House Committee plans amendment to move most language from omnibus labor bill into career-technical bill

The House Committee on General & Housing said May 26 it plans to introduce an amendment to S 313 that would incorporate most language from the Senate omnibus labor bill S 2 30 while removing an objectionable paragraph that the governor has signaled could prompt a veto.

Chair of the committee briefed members that "S 2 30 is the omnibus labor bill" and that a paragraph linked to BSEA and VSEA had divided the committee. She said four members opposed keeping the language and others regarded it as "harmless," but warned that "the governor is very, very likely to veto the bill because of that paragraph." The chair said the goal is to preserve the substantive, noncontroversial provisions without the disputed paragraph.

Committee leaders identified S 313, described in the meeting as the career-technical college bill, as the vehicle for carrying S 2 30 language. "The vehicle that we have found with the speaker's help is 313 S 313," the chair said; the committee said it has discussed the plan with leadership and with other committees likely to be affected. Members said economic development and education committee chairs had been consulted and would take a straw poll before any floor action.

The chair cautioned the amendment could face a germaneness challenge. "It is quite possible that it's not germane," she said, and noted that if members object, the minority leader might move to suspend germaneness or suspend the rules to allow the amendment to proceed.

Committee members emphasized staff work and technical fixes in the underlying bills. One member summarized some provisions as technical corrections, while the chair highlighted policy elements such as hiring visiting nurses that supporters want to preserve. The committee did not take a formal vote at the meeting; members said they expected to reconvene quickly if the amendment language became available and if Sophie (a member referenced in the discussion) arrived before the floor session.

What happens next: committee leaders said they would circulate amendment text when available, ask relevant committees to take straw polls, and try to place the amendment on the House floor later the same day if procedural hurdles can be cleared. If S 313 is amended on the House floor, it would later go back to the Senate for concurrence.