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Joint committee advances multiple agency rules with positive recommendations
Summary
The Joint Government Operations Committee moved a package of agency rules to positive recommendation on June 17, 2026, including updates for court reporting, vessel safety, wildlife hunting, utilities wastewater procedures, choice‑lane enforcement and education rules. Several items passed unanimously in the house; some senate votes recorded dissent.
The Joint Government Operations Committee on June 17 advanced a bundle of agency rule changes and recommended them for further consideration in both chambers.
Among the items the committee moved forward were rules transferring court‑reporting program authority to the Department of Commerce and Insurance, updates to vessel safety rules to align with U.S. Coast Guard standards, amendments to wastewater rules for investor‑owned utilities, and administrative rules to implement choice‑lane enforcement procedures tied to vehicle registration suspension. Committee members moved and seconded motions for positive recommendation on each item.
Reid Witcher, assistant commissioner for regulatory boards at the Department of Commerce and Insurance, told the committee that the court‑reporting rules simply replace references to the terminated board with references to the department and add an authorization for the program to assess civil penalties of up to $1,000 for unlicensed activity. "These rules removed references to the board and replaced them with references to the program," Witcher said.
Tim Schwartz, director of communications for the Public Utility Commission, said the wastewater changes remove an automatic three‑year certificate expiration in favor of a rebuttable presumption and allow escrow withdrawals for emergencies with post‑reporting and documentation requirements. "This approach provides timely project completion while preserving due process," Schwartz said.
Autumn Cole, legislative director for the Department of Revenue, described rules to label a registrant a 'habitual violator' of choice lanes when they have three unpaid violations on separate dates within 12 months, with unpaid balances of $100 or more; registrants would receive 60 days' notice to pay before a registration suspension.
Most items drew no public comment during committee consideration and were reported out with a positive recommendation in the house by voice vote. Several votes in the senate were called individually; the clerk recorded ayes and nos where noted in the transcript. Where a roll call occurred, the chair announced the committee's recommendation to move the rule forward.
The committee did not take final legislative action; items with positive recommendations will be processed according to regular legislative procedures.
