Committee advances conveyance amendment after debate over ‘temporary housing’ language

House Bill 5578, which would amend a prior conveyance of state land to the Chesapeake Health District, was moved out of the Government Oversight Committee on Monday, April 6 after a substantive exchange about an amendment that adds permissive language for "temporary housing."

Senator Sampson said the bill's new "notwithstanding" language and the provision that the health district "may permit a nonprofit to use said parcel of land for temporary housing" could effectively remove prior obligations and "allow the health district to simply designate a nonprofit to set up a tent city, effectively," unless more limits or local consent were added. He said he was concerned about changing the parcel's original purpose and would not support the change without additional clarification.

The chair responded by reading the bill language into the record and clarifying that the amendment makes the provision permissive — that the health district may, but is not required to, permit a nonprofit to use some or all of the parcel for temporary housing, and that the discretion rests with the health district. Senator Sampson expressed that he remained uneasy and said he would be a no in principle during debate but the roll-call record in the transcript shows he "passed for now" when his vote was called; the transcript therefore records an inconsistency between his debate remark and the roll-call entry.

The motion (moved by Representative Dathan and seconded by Representative Gucker) to send HB 5578 to the floor (JFS to the floor with LCO 3768) was carried in the recorded roll-call entries. Committee members asked for more detail about definitions and local town consent as the bill moves forward.

The chair said votes would be held open after the meeting for members who could not participate live.