Ways and Means advances two consent calendars and moves several bills favorable with amendments

The Ways and Means Committee moved two consent calendars and approved several bills with amendments during its 17th voting session.

The committee approved a first-page consent calendar that included Senate Bill 968; House Bill 694 as amended (sponsor: Delegate Bhandari); Senate Bill 163 as amended (Senators West and McRae); House Bill 1168 as amended (Delegate Bagby); and Senate Bill 685 as amended (Senator Guyal). A second consent calendar including House Bills 1574 (as amended, Delegate Solomon), 1587 (as amended, Delegate Patterson), 1604 (as amended, Delegate Carr) and Senate Bill 646 (Senator King) also moved forward favorable with amendments. The Minority Leader moved each calendar and the Chair called the votes after there was no discussion.

The committee then considered bills pulled from the first page for individual votes. House Bill 500 and Senate Bill 309, cross-filed measures to exempt sales of certain precious-metal bullion and coins from the state sales and use tax, were amended to limit the exemption to sales with a sales price greater than $1,000 and then moved favorable with amendments. Senate Bill 311 was amended to align its provisions with House Bill 490 as passed by the House (removing proposed changes to post-college and career-readiness standards, extending the concentration-of-poverty formula for three years rather than one, repealing a technology-report requirement, and reverting expert-review-team funds back to the blueprint rather than the academic excellence fund) and moved favorable with amendments. Senate Bill 410 was amended to revert the increased appropriations back to the amounts in House Bill 660 and moved favorable with amendments; the transcript records several members as opposed on that vote.

The committee chair closed the session and indicated members should expect additional votes in the coming days as the legislature moves toward adjournment.

Votes at a glance: - Consent calendar (first page): moved favorable (bills listed above). Sponsor/mover: Minority Leader; outcome: favorable (no detailed tally in the transcript). - Consent calendar (second page): moved favorable (bills listed above). Sponsor/mover: Minority Leader; outcome: favorable (no detailed tally in the transcript). - HB500 / SB309 (cross-filed): amendment adopted (exemption limited to sales price > $1,000); bill moved favorable with amendments. Mover: Vice Chair; outcome: favorable with amendments. - SB311: amendments adopted to align with House Bill 490 as passed; bill moved favorable with amendments. Mover: Delegate Ebersole; outcome: favorable with amendments (party-line vote reported). - SB410: amendments adopted to revert appropriations to HB660 amounts; bill moved favorable with amendments. Mover: Delegate Young; outcome: favorable with amendments (several delegates recorded as opposed).

Next steps: All bills that moved favorable with amendments will proceed according to legislative rules (further committee action, floor scheduling, or enrollment as appropriate). The transcript does not indicate subsequent floor scheduling or final chamber action.