to prioritize SB 33 and related sales-tax provisions to avoid losing late-filed items.

No formal roll-call vote appears in the transcript; participants described agreement in principle and scheduled follow-up drafting and caucus time to complete final action.

Next steps: staff and revisers will prepare the SB 33 bundle language for committee review, with attention to register timing and whether 2712 obviates the need for SB 303.